Good morning, Ventura.

The Community Conscience building on Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks is a 38-year-old nonprofit hub that provides free space to local charities — severe foundation and plumbing issues now threaten its services.

The group will begin urgent repairs and fundraising, including efforts tied to its Mardi Gras Ball fundraiser on Feb. 28, to keep serving nearly 79,000 people each year.

CSUCI professor Jonathan Caravello was indicted on Sept.

3 for felony assault after he threw a tear gas canister—at federal agents during a July 10 protest outside Glass House Farms near Camarillo, and he is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks.

Ventura County investigators linked deceased Ventura man Sean Patrick McNulty—who died in Michigan in 1997—to home invasion rapes in the early 1980s in Ventura and similar cases in Michigan and Ohio after DNA tests in March 2024 matched evidence from these crimes.

A 42-year-old Newbury Park man was arrested for unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm after a search of his home uncovered 62 firearms and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition—triggering a lockdown of a nearby elementary school—and he is set to appear in court today.

Anthony Romero, 42, of Simi Valley was sentenced to nine years in federal prison on July 15 for trafficking illegal guns after investigators found he moved them from Texas to California—linking him to the West Side Locos.

Amgen will invest $600 million in a new research and innovation center on its Thousand Oaks headquarters campus, where scientists, engineers and researchers will soon work together to advance treatments and create hundreds of jobs—boosting the biotech industry in Ventura County.

Construction is set to start in the third quarter.

Ventura Police has launched the Ready Your Ventura Neighborhood program to guide locals through planning steps for emergencies — such as mapping blocks and identifying neighbors with special skills.

The program teaches residents how to safely shut off utilities during events and offers materials in English and Spanish — aiming to boost community readiness.

The City of Thousand Oaks and the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District will host a gas equipment exchange on Sept.

13 for residents to turn in gas-powered lawn and garden equipment in exchange for vouchers toward cordless electric replacements. Residents must show that their equipment starts before turning it in — vouchers range from $200 to $2,000 and can be redeemed at select retailers at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility on Conejo Center Drive.

Updated COVID vaccines are available at local pharmacies after FDA approval on Aug.

27 but doctors warn that new age and health restrictions may confuse Ventura residents and slow vaccination rates—insurance issues and the need for written attestations could add barriers amid rising cases from the Stratus variant.