STEERING GROWTH: More than 85% of Ventura...

STEERING GROWTH: More than 85% of Ventura County’s population lives in cities--and county leaders want to keep it that way. . . . A decade ago, the county adopted a policy limiting most growth to cities. “Cities are better able than the county to deliver urban services,” said Stan Eisner of the Local Agency Formation Commission, which manages city boundaries. . . . Another benefit: preventing sprawl. “You can drive from city to city through open fields,” Eisner said. “If we didn’t do this, we’d look like the San Fernando Valley.”

FAT FIGHTERS: At Ventura County meetings of Take Off Pounds Sensibly, membership is swelling--literally. “I’ve had lots of calls from people who have gained weight over Christmas,” said Kari Lee Patterson of Oxnard, who oversees TOPS’ 11 local chapters. . . . The meetings offer weigh-ins, encouragement and awards for lost poundage. “Sometimes it takes 10 years, but they do it,” she said. . . . Next rush: “Just before summer, when swimsuit season starts.”

PAIN RELIEF: If deciding between aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen already gives you a headache, here comes Aleve, the first new over-the-counter pain medication in a decade (D1). . . . The drug, sold by prescription as Naprosyn, is good for aches in joints and teeth, said pharmacist Bob Field in Thousand Oaks. . . . Over-the-counter sales are fine, he said, but should be limited to drugstores where buyers can ask questions. “For 17 years, the FDA said this is a dangerous drug. It shouldn’t be sold at 7-Eleven.”

CHURCH RELIEF: That Christmas Eve burglary attempt at Ventura’s Our Lady of the Assumption Church hasn’t been solved. But the church has received donations of $1,000 and $200 for repairs. . . . “We didn’t solicit them; we just announced what happened,” Msgr. Donal Mulcahy said. The burglar did $985 damage to the church’s vault, which contained gold-plated chalices but no cash. . . . “People think the collection money is in there,” Mulcahy said. “We send it straight to the bank.”

Urban County

Percentage of Ventura County population living in each city: Oxnard: 21.2% Thousand Oaks: 15.5% Simi Valley: 14.9% Ventura: 13.8% Camarillo: 7.8% Moorpark: 3.8% Santa Paula: 3.7% Port Hueneme: 3.0% Fillmore: 1.7% Ojai: 1.1% Source: U.S. Census