Photo by Fern Barishman
A ubiquitous pink peace sign in Ojai, created by Fern Barishman s neighbor Lou Mora, was given to her by friend Brian Berman. It replaces the peace sign in front of Barishman s home on Ojai s Ventura Street that was defaced with a spraypainted backward swastika, obscenity and racial epithet sometime overnight between Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.
Ojai Valley News editor
Who ever spraypainted a backward swastika, racial epithet and obscenity on a pink peace sign on Ojai’s Ventura Street during the night from Feb. 19 to the morning of Feb. 20 probably had no idea that act of hate would prompt such an outpouring of love.
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KCLU s Lance Orozco talks with some of the front line hospital personnel in Ventura County battling the COVID-19 surge which has swamped many of the county s eight hospitals.
At first glance, they re just numbers. They are shocking numbers, but numbers. 1520 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ventura County Wednesday. But, they are much more than that to thousands of families in the county. They are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers.
Some of them will end up in the county’s eight hospitals. But, the hospitals are already packed, and doctors, nurses, and other staff are struggling to handle it.
VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) Ventura County is dealing with a holiday surge. The eight-hospital system is near capacity with nearly 1,000 patients and nearly half of them are infected with COVID-19. Fourty-four percent roughly have patients in the hospital are COVID patients, and it s a record number of patients we have county-wide. It is a great strain on the system. The hospitals and their wonderful professionals are doing an amazing job of managing it. We can t keep it up at this rate said Ventura County CEO Michael Powers. The hospitals are very full. Our ERs are very full. At times we don t have places to put ambulances. The more ambulances come into our hospitals, there s no place to put those patients, said Steve Carroll with Ventura County Emergency Medical.
Dignity Health
CENTRAL COAST, Calif. - Two more hospitals in San Luis Obispo and Ventura announced the first babies born to them after midnight on New Year s Day.
Emmie was the first baby born on New Year s Day at French Hospital in SLO
French Hospital Medical Center welcomed little Emmie Rafaela Hernandez around 1:11 p.m. on Friday.
Emmie weighed in at eight pounds and was 20.5 inches long. Her parents Christina Sanchez and Julio Hernandez are overjoyed with their new bundle of joy, who happens to be their third child.
“We are grateful to have the first baby of the year at French Hospital,” says