Neighbors
Oak Park filmmaker captures kudos at Sundance
By Ian Bradley
ianbradley@theacorn.com | February 25, 2021
Jordan Michael Blake had to give up on his dreams before he could achieve them. For years his goal had been to enter a short movie into the esteemed Sundance...
100 years and young at heart
| February 25, 2021
Oak park resident Patricia Hill celebrated her 100th birthday on Feb. 24. A small family celebration will be held Sat., Feb. 27. Hill was born in Tulia, Texas in 1921...
DIY projects kick up dust, irritants
By Yvette Berke
Special to The Acorn | February 25, 2021
Many pet owners on social media have been posting problems with their pets that they never noticed before. In some cases, they complain about new rashes, watery eyes, sneezing or...
AT THE LIBRARY
| February 25, 2021
The Calabasas Library has arrangements for patrons to pick up books and other items at the building in City Hall. To put items on hold and make appointments for pickup,...
Conquering physical challenges with courage, spirit and enthusiasm
By Sylvie Belmond
belmond@theacorn.com | March 9, 2017
Nothing stops 9-year-old Edgar Navarro. The Agoura Hills boy doesn’t have the use of his legs and requires a wheelchair, but emboldened by loving parents and three siblings, Edgar remains...
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
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....
Cancer group honors generous business
| February 11, 2021
The United Cancer Advocacy Action Network has named Linda Coburn of Pedego 101 Electric Bikes in Westlake Village as the recipient of the inaugural 2020 UCAAN Supporting Business Award. Rachel Shur, the network’s founder and executive director, felt it was important to recognize a local...
Sports
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...
Football set to return
By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com | February 25, 2021
It’s time to dust off the shoulder pads. Football is back . . . almost. Los Angeles County high schools, including Agoura, Calabasas, Oaks Christian...
Cohen strikes Gotham
By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com | February 18, 2021
Joss Cohen wanted to represent his school and city in athletic competition. The Calabasas High senior was forbidden from playing high school soccer his junior...
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
Sibling-ran travel agency weathers shutdown
By Dawn Megli
dawn@theacorn.com | February 25, 2021
Caren Ginsburg saw the vacation industry grind to a halt firsthand. The Westlake Village travel...
Amgen slashes U.S. workforce
By Kyle Jorrey
tonewstip@theacorn.com | February 18, 2021
The pandemic is taking a toll on Ventura County’s largest private employer. Biotech giant Amgen...
Columns
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...
Weighing the ethical aspects of the COVID-19 crisis
Andrea Gallagher | January 7, 2021
There’s no debating that seniors are most at risk during this pandemic. While COVID-19 deaths have spanned all age groups, the hardest hit has been the 65-and-older population, which accounts for over 80% of the U.S. death toll from the disease. A friend offered her...
Crime
SHERIFF’S BLOTTER
| February 25, 2021
Agoura Hills A thief broke into a car parked on Colodny Drive on Feb. 14 and stole a leather bag...
