Cheers, whistles, flags and cowbells greeted riders as they circled through Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village at high speeds on Sunday during the last stage of the Amgen Tour of California. An estimated 15,000 spectators crowded the area near the finish line, and another 10,000 fans followed the race from the Santa Monica Mountains and along residential streets, […]
2014-05-22
Theater group in danger of folding
Lack of donations, rent hike puts Cabrillo in jeopardyDonations have been coming in from around the country since Cabrillo Music Theatre announced last week that it may cancel its upcoming season if it doesn’t raise $250,000 by Aug. 1. The organization has nurtured young performers and entertained audiences at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza for the past 20 years. One check came from a woman in New […]
Notice anything different?
The five Acorn newspapers— Agoura Hills-Calabasas Westlake Village-Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Camarillo and Moorpark— are rolling out a new front page design this week. We ’ v e also added a Contents page and reworked our Opinion section, all in hopes of more effectively engaging with readers. Our goal in changing page 1 is simple: free up more […]
Newbury Park man found in possession of bomb-making materials, police say
Neighbors alert cops to shots firedA Newbury Park man was arrested last week on suspicion of weapons-related felonies and possessing bomb-making materials after a late-night report of shots fired led law enforcement to his home. Police say 32-year-old Jason Kyle Smith had a small arsenal—including three assault rifles, several hundred rounds of ammunition and homemade explosives—at his Newbury Park home when he was arrested May […]
Trio fights back against home invader
Masked teen enters house with gun, leaves in cuffsThree people were able to thwart an attempted home invasion robbery in Newbury Park last week. Around 2 p.m. May 15, a 17-year-old boy armed with a handgun forced his way into a home in the 800 block of Cayo Grande Court near Peppertree Playfield, according to the Thousand Oaks Police Department. The teen, whose name police would not release […]
Police on lookout for seat belt violations
Don’t want to wrinkle your suit? Just making a short trip? Can’t find it in the back? The Thousand Oaks Police Department expects to hear plenty of excuses this month as it and the California Highway Patrol crack down on seat belt violators, part of a nationwide effort to encourage drivers and their passengers to buckle up. “Memorial Day weekend […]
Tour of California organizers—take a victory lap
We wish Great Britain’s Sir Bradley Wiggins—champion of the 2014 Tour of California—could have made room atop the podium Sunday for the many people who contributed to the day’s success, for they truly deserved to don the yellow jersey. Balmy weather greeted the throngs of cycling fans and spectators who trekked to the Conejo Valley this past weekend to catch […]
Teach youths about Hitler
The situation involving a group of ill-informed Oak Park students tweeting birthday wishes to Adolf Hitler leads me to believe that the teaching of history at the high school level hasn’t improved since my graduation in 1968. I’m not at all surprised at the often staggering ignorance of children in our highly cocooned Conejo Valley. They simply don’t know any […]
Reaction to tweets excessive
While I don’t condone the actions of the Oak Park High School students who tweeted insensitive remarks towards the Jewish community, I’m a little perplexed at our society’s reaction. We seem to hold the indiscretions of teenagers to a higher standard than professional journalists. For example, when derogatory cartoons about Muhammad were published, hardly anyone in the media called it […]
Change rules on tree trimming
Several years ago I was awakened by a loud crash at 3 a.m. Upon inspection, I discovered a large bough, weighing at least a ton, from one of my five numbered oak trees had split off at the main trunk and smashed into the corner of the roof next to a bedroom. Fortunately the damage to the house was light, […]