RADAR LOVE: Sure, it’s a funny-looking airplane,...
RADAR LOVE: Sure, it’s a funny-looking airplane, with that huge, mushroom-shaped growth on top. But Point Mugu wants to bring 16 of the E2-C Hawkeyes here, and 1,100 related jobs (B1) . . . The plane is basically a flying air-traffic controller. And that’s a radar dish attached to its back. It’s affectionately known as the “Hummer,” because the twin turboprop engines hum instead of roar like most Navy jets, which would be good news for nearby communities.
GIMME SHELTER: The Turning Point Foundation, which runs a center for the mentally ill homeless on Thompson Boulevard in downtown Ventura, will soon launch around-the-clock operations. “Once we get the water hooked up and get permission from the city, we’re ready to go,” says Clyde Reynolds, the nonprofit group’s executive director . . . A three-year, $1.1-million HUD grant will help the center increase its staff and will provide two showers and 10 beds for overnight visitors.
RISING TIDE: Semtech Corp. in Newbury Park just finished a particularly strong year. (D7C) Its stock skyrocketed from $2.65 in late 1994 to $31.25 last September; it traded at $20.38 a share on Monday . . . Chief Financial Officer David Franz said few people were as pleased as one Holland, Mich., stockbroker, who bought $75,000 in shares in the mid-’80s when they sold for less than $1 each. “We understand that last year he had taken some profit, and now owns a sailboat called ‘The Semtech,’ ” says Franz.
EAGER STUDENTS: Hundreds of students showed up Monday for the first day of early registration for Simi Valley Adult School and Career Institute. More than 200 classes will be offered this spring, but a clear favorite is the certified nursing assistant course--both classes are already filled . . . “We had people lined up beginning at 5:30 a.m. this morning” says spokeswoman Jeanette M. O’Brien.
