Journalism
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The following are stories ranging from hard news articles to human interest pieces published in The Acorn Newspapers, Santa Barbara Independent and APU's Collide Magazine.
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"Blind jogger blazes a unique trail"
by Caitlin Trude for the Moorpark Acorn Toni Smith enjoys her active lifestyle. An avid hiker, camper and white-water rafter, the Simi Valley resident decided to push herself further by adding running to her list of pursuits this year. What makes the 46-year-old runner’s story unique: She does all her outdoor adventuring without her sight. Blind since birth, Smith said she only has “light perception,” which means she can see shadows but is unable to distinguish what objects the shadows represent. “The first time I ran, I barely made it one time around the track, which is a quarter-mile,” Smith said. “But it was so freeing. I loved the feeling. No one’s holding onto me. I’m just running. It was kind of addicting.” Smith said her son, Clint, and his friend MaKenna Powell piqued her interest in running in January, and she joined them on their runs. But after his winter break, her son returned for his third year of college at Cal State Long Beach and Powell’s pole vaulting practices at Pierce College took up more of her schedule. Unwilling to give up her newfound “runner’s high,” Smith found herself in need of a new running guide she could trust. “If I could run every day, I would,” she said. “The problem is trying to find people to run with.” She tried running with her guide dog, Cici, a 4-year-old black Lab, but found it difficult to hold the harness, as it interfered with her stride and caused arm and shoulder pain. She then thought of Cathy Hunter, a chiropractic doctor and clinic director at Superior Physical Medicine in Simi Valley, where Smith works as a massage therapist. Hunter, a 45-year-old resident of Simi Valley who’s been running for the last 30 years, has competed in marathons and half marathons. The two became friends a couple of years ago while working together, and knowing Hunter’s running history, Smith decided to approach Hunter with the idea of becoming running partners. “I think because I’ve run for so long, it didn’t even faze me that (Smith) was blind,” Hunter said. “And I’ve found it super-fascinating running with her because she’ll learn things so quickly. Toni’s been very inspiring for me. She’s just got the running bug and it’s fun to see.” Hunter said once they started training together, everything “clicked.” They were quickly able to match their pace and strides by running together at least once a week early in the morning or in the evening. Smith began by running one lap at a time on the Hillside Middle School track, gradually increasing her distance to two miles. Now they pound the pavement in their neighborhoods or take their runs to the trails. Most of the time, Hunter said, she uses verbal commands to guide her friend, such as warning her when there is an obstacle or sharp turn ahead. “In general, (Smith) runs right next to me,” Hunter said. “Sometimes if (the trail is) crazy or I forget she’s blind because she’s running so great, she kind of veers off, I’ll grab her arm. It’s been a very interesting journey.” They ran their first race together, a 5K—just over three miles—during the Moorpark Mammoth Run Oct. 4. To prepare for the big day, the pair practiced running on the Mammoth Run course a couple of weekends before the event. Smith said the Mammoth Run marked her first time running with other people around her, which meant she had to rely more on Hunter for guidance. “If it’s noisy, I get a little more confused,” Smith said. “It wasn’t scary during the race, but I was certainly nervous beforehand.” But it was also her first time running three miles, and Smith said she was more nervous about finishing the race without having to walk, which she did. Since then, she’s gradually increased her mileage during her weekly runs. Smith is hoping to be able to run a 10K by January. She said most people are amazed when they find out she is a runner. “If I inspire someone who maybe can see and doesn’t get out and exercise for whatever reason, that’s fine,” she said. “But to me it’s just fun. That’s why I’m doing it.” |
"Holocaust survivor shares story of escape and triumph"
by Caitlin Trude for the Moorpark Acorn It was a cold, frigid winter when Albert Rosa arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.The then-15-year-old recalled how the smell of burning bodies hung in the air as he watched those who were too young, too old, too weak or otherwise unfit to work singled out and sent to crematoriums. Rosa said the journey from his birthplace in Salonika, Greece, a city of more than 77,000 Jews, to his internment at the concentration camp, seemed to happen so quickly. Little did he know he would not only survive the horrors of the Holocaust, but live to share his story. Yet it would take decades before Rosa would be able to recount the painful memories that still haunt the 90-year-old. Albert Rosa was born on Jan. 25, 1925 to observant Jewish parents, Regina and Ephraim. His father made a comfortable life for his family as the owner of a successful hardware store. The youngest of six brothers and two sisters, Rosa spent many of his earliest days swimming, boxing and playing soccer. “I had a good life,” he