MODEL CITIZENS: Republican women took to the...

MODEL CITIZENS: Republican women took to the fashion runway Monday, modeling designer-wear to raise money for charity and drum up support for the GOP. . . . The event was hosted by Camarillo-Pleasant Valley Republican Women Federated and featured, among others, Janice Gallegly, wife of Rep. Elton Gallegly, and Judy Takasugi, wife of Assemblyman Nao Takasugi. . . . “They were received really well,” said Liz Harlacher, vice president of the club. “I’m not sure all audiences would have received them as well as we did, but they had a lot of fun.”

SHIFTING GEARS: The Thousand Oaks research and development wing of aerospace giant Rockwell International Corp. has weathered military cuts by converting much of its defense-oriented research into commercial ventures (Valley Business, Page 9). . . . Rockwell’s Science Center once drew 70% of its funding from defense work, but recently has overhauled the way it does business. . . . Included in Rockwell’s new endeavors is the development for law enforcement agencies of a sugar-cube-sized memory bank that can store up to 10,000 sets of fingerprints.

WITHOUT PIER: It has been three months since heavy surf snapped some of the wooden pilings that hold up the Ventura Pier, shutting down the historic structure. . . . Now officials say the landmark wharf has been fixed and will reopen Saturday (B1). . . . But how long will it last? City officials make no guarantees. “It’s a man-made structure out there,” parks manager Bill Byerts said.

HEADING NORTH: Moorpark’s Zachary Ramirez knows a little something about the world: The Chaparral Middle School sixth-grader recently earned the right to compete against 99 other Californians to represent the state in the National Geography Bee. . . . After beating out more than 70 students in his school geography bee, the 12-year-old still had to pass a written exam to compete at the state level. . . . “It sounds like fun,” he said of the April 7 contest in Sacramento. “That’s one place I’ve never been.”