2015-05-28

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

Big Brother and the drought

Water district hires security firm


While many Californians know there’s a serious drought, some still haven’t acknowledged the severity of the situation. It’s a trend water officials are hoping to change. Under debate is whether residents and businesses are capable of effecting their own conservation—or if the water agencies should do it for them. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District took matters into its own […]

Mary Fichera

March 12, 1912 May 4, 2015

A beautiful birthday for Mary Fichera was held at her home on Westlake Island as she turned 103 years old. My parents fell in love with this beautiful place and moved here some 30 years ago. Sadly, on May 4th mom passed away in her sleep. She joined my dad in their resting place at Forest Lawn.

At The Library



The Calabasas Library at 200 Civic Center Way offers these free programs for June. For more information, call (818) 225-7616 or visit www.cityofcalabasas.com/library. High school students can study for finals in the multipurpose room at these times: from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Tues. through Thurs., June 2 to 4; noon to 4:30 p.m. Sun., June 7, and 3 to 7:30 […]

Carnival for a cause



A member of the Conejo Valley Kiwanis Club has formed a nonprofit family foundation, The Matthew Project, to raise money for various charities that support animal welfare and provide aid to families and veterans. The foundation will host a free carnival with bounce slides, obstacle courses, popcorn and games from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat., June 6 at Oakbrook […]

Tribute paid to fallen Oak Park High alumnus

Volunteer for National Trails Day



The National Park Service and its partners invite the public to participate in National Trails Day from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sat., June 6. Volunteers will meet at the Backbone Trailhead parking lot across from Fire Camp 13, 1250 S. Encinal Canyon Road, Malibu. Participants will repair a portion of the Backbone Trail east of Encinal Canyon. They will […]

IS YOUR KID HOOKED?




Everything seemed perfectly normal with Ami and Michael Marchlik’s four young sons. The boys were doing well in school, they enjoyed sports and had plenty of friends. Then, one afternoon in February, Ami Marchlik noticed something different about Preston, her 9-year-old. “He came out of his room after playing a video game with dilated eyes and hard breathing. It really […]

Show recognizes local artists



The Arts Council of the Conejo Valley’s latest show can be viewed for free through Fri., May 29 at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery, 2331 Borchard Road, Ste. A, Newbury Park. Winners were announced on May 17. Cash prizes, ribbons and certificates were handed out. The judges were: Lynn Farrand of Newbury Park, sculptor and member of the Museum Council […]

Salsa recipe contest seeks hot entries



Entries are being accepted for the Great Oxnard Salsa Challenge 2015, taking place Sun., July 26 during the 22nd annual Oxnard Salsa Festival. Amateur salsa chefs can compete in these categories: Best Red, Best Green, Best Fruit, Best Mild, Best Medium and Best Hot. The Judge’s Choice Winner will receive a $100 cash prize from the Oxnard Salsa Festival. First-place […]

Hot Flashes

Enter the bucket

There’s a bucket in my shower, dear Liza, dear Liza. It’s a real doozy too. A Walmart special, cherry red 14-quart baby that looks as classy in our spiffy bathroom as a pair of Birkenstocks on a June bride. Oh, what the heck. Beyond the bucket’s rather Bozo the Clown demeanor, Grumps and I figure we’re capturing over 500 gallons […]