2013-11-21
‘It takes a village’
Ahmanson Ranch activists celebrate their ‘big day’More than 200 open space advocates and friends of the environment gathered at the former Ahmanson Ranch site on Sunday for a 10th anniversary acknowledgement of the scenic Ventura County parkland. The preserve is nestled between the Simi Hills in the north and Santa Monica Mountains in the south. The almost 3,000-acre Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, formerly […]
Play-acting teens give parents a big dose of reality
What really happens at unsupervised teen parties? To help parents find out, Straight Up, a youth advocacy group that works to curb teen alcohol and drug use, is hosting a series of reality parties in the area. There was one on Nov. 16 in Agoura Hills and one scheduled for Dec. 7 in Westlake Village.During the mock parties, about 20 […]
Early delivery
The Acorn Thanksgiving week issue will be delivered to homes and businesses on Wed., Nov. 27, not Thurs., Nov. 28. We also remind advertisers about early deadlines this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Real estate and classified advertising is due by noon today, Thurs., Nov. 21. Retail advertising is due by noon tomorrow, Fri., Nov. 22. The Acorn staff […]
Effort hopes to put heroin antidote in hands of public
No one wants to imagine a loved one overdosing on heroin or painkillers. But in the event such an emergency occurs, an antidote is available that can prevent the overdose from turning deadly. About 20 people attended an overdose prevention and response training class in Oak Park last week where they were taught how to use an injectable medicine that […]
Local congresswoman breaks ranks with party on healthcare reform
Brownley one of 39 Dems to vote for GOP-sponsored billU.S.Rep. Julia Brownley (DThousand Oaks) joined 38 other Democratic members of Congress last week who broke party ranks and voted in support of a Republican bill that would allow healthcare policyholders to keep their current plans that don’t meet standards of the Affordable Care Act and allow insurance companies to continue selling those policies through 2014. The Keep Your Health […]
Teen reality parties a wake-up call
This is not your grandfather’s party. Not even your father’s, where a beer and a cigarette were the worst that might happen. Today’s teen parties push the envelope, and parents don’t know the half of it. Booze, hard drugs, nudity—and social media to keep the fires stoked. The teen party scene today is a far cry from what it used […]
Empty shelves at Manna must be avoided
As the executive director of the Conejo Valley’s largest hunger relief organization, I am often asked, “Will it help more to give money or to give food?” The simple answer is that both are vitally important to what we do. Financial donations are critical. Without funding, Manna could not keep our truck on the road six days a week or […]
Once upon a time in early America
Well, it’ll be on us again— Thanksgiving. No, not the official pablum about Pilgrims and Indians enjoying a bounteous harvest together in 1621. The truth? The Pilgrims were rebelling against a viciously cold and pestilent winter of starvation that had killed half of their congregation. They were eating their fill of an inadequate harvest when an armed and curious band […]
Do more with less
In a recent issue of The Acorn, Southern California Edison asked consumers to use less electricity. The water department is asking us to use less water. The government is asking us to use less gasoline. No matter what it is, we are supposed to live on less. Is this the America that built a transcontinental railroad, the Golden Gate Bridge […]