NUCLEAR TOWN: As Ventura County’s youngest city,...

NUCLEAR TOWN: As Ventura County’s youngest city, Moorpark can’t claim many firsts. But 36 years ago today, it became the first American town to be lighted entirely by nuclear power (B4). . . . At the time--only 12 years after Hiroshima--nuclear power was little understood, or feared. Now few nuclear reactors are being built, and some--like Southern California Edison’s San Onofre Unit 1--have been closed. . . . Nationally, 108 nuclear reactors are in operation--down from 114 three years ago. . . . Nuclear plants still provide about 14% of California’s electricity. More important sources: natural gas and coal.

BIRTHDAY BASH: Speaking of anniversaries, the largest hospital in east Ventura County marks its 25th today. To celebrate, physicians and administrators at Los Robles Regional Medical Center will serve lunch and dinner to staff members. . . . Los Robles had 220 beds and 200 staff members when it opened. Today, it still has 220 beds, but the staff has grown to 1,000 with the addition of sophisticated labs and surgery centers. . . . On tap: two more open-heart suites, a new obstetrics center and the east county’s first neonatal intensive care unit.

STEADYING FORCE: One year after Phil McCune took over from disgraced football coach Harvey Kochel, Ventura High School is contending for the Channel League championship (C6). . . . Tonight the Cougars face a showdown with cross-town rival Buena High. Buena Coach Rick Scott said McCune “handled the worst adversity I’ve ever seen a school have to live through . . . with as much class as possible.”

NEW VENTURE: Twice during the 1980s, Jugi Tandon reinvented his Moorpark-based computer company and pulled it from the brink of disaster. But this year, the company--which once employed hundreds in Moorpark and Simi Valley--filed for bankruptcy protection. . . . Now Tandon is investing in a new company, Golden Systems, a computer parts manufacturer (D3). . . . This venture isn’t likely to create local jobs: Golden Systems makes its parts in India.