BALDWIN BANKRUPTCY: The Baldwin Co., an Irvine-based...

BALDWIN BANKRUPTCY: The Baldwin Co., an Irvine-based developer, has declared bankruptcy, citing outstanding debts to lenders (D1). . . . But the company says the Chapter 11 filing will not affect its plans to build 5,000 homes and an 18-hole golf course at Oxnard’s Ormond Beach. . . . Said Baldwin President Al Baldwin: “We are going ahead with the development. This is being done only to protect us from action being taken against us [by the lenders].”

WHITE HORSES: Camarillo’s fabled white horses have a long tradition of performing for local residents (B1). . . . But in 1937, their trainer, Meliton (Mellie) Ortiz was the one making the right moves. The horses’ Camarillo barn caught fire and the frightened animals refused to leave their stalls, according to local historians. . . . It was only when they saw the familiar face of their Mellie that the horses could be led to safety.

ON THE ROAD: Just outside the giant Los Angeles media market, Ventura County is rarely a stop on the presidential campaign trail. . . . But GOP candidate Alan Keyes swings through the county today, with stops in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo and Oxnard. But his main address is scheduled for high noon at the Hyatt in Westlake Village, just over the county line. . . . Admitted sheepish campaign manager David Quackenbush: “I think we have scheduled the keynote address for Ventura County in Los Angeles County.”

WORD TO THE WIVES: When their husbands die, some widows quickly spend their inheritance, said Pati Longo, a Ventura resident who assists women over 50 with financial planning (E3). . . . But widows need to carefully budget for their future before jetting off to Paris, she said. . . . “The first thing widows want to do is redecorate the house and travel,” Longo said. “But that money needs to last the rest of their lives.” . . . Longo’s seminars, incidentally, are open to men.