John Veit
Covers:
Sports, drug policy, climate change, politics, economics, business.
Articles by John Veit
Skate4Bucks a hit in Ojai
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News Vans and Air Pizza teamed up on Saturday, June 15 to host Skate4Bucks, an open skateboard event that attracted over 100 skaters and spectators to the Ojai Skatepark. Steve Van Doren, Vans’ "Ambassador of Fun," set up a booth in the sweltering parking lot at 10 a.m. Before long, he had given away hundreds of water bottles, clocks, decks of cards, banners, backgammon sets, and cans of water.
Cosmic soul creators to play free concert
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
New Nordhoff Tennis Center opens for play
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News Nordhoff High School opened six new tennis courts Jan. 10 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by approximately 30 coaches, students, administrators, parents, and Ojai Unified School District brass. The Nordhoff Parent Association provided M&M and chocolate chip cookies along with fruit-flavored sparkling water.
Ojai’s Casey Roddick heads to Orange Bowl
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News There is little glory on the offensive line. Only rabid fans know the names and numbers of the giant men who crouch down in a three-point-stance and try to stop other giant men from running past them. Born and raised in Ojai, Casey Roddick typifies the selflessness and grit needed to compete in the trenches at college football’s highest level.
Rangers defense stifles Toads
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
Villanova football wraps up season
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News The Villanova Wildcats varsity football squad finished a 1-6 season under a chilly full moon on Sat., Oct. 28. The annual homecoming event featured gourmet cheeseburgers and icy treats for sale in the parking lot. Admission was free to watch the Wildcats bravely compete against the Malibu High Sharks, whose 28-person roster overwhelmed Villanova’s 17 player squad 34-8. All scoring for both teams occurred in the first half.
Toads and Wildcats go head-to-head
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley news The Thacher Toads varsity football squad roundly defeated Tri-Valley League rival Villanova Preparatory 34-6 on a beautiful, breezy, afternoon on the Wildcats’ home field on Oct. 14. The Tri-Valley League is home to five, eight-person football teams from private schools from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. This was the first league win for the Toads this season, bringing their overall record to 2-3. The Wildcats are 1-4 on the season so far.
Senior spotlight: McGarey loves getting tackled
In six games this season rushing and receiving as a Nordhoff Ranger, Sol McGarey is averaging 207 all-purpose yards per game. At linebacker he has netted six solo and four assisted tackles. Perhaps his success wrestling for Nordhoff contributes to his ability to run through and carry much larger defenders. McGarey is seldom tackled by one person, it usually takes one defender to make the initial hit and a couple more to leverage him down by the shoulders and legs.
Kyle Poe set to lead Nordhoff boys basketball
After two strong seasons as head coach of Villanova Preparatory’s varsity boys basketball team, Kyle Poe will lead the Nordhoff Rangers for the 2023/2024 season. The vaunted Rangers won the Citrus Coast League for the last four years, and Coach Poe faces the formidable task of rebuilding after 13 seniors graduated last June. Coach Poe’s Rangers will be the first basketball team to play on the new gym floor after construction is completed this summer.
Junior Lifeguards circle the Ventura Pier
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News The Ventura County Junior Lifeguard Program’s second session came to a close on July 28th, a foggy Friday morning, when approximately 300 program participants, their families and random party crashers swam north to south around the weathered 1600-foot pier. Waves were uncharacteristically heavy for summer, topping out around four feet when looking from the beach.
Local skater competes at X Games Ventura
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News 27-year-old Curren Caples splits his time between Casitas Springs, Hollywood and surf and skate spots around the globe. He is a regular at the Ojai skatepark where his smooth, fast, easy-flowing style often makes his tricks appear deceptively easy. While he is renowned for his high airs, speed and innovation in skateparks, Caples was competing in the X Games California 2023 Street division at the Ventura County (VC) Fairgrounds July 21 to 23.
X Games 2023 Blast through Ventura
By John Veit Special to the Ojai Valley News X Games California 2023 landed in Ventura, July 21 to 23, attracting 20,000 fans per day. Skateboarders, BMXers and MotoXers (motorcycle aerialists) from the US, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Australia, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Argentina, France, Poland, Holland, Mexico, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium and China competed in seventeen disciplines. BMX and MotoX attracted raucous crowds, but skateboarding was far and away the fan favorite.
