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December 16, 2010 / Front Page

Don’t want to be on the wrong side of this list

CHECKING IT TWICE—Thousand Oaks resident Christian Rodriguez, 5, above, looks for his name on Santa’s Nice List, as, far left, parents Lisa and Daniel help his sister Harmony, 2, find her More...

New Lowe’s gets high marks from commission

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

Lowe’s may be coming to town. The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission approved on Monday a developer’s plan to build a 20-acre shopping center on vacant property on Wendy Drive near Grande Vista Drive in Newbury Park. More...

Health & Wellness

T.O. car dealer fuels hospital’s blood drive

This holiday season, Howie Neftin of Neftin Westlake Car Co. continued his drive to support Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. More...

Grant supports preventive treatments

Money given to Conejo Free Clinic in T.O.

The Conejo Free Clinic in Thousand Oaks has received a $22,000 grant from Alcoa Fastening Systems Newbury Park operations. More...

Wellness Community announces schedule

The Wellness Community Valley/ Ventura will present the following programs in January at its offices at 530 Hampshire Road, Westlake Village, unless otherwise noted. All programs are free and open to cancer patients, survivors, family and friends. More...

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Dining & Entertainment

The Acorn Epicurean

Two objects of desire

I have a confession. As I sat down to write this article, I realized that I cannot deny it any longer; I am torn between two objects of desire. Though in theory they are presumed to be the same, they are in fact, oh so scrumptiously different. More...

Performers mix traditional with trendy

By Cary Ginell
originjazz@aol.com

The Los Cerritos Middle School Chorus held its annual holiday concert Saturday at Westlake High School’s Carpenter Family Theatre. More...

Thousand Oaks High and Los Cerritos get jazzy for the holidays

By Cary Ginell
originjazz@aol.com

It isn’t often that Marty Martone’s vaunted Thousand Oaks High School Jazz Ensemble gets challenged, but that’s what happened last Thursday evening when the group shared the stage of T. O. More...

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Sports

Lancers, Panthers ready to pounce on pitch

By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com

Soccer, fútbol, football. Whatever your preferred terminology, the sport is back. Local Marmonte League high school boys’ soccer teams are slugging it out on the pitch. More...

Teams trying to topple Westlake

By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com

The Marmonte League is an unforgiving beast. There are 14 league games. Teams will play three outings during one hellacious five-day stretch. More...

Conejo classic

The final five minutes of the Westlake-Oaks Christian football title game produced pure drama

By Stephen Dorman
sdorman@theacorn.com

For a split second, both teams were celebrating CIF football championships. More...

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Police

Former coach pleads guilty to rape

By Darleen Principe
darleen@theacorn.com

A former Moorpark High School baseball coach charged with committing sex crimes against a 15- year- old student pleaded guilty in a pre-trial conference last week. More...

Former school worker pleads guilty to child porn charges

Man worked at Pinecrest School

By Darleen Principe
darleen@theacorn.com

A 28-year-old Moorpark man faces up to three years in state prison after pleading guilty last week to possession of child pornography. Jason Eugene Caplan, a former employee of Pinecrest School in Thousand Oaks, will be sentenced on Jan. More...

Ojai man arrested after fight with female deputy

A Ventura County sheriff’s deputy was attacked in Ojai Valley last week after responding to a 911 hang-up call. Dep. Traci Salmon, a veteran of the Iraq War, arrived at a home in the 4900 block of Casitas Pass Road around 10 a.m. Dec. More...

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Family

Tell a tale of Christmas

STORY TIME—Agoura Hills Harmony Chorus member Kathy Berk reads a story to 4-yearold twins Francesca, left, and Juliena Co of Westlake Village during the Holiday Magic Festival at Newbury Park F More...

Local couple engaged

FALL PROPOSAL—Penny Demerath and Morgan Mullin of Newbury Park became engaged on Sept. 26 in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara. More...

Award-winning theater presents radio drama

Every Now and Then Theatre will present a new radio drama titled “’Twas the Night Before” on Christmas Eve, Fri., Dec. 24, on NewsTalk 1520 KVTA and 1400 KKZZ. Times will be announced at www.kvta.com. More...

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Editorials

Why auto mall sign didn’t fly

The rumbling of residents has once again reminded a private business who’s in charge in Thousand Oaks. More...

Political Cartoon

Full Story

For the Record

•The Dec. More...

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Auto dealers pull sign proposal

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

A plan to build a 35-foot-tall electronic monument sign next to the 101 Freeway has been put on hold. More...

Fox is next mayor of T.O.

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

Andy Fox will lead the city of Thousand Oaks for the fourth time since being elected to the City Council in 1994. Fox, who reelected in November, was voted into the position of mayor by his fellow council members Dec. More...

Heal the Bay asking residents not to use plastic bags today

By Sylvie Belmond
belmond@theacorn.com

While elected officials still grapple with the legalities surrounding the ban on plastic shopping bags, some local communities are taking matters into their own hands. More...

Community

Church effort brightens the season for needy families

By Angela Randazzo
Special to the Acorn

Jackie Treuting had tears in her eyes as she watched a steady stream of drivers pull up to drop off gifts for those in need. “For me, it’s very emotional,” said Treuting, a volunteer at St. More...

Miniature city a project of love for T.O. couple

Village inspired by Dickens

By Steve Holt
stevencholt@gmail.com

Christmas motivates and inspires people in many ways. For Chuck and Jean Castaing of Thousand Oaks, every holiday season brings out their passion to build a miniature city popularized in the books of Charles Dickens. More...

New Assemblyman off and running

MEETING THE PUBLIC—Assemblymember Jeff Gorell, right, chats with Thousand Oaks resident Ron McElroy on Dec. 10 during a meet-and-greet outside Grinders restaurant in Moorpark. More...

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Bulletin Board

Datebook

THURS., DEC. 16 More...

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Schools

Kindergartners put on a show

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN— Above, Gabriella Parsinia, left, portrays the Gingerbread Man who has been caught by the Wolf, played by Jeremy Larson, during the Walnut Elementary School kindergarten cla More...

School days reinstated with funds from federal jobs bill

Kids will get two more days in the classroom

By Darleen Principe
darleen@theacorn.com

Students in the Conejo Valley Unified School District will be in school for two extra days this spring; the school board unanimously approved an agreement last week to reinstate furlough days for district staff. More...

Grant is students’ ticket to free performances

Performances To Grow On has been awarded a grant to enable students from Title I schools to attend performances at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza for free. More...

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Business

City to crack down on tax dodgers

Business license compliance program started Dec. 15

Thousand Oaks businesses that don’t have a license will be asked to register with the city sometime in the coming year. More...

New hope for stalled housing development

An investment and development company based in Southern California has acquired a stalled community of 36 townhomes at 2727 E. Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks (see picture at right). More...

Waste hauler offers special holiday deal

Newbury Disposal announces special customer services for the holidays. More...

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Pets

Pet of the Week

Full Story

Critter Tails

Joining the Joy Koi Club

By Gloria Glasser
Special to the Acorn

A long time ago in a distant city, a regular amusement of mine was visiting airless, artificially lit museums to admire amazing arrays of art on exhibit— till I moved west and discovered open space and natural beauty. More...

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