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September 29, 2011 / Front Page

Fusing fitness with fun

GET ACTIVE—Pogo Dudes Fred Gryzbowski and Curt Markwardt, above, give a high-flying performance during Kids Health & Fitness Day at the Thousand Oaks Community Center on Saturday. More...

Health & Wellness

March sheds light on suicide

Out of the Darkness walk set for Sat., Oct. 8 in Camarillo

More than 200 people from throughout Ventura County will participate in the Camarillo Out of the Darkness Community Walk from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sat., Oct. 8 at Constitution Park in Camarillo. More...

Stay up-to-date on Medicare changes

A recent study says that more than half of seniors over age 60 find Medicare confusing or don’t understand it at all

Boomers are nervous, indifferent or uneducated about Medicare. Ten thousand boomers a day are eligible for Medicare, the largest growth ever in the history of the program. More...

Panel of experts will discuss palliative care

Talk can be viewed live on the Web

The Thousand Oaks Council on Aging will kick off the 2011- 12 season with a broadcast featuring a panel of experts on palliative care at 1 p.m. Wed., Oct. 5 at the board room on the third level of city hall, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. More...

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Schools

Success of local middle schools driving API improvement

By Anna Bitong
annab@theacorn.com

When the results of the latest standardized tests used to rate schools were released earlier this month, Conejo Valley Unified trailed only Oak Park Unified, which was the highest scoring district in Ventura County. More...

Charity spends $100,000 to buy new clothes for kids

By Anna Bitong
annab@theacorn.com

Reina Castro and her daughter Diana Fernandez, a fifth-grader at Conejo Elementary, stood in line outside Target in Newbury Park last week and reviewed their shopping list. With $50 to spend, Diana planned to buy shirts to wear to school. More...

Young pupils make feathery friend

DUCKY LOVE—Reptacular Animals founder Lauren Cheney, above left, helps 5-year-old Katie Huerta give a big hug to Moe, a yearling crested runner duck, during Conejo Elementary Open Classroom Lea More...

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Sports

O.C. runners must carve out a path to victory

Tri-Valley League report: Boys’ sports

By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com

The Oak Park High boys’ cross country team has a leg up on Oaks Christian in the early stages of the Tri-Valley League title chase. More...

Hillcrest Christian in football heaven

Team’s confidence on the rise

By Stephen Dorman
sdorman@theacorn.com

The spirit of high school football is alive and well at Hillcrest Christian School in Thousand Oaks. More...

The Acorn’s High School Football Game of the Week

Newbury Park Panthers (1-2) at Thousand Oaks Lancers (2-1) Friday, 7 p.m.

By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com

Three weeks, three rivalry games. There’s no rest for the Thousand Oaks High football team, which will play a third Conejo Valley rival in as many weeks Friday against Newbury Park. More...

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Faith

Yom Kippur services held across the Conejo

Chabad of the Conejo invites the community to Yom Kippur services at various locations throughout the Conejo and Las Virgenes valleys. Kol Nidre service will be at 6:15 p.m. Fri., Oct. 7, continuing at 9:30 a.m. Sat., Oct. More...

Christmas concert seeks singers

Emmanuel Presbyterian Church invites members of the community to participate in the annual Christmas program comprising a mix of classical and contemporary pieces, traditional carols and drama. More...

Church hosts Toastmasters

Kathy Choate, district 33 lieutenant governor of marketing, will give her Toastmasters story “Do You Freak When You Speak” from 7 to 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 6 at Calvary Community Church, room 2114, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village. More...

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Columns

Oak trees from acorns

You’ll find that the best acorns for planting are mostly brown in color and have just recently fallen off the tree

Q: My kids and I want to grow some oak trees from acorns. Last week we were at a park where there were several large oak trees and we just started collecting acorns. More...

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Editorials

Lessons learned from ‘Gabby’

Some may question our decision to dedicate several inches in this week’s newspaper to the death of a possibly mentally ill homeless woman with a skeleton in her closet (see related story on page 1). We felt her story needed to be told. More...

Cartoon

Full Story

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Plan to improve downtown T.O. a step closer to reality

Compromise helps earn approval of planners

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

A plan to change Thousand Oaks Boulevard into a thriving downtown destination cleared a major hurdle this week. More...

Housing expert sees recovery on the horizon

The experts see small indicators of growth

By Darleen Principe
darleen@theacorn.com

The last four years have taken Ventura County’s housing market down a bleak road, but some economic experts believe the longawaited recovery is on the horizon. More...

Memorial held for T.O. Boulevard squatter

Homeless woman mourned by close circle of friends

By Anna Bitong
annab@theacorn.com

People who passed Maria Gabriela “Gabby” Haulica on the street say she never asked for anything. Instead, she inspired them to give. More...

Community

New county office a place to go for those in need

Human Services Agency is latest tenant at Under One Roof building

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

Life became a little easier for at least one destitute family when the county’s new Human Services Agency office opened in Thousand Oaks recently. More...

What’s Under One Roof

• Conejo Free Clinic, suite 102. Medical and legal services for those who can’t afford them. (805) 497- 3575. LSS Community Care Centers (formerly Lutheran Social Services), suite 101. More...

Actors will perform stories from old Conejo

By Anna Bitong
annab@theacorn.com

Inside the Stagecoach Inn Museum time stops in 1876. Mrs. Hammell, whose husband, James, built the two-story inn for about $7,200, is entertaining guests Frances and Egbert Newbury in the hotel’s salon. More...

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Dining & Entertainment

See the splendor of Spanish guitar

Artist went from street musician to international star

The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation will present “Benise: The Spanish Guitar” at 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 6 in the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. More...

Lineup set for T.O. speaker series

The Distinguished Speakers Ser ies of Thousand Oaks has announced its lineup of lecturers for the 2011-12 season. All talks will take place at 8 p.m. at the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. More...

‘Gondoliers’ is musically enchanting

Play review

By Cary Ginell
originjazz@aol.com

The Ventura County Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company continues its stellar series of comic operettas this season with “The Gondoliers,” a spirited, melodious offering that is as charming as it is musically entrancing. More...

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Business

Paraiso Town Center is now The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

What’s in a name? For Peter Cohen, owner of Paraiso Town Center in the Dos Vientos Ranch community of Thousand Oaks, it means a fresh start to market his 50,000-square-foot shopping center to potential tenants. More...

Costume shop unmasks in time for Halloween

Magic Planet Costume Shop has opened a new store across the street from the Toyota dealership at 2410 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. The store, which has been selling costumes since 1990, relocated in June. More...

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Pets

Pet of the Week

HAMMERING HANK—Hank is a 7-year-old Labrador mix. Hank is good with kids and other dogs, is sweet, gentle and would make a great companion. More...

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Police

Man gets max sentence for accelerating his vehicle toward sheriffs deputies

Twenty-nine-year-old sentenced to eight years and eight months in state prison

By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

A Newbury Park man who drove his car toward Ventura County sheriff’s deputies after a short vehicle pursuit was sentenced last week to nearly nine years in prison—the maximum sentence possible for his crimes. More...