Cheri Carlson

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Stacie Galang |Cheri Carlson

The March incident highlights an ongoing deadly outbreak as a neurotoxin ravages wildlife in Southern California. A routine surf session in Southern California turned into a harrowing ordeal between surfer RJ LaMendola and a sea lion that chased him down and bit him. "It had this look in its eye that it didn't want me there," the longtime surfer told the Ventura County Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, of the March encounter.

2 weeks ago | vcstar.com | Cheri Carlson

The Ventura County Fire Department has launched an emergency blood transfusion program, equipping its first rescue squads with whole blood that officials say could help save lives. In the pilot program, the department's paramedics are trained to administer transfusions to patients who meet certain predetermined criteria. Those efforts could help stabilize critically injured patients and improve survival rates, officials said. Administering a saline solution has been the standard for years.

2 weeks ago | vcstar.com | Cheri Carlson

A heat wave could bring near record-breaking temperatures to parts of Ventura County next week as highs are expected to climb into the 90s. The forecast calls for warm, dry conditions for much of the next week as a high pressure system moves into the region. By Sunday, temperatures could climb 5 to 10 degrees above normal, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Some cooler conditions are expected Monday, but then temperatures will ramp back up again, he said.

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Cheri Carlson

With just a few weeks left on an Oxnard power plant's current lease, a state commission Wednesday postponed a decision to extend the agreement. The lease only covers the Ormond Beach generating station's offshore conduits – what officials described as a relatively small piece in the overall approval process by state agencies. But what would happen without an extension was unclear.

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | James Ward |Cheri Carlson

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stopped 330 truckloads bound for food banks across California, according to the California Association of Food Banks. The shipments, some of a reported tens of thousands suspended nationwide, were expected within the next few months, said Monica White, president and CEO of Food Share, an Oxnard-based nonprofit.