2006-07-13

Read the Latest Acorn!

Click below to read the latest edition of The Acorn!

Enjoy the new online reading experience!

Subscribe to The Acorn

Acorn online content now offered free

'Paywall' removed

The new millennium has been a transformative time for newspaper publishing.

Changing reader habits and the advent of new technology have placed big demands on companies in the print news business.

The Acorn and its parent company, Times Media Group, understand that their biggest responsibility is not only the delivery of credible, relevant information in a timely fashion, but making sure residents have easy access to the publication when stories become available.

That’s why we’re super excited about the news being shared today.

Following a five-year stretch in which Acorn readers were given the option of purchasing online subscriptions to the paper, that so-called “paywall” is coming down.

“Mr. Publisher, tear down this wall,” the late President Ronald Reagan might have once said.

And so we did.

Starting immediately, all online content from our five Acorn publications will be available at no charge to the reader, meaning a paid subscription is no longer required to click and read articles. The weekly Acorn has always been delivered to your driveway at no cost—that more than 40-year tradition will continue—and from now on The Acorn on the internet will be free as well.

Why the change?

The Acorn is your community newspaper, and we want to make sure it stays that way. We believe it’s important that residents feel a connection to the stories we write and also learn about the businesses that advertise in their community. The absence of a paywall is the best way to ensure this free-flow of information remains.

We also invite readers to sign up for the new, easy-to-read Acorn newspaper e-edition delivered weekly to your e-mail. Viewed on mobile, desktop or laptop, the pages are super easy to navigate and, free, just like the print paper.

Local journalism is first gear in the engine that drives America’s free press, and a free press it shall be.

Archives

Pair of Westlake fires keep local residents on edge



Newbury Park residents Jim Greer and his son Mitch are part of a family that’s been fighting fires for three generations. Greer, who has 25 years of experience as a reserve with the Ventura County Fire Department, was watching the July 6 blaze as it devoured brush on a rocky hillside near Lake Sherwood. The flames were moving quickly downhill […]

Calabasas Inn could be on the way out



The Calabasas City Council and Planning Commission last week discussed the razing and redevelopment of the Calabasas Inn. The nearly 4 0 y e a ro l d banquet facility sits on a 5.43acre parcel of land at 23500 Park Sorrento Drive near Calabasas Lake. It has been used for weddings and other events, but in March, Calabasas-based D2 Development […]

Great-great grandma is 100



Ina Mae Robbins of Westlake Village recently celebrated an impressive milestone: her 100th birthday. Family and friends gathered at the home of her granddaughter and grandson-inlaw, Cheryl and Skip Toller, to honor Robbins on Sat., July 8. Robbins was born July 10, 1906 in Seward County, Neb. She lived in Seward until her marriage to Frank Brokaw Robbins in 1925, […]

Westlake night light



LUNAR LUSTER-These homes on the hill above Westlake Lake and Lindero Canyon Road are caught in the erie light between sunset and the full moon rising Monday.

Battery recycling the proper thing to do



Throwing old batteries in with trash destined for the local landfill is not a good practice, mainly because it allows heavy metals contained in the cells to leach into the earth and contaminate groundwater, environmental experts say. In Calabasas, the improper disposal of used batteries is illegal. The city has been voluntarily recycling dry cell batteries for years. An increasing […]

Logo revealed for upcoming county fair



GOTTA HAVE HEART-The 2006 Ventura County Fair poster features a hand-sewn quilt made by Kim Leach, exhibit supervisor for the annual fair. Leach began quilting nine years ago and still attends the Ventura Adult Continuing Education quilting classes to learn new skills about the craft. “To me, a quilt is meant to be used, not hidden away in a closet,” […]

State hopes to weed out the pot farms



California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced the kick-off of California’s 2006 Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) eradication program. “State, local and federal agencies worked together last year to seize more than 1 million illegal marijuana plants growing on public lands, which set a new CAMP record,” Lockyer said. “The CAMP program is a key component of our state’s anti-drug […]

Compost put on hold



The Rancho Las Virgenes Composting Facility has suspended its community compost program until November due to facility maintenance and upgrades, water district officials said. The Calabasas plant produces rich soil amendment, or compost, which is available free to the public. The plant has been in operation for 12 years and is jointly owned and operated by the Las Virgenes Municipal […]

Westlake flag theft not too patriotic



Jay Perry, the manager of Johnny P’s restaurant on Westlake Boulevard, helped catch a group of four people who allegedly stole 800 miniature American flags placed in front of the restaurant for the July Fourth holiday. While leaving the Thousand Oaks restaurant at about 11 p.m. on Thurs., July 6, Perry saw a truck pulling into an access road next […]

Reyes Adobe Days return



The city of Agoura Hills has announced that the second annual Reyes Adobe Days will be coming this fall with events beginning throughout the city in September and continuing through October. This event celebrates the city’s rich heritage with fun and cultural experiences for all ages. Scheduled events include a hay fever teen dance, Sept. 29; Reyes Adobe Days pageant, […]