recalled. But his idyllic childhood came to an abrupt end. During Nazi occupation of Greece, the Rosas were sent to live in a ghetto. Each day they saw people on the streets die of starvation and their dead bodies carted away in wagons. As the Nazi occupation wore on, Rosa watched as his father’s business and his bank account were confiscated. He and his siblings were no longer allowed to attend school and were forced to wear the yellow Star of David, identifying them as Jews. “Germany at the time was the most powerful country in the world and Greece was a small country,” Rosa said. “If they catch you not wearing the yellow star, they beat you up, maybe even kill you.” When he was 15, Rosa his family were forced out of their home and sent to cattle cars for a 10-day journey to Auschwitz. Crammed with 80 or 90 others, Rosa said fewer than a quarter of the passengers survived the journey. “Ten days, 10 nights inside the boxcar, no water, no food, no toilet. People were dying inside the train. Only the young ones and the strong ones survived,” he said, crediting his own survival to his athleticism. Rosa had a new name as a prisoner: 110362, a number tattooed on his arm that is still visible today. He worked in the camp’s coal mines for 15 hours a day before he was sent to Warsaw, Poland, in fall 1943 after witnessing the murders of his sister Luna and brother Daniel at the hands of camp guards. Despite the horrors he faced in Auschwitz, Warsaw, and on a death march to Dachau concentration camp in Germany, Rosa’s story is one of triumph. His escape from the death camp in the winter of 1945 led to his liberation by American soldiers, with whom he fought for six months. He earned five military medals, including a Purple Heart. Following the end of World War II, Albert dedicated himself to hunting Nazis and smuggling arms for an underground Jewish resistance group to help found Israel. Rosa and his wife, Betty Rosensweig, also a Holocaust survivor, married in 1948, moved to the United States, and had three children together. Betty Rosa died in 2007. Although Albert Rosa was able to escape the death camp and have a good life in the United States, nightmares of what he had seen continued to haunt him. He was unable to talk about his experiences. “For 50 years, I never talked about it,” he said. At the encouragement of his children, he decided to speak out for the sake of his own health and to help future generations remember the past. “I’ve been (speaking) for many years, and after a while I got used to it, but in the beginning, I used to feel like something was choking me,” he said. As a part of the Moorpark Chabad Jewish Center’s Jewish Enrichment Day lecture series, Rosa will be sharing his Holocaust survival story, “From Victim to Victor,” at 10:30 a.m. Sun., Oct. 18 at the Moorpark Chabad Jewish Center, 4219 Tierra Rejada Road, in the Vons shopping center. “Just from the things he’s been telling me, I can’t believe that a person can physically go through what he did,” said Devorah Heidingsfeld, wife of the Rabbi Shimy Heidingsfeld. Devorah hopes those who attend will be inspired by Rosa’s story of resilience and survival. “All the Holocaust survivors are very old and very few and far between,” she said. “It’s very, very important that we should not forget. We should hear the stories. This is our history, the stories of our people.” "Zika virus spread to Ventura County unlikely, officials say"
by Caitlin Trude for the Moorpark Acorn The Zika virus has been at the forefront of health news, both abroad and in the U.S. But health experts in Ventura County said local residents shouldn’t be worried about contracting the virus that has been linked to birth defects. “It hasn’t gotten to be a hysteria by any means, but we’ve seen a lot of people interested in it,” said Ventura County public health officer Dr. Robert Levin. Levin said, however, while the chances of Zika transmission in the county are slim, it is not impossible. The most common way the virus is transmitted, he said, is through the bite of Zika-infected Aedes mosquitoes. “Two factors that would be required to establish Zika transmission in our county would be the presence of those mosquitoes, and for them to bite people in our county that have Zika virus,” the doctor said. “There are several counties in California that do have those mosquitoes, so it is possible for them to spread (the virus) in Ventura County.” The first confirmed Zika virus infection was reported in Brazil last May and since then, has spread to more than 20 other countries, including those in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Within the last year, the Atlanta based Centers for Disease Control reported six Zika cases in California out of the 82 found in the United States, all of which were travel-related. But so far, no Zika infection has been reported in Ventura County. Levin said many of his patients have grown concerned about Zika over the last few weeks, especially women who have recently returned from Zikainfected countries. Their concerns may be warranted, as Zika can be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her fetus. Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect resulting in a newborn’s smaller than average head size because from improper brain development. And although it seems Zika has been more of a concern among his female patients, Levin said men shouldn’t necessarily disregard advice related to the virus. “It is possible to transmit Zika sexually for a number of weeks after returning from a Zika (infected) country, whether you had symptoms in that country or not,” he said. The most common symptoms associated with Zika are mild, and include fever, rash, red eyes and joint pain, which can last up to a week. According to the CDC, those infected by Zika rarely need to go to the hospital and very few die from the virus. Once infected, one is likely to be immune from future Zika illnesses. Levin’s advice to those concerned about contracting Zika virus is simple. “I would look for the latest CDC guidelines and look for those (tips) and right now, think twice before going to a Zika (infected) country,” he said. There is no vaccine to treat Zika, but those infected are urged to rest, drink fluids and take medicines to help reduce fever. While Zika symptoms are mild and typically do not last long, those who have contracted the virus—or think they have— should schedule an appointment with a doctor. The CDC’s prevention tips include using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants to avoid mosquito bites. USC Institute of Emerging Pathogens and Immune Diseases director Jae Jung believes Californians have little to fear when it comes to contracting Zika. Because California is not as hot and humid as countries in Latin America and the Caribbean— conditions required for Aedes mosquito’s survival—Jung said the risk of the virus spreading in the state is low. “Florida, southern Texas and New Orleans are probably the first places in the United States that might house mosquitoes carrying Zika virus,” he told the Acorn. Jung said although the Zika virus isn’t new, scientists have little information about the disease. “It will take many years before a viable Zika vaccine will be produced. Some experts say it will take a decade,” he said. “It will also take some time before scientists are able to definitively say Zika virus causes or does not cause microcephaly, Guillain-Barre syndrome or any of the other health effects that have been correlated with Zika virus.”For more about the Zika virus prevention and treatment, visit www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/ discond/Pages/Zika.aspx. |
"Council defines who can deliver medical marijuana"
by Caitlin Trude for the Moorpark Acorn
Moorpark residents with a prescription for medical marijuana, and their caregivers as well, will be exempt from an ordinance banning the growth and delivery of medicinal pot within city limits.Effective Jan. 20, the Moorpark City Council’s 5-0 decision came on the heels of California’s Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October, requiring individual cities to enforce regulations regarding the growth, sale and delivery of the drug in their towns by March 1.
Comprised of bills AB 243, AB 266 and SB 643, the act— which went into effect Jan. 1— gives the state oversight on the growth and distribution of medical marijuana, as allowed by the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, or Proposition 215.
To that end, city officials voted unanimously Dec. 16 to keep its ban on the sale and growth of medical marijuana in Moorpark. Since 2007, medical marijuana dispensaries—as well as the growth and sale of the drug— have been prohibited in the city.
The ordinance, however, does permit patients with a doctor’s recommendation to grow up to six mature or 12 immature marijuana plants and possess up to 8 ounces of dried marijuana for personal use.
But the council stopped short in December on any vote related to delivery, so as not to inadvertently prevent patients in need from accessing the medicine.
At the time, the council asked staff to clearly define the role of primary caregivers—those responsible for retrieving and distributing a patient’s medical marijuana—and bring the revised ordinance to the Jan. 20 meeting.
Officials had raised questions, such as whether or not spouses or family members could qualify as primary caregivers.
On Jan. 20, community development director David Bobardt presented an updated ordinance to the council, addressing how a primary caregiver is defined.
He said the Compassionate Care Act defines a primary caregiver as someone designated by a qualified patient who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health or safety of the patient.
In addition, the care provided must include responsibilities other than providing the patient with medical marijuana.
By that definition, Bobardt said, spouses, family members and friends could potentially qualify as caregivers.
While state law does not explicitly allow patients to designate more than one caregiver, Bobardt said it may be possible that in the case of patients whose primary caregiver might be out of town, for example, one could designate a temporary caregiver, although those situations would have to be addressed on a caseby case basis.
“It’s a legal gray area,” he said.
To stay in compliance with state law, both the patient and the caregiver must register for medical marijuana identification cards, which requires both individuals to provide a completed application, medical records, photo ID, proof of residence and application fee.
Bobardt said caregivers are not legally required to carry a medical marijuana card, although having one on their person would make it less problematic should they be stopped by a police officer while in possession of the drug.
