Free Republic

In an interview with NPR's David Welna that ran today former Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ind-Minn., says he will run for Senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whom Ventura defeated for governor in 1998, as well as Democratic nominee and former Saturday Night Live humorist Al Franken. Ventura, born Jim Janos, tells Welna that the main reason he's running is because of Coleman's support for the war in Iraq. "That's the reason I run," he says. "I run because it angers me...All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: if...

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura said he "may" file the necessary papers to run for the U.S. Senate in the November election. If he doesn't, his former campaign manager will. Both are hinting at a run against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and likely Democratic candidate Al Franken this fall. The only question seems to be: Will it be Ventura, or the man who helped him become governor? Ventura's former campaign manager, Dean Barkley, now works as a bus driver and gardens as a hobby. "Ear to the dirt, listening to the pulse of the people," he joked Thursday. But Barkley, who...

With the television writers strike over, many people here in Ventura County may have tuned into the TV show Brothers and Sisters when it resumed airing last night to complete its last 4 episodes of the season. With much of the show set here, in our very own Ojai, the intense Republican primary race of the fictional character Senator McAllister plays can easily distract us from the politics facing us in reality. It is the similarities to this campaign that a primary challenger, Michael Tenenbaum faces as he runs for congress. Equally as handsome as Rob Lowe who plays a...

Minnesota's Senate race already has a comedian and a politician. Maybe what it needs is: Jesse Ventura. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, the former Reform Party governor said there's nothing that could get him back into politics. But then he kept talking: "I've learned after 56 years you never say never. I have no intention at this point in time, but who knows, that could change." He said he's watching the Senate race with interest, and "I'm not very pleased with either candidate." That would be Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, who suffered his only electoral defeat...

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and his strongly held, sometimes outrageous opinions will soon be back on public display in his new book, "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me." The book - part Mexico travelogue, part memoir, part screed - details his brushes with famous people; his feelings about his governorship; and hints, teases and jokes about a possible 2008 run for president. In the book, co-written with author Dick Russell, Ventura says he suggested to then-President Clinton that certain disputed Israeli sites should be blown up to stop the fighting over them; he consulted with then-Vice President Al Gore...

State and federal regulators this week will kick off a long process to consider another proposal for a liquefied natural gas terminal off the Ventura County coast. Officials will take suggestions from the public on what to include in an environmental study for the Clearwater Port project during a hearing Wednesday at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Houston-based NorthernStar Natural Gas wants to convert an oil platform 12.6 miles off the coast of Oxnard to accept liquid natural gas from various companies, convert it to vapor and send it ashore via an undersea, 36-inch-diameter pipeline. It is the second such...

VENTURA, Calif. - The spot where a pair of outhouses stood 130 years ago is proving to be a treasure trove for archaeologists who braved the lingering smell in the dirt to uncover some 19th Century artifacts — and a mystery. The one-time site of privies for men and women has been built upon repeatedly. Recently, crews demolished a former school bus barn on the 3.5-acre downtown site in order to build a condominium complex and a parking garage. But first, archaeologists were called in. Beginning in late May, they started digging into the ground in a discovery process that...

AUSTIN, Texas - Dean Barkley grins when he hears talk about the Texas governor's race being a two-person event - and that his guy isn't one of the two. "They just don't want to believe it," he said. But that's OK with Barkley. He wants independent Kinky Friedman, the entertainer and author whose populist campaign he's directing, to repeat the success of another Barkley-directed protest candidate, Jesse Ventura. "Nobody took us seriously in Minnesota, either," Barkley said.

Last night, the Day Fire exploded, burning 50,000 acres and traveling 11 miles west. from AP Sep 17, 2006 11:48 am US/Pacific Day Wildfire Explodes Westward, Threatens Fillmore (AP) CASTAIC, Calif. Offshore winds are fanning a huge wildfire burning in the Los Padres National Forest, prompting voluntary evacuations for portions of Fillmore and a group of homes along a highway connecting Santa Paula and Ojai. U.S. Forest Service officials say that since yesterday afternoon, winds have pushed the so-called Day Fire about 10 miles west and have burned several thousand new acres. It has scorched more than 125 square miles...

Federal officials released a proposal Friday to double the size of protected waters within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary — a plan they say will help restore sea life and have minimal effect on the local fishing industry. The draft plan, written by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the latest piece of a state and federal seven-year effort to preserve essential fish habitat circling the chain of islands. The protected areas of the Channel Islands make up the largest marine reserve network on the West Coast. The new boundaries would add 141 square nautical miles to restricted...

