NOSY NEIGHBORS: Since Oxnard began its citywide...

NOSY NEIGHBORS: Since Oxnard began its citywide Neighborhood Watch program 2 1/2 years ago, crime has fallen by as much as 93% in some areas (B1). . . . The program gets high marks from both police and residents. Phyllis Villarreal of Oxnard Shores, who has been participating for more than a year, says the program works because “you’re recognized. Nothing is perfect, and there’s no place that doesn’t have crime, but I think it’s a deterrent.”

END OF AN ERA: When the Ventura County Fair opens this summer, there’ll be one thing missing: a fair queen. . . . “General interest is down,” fair spokeswoman Teri Raley said, “and with budget problems, it was a logical place to cut.” . . . Mike Paluszak, general manager of the fair, agrees that the $11,000 yearly cost was hard to justify. “The queen pageant was the worst ratio in terms of cost per participant and cost per attendee,” he said.

EASY RIDE: Michael Alessi is only a first-grader, but he’s managed to win the world championship motocross trophy for his age division. . . . The Moorpark boy took home a $1,000 savings bond and a trophy bigger than he is for besting 85 other kids in the competition--in which contestants race lightweight motorcycles over outdoor terrain--late last month in Las Vegas. “He breezed through,” said father Tony. . . . Next stop: Ponca City, Okla., in August.

RENAISSANCE VET: When Robert Miller came to Thousand Oaks in 1957, he was the only vet in town and treated animals big and small, including the denizens of Jungleland (B6). . . . Today, he’s retired, but still on the go--lecturing, writing and working occasionally at the clinic he founded. He’s also just won a national award for his work in the field of human-animal bonds.