Surfing the Loop
Surfing when you live in Ojai requires time, patience and layers. The 48.5-mile round-trip loop from Ojai via Route 150 to Rincon Point, south on Highway 101 and Pacific Coast Highway to Mondos, Solimar, and Emma Wood to C Street, and back to Ojai on Highway 33 North, almost always provides the opportunity to catch waves. Evan Elder is an Ojai local and has been driving or riding his bike on the loop for much of his 36 years.
The Indigenous roots of Lacrosse - Haudenosaunee team competes at World Championships
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News Lacrosse fans are converging in San Diego for the men’s World Lacrosse Championships June 21 through July 1 to see the world’s best players from 30 national teams. Perennial contenders from the United States, Canada and Australia will take the field against newer teams from Uganda, Hong Kong/China, Israel, Jamaica and Germany.
Nordhoff boys volleyball Coach Robert Stratton - Interview
By John Veit Special to the Ojai Valley News Coach Robert Stratton’s successful four years as head coach of the Nordhoff High School boys Volleyball team in Ojai has come to an end. This year’s squad went 38-6 and closed the 2022/2023 season with a thrilling CIF semifinal loss to the vaunted Wiseburn DaVinci High School Wolves from El Segundo on May 6.
Ojai Montessori hosts Sportathon to replace fallen oaks
By John Veit, Special to the Ojai Valley News The Montessori School of Ojai on Baldwin Road held their annual Sportathon on a sunny Wednesday, April 19 to celebrate physicality and raise funds to replace three oak trees. Younger children ran laps around a schoolyard obstacle course that incorporated a crawling tube, slide, mini-trampoline, balance beam and blocks to jump over.
Thacher and Nordhoff girls lacrosse off to promising start
The venerated Thacher girls lacrosse team handily defeated the Nordhoff Rangers in two games on March 23 and March 30. The Thacher Toads’ well-rehearsed set plays and constant stream of cutting attack and midfielders overwhelmed Nordhoff, whose nascent lacrosse program showed a remarkably high level of enthusiasm and grit. In the season opener for both teams, the Toads quickly pounced on the Rangers, scoring two goals within the first fifty seconds of the 50-minute match.
Skateboard Legend Tony Alva DJs at pizza party
Air Pizza, the new pizza restaurant in Red Horse Plaza, celebrated its first anniversary on a cool Friday evening, March 10. The Air in its name does not stand for some newfangled convection oven, but is an acronym meaning Athletes in Recovery (AIR). Tere Karabatos and his wife, Kristen McGuiness, met while kicking booze and drugs and have been sober for decades.
Skateboard Legend Tony Alva DJs at Sober Pizza Party
Air Pizza, the new pizza restaurant in Red Horse Plaza, celebrated its first anniversary on a cool Friday evening, March 10. The Air in its name does not stand for some newfangled convection oven, but is an acronym meaning Athletes in Recovery (AIR). Tere Karabatos and his wife, Kristen McGuiness, met while kicking booze and drugs and have been sober for decades.
Skateboard Legend Tony Alva DJs at ‘Sober’ Pizza
Air Pizza, the new pizza restaurant in Red Horse Plaza, celebrated its first anniversary on a cool Friday evening, March 10. The Air in its name does not stand for some newfangled convection oven, but is an acronym meaning Athletes in Recovery (AIR). Tere Karabatos and his wife, Kristen McGuiness, met while kicking booze and drugs and have been sober for decades.
Nordhoff Ranger Cole Everett
The Nordhoff Rangers boys volleyball team has won 12 of their 15 games this season and is poised to win their division in the Citrus Coast League. The core of the team’s nine seniors played together on Nordhoff’s basketball team this year where they won 22 out of 29 games on their way to a league title. A big reason for the success of both teams is Cole Everett.
Villanova's Gavin Day
Ojai’s Villanova Prep varsity boys basketball Wildcats lost their CIF Southern Section Division 4AA playoff game (55-62) against Trinity Classical Academy on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The Knights’ deep roster and well-rehearsed offense overwhelmed the Wildcats by 13 points in the first quarter and they led for the rest of the game.
