Price of Paradise

Been busy? It's real easy to get caught up on news from across Ventura County with the "Week in Review!"

Your Week In Review is now available! Check out some stunning photography, touching stories and get caught up on the news from across Ventura County.

Development is marching forward at the old Wagon Wheel site in Oxnard. About 1,500 homes, 50,000 square feet of commercial space, parks and trails are slated to replace the former motel site and shopping center. In the meantime, longstanding buildings have to go. The Wagon Wheel Bowl, which has been part of Oxnard since the 1950s, will close at the end of the month.

Some residents have started moving into our new Snapdragon Place Apartments in Ventura. It's a beautiful new community with many "green" features. We're planning a grand opening for this community in the fall. Everyone's invited. We'll keep you posted!

The owner of a Moorpark apartment complex is raising rents, in some cases as much as 20 percent, to help cover the costs of millions of dollars in renovations. The increases have some tenants worried, and the city's mayor has asked the owner to consider options to help renters, including phasing in the rent hikes over one or two years.

A Los Angeles man has launched a crowdfunding campaign - Tiny House Huge Purpose - to help build small, mobile houses for the city's homeless.

Some photos to perk up your Monday, courtesy of our VCS Outdoors friends!

Ventura County is one of the better counties in the U.S. in helping poor children earn more money as adults. That's according to a new study on income mobility by two economists at Harvard University. Ventura County ranks higher than Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Renters, does it seem like more and more of your income goes toward housing and utilities? That might be the case. A new study by Enterprise Community Partners says rental prices have surged since 2010 but wages have stayed flat. What percentage of your income goes to housing? http://www.vcstar.com//more-americans-spending-at-least-ha

Can't make the meeting? Reporter Arlene Martinez will be providing live coverage at vcstar.com.

Four mobile home parks in Ventura County were sold recently as part of an $850 million transaction involving major names in banking. The parks are Lemon Wood in Ventura, Colony in Oxnard, Vallecito in Newbury Park and Friendly Village in Simi Valley. If you live in any of these parks, have you noticed any changes since the sale?

Ventura County's homeless population is lowest since official count began in 2007. Is that what you're seeing? In Ventura, the number dropped significantly. See how your city ranks, along with year-by-year look here. http://www.vcstar.com//ventura-countys-homeless-population