In 1975, The Acorn advertised a college course on learning how to use the handheld calculator for scientific purposes. The class was offered by Pierce College’s satellite campus in Westlake Village. This campus opened a year earlier to make higher education more accessible to residents in the outlying areas of Los Angeles County.

The state Senate appropriated $500,000 to begin developing a West Coast transportation plan, according to an article in The Acorn. The goal would be to provide fast, efficient mass transit from Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego through the state to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

The article warned that a delay in creating a mass transit system would “condemn the West to a future of jammed highways, poisoned air and overcrowded skies.” Projections indicated 200 million travelers in California by the year 2000.

Ten L.A. County fire department units and helicopters fought a 30-acre brush fire in Malibu. The fire, which was eventually contained, caused minimal damage.

A state-of-the-art cappuccino and espresso maker was unveiled at the Coffee Ground, an Agoura coffee shop. The Acorn featured a photo of the huge contraption with its many spouts and pipes, and a brass, openwinged eagle statue on top.

In tragic news, a motorist on the 101 Freeway near the Lindero Canyon Road exit lost control of his pickup truck. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and rolled into traffic. He was struck several times and decapitated.