Good morning, Ventura.

On Sept. 5, firefighters responded near Yosemite Avenue and Cottonwood Drive to a brush fire that quickly grew from 5 to 20 acres before fixed-wing aircraft—dropping retardant—and helicopters dropping water helped 150 firefighters contain the blaze with no homes threatened.

Today at 8:42 a.m., SpaceX will launch its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base to deploy 24 Starlink satellites into orbit.

Local viewers in Ventura may see the liftoff from Ventura Pier—weather delays remain a possibility.

On Aug. 26, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone other than a licensed recycler to possess a catalytic converter without valid proof of ownership and allows deputies to seize the device and file charges, with violations carrying up to one year in jail or a $1,000 fine; the rule will go into effect in late September.

The Ventura County District Attorney said that DNA tests on sexual assault kits have linked the deceased Ventura man, Sean Patrick McNulty, to unsolved rape cases from 1982 and 1983 and to similar cases in Michigan and Ohio—he took his own life after becoming a suspect in a 1993 rape case in Indiana.

A Ventura County jury found Margarita Jimenez and Jorge Garfias guilty of murder and not guilty of kidnapping in the 2024 death of Oxnard woman Yanelly Vargas—Jimenez faces 80 years to life while Garfias faces 25 years to life—and both are set to appear in court on Sept.

8 to address special allegations.

Federal electric vehicle tax credits that save up to $7,500 expire on September 30, urging buyers to act quickly.

Free events are planned to help buyers, including the Ventura County EV Showcase on October 5 at Ventura Harbor (1591 Spinnaker Drive).

Caltrans projects on State Route 118 and 232 in Moorpark and Oxnard are causing roadwork delays as lane closures will happen intermittently until fall, and the Public Works project on Ventura Road starts on Sept 8 closing northbound lanes weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. — drivers are advised to use alternate routes.

JD Slajchert, Director for The LucStrong Foundation, joined the Morning News to discuss Sickle Cell awareness month in September—he said the disease makes red blood cells hard and misshapen and shared new details about the foundation's work in Ventura.