ON THE JOB: It was back to...

ON THE JOB: It was back to work for hundreds of federal workers in Ventura County and their colleagues across the country as the President and Congress agreed on a budget (B1). . . . Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area’s 77 employees were glad their vacation was over, said their boss, Supt. Arthur Eck. . . . “When you’re dealing with the National Park Service, you’re dealing with people who are really committed to what they’re doing,” Eck said.

SCRIMMAGE ANYONE? Bob Blechen, 60, the oldest player on the Ventura County Cardinals semipro football team, could have become the first 60-year-old to play organized ball since a Yale man accomplished that feat in the 1930s (C1). . . . The game in which Blechen was to make history was canceled when the other team forfeited, but not to worry. Blechen will be back next year, his 36th in the semipro and minor league ranks. . . . His secret: “Mostly what I do is think young,” he said.

TAX REFUND? Avocados shipped by Mission Produce are among the staple commodities exported through the Port of Hueneme that are being taxed--possibly illegally (D9B). . . . The federal maintenance tax recently was ruled unconstitutional and although the U.S. may challenge the ruling, the Oxnard-based World Trade Center plans to take action. . . . Said center board member and attorney Byron J. Lawler: “We want to let people know so they will become Trade Center members and join together to collectively get their money back.”

CAN IT: It’s not exactly your business’s name up in lights, but it’s visible, it helps the community and it costs only $2,500 for a full year of daily advertising. . . . That’s the pitch from the nonprofit Partners in Progress For a Beautiful Ventura, which unveils the first Adopt-a-Trash-Can package at noon at the Seaward Avenue beach. . . . Next year’s program: Adopt-a-Park. Said project manager Beth Caputo, “If our beaches are cleaner, if our parks are cleaner, that makes a difference to the community.”