Surfers back in water after beaches reopen
Ventura County officials reopened most beaches between Surfer’s Knoll and Mondos Cove on Jan. 25, although San Buenaventura state beaches at Sanjon Road and Kalorama Street remained closed as of press time Jan. 26. Several Ventura beaches were closed following two Ojai Valley Sanitary District sewage spills during the Jan. 9 to 10 storms that dumped about 14 million gallons of sewage and stormwater into San Antonio Creek, Ventura River and Ventura beaches.
Authors seek best California places to get wet
One never knows who they will meet at the immaculate kids’ paradise that is the Libbey Park playground. Local parents, tourists, expat Ojaians visiting older parents with a gaggle of grandkids — all can be found enjoying the swing set, slides and merry-go-round. On a surprisingly sunny January Thursday, Caroline Clements, Dillon Seitchik-Reardon and their 2-year-old son Leo were enjoying the sandbox and giant lizard.
Rackets triumph over rain
Bludgeoning rain that soaked the Ojai Valley all week gracefully abated on Jan. 7 to allow the 10th annual Jakob Vos Ojai Holiday Tennis Challenge to commence at Libbey Park. While still a bit blustery, the sun prevailed over a morning chill and scattered clouds and the 64 participants, a dozen organizers, families and passersby were treated to some thrilling tennis after a two-year COVID hiatus.
VPS boys capture 1st league win
The Villanova Wildcats boys’ basketball team struggled against Bishop Diego’s Cardinals on a recent wet night. Villanova never gave up, but was simply stifled by Bishop Diego’s relentless defense and crisp teamwork. It looked like trouble for the varsity Wildcats during warm-ups. Only eight Wildcats were on the court for their pre-game. Four core Wildcats were still on winter break in Europe and missed the first game back.
South Africa is Now on the Verge of Cannabis Legalization
South Africa’s history of State-sponsored segregation has taught cannabis activists there to avoid the pitfalls of botanical segregation and embrace the eons-old history of use by indigenous people. While countries around the globe struggle to re-regulate, commodify and capitalize on the plant’s resurgent legitimacy, South Africa could be poised to become a beacon of reefer sanity.
"Where There's Smoke" Will Light a Fire in You • High Times
“There is nothing inherently ecological about the cannabis plant. The environmental problems associated with cannabis are problems of social policy. The ecological impacts are the result of prohibitionist policy regimes that began in the early part of the 20th Century.” Dr. Anthony Silvaggio, author of two chapters in Where There’s Smoke: The Environmental Science, Public Policy, and Politics of Marijuana, uses this quote to begin panel discussions. And this book proves his point.
How anthropogenic climate change exacerbates vulnerability in prison communities; a critical environmental justice analysis
Program Master of Arts degree with a major in Sociology Committee Chair Name Dr. Anthony Silvaggio Committee Chair Affiliation HSU Faculty or Staff Second Committee Member Name Dr. Renée Byrd Second Committee Member Affiliation HSU Faculty or Staff Subject Categories Sociology Abstract This thesis examines the link between anthropogenic climate change and mass incarceration by examining how governments address conditions in and around prisons resulting from hurricanes and wildfires.
South Africa’s Dagga Couple Remind Us What's Important About Cannabis
Myrtle Clarke and Julian Stobbs’ home was raided by South African police in 2010. They were charged with cannabis possession and distribution and faced some choices: plead guilty, pay bribes, or sue the government. They chose the latter, combining their case with Ras Garreth Prince, a Rastafarian who had been denied access to law school because he was a cannabis user.
UN Drug Commission Delays THC Rescheduling at 61 Session in Vienna
The UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) failed to reschedule cannabis at the 61st Session in Vienna, Austria, last month, bucking the expectations of activists. Per an anticipated recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO), many believed the CND would remove tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from Schedules I and IV, and make the cannabinoid a Schedule II, or perhaps deschedule it all together.
Prague Hosts Cannafest
Prague’s Cannafest boasts itself as “The World’s Largest Cannabis Trade Show” and is held annually in Prague, Czech Republic. With over 260 exhibitors from 26 countries spread throughout one of the city’s largest convention centers, it is certainly one of the globe’s biggest and has been growing steadily for the past nine years.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with John
Contact John, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack