2022-01-13
MISSING Mental health often plays role when young people disappear
Family searchesfor answers after man walks away from Agoura treatment center
Zoë Kustritz was in the mood for celebrating July 13, 2021 when she went to Basta restaurant in Agoura Hills for an Italian dinner. The then 26-year-old and her mother were in town from the East Coast to witness what seemed to be a turning point for Zoë’s 24-year-old brother, Jack Stein, a Minnesota resident who had been staying at […]
Health order keeps pressure on business
Lawsuit is weapon of choice against restaurants that fight mandateThe new wave of coronavirus cases has once again put to the test the patience of small businesses trying to stay profitable amid the ever-shifting landscape of COVID-19 restrictions. One local restaurant is still dealing with the fallout from its opposition to the health mandate imposed in 2021, prior to the Omicron surge. Record cases in Los Angeles County make […]
Schools wary amid surge
The reopening of school after the winter break saw as many as 1,208 Las Virgenes Unified School District students out, with COVID-related teacher absences around 10% in the first few days, The Acorn has learned. According to Superintendent Dan Stepenosky, the three days ending Jan. 5 respectively saw 42, 45 and 44 teachers out with COVID. In that same period, […]
Test kit price gouging criticized by DA
Profiteeringcould be punished
Amid concern that some outlets are seeking undue profit on the sale of at-home COVID-19 test kits, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced Tuesday that his office has established an electronic hotline to help protect residents against price gouging on the kits. The hotline comes in response to a Jan. 8 executive order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom that […]
Man gets 50 to life in Westlake wife murder
Tim Gautier will be eligible for paroleIn one of the quickest murder cases in Ventura County history, a Thousand Oaks man has been sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison for shooting and killing his wife in their Westlake apartment last year. Last week’s sentencing hearing fell six days before the oneyear mark of the death of Gina Gautier, who was shot and killed […]
BRANCHING OUT
YOUR INSIDER TO THE ACORN’S WEEKLY PODCASTEach week the Acorn Newspapers presents a new episode of “Branching Out,” a podcast that explores the issues in our community and the people who make the news. In this installment, Thousand Oaks Acorn editor Kyle Jorrey sits down with former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney James Bozajian, who sits on Calabasas’ City Council, to break down what’s happening […]
Grossman preliminary now set
Rebecca Grossman, the motorist accused of murder and other charges in the deaths of pedestrians Mark Iskander, 11, and his 8-year-old brother Jacob Iskander in Westlake Village two years ago, is set for a preliminary hearing April 25 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. That’s when prosecutors will present evidence and the judge will decide whether the case should go […]
King’s example inspires and enlightens
EDITORIALMonday marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday to honor the Atlanta-born civil rights leader and Baptist minister. Assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, the Nobel Prize laureate’s leadership is credited with ending legal segregation of African Americans in the South through his nonviolent protests and his powerful oratory skills. Dozens of biographies can be found offering rich, nuanced analysis […]