TAX TIME: Attention procrastinators! Only three post...

TAX TIME: Attention procrastinators! Only three post offices in Ventura County will extend their hours tonight to accommodate late-filing taxpayers. . . . The much sought-after April 15 postmark is guaranteed until midnight only at the main post offices in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley and the Oxnard branch on C Street. All other post offices will keep normal hours. Customer service manager Tom Casebeer expects a bigger than usual rush, given the economy: “People figure, if they owe money, they will wait until the last minute.”

FAME AND FORTUNE: It’s a career break that most lawyers only dream about. . . . First, Oxnard lawyer Mark Hiepler sued an HMO over denying a bone-marrow transplant to his sister Nelene and won a whopping $89-million judgment. Then, he received nationwide publicity, had a White House meeting with the President and tonight gets top billing on ABC’s “20/20.” But Hiepler’s planning no office party. He describes his victory as bittersweet, given the loss of Nelene to breast cancer: “I would gladly trade all this for a few more months with her.”

HUMAN CHRONICLES: Ray Bradbury, the science fiction writer known for his inspirational speeches, will speak at Moorpark High School at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Last year, the author of “Martian Chronicles,” and “Fahrenheit 451” filled the gym and raised $2,000 for the school library by selling his books and donating the profits. It’s the second year that Margaret Blakelock, an enthusiastic English teacher, snagged Bradbury. She said: “He has a great sense of humor.”

UNITED THEY STAND: A group of former Ross Perot supporters in Thousand Oaks has found a candidate to challenge Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) in the fall. . . . The United We Stand chapter is supporting political newcomer Rhett Wooden, a Thousand Oaks film cameraman. But first, Wooden’s backers must collect 10,000 signatures to get his name on the November ballot. Wooden, 43, say he’s ready: “Somebody’s got to do it.”