2019-12-26

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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

2019-12-26 E-Edition

The Acorn Man of the Year

He isn’t a major CEO, he doesn’t run a Hollywood studio—and he’s probably a person you never even heard of, until his story appeared in the Nov. 14 issue of The Acorn. Jerry Cadish, who turned 90 last month, found a higher calling in his golden years: school crossing guard. The Agoura Hills resident is a popular fixture at the […]

The year we bounced back



If 2018 was the year of the big fire, 2019 was the year of the big comeback. The challenges were steep and the costs prohibitive, but communities from Calabasas to Oak Park to Malibu rebounded with a renewed sense of cooperation and determination. While 75 homes from Calabasas to Thousand Oaks were destroyed in the fire, only some were being […]

Stage set for affordable housing showdown



Struggles with growth and development seem to be a yearly theme in Calabasas. This year, affordable housing entered into the equation. Virginia-based apartment landlord AvalonBay Communities introduced a voter initiative in 2019 to allow the development of 161 new units on its property at Lost Hills and Las Virgenes road, a deal that would ensure the 80 affordable units at […]

Crime and punishment



The normally quiet Conejo and Las Virgenes valleys saw more than just a modicum of mayhem in 2019. The bullies, purse-snatchers and other crooks weren’t shy about horning their way into the neighborhoods. Illicit sex also reared its ugly head. A wild freeway chase ended with a man shot to death Jan. 12 on the 101. Involved in a Camarillo […]

SHERIFF’S BLOTTER

Calabasas On Dec. 16 burglar entered an unlocked car parked on Lupine Lane. The thief stole a laptop, two phone chargers, a coin purse, 20 gift cards to various stores, a speaker, a Bible and an opera script. The items were worth $1,635. A shoplifter stole 10 strawberry flavored Puff Bar disposable electric cigarettes from the Shell gas station on […]

2019 a milestone for Westlake Village—50 years on the lake



It was a year of big change for the city of Westlake Village, with the departure of one longtime city employee, the addition of a new city manager—and a birthday party for the community’s treasured lake. Personnel changes Early in the year, Westlake Village announced the hiring of new city manager Rob de Geus. Before coming to Westlake Village, 49-year-old […]

Local journalism alive and well in the 2020s

Like most people this year, Acorn readers stood divided on the many key political issues that dominated local and national headlines. As it turns out, what we learned in 2019 is that often there is more that unites us than divides us. Residents have and will continue to come together to celebrate milestones—such as the advent of a new decade—and […]

Cartoon

Oak Park event a big success

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 20th annual Oak Park Regatta. The kids loved it, and it’s a great excuse to invite friends and family over during the holidays. We appreciate the effort, especially this year with the rain. Amanda TaftOak Park