TAX PARTY: It’s “midnight madness” tonight at...

TAX PARTY: It’s “midnight madness” tonight at the county’s IRS office in Oxnard. . . . Volunteers and staffers will be at 2500 Financial Square, Suite 1, until midnight accepting state and federal returns and offering free advice. “It’s fun!” chirps auditor Vel Austin. Fun? “Sure!” . . . Besides hearing the excuses of folks who show up as late as 11 p.m. for help filling out their returns, workers get to assist elderly or disabled taxpayers who have nowhere else to turn. “It’s the best thing the IRS does,” Austin said.

GRAB A BYTE: Outta the way, you computer whippersnappers. Many senior citizens have discovered cyberspace (B1) . . . There may not be a Lawrence Welk home page yet, says Bradley Haas of SeniorNet. But there’s a Sinatra Internet site going up. . . . And what’s more, one site offers something called the “Hugh Downs Perspective.” . . . Says Haas: “That’s pretty popular. You can click on that and hear Hugh Downs talking about what’s going on with him.”

BATTING .000: Ventura County residents can finally enjoy some minor league baseball Tuesday . . . if they drive to the Antelope Valley. The Class-A Lancaster JetHawks are set to make their home debut (Section S, “Takeoff!”). . . Meanwhile, local efforts to land such a team keep swinging at air, with Ventura, Camarillo and Oxnard all competing. . . . “I wouldn’t put a foot in that for all the tea in China,” said Carolyn Leavens of the county economic development association. “We haven’t even looked at it because of the struggle between the cities.”