As we cover the tragedy in Haiti we are continuing to look for Ventura County area individuals who have personal ties to Haiti or who have plans to participate in the rescue/relief operation. If you know of anyone, please send me an email at jmoore@vcstar.com and we'll have a reporter get in touch with you.

that the budget will include pay cuts for state employees. It's also going to drastically reduce a number of social service programs. We'll post online what we find out as soon as we can.

Also today we're hanging out with a group of international stone masons who are in Ventura for their convention and spending time do stonework at Grant Park. It's a very cool project involving people from all over the world.

Also, look for our story on the project to create a brand for Oxnard. It's an effort to create a community identity that helps dispell the negative connotation that many hold about the county's largest city.