A REAL MANWICH- Agoura High School football players Matt McGinnis, right, and Eric Bailey serve themselves man-sized plates of barbecue at the school's annual football picnic at Chumash Park in Agoura Hills last Saturday. The event marked the closing of Charger training camp. More...

The key to healthy, fun traveling is to plan ahead. This is particularly true for those taking medications which, while meant to keep one well, can actually pose health risks due to travel and exposure to sun. More...

THURS., AUG. 30 Scouts Go Hawaiian Girl Scouts host "Go Girl" Hawaiian-style celebration for ages 5 to 12, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Conejo Community Park, 1175 Hendrix Ave., Thousand Oaks. Learn about Girl Scouting, hula dancing, crafts, songs. Open to public. Free to attend, $10 Scout registration ... More...

Kipp Brant Drummond & Associates, a retirement and financial planning firm in Ventura, announced the hiring of Randal Carson of Westlake Village as an associate vice president and wealth advisor. More...

OFF TO A GOOD START- From left, teacher Brian Borg, Migi Donahue, 9, from Calabasas and Eli Spiegel, 8, from Westlake Village enjoy listening to other students describe their summer vacations. Wednesday was the first day of school for the Las Virgenes Community Learning Center. More...

Before any team wins a championship, there always seems to be another team that blocks its path. For the current Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, that team was the New England Patriots. For the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was always the New York Yankees. More...

PUPPY LOVE- Carly Forgrave, a fourth-grade student at Lupin Hill Elementary School in Calabasas, has her hands full with six sheltie puppies. The all-female litter, born on July 11, is keeping the Forgrave family busy this summer. More...

Agoura Hills Someone stole a purse containing Spanish bank cards, a Spanish ID card and $400 in cash from a locked room at the Renaissance Hotel on Agoura Road Aug. 18. A $300 watch and $350 worth of Euro currency were also stolen. More...

Congregation Or Ami invites the community to its September open house to learn about its award-winning Kesher youth learning program at 7 p.m.on Wed., Sept. 5. On hand will be Kesher fac ulty and Principal Michal RozenbergYalovsky, who recently won the Ner Ami Innovator Award for... More...

TASTY- Eric Frechon, executive chef at the Bristol Hotel in Paris, brought his Continental creativity to the kitchen at Amuse Bouche in Simi Valley last weekend. More...

We are glad to see that the health benefits of bottled water are recognized in the debate of tap versus bottled water in the school (Aug. 23, "Bottled vs. tap water debate filters down to the schools"). As Schulz suggests, if children are not provided with the option of bottled water... More...

It's Aug. 30. Do you know where your summer went? Vacations are over, kids are back in school and it'll be Halloween before you know it. What's really scary is the backtoschool traffic. It was nice when the snarled streets were quiet; now the SUVs and cellphone-toting drivers ... More...

Thinking of selling your home? Sprucing up your yard will help get buyers attention and can add up to 15 percent to its value. It may even be the difference between a potential buyer and a drive-away. Want to hear more? More...