Good morning, Ventura.

Ventura teen Austin Gambill—who ran for his high school’s cross country and track teams—died after being struck by a car.

SpaceX will launch its Falcon 9 rocket today at 8:44 a.m. PT from Vandenberg Space Force Base — the rocket will carry 24 Starlink satellites into orbit and Ventura residents may hear sonic booms if they are near the launch site.

Backup opportunities exist if the liftoff is postponed.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office released video from a July 1 shooting in Thousand Oaks that left 23 year old Dominic Saad dead—footage shows deputies positioning themselves as Saad, who held a shotgun during a mental health crisis call, was engaged and both the sheriff’s and District Attorney’s offices are investigating the incident.

On Aug. 6, Ventura County officials found Jeremy Goodrich and Stephanie Venegas Nelson dead in a vehicle along Pacific Coast Highway near the Mugu Canyon Rest Area—Goodrich died from gunshot wounds in a homicide while Venegas Nelson died by suicide with a gunshot to the head, and authorities said the incident appeared isolated.

Newbury Park High School was temporarily transformed into Sunset Ridge High for filming Disney’s Freakier Friday in summer 2024—Disney crews repainted campus areas and restored them after the shoot.

Conejo Valley Unified School District coordinated with production staff to complete filming without disrupting classes and now plans to use more district properties for future projects.

School districts reassured families that campuses remained safe amid ICE raids that had sparked fears during the back-to-school season—officials stated that no enforcement occurred on school grounds.

Education leaders implemented measures like visitor screening and trauma-informed care training—actions that helped support immigrant families and restore community confidence.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 15 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit on June 30 against the U.S. Department of Education to reverse funding cuts that risk $5 million in mental health grants for schools including Conejo Valley Unified—one of 44 affected districts.

The case seeks to reinstate funding provided by a $1 billion grant and is set for a hearing on Sept. 5.

Ventura County officials said on Aug.

12 that kratom—a supplement made from Southeast Asian leaves—is linked to overdoses, addiction, and deaths when mixed with alcohol or fentanyl. Supervisor Janice Parvin is pushing for a new law that may ban kratom or require clear labeling to protect residents.