DUSTY DAYS: Dry east winds sent leaves,...

DUSTY DAYS: Dry east winds sent leaves, litter and dust swirling across the Ventura Freeway through the Oxnard Plain during the Monday morning commute, in some places reducing visibility like a dense fog. . . . The winds, which are expected to die down today, also had an unexpected beneficial effect: They kept eastbound drivers from speeding. . . . Said CHP Officer Dave Cockrill: “With the heavy wind blowing against your car from the front or side, your engine has to work a little harder to maintain the speed you’re used to.”

BUILDING BRIDGES: The Main Street Bridge over the Ventura River, damaged with storm runoff in March, has been patched but will not be permanently repaired until next year (B1) . . . But you can never say permanent when it comes to the Ventura River. . . . “It is a wild river,” said county hydrologist Dolores Taylor. “It will look for the easiest path, and if it’s easier to erode something or push something over, it’s going to take that path.”

DIVIDE & DIVERSIFY: Simi Valley aerospace firm Whittaker Corp. began looking to diversify back in 1992, and found that a device it invented could also be used in the communications field. (D7C) . . . Now the firm is breaking apart the two facets to more accurately report its earnings, evidence of success in both fields. . . . Said Whittaker President Thomas Brancati: “As the Cold War was winding down, we saw a real need to enter the commercial market a little more aggressively.”

ON HIS TOES: Conductor Paul Polivnick will lead a four-piece orchestra during the Channel Islands Ballet Company’s performances of the “Nutcracker” Friday through Sunday at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium. . . . Polivnick, whose wife is a ballet dancer, is in high demand among dance productions, said Channel Islands Producer Suzanne Drace. . . . “He’s very good at making sure the tempo of the orchestra is just perfect to dance to, and that’s a real art,” Drace said.