Animal Rescue Volunteers Present: Wag n' Walk Walk to Benefit Homeless & Abused Animals Saturday, September 30, 2006 Arroyo Simi Equestrian Center 3495 Chickory Leaf Place, Simi Valley (Located off Sequoia Ave, Just South of Royal Road) 8:00 am Check-In & Breakfast/ 9:00am Opening Ceremony & Walk begins Walk with your dog, your friends, family or by yourself! Fabulous PRIZES to be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place top fundraisers! Festivities Include: 3 mile walk starting in the beautiful equestrian center, taking you through the surronding areas, *Breakfast * fun opening ceremony * incentive prizes * silent auction*...

So I wander into my local coffee shop, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf this morning, and guess what I see plastered all over the personal notice boards? Flyers for the Socialists Marx in Soho, with a little section at the bottom that reveals it's sponsored by ANSWER VC, International Socialist Org, and other wacked out groups. "An imaginative critique of our society's hypocrisies and injustices and an entertaining, vivid portrait of Karl Marx as a voice of humanitarian justice." -Kirkus ReviewsWhatever your leanings, it's hard not to come out of this show stirred and stimulated." -San Francisco Bay GuardianHAH!...

Michael Tenenbaum says most people he meets while campaigning in local communities don't know who their congressman is. "It's not your fault you don't know," Tenenbaum tells them. "If he'd done something you'd know him." Tenenbaum, 37, is speaking of his June 6 primary election opponent, Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley, the 20-year congressman for the 24th District, which covers parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, including Thousand Oaks. Voters will choose one of the two Republicans for the November election ballot. What many people do know about Gallegly, 62, adds Tenenbaum, is that Gallegly unexpectedly announced his retirement...

A military veteran was pinned with Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals - more than 60 years after he earned them. Adam Macht served as a combat infantryman during World War II in Tunisia, Algeria and French Morocco. He earned a Bronze Star for heroic service and a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in battle. But he never received them - until Wednesday. "This is a long overdue presentation," Chief Master Sgt. Benito Salinas of the Air National Guard said before pinning the three-inch medals to Macht's green Army jacket. The oversight was uncovered when officials at Cypress Place Senior...

AP) VENTURA, Calif. Part of a teacher's hand was blown off when a 40 millimeter round the instructor used as a paperweight on his desk exploded in his classroom. Robert Colla struck the round with an object Tuesday afternoon while teaching 20 to 25 students at the Ventura Adult Education Center.

The state imposed a $140,000 penalty for what it called "willful, continuing, and egregious" violations of the price law... The Minnesota Commerce Department on Thursday announced plans to fine a gas station chain $140,000 for repeatedly selling gas below the state's legal minimum price. The fine against Midwest Oil of Minnesota is twice as large as any imposed on a company since 2001, when the state established a formula based on wholesale prices, fees and taxes to determine a daily floor for gas prices. Kevin Murphy, deputy commissioner of the department, called the violations "willful, continuing, and egregious and warrant...

Political operatives at the Democratic National Committee in Washington developed the plan to turn the memorial service for Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone into a political rally, top party sources tell Capitol Hill Blue. The party also urged the Wellstone family to ask Vice President Dick Cheney to not attend the service and concocted the excuse that security for the VP would disrupt the event even though Secret Service security was required for former president Bill Clinton, who was invited and who did attend. Rick Kahn, the Wellstone campaign worker and friend, worked the highly partisan crowd into a frenzy with...

Price dispute stalls Artspace land deal City vows to get parcel by eminent domain if necessary By Kevin Clerici, kclerici@VenturaCountyStar.com August 22, 2005 The figure seemed to jump off the page: a house in downtown Ventura for $315,000. "When I read it, it seemed low," Ed Boughton of Prudential Real Estate said. "If I were the owners I certainly would want another appraisal. It's been a long time since anything has sold here for $315,000." In June, the median price of a home in Ventura was $587,000, according to DataQuick Information Systems. But that's how much an independent appraisal valued...

Vehicle on track. Possibly dump truck. Ventura county. As per KCAL 9 TV news.

In the wilderness north of Fillmore, the California condor has fought its way back from the brink of extinction. As the federally endangered scavenger's population dwindled over the past century, the rugged mountains became the metaphorical and geographical heart of the movement to save it. But the area is not just good for condor habitat; it's rich in oil, too. The region has some of the oldest oil fields in the state. A recent decision to once again open Los Padres National Forest to gas and oil exploration could threaten efforts to replenish the condor population, some say. While the...