VC ARES Member Aids Sheriff in Finding Missing Hiker

(credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

A 45-year-old hiker who was reported missing after he texted a friend that he was lost in Angeles National Forest has been found. VC ARES member and satellite mapping enthusiast Ben Kuo-AI6YR, working from a cell phone photograph, helped authorities pinpoint the hiker’s location. View this interesting Twitter thread in which Ben explains how he was able to geolocate the hiker using only the general area and the grainy photograph on the left. Ben’s efforts resulted in nationwide attention from the New York Times to Good Morning America.

Screen shot of Ben-AI6YR being interviewed by Channel 7, KABC TV, Los Angeles.

Ventura County Moves to Orange Tier

Ventura County moved to the State’s Orange Tier effective Wednesday, April 7 at 12:01 am. The California Department of Public Health announced that the County has met the State’s metrics to move forward.

“This progress, thanks to the hard work of our community members, means that our restaurants, retailers, gyms and other businesses can open to more customers which will help keep doors open, grow jobs in industries that were hit hard during the height of the pandemic and get us moving forward on the recovery path,” said County Executive Officer Michael Powers. “This is the time to keep it local in supporting our businesses.”

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