2019-02-21

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

Local ambulance on the move

Oak Park crew looks forward to having new home


Nobody wants to call an ambulance, but if the need arises, people expect their lifesaving personnel to be focused and alert. Ambulance technicians often work 24-hour shifts, most of which is downtime as they wait for calls to come in. But the crews who work for private companies can’t take their breaks at county facilities such as police and fire […]

New sheriff in command



The last time sheriff’s Lt. Salvador “Chuck” Becerra worked at the Lost Hills station he was a deputy taking orders. Now he’s giving them. Becerra, 50, is the station’s new commanding officer. A veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Becerra considers Lost Hills a homecoming—20 years ago he spent two years there as a deputy. His most recent […]

Agoura Hills planning commissioner appointed



Chris Anstead, a newly elected Agoura Hills City Council member, appointed Murtaza Mogri to the city’s planning commission. Anstead said he wanted someone on the panel who shared his vision about the importance of getting new residents involved in the community. “The majority of past planning commissioners have been residents (of Agoura Hills) all of their lives, and I wanted […]

Nature paints the town green

FREE Flower power in full force thanks to fire-rain combo


Biologists say last year’s Woolsey fire and the recent steady rains are working in tandem to give the local hills their most beautiful splash of green, yellow and gold in many, many years. The peak flowering season that typically occurs in March and April is happening right now, and local biologists are excited. “We are expecting a very good showing […]

Fallen officer memorialized



Having spent most of his professional life behind a desk working in internet security, Jeffrey “Jef” Dye was ready for some adventure. In 2016, the experienced rock climber enlisted as a member of Ventura County Search and Rescue, a team of sheriff’s department volunteers called upon in emergency situations. “So others may live” is their motto. Though his time with […]

Resident gets 10 years on porn charges



A former Oak Park resident has been sent to prison for possession and attempted distribution of child pornography. Kenneth Baron, 31, pleaded guilty last month to three felonies and was sentenced to 10 years and four months in state prison. Baron was a registered sex offender. He was on parole for sex offenses and impersonating an officer and false imprisonment […]

Sheriff’s Blotter

Agoura Hills On Feb. 11 a thief broke into a car parked outside the L.A. Fitness gym on Agoura Road, punctured the driver’s handle key lock and stole a purse. The purse contained a wallet, driver’s license, debit cards, cash and checks. The stolen items were worth $1,490. Someone entered an unlocked car parked on Agoura Road the night of […]

Local leaders want power lines buried



Following every wildfire there’s a discussion about the best way to keep lives and property safe. A recent opinion piece signed by five area mayors and two county supervisors calls for utility companies to start burying power lines to ensure they don’t start a fire. Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks was one of the officials behind the letter. She composed […]

Serious commitment needed from power company

If you drove along Kanan and Malibu Canyon roads following last November’s Woolsey fire, you couldn’t help but notice the furious work going on, especially the cleanup. More importantly, crews could be seen installing new fire-resistant metal power poles to replace some of the old wooden ones. Work on the poles began before the fire took place, but after the […]

Cartoon