Neighbors
I spy with my little eye
COMMENTARY /// The road less traveled
By Dawn Megli
dawn@theacorn.com | March 4, 2021
A golden eagle launching into flight. A coyote smiling in the sun. A doe peering into the camera for a one-eyed close-up. They say a picture is worth a thousand...
One owl who was not so wise
COMMENTARY /// CWC patient of the week | March 4, 2021
The California Wildlife Center said it successful treated an injured Western Screech Owl, who was admitted Feb. 1 after the female bird flew into a window pane in Westlake Village....
Collecting books for Africa
| March 4, 2021
A book drive for Books For Africa will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Fri. to Sun., March 5 to 7 and March 12 to 14 at Evenstar Park...
YMCA outdoor classes safe, fun
| March 4, 2021
Branches of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA offer outdoor, in-person enrichment programs for children, preschoolers through age 11. The Yarrow Family YMCA in Westlake Village holds classes Mondays, Thursdays and...
Youth clubs mark 20 years
The Acorn Staff | March 4, 2021
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley is celebrating 20 years since its founding. The organization was founded in 2001 by Thousand Oaks resident, community leader and philanthropist...
Family
Squirrel of the Month
| December 3, 2020
OUT OF HIS GOURD— Diane Lind submitted this photo on behalf of her 13-year-old daughter Zoe, an eighth-grader at Lindero Canyon Middle School. Zoe took the picture in the family’s backyard in Agoura Hills. The critter discovered the Halloween jack-o’-lanterns and began feasting on them....
BRIEFS
The Acorn Staff | December 3, 2020
Agoura Hills gets in the holiday spirit The City of Agoura Hills will host the following ways for residents to celebrate the holidays while still staying social distanced. Santa at the Adobe: A drive-thru event will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Sat., Dec....
Sky’s the limit for active college student and her service dog
The Acorn Staff | September 17, 2020
Wherever Leizelle Mitchell goes, her Shadow follows. Sometimes Shadow will go just ahead of Mitchell’s walker. Shadow will push a crosswalk button with her nose or pull open a door so Mitchell can get through. The 3-year-old service dog acts as an extension of her...
Health
Assisted living outbreak comes with heart-rending tale
By Dawn Megli
dawn@theacorn.com | March 4, 2021
Before Patricia Chambers died in 2016, she told her only son that she was worried about what would happen to her husband, Robin, who had dementia. So Pat’s son made a promise to his dying mother. “I said, ‘Mom, don’t worry. I’ll take care of...
Nursing students learn firsthand about life on the front lines
By Brooke Stanley
brooke@theacorn.com | February 25, 2021
As a student nurse, Bouchra Gygax had given shots before— but none like this. As she was preparing to push the needle into the arm of a waiting healthcare worker at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, she said, the glass vial containing the...
Letters of cheer for seniors
| February 18, 2021
The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging continues to seek letters of support and encouragement as part of the Letters of Support Campaign, which was launched in September 2020 in partnership with Meals on Wheels America. The campaign provides older adults and people with disabilities...
Red Cross to hold local blood drives
| February 11, 2021
The Red Cross seeks healthy individuals who can make an appointment to give blood or platelets. All blood types are needed. As a thank-you, those who come to give in February will receive a $5 Amazon gift card via email, courtesy of Amazon. Restrictions apply....
Sports
The ultimate team player
FOOTBALL /// Fresno State Bulldogs
Eliav Appelbaum
Email: eliav@theacorn.com | March 4, 2021
Omer Melzer-Bronstein isn’t a football player, but he’s got his own uniform. Donning a baseball hat, sunglasses and a polo shirt, Melzer-Bronstein wheels around the...
Lions’ super signing day
| March 4, 2021
Oaks Christian High celebrated its seniors with a socially distanced signing day. Twenty Lions attended last month’s event. The athletes who signed scholarships include Youssef...
Sight for sore eyes
CROSS COUNTRY /// Coastal Canyon League duals
By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com | February 25, 2021
Jack de la Rionda had not raced in more than a year. Before the senior captain for the Royal High boys’ cross country team woke...
Schools
Student volunteers step up to serve, mentor
By Rob McCarthy
Special to The Acorn | February 25, 2021
Growing up in a small town near the Canadian border, Makenna Drye saw the value of volunteer service early in life. The senior at Cal...
Online showcase for school’s music talent
| February 18, 2021
The Agoura High School Music and Tri-M Music Honors Society premiered the AHS Music Winter Virtual Showcase 2021 on Jan. 28. The virtual concert featured...
