Good morning, Ventura.

The Ventura County Star announced its partnership with AI-powered answer engine Perplexity & will use trusted local journalism to power real-time search answers.

The deal will support local reporting by generating revenue and preserving quality news for our community.

Ventura communities share ghost stories that mix playful fun with real history—residents recount eerie sounds and sightings at local sites like the Leonis Adobe and old hospital halls, blending Halloween lore with a rich past.

These persistent legends keep local history alive as the fog rolls in each October.

Ventura County residents can test their local ghost story knowledge with a Halloween trivia challenge that asks questions about haunted sites, abandoned farms, and old buildings.

The quiz offers answers at the end—inviting everyone to join in the spooky fun.

A local juror recalled serving on a case where a contract written on a napkin for a skate handbrake invention was ruled binding, even after one man argued it was not valid.

He also described his brief civic duty at the Ventura County Hall of Justice, where he was dismissed after less than four hours—meeting his obligation for the year.

Caltrans announced that the planned suicide deterrent fence on the Arroyo Simi Bridge in Moorpark, set to begin in less than two weeks with overnight freeway closures starting Oct.

14, has been postponed until further notice. Officials did not give a reason for the delay but said the project will eventually improve safety for drivers — pedestrians and those at risk.

Initial arguments wrapped up in the groundwater rights case filed by the OPV Coalition in 2021 that covers the Oxnard and Pleasant Valley basins — Camarillo officials say the case could affect the city’s water supply and its desalter operations; attorneys will rule next while officials review their options.

Southern California Edison said it had hardened most of Moorpark’s power grid against wildfire risks but warned that more shutoffs may occur as higher wind-speed thresholds lead to longer outages.

Local officials and residents raised concerns over delayed notifications and low support for outages as the utility planned to use drones for power line inspections — a move aimed at boosting safety while outages continue.

Friday's high school football games in the Santa Barbara region saw Ventura defeat Moorpark 34 to 23 and Santa Barbara beat Rio Mesa 45 to 13.

Oaks Christian, Arroyo Grande, Righetti and others won strong contests while San Marcos recorded its second shutout win this year.