BOOKING IT: The good news: The new...

BOOKING IT: The good news: The new homework center offered by the Oxnard Public Library is up and running. The bad news: The tutors there don’t have enough to do. . . . Children’s librarian Loren Kramer says that there are four or five tutors at the A Street library from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. every Monday through Thursday to offer homework help in both English and Spanish to kindergartners through eighth-graders. But only about six or seven children a week have been coming in. . . . Librarians are visiting schools to get the word out about the center, which opened March 27. For more information, call 385-7535.

COLORFUL HISTORY: A Ventura group is creating a walking tour of the city’s historical sites. (B1) . . . But that’s not all. The historic preservation committee will commission a coloring book targeted at fourth-graders and featuring 20 historical buildings. . . . Members hope to distribute it through the schools and local hotels, committee chairwoman Jo Rogers said.

DEPTH CHARGE: Underwater photographers are flocking to the Channel Islands to ply their avocation. (Ventura County Life, Page 8) . . . “Our own back yard is the best in the world . . . and the most spectacular,” says photographer Ernie Brooks. . . . But though there are thousands of photo possibilities, the execution can be tough. “Let’s just say that if you’re easily frustrated, you won’t like underwater photography and you won’t last,” says Venturan Cindy Oakes. “You have to be someone who is willing to persevere.”

SMOOTH OPERATOR: The latest wrinkle in plastic surgery is a “cooler” laser that zaps the lines away. (B11) . . . Dr. Christopher Costanzo, a Thousand Oaks plastic surgeon who has begun performing the procedure, says it’s an improvement over chemical peels and dermabrasian. . . . And it’s not just for the high and the mighty, he says. “Generally, the people we’re treating are down to earth. . . . They’re not narcissistic.”