LONELY ROAD: In a county where three...

LONELY ROAD: In a county where three of every four commuters drives to work alone, Fillmore is an anomaly. “We’re more friendly over here,” businessman John (Chappy) Morris said of the farm town where only about half of the commuters drive solo. . . . In addition to a neighborly atmosphere that encourages car-pooling, Morris credits a bus system he started 20 years ago with reducing the number of solo commuters. “Once, we had snow in Piru and called all the people who rode our bus to tell them we wouldn’t be running. You won’t find that in the big city.”

NATIONAL DEFENSE: U. S. Navy personnel at Point Mugu are taking pride in the success of Tomahawk cruise missiles, tested off the Ventura County coast and used in a retaliatory strike against Iraq over the weekend (A1). . . . “It’s more than just aiming a missile and pushing a button. There’s a great deal of pride that goes into our work,” spokesman Alan Alpers said.

SELF DEFENSE: Karate instructor Barbara Hale knows something about the fear now gripping elderly residents of a Port Hueneme apartment complex following the stabbing death of an 87-year-old woman (B1). “Obviously, an elderly person is an easy target. We try to give them the tools to make them hard targets,” said Hale, who teaches senior citizens from throughout the county how to defend themselves. . . . “They come in feeling weak and vulnerable. We help them find out how strong they really are.”

RECRUITING WARS: While Technicolor Video Services transplants its operation from Newbury Park to Camarillo (Valley Business, Page 9), Thousand Oaks boosters have embarked on a promotional campaign to replace the 500 jobs that will be lost as a result. . . . “There is a lot of competition to attract new industry but we are a highly desirable place to locate,” said Steve Rubenstein, president of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Driving Solo

Percentage of commuters who drive to work alone: Ventura: 75.1 Thousand Oaks: 74.4 Ojai: 72.6 Camarillo: 71.5 Simi Valley: 69.4 Oxnard: 67.8 Santa Paula: 62.5 Port Hueneme: 61.0 Moorpark: 60.7 Fillmore: 50.8 County average: 70.2 Source: 1990 U.S. Census