SAT subject test and essay a thing of the past in post-pandemic world
By Christina Cox
christina@theacorn.com | February 11, 2021
High school students will have two less things to worry about when applying to college this spring. The College Board nationwide testing group announced it...
COLLEGE STANDOUTS
| February 11, 2021
Grasen Campbell of Oak Park and Riley deVarannes of Agoura Hills made the fall 2020 dean’s list at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. Benjamin Diamond...
Innovative social media approach helps in the classroom
By Ian Bradley
ianbradley@theacorn.com | January 28, 2021
Winnie Sloan is all about her students. The Oak Park High School science teacher will do whatever it takes to make sure they understand her...
On the Town
A rebellious slave’s plea for redemption
By Cary Ginell
originjazz@aol.com | February 25, 2021
Conejo Players Theatre in Thousand Oaks continued its focus on worthy, one-person shows with “Nat’s Last Struggle,” a one-act, one-man performance written by Virginia playwright Patty A. Wray. CPT’s production marked the West Coast premiere of the play, which was streamed online for three performances,...
Find deals, meals during Conejo Restaurant Week
| February 25, 2021
Foodies, this is your moment: The weather’s warming up, outdoor dining restrictions have been lifted and the second annual Conejo Valley Restaurant Week kicked off Fri., Feb. 19. The event continues through Sun., Feb. 28. Diners can explore special menus and offers at over 20...
A note-perfect reminder to ‘never forget’
By Cary Ginell
originjazz@aol.com | February 11, 2021
International Holocaust Remembrance Day took place Jan. 27, marking the date 76 years ago when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland was liberated by the Allies during World War II. New West Symphony celebrated the momentous occasion by presenting a week’s worth of music, interviews...
Character-rich drama a perfect choice for COVID era
By Cary Ginell
originjazz@aol.com | February 4, 2021
Playwright Arlene Hutton’s “The Last Train to Nibroc,” a World War II drama about two Kentuckians finding love while returning home after respective disappointments, was a surprise hit of the 1998 New York International Fringe Festival and went on to have a brief run off-Broadway....
Faith
Church responds to needs of community
The Acorn Staff | February 25, 2021
Before the pandemic, the Church of the Epiphany, an Episcopal church in Oak Park, was already providing regular assistance to local social service organizations through its outreach program. With the...
Interfaith Zoom forum
| February 25, 2021
The Ventura County Interfaith Community will host a Zoom forum on “Where Do Souls Come From?” at 7 p.m. Tues., March 9. Speakers from various faiths will present their views...
Houses of worship see a drop in donations, attendance
By Brooke Stanley
brooke@theacorn.com | January 7, 2021
Some residents have responded to the challenges of this year by turning to their faith while others have drifted away. Whether because of financial struggles, health concerns or an inability...
Business
Agoura Hills business cuts to the chase
| March 4, 2021
Knife Aid, a brick-and-mortar based business in Agoura Hills, has come up with a sharp...
The ins-and-outs of home loans
| March 4, 2021
Logix Federal Credit Union will host online home-buying seminars at noon and 5 p.m. Wed.,...
Columns
Drawing closer to God through solitude
Sally Carpenter | March 4, 2021
Simon and Garfunkel sang about “The Sound of Silence,” but silence is not something we want or seek. Solitude frightens us. Alone, we have no distractions to take our minds off our feelings, fears and frustrations. We’re afraid God might ask us to do something...
Sacrifices for greater good during pandemic
Andrea Gallagher | February 18, 2021
The novel “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng keeps swirling in my mind these days because one of its basic themes is the conflict between rule followers and rule breakers that we see playing out in America today. The story features two main characters, both...
Chronic stress in pandemic, no kidding
Andrea Gallagher | January 21, 2021
I’m not sure anyone could have predicted what the beginning of 2021 would look like, particularly as we ushered out 2020 believing it was one of the most challenging years on record. And now, as our new year begins, we are seeing an unprecedented surge...
Nature provides relief in tough times
Gloria Glasser | January 7, 2021
Mercifully, nature appears to be among those things the pandemic cannot beat back. This became obvious on a recent jaunt from Bennett Park in Westlake Village’s First Neighborhood out to Westlake Lake on Lindero Canyon Road and on to the Las Virgenes Reservoir in the...
Robin Rousselet
| January 7, 2021
It is with profound sadness we announce that Robin Noel Rousselet has passed away on Friday, November 13, 2020 due to sudden cardiac arrest. Robin was born on April 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California. He was a loving husband, father and great friend to all...
Crime
SHERIFF’S BLOTTER
| March 4, 2021
Calabasas On Feb. 19 someone vandalized the Taco Bell on Las Virgenes Road by spray-painting several walls of the building,...
