Neighbors
Westlake Village community supports family battling cancer
By Ian Bradley
ianbradley@theacorn.com | July 22, 2021
When Sam and Andrea Covert moved their family to Westlake Village from Miami in 2016, they didn’t know anyone in the area. After their son Sammy was diagnosed with leukemia,...
Agoura book program taps Lee Goldberg as 2021 feature author
| July 22, 2021
New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg has been named the City of Agoura Hills One City One Book 2021 author. Goldberg is a novelist, TV writer, and TV producer...
Golf tourney supports YMCA
| July 22, 2021
The Yarrow Family YMCA is seeking sponsors for its seventh annual Golf Classic, which will take place Mon., Aug. 9 at the North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village. Last...
Girl Scouts pony up funds for horse rescue
| July 22, 2021
Caitlyn Hipp of Agoura Hills recently helped present the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles donation to the Red Bucket Equine Rescue. Caitlyn and her troop sold hundreds of boxes...
Music in the Park
| July 22, 2021
The popular Music in the Park series, hosted by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, is back with free events this summer. The outdoor concerts will start at 6:30...
Family
Artistic reflections
| April 8, 2021
Agoura High School leads all competitors with six finalists in the 2021 Reflections art and music competition. AHS had more finalists than any other high school in a region that includes eight other school districts. Each year more than 10,000 student entries into the artistic...
Tooth be told: dental health
| April 8, 2021
Regular dental cleanings for kids are one of many aspects of people’s lives that have been interrupted over the past year. However, instilling good dental hygiene habits early is still critical in helping ensure long-lasting oral health for a child. Most dental plans cover children...
Health
Moms aim for a Gigi’s Playhouse
By Melissa Simon
melissa@theacorn.com | July 22, 2021
When a mother is determined to make something happen for her child, nothing can stop her. Bring 12 mothers together and nothing is insurmountable. Simi Valley residents Kirsten Riddick and Cara Armstrong and Chatsworth resident Laurie Samaan are on a mission to open a local...
New doctors come home to practice medicine
| July 15, 2021
In 2004 Moorpark High school student Yasimin Taheri worked as a volunteer at Los Robles Health System. This week, she returned to the hospital as Dr. Yasimin Taheri, a member of the inaugural Graduate Medical Education class at Los Robles. Taheri said she is beyond...
Bumblebee Foundation buzzes over to Idaho
| July 8, 2021
The Westlake Village-based BumbleBee Foundation, a pediatric cancer organization founded in Southern California a decade ago, will expand its support services into Idaho starting next year, officials from the organization said. The foundation supports over 370 pediatric cancer families throughout California and is looking forward...
Website educates parents about vaping
By Makena Huey
makena@theacorn.com | July 1, 2021
The Ventura County Office of Education doesn’t want students’ health to deteriorate in a puff of smoke. The agency has launched a website to inform parents and educators about the dangers posed by vaping, nicotine and cannabis, which the site calls “The Triple Threat to...
Sports
Once in a lifetime
Eliav Appelbaum
Email: eliav@theacorn.com | July 22, 2021
Sports brings people together. The Olympics, the greatest spectacle of athletics, amplify humanity’s yearning for a better world. Three people with deep roots in the...
Amaral is now in charge
BOYS’ BASKETBALL /// Oaks Christian Lions
By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com | July 15, 2021
Mark Amaral has been coaching basketball for 31 years. He’s spent most of that time in the college ranks, including memorable stops at Pepperdine and...
Oakland A’s pluck Thousand Oaks star Muncy in first round
By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com | July 15, 2021
Max Muncy’s year just keeps getting better. Nine stars from Acorn country heard their names called during this week’s Major League Baseball amateur draft, including...
Schools
Agoura High School student has convincing way about him
By Ian Bradley
ianbradley@theacorn.com | July 22, 2021
Give Casey Simpson five minutes and he can convince just about anyone to see things his way. The 17-year-old Agoura High School student won first...
COLLEGE STANDOUTS
| July 22, 2021
The following students made the dean’s list (3.5 GPA) at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa: Michela DeFalco and Kaitlin Wiltshire of Agoura Hills; Alexander...
New vice chancellor in Ventura County
The Acorn Staff | July 8, 2021
Ventura County Community College District has appointed Cynthia Herrera to the position of vice chancellor for “institutional effectiveness” in a further move to help the...
