2017-08-31

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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

Wash our hands of the statewide water tax

COMMENTARY /// California’s water

As the Sacramento legislative session reaches the home stretch, state lawmakers are pushing for a sweeping new tax on tap water that would affect all Californians. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District board of directors has had a long-standing policy of opposing any statewide “water tax” and other legislation that would transfer local ratepayer funds to Sacramento, which is the […]

Not so fast with those Potrero bike lanes

The proposed bike lanes through Potrero Valley (page 3) would be exclusively for recreational purposes, without any “commuting” value. This is of course true for most of the bike lanes throughout the area as well. So let’s say we look at this as a proposed Ventura County park or a Thousand Oaks CRPD site project. Six miles of 3-foot-wide lanes […]

Marijuana legal, but won’t be sold in Agoura Hills

City’s strict pot laws remain in effect


With the legalization of marijuana across California last year, and the rollout of retail pot stores next year, the Agoura Hills City Council has taken a closer look at its municipal code and where it stands on how, when and where residents can use marijuana products. Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, was passed by voters in California […]

Keep the cameras rolling, Agoura Hills says



It’s take two for the city once known as “Picture City” because of its prolific movie and television production. Filming (and taping) in Agoura Hills got a reboot last month as city leaders revised the permit regulations that guide the industry in all its permutations: movies, television programs, commercials and newer forms of digital media. When Agoura Hills incorporated in […]

Entering the zebra and Zinfandel zone

ACORN SERIES /// Day Trippers


This series features fun local activities to enjoy in your free time. Like wine tasting? How about wine tasting on the wild side? Malibu Wines lets patrons taste wines sourced from local vineyards in the Santa Monica Mountains. But instead of sitting in a cellar or a tasting room, visitors can sip their sauvignon on safari. Just 15 minutes off […]

Oak Park woman stabbed stepmother, sheriff says

An Oak Park woman was arrested after stabbing her stepmother last Sunday afternoon. Catherine Galan, 31, reportedly attacked her 61-year-old stepmother just after 1 p.m. Aug. 27 at a home in the 5000 block of Churchwood Drive. The reason for the attack is unknown, a Ventura County Sheriff’s deputy said. The victim was taken to a local hospital where she […]

Take a walk on the wild side

Thrift shop’s exotic goods at tame prices

The “Walk on the Wild Side” sale will begin Tues., Sept. 12 at the Assistance League Thrift Shop, 2835 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. The sale will feature a wild array of animal-themed merchandise, with exotic items offered at tame prices. Proceeds will benefit philanthropic programs for the Conejo Valley and surrounding communities. The shop is open 11 a.m. to […]

Watercraft and wine at Westlake Lake

Help clean up the coastline Sept. 16

The 2017 California Coastal Cleanup Day will run from 9 a.m. to noon Sat., Sept. 16 at various beaches and inland areas in Ventura County. Thousands of residents, businesses and nonprofits will gather to collect trash and debris from the county’s beaches and inland areas to keep it out of oceans and waterways. The California Coastal Commission and the Ventura […]

Are the local oaks sick?

Ask the Arborist

I’ve been bombarded with emails, texts and calls from people, many of whom are from Thousand Oaks, wanting to know why so many oak trees around town look like they’re dying. Of course, we have many more that 1,000 oak trees in Thousand Oaks, but the loss of just one is always a move in the wrong direction. Too many […]