ICED OUT: Children who found ice skates...
ICED OUT: Children who found ice skates under the tree on Christmas morning will have to wait to try them out in Oxnard. Developers of a skating rink set to open in November have yet to start construction on the site off Rice Avenue (B1) . . . And they don’t expect to start the four- to six-month project right away. “You don’t want to open an ice rink in April,” said Michael Paikin of the Sherman Oaks firm developing the project. “It’s just the wrong time of year.”
NEW YEAR’S VOWS: For some, holidays are big business. With Christmas past, caterers are gearing up for New Year’s (D5A) . . . LaStarr Heiliger, owner of LaStarr & Co. catering in Ventura, says one change she’s noted over the years is an increase in weddings on New Year’s Eve. The reason, she speculates, is that women are more willing to spend subsequent anniversaries concentrating on football, as well as romance. . . . The newlyweds have changed, too, she said: “Lots of couples are older, lots of weddings are second weddings.”
DRAMATIC LICENSE: Dann Warick wanted to propose to Mindy McEnnan with flair. So when he heard that Les Miserables--Mindy’s favorite play--was coming to Thousand Oaks, the sometime actor decided how to pop the question to his aspiring-actress girlfriend. . . . Last week, Dann, Mindy and 30 relatives and friends attended the play, then Dann went down on one knee. Mindy, in shock, didn’t answer for a moment, then said yes. The couple, who both work for Starbucks, haven’t set a date yet.
IN THE OFFING: One of the first orders of business for Thousand Oaks council members next year is deciding whether to approve $75 million worth of improvements at the city’s sewage-treatment plant (B1). . . . Other big-ticket items on the council’s yearlong agenda: a delayed budget, recreation, open space and--later in the year--the two seats up for reelection.
