OKTOBERFIESTA: Just as St. Patrick’s Day rouses...

OKTOBERFIESTA: Just as St. Patrick’s Day rouses the Irish, Oktoberfest brings out the German heritage of Ventura County residents--and more of us claim ancestors from Germany than from any other country. . . . But residents of Mexican descent won’t be ignored at this weekend’s Oktoberfest in Ventura, which will feature folklorico dancers and youth boxing as well as oompah bands. “We were looking for a way to draw more people,” spokesman Mark Dyar said. . . . After debuting in 1992 at Ventura Harbor, Oktoberfest moves to the roomier Ventura County Fairgrounds this year.

PLOT ALLEGED: The warning came around dusk, Linda Mannheimer recalls. An agent knocked on the door of her Oak Park home and said someone was plotting to kill her. Now, nearly two months later, investigators have arrested one man in the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy and are investigating Mannheimer’s estranged husband, Lee, president of a computer products company (B1). . . . Lee Mannheimer denied any involvement in the alleged plot.

COVER-UP: Here’s one for the why-didn’t-we-think-of-that file: graffiti removal services, a fast-growing field judging by the Ventura County Yellow Pages. Ventura and Oxnard already use private contractors to remove graffiti, and now Simi Valley plans to hire out the work (B4). . . . With 5,500 graffiti reports since 1990, Simi Valley needs lots of paint to blot it out. No problem, said Joe Hrera in Environmental Services. It gets 5,000 gallons a year by emptying paint cans collected at hazardous waste roundups. . . . Recurring phenomenon: The combined paints always turn out beige.

NEW GOAL: Pete Marine had dreams of Pac-10 and NFL glory when he left Moorpark College for Arizona State three years ago. Instead, he sat on the bench . . . . Now at Cal Lutheran, Marine has a different dream: getting an education (C8). . . . Bonus: He gets to play at Cal Lutheran. After four games, Marine has 27 catches and three touchdowns.

Wunderbar!

More Ventura County residents claim German ancestry than any other. German: 179,622 Mexican: 157,105 English: 134,278 Irish: 115,008 Italian: 52,873 French: 33,582 Polish: 24,970 Scottish: 22,540 Source: 1990 U.S. Census