Roche to Nominate Independent Directors for Election at Ventana's 2008 Annual Stockholde...(he Legg Mason Partners Equity Trust and ...)

the Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust and a director of LMP

Real Estate Income Fund, Inc. and Western Asset Municipal High Income

Fund, Inc.

-- John J. Jones. Mr. Jones served as Senior Vice President and General

Counsel of Argosy Gaming Company from January 2004 to October 2005, as

Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Legal Advantage Services from

December 2002 to January 2004, as Executive Vice President and General

Counsel of RCN Corporation from July 1998 to December 2002 and is

currently the Managing Director of J3 Capital and Executive Vice

President of Imaging Advantage LLC.

-- Loring W. Knoblauch. Mr. Knoblauch served as President and Chief

Executive Officer of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. from April 2001 to

December 2004, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Talon

Automated Equipment Company from 1997 to 2001, as President of

Honeywell Asia Pacific from 1986 to 1992 and is currently a member of

the Operating Advisory Board of Prism Capital, Inc.

-- Michael L. Kranda. Mr. Kranda served as a Managing Director of Vulcan

Venture Capital from September 2003 to December 2006, as Chief

Executive Officer and President of Oxford GlycoSciences from July 1996

to July 2002 and is currently a consultant for Vulcan Venture Capital.

In addition, Roche intends to seek stockholder approval to amend Ventana's bylaws to eliminate Ventana's classified board and to remove all of the Ventana directors, other than the four Class III directors elected at the 2008 Annual Meeting. If stockholders approve the elimination of the classified board and removal of directors, Roche intends to seek stockholder approval to amend Ventana's bylaws to reduce the size of the Board of Directors from 10 to seven members and to elect the following candidates to
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