College standouts
| July 8, 2021
Abigail King of Oak Park High School earned academic distinction for the 2021 spring semester at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. The following students...
Rocketry team from OPHS zooms to head of the class
| July 1, 2021
Oak Park High School was among 100 teams in the nation that earned the right to compete in this year’s American Rocketry Challenge finals. Coached...
On the Town
‘Les Miz’ takes on modern setting
| July 22, 2021
For its 41st annual teen summer musical, Young Artists Ensemble didn’t pick a light, frothy show. Instead, it’s staging “Les Misérables,” an epic tale about a former prisoner’s lifelong struggle for redemption. The shortened “school edition” of this musical, based on the novel by Victor...
Rotary Wine and Beer Fest ready to pour again
| July 22, 2021
The Thousand Oaks Rotary Foundation will hold the 20th annual Thousand Oaks Rotary Wine and Beer Festival from 5 to 9 p.m. Sat., Aug. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Westlake, 880 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village. At the festival, guests can sample California limited-production handcrafted...
Hueneme festival comes back to the beach
| July 22, 2021
After a hiatus and a cancellation in 2020 because of the pandemic, the City of Port Hueneme, in partnership with the nonprofit REACH, will host the Hueneme Beach Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Aug. 28 and 29 at 550 E....
Flower power at the farmers market
| July 22, 2021
BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS—Shoppers inspect the fresh flowers July 18 at the Westlake Village Farmers Market. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays at 2797 Agoura Road in the Westlake portion of Thousand Oaks. Masks not required.
Faith
Lawyer trades courtroom for pulpit
By Alex Wilson
alex@theacorn.com | July 22, 2021
The new pastor at First Baptist Church of Camarillo did not know while growing up in Brazil that his path would lead to God. The Rev. Glenn Bezerra, 40, was...
City honors volunteer serving at-risk, foster youth
By Dawn Megli
dawn@theacorn.com | July 22, 2021
For Myia Perry, serving foster children is personal. The 30-year-old Camarillo resident is an enthusiastic volunteer at James Storehouse, a faith-based nonprofit in Newbury Park that is dedicated to at-risk...
Simply spiritual: time heals, pastor makes low-key return
By Dawn Megli
dawn@theacorn.com | July 8, 2021
On a recent Saturday morning, dozens of people gathered in a small chapel near the beach to make a joyful noise. Women raised their hands in praise, men clapped and...
Business
Non-toxic alternatives for treated wood disposal
By David Goldstein
Special to The Acorn | July 22, 2021
Treated wood is visible in railroad ties and phone poles, but wood treated with chemical...
Auto mall dealer undergoes name change
By Becca Whitnall
becca@theacorn.com | July 15, 2021
One of Ventura County’s legacy auto dealers is rethinking how it does business—and it starts...
Columns
Diversity of faiths join hands into forming one country
Sally Carpenter | July 15, 2021
The USA is perhaps the only country that began as a haven for those fleeing religious persecution. Up to the 17th century, religious freedom was an unknown concept. Serfs and villagers pledged loyalty to the faith of their overlord or king. In fact, a common...
Discipline tips: Why can’t siblings all just get along?
Bonnie Vandenberg | July 8, 2021
Question: Ms. Bonnie, what can I do to help my children get along? Everyone says sibling rivalry is normal, but I can’t stand their fighting! There isn’t a parent alive with more than one child who doesn’t know this feeling, whether the children are toddlers...
Celebration of life rituals can resume
Andrea Gallagher | July 1, 2021
I’m hoping my cousin gets the healing she needs this month. Almost a year after her brother David passed away, she is having a celebration of life for him. I wrote about Janet in a January 2020 column titled “A life is changed in the...
Overcoming anxiety of reopening
Andrea Gallagher | June 17, 2021
After months and months of pandemic public health restrictions, stay-home orders and phased reopenings, the governor lifted the restrictions June 15 and we should come much closer to “normal” soon. As I check in with my own feelings about this transition, the two words that...
Putting new life into dry bones
Sally Carpenter | June 17, 2021
Dry. Desolate. Barren. Some days our spiritual walk seems like it has detoured from God. We feel dead inside. And so did the people of Israel. The Babylonians had attacked Judah, set up a puppet king and deported the real king, the royal family and...
Crime
SHERIFF’S BLOTTER
The Acorn Staff | July 22, 2021
Agoura Hills A thief stole the catalytic converter from a car parked on Cambridge Street on July 12, causing $1,500...