Capt. Steve Wade of the Moorpark Police Department said, however, it is generally “pretty easy” for law enforcement personnel to tell if someone is a legitimate caregiver.
And although the ordinance may cause some residents to be “wary” about the mobile delivery of medical marijuana through the city, Mayor Janice Parvin said, it is important to provide accommodations for ill patients.
Councilmember Keith Millhouse agreed.
“I think (police) can tell who’s a caregiver, who’s bringing it to a sick person, versus somebody that’s just running it to somebody that just wants to get high,” he said.
Vega Christine, a Simi Valley resident and Ventura County Cannabis Alliance member, was concerned the ordinance would negatively affect patients who many not have primary caregivers and rely on delivery services to retrieve their medicine.
But Millhouse was confident Moorpark’s ordinance would keep the best interests of patients in mind.
“I’m comfortable that the way we have it right now protects the patients who need it,” the council member said. “If it turns out, as (Vega) mentioned, we find that there are a number of individuals who can’t access (primary caregivers) for whatever reason, I think we can always revisit the ordinance.”
by Caitlin Trude for the Moorpark Acorn
Moorpark residents with a prescription for medical marijuana, and their caregivers as well, will be exempt from an ordinance banning the growth and delivery of medicinal pot within city limits.Effective Jan. 20, the Moorpark City Council’s 5-0 decision came on the heels of California’s Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October, requiring individual cities to enforce regulations regarding the growth, sale and delivery of the drug in their towns by March 1.
Comprised of bills AB 243, AB 266 and SB 643, the act— which went into effect Jan. 1— gives the state oversight on the growth and distribution of medical marijuana, as allowed by the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, or Proposition 215.
To that end, city officials voted unanimously Dec. 16 to keep its ban on the sale and growth of medical marijuana in Moorpark. Since 2007, medical marijuana dispensaries—as well as the growth and sale of the drug— have been prohibited in the city.
The ordinance, however, does permit patients with a doctor’s recommendation to grow up to six mature or 12 immature marijuana plants and possess up to 8 ounces of dried marijuana for personal use.
But the council stopped short in December on any vote related to delivery, so as not to inadvertently prevent patients in need from accessing the medicine.
At the time, the council asked staff to clearly define the role of primary caregivers—those responsible for retrieving and distributing a patient’s medical marijuana—and bring the revised ordinance to the Jan. 20 meeting.
Officials had raised questions, such as whether or not spouses or family members could qualify as primary caregivers.
On Jan. 20, community development director David Bobardt presented an updated ordinance to the council, addressing how a primary caregiver is defined.
He said the Compassionate Care Act defines a primary caregiver as someone designated by a qualified patient who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health or safety of the patient.
In addition, the care provided must include responsibilities other than providing the patient with medical marijuana.
By that definition, Bobardt said, spouses, family members and friends could potentially qualify as caregivers.
While state law does not explicitly allow patients to designate more than one caregiver, Bobardt said it may be possible that in the case of patients whose primary caregiver might be out of town, for example, one could designate a temporary caregiver, although those situations would have to be addressed on a caseby case basis.
“It’s a legal gray area,” he said.
To stay in compliance with state law, both the patient and the caregiver must register for medical marijuana identification cards, which requires both individuals to provide a completed application, medical records, photo ID, proof of residence and application fee.
Bobardt said caregivers are not legally required to carry a medical marijuana card, although having one on their person would make it less problematic should they be stopped by a police officer while in possession of the drug.
Capt. Steve Wade of the Moorpark Police Department said, however, it is generally “pretty easy” for law enforcement personnel to tell if someone is a legitimate caregiver.
And although the ordinance may cause some residents to be “wary” about the mobile delivery of medical marijuana through the city, Mayor Janice Parvin said, it is important to provide accommodations for ill patients.
Councilmember Keith Millhouse agreed.
“I think (police) can tell who’s a caregiver, who’s bringing it to a sick person, versus somebody that’s just running it to somebody that just wants to get high,” he said.
Vega Christine, a Simi Valley resident and Ventura County Cannabis Alliance member, was concerned the ordinance would negatively affect patients who many not have primary caregivers and rely on delivery services to retrieve their medicine.
But Millhouse was confident Moorpark’s ordinance would keep the best interests of patients in mind.
“I’m comfortable that the way we have it right now protects the patients who need it,” the council member said. “If it turns out, as (Vega) mentioned, we find that there are a number of individuals who can’t access (primary caregivers) for whatever reason, I think we can always revisit the ordinance.”