2009-12-10

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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

Actor’s home on stage for tour



SHOWCASE— Visitors descend a second-floor staircase in the Agoura Hills home of Elly and John Schneider during the 18th annual Wellness Community Holiday Home Tour last Sunday.

Bad kid, bad parenting



My wife and I were at the park with our 6-year-old son and saw a little boy wash his friend’s face with a mouthful of juice. Bad kid, bad parenting. While at the mall, a little girl was screaming at her parents like she was challenging them to a death match—and winning. Bad kid, bad parenting. Our boy has been […]

A birthday party at the Community Center



THE SPIRIT OF COOPERATION— Right, Chandra Gero dances with friend and Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center charter member Donna McKee (wearing scarf) during the facility’s 10th anniversary celebration last weekend. The building on Malibu Hills Road in Calabasas opened on Dec. 11, 1999 and has a membership today that has grown to 1,400. The Community Center is run by a joint […]

Oak Park water rates become open spigot

A near 50 percent hike this year alone

This January Oak Park Water Service customers will pay an additional 22 percent for water. That’s on top of a 27 percent increase imposed in September. Water officials are defending the repeated rate hikes and say they will help finance the new $8 million Oak Park water tank that will begin work in the spring, build Oak Park Water’s reserves […]

High school pools won’t be closing

But jobs still lost

The Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education approved sweeping budget cuts at its Dec. 8 meeting, but decided against closing the aquatics programs at Calabasas and Agoura high schools. Counselors at all levels of school will be affected. Elementary school counselors will be eliminated and middle and high school counselors will be pared to bare bones services. High […]

Take Your Acorn on Vacation



Update on vaccine eligibility



In an updated listing, the Ventura County Public Health Department announced the following groups of people as eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine. •Children and young adults from ages 6 months to 24 years. •Caretakers and household contacts of infants less than 6 months old. •People age 25 through 64 who have high-risk medical conditions such as lung disease including […]

Free nurse consultations



Residents of the Conejo Valley and surrounding communities can access free health information from registered nurses anytime day or night through Consult-ANurse, available through Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center. The service offers one-on-one answers to healthcare questions, physician referral information and event registration by calling (877) 888-5746. The nurses do not diagnose symptoms but help callers find the correct […]

Free foot baths at skin care shop

Spa services also available

Four years ago, Kristine Marcey opened KM Skin & Body Solutions in Westlake Village at The Landing on the lake. Marcey wanted to create a space where everyone who walked through her door would feel special and cared for. She personally greets her clients and treats them as though they are long-lost friends. All clients are offered signature spa water […]

Sign up for track



United Track Club will host its annual registration day from 9 a.m. to noon Sat., Dec. 12 in front of Vons on Agoura Road, Westlake Village. Registration is $155 for the first child and includes a club uniform, T-shirt, track bag and end-of-season photo trophy and yearbook. Siblings are $145. All returning track athletes receive first opportunity to registers. If […]