SEEING DAYLIGHT: If it seems like an...

SEEING DAYLIGHT: If it seems like an especially long Monday, maybe it’s because today is the longest day of the year. From sunrise at 5:44 a.m. in Simi Valley to sunset at 8:12 p.m. in Ventura, the county will have almost 14 1/2 hours of daylight. . . . Don’t expect less darkness to mean less crime. “Our calls always go up in the summer,” said Senior Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Kenney. “Kids are out of school and getting into trouble.” An extra dose of daylight is good for people with a hormone problem called seasonal affective disorder, says Ventura psychiatrist Richard Deamer. The darker it is, the crankier they get.

DOG BITES COUNTY: Local officials are bracing for the annual report of the Ventura County grand jury, set for release July 1. “It will probably be fairly critical,” said Supervisor John K. Flynn, calling the panel one of the most aggressive he has seen in 17 years in office. The jurors have already blasted supervisors over pay raises, assessment districts and car allowances. . . . Juror William B. Stewart confirmed that the report will be controversial. “We’re supposed to be the watchdog, but I hate to be a dog that bites. I wish we could just wag our tails and be nice.”

BOOM TOWN: Roadside stands are going up in the pyrotechnics capital of Ventura County: Fillmore. It’s the only city that allows fireworks sales for July 4 festivities. Twenty service clubs will begin selling the so-called safe fireworks on June 28. . . . Though Ventura has canceled its July 4 fireworks and Moorpark dropped its show last year, all of the county’s other cities except Port Hueneme plan displays this year.

SOUND BARRIER: Those sound walls you see along the freeway aren’t cheap, and it can take as long as 10 years to get one built (Street Smart, B1). But at least they work. . . . “It has made a big difference,” said Gerard Kluck, who lives near the Ventura Freeway in Camarillo Springs. He said freeway noise never enters his home. “If you’re outside, you might hear an 18-wheeler, but only for a minute.”