Thousand Oaks Acorn

05/03/2019

School bond funds going fast | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“I feel so good for the kids that they’re in classrooms that are clean, new and refurbished. Psychologically, it’s a big boost for their ability to study."

MEASURE I UPDATE Crews at Westlake High School are laying the groundwork for a state-of the-art science building. At Thousand Oaks High School, workers are completing an extensive library renovation. At Redwood Middle School, the campus is preparing to make way for a new STEAM center, and Newbury Pa...

05/03/2019

ALS ride will roll out of Dos Vientos | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Still time to register for this weekend’s The ALS Association Golden West Chapter event. Don’t ride? A trail run and park walk are also offered.

The ALS Association Golden West chapter will host the third annual SoCal Ride to Defeat ALS and Trail Run/Park Walk on Sat., May 4 at Dos Vientos Park, 4801 Borchard Road, Newbury Park. Registered participants can join other members of the community for a family-friendly morning of celebration, exer...

05/02/2019

Former Rotarian guilty of embezzlement | Thousand Oaks Acorn

"The theft wasn’t just committed against our club but the recipients of our charity."

A local man has been convicted of embezzling more than $50,000 from of the Rotary Club of Newbury Park. Joseph Joyce, 64, pleaded guilty April 5 in a Ventura County courtroom, court records show. Judge Bruce Young ordered Joyce to pay $58,430 in restitution to the club, placed him under five years'....

05/02/2019

Teen won't be tried as adult | Thousand Oaks Acorn

"That’s when I saw the front tire run straight over her."

A 16-year-old accused of running over a Thousand Oaks High School staff member with his car and then leaving the scene will not be tried as an adult, a judge ruled Monday. Judge Kevin McGee said the Ventura County district attorney's office failed to satisfy the legal justification for such a move,....

05/02/2019

Future of historic house not set in stone | Thousand Oaks Acorn

There are nine historic county landmarks in Thousand Oaks. The city is pondering over what to do with one of them:

It's a privilege and a burden to own some of the city's oldest and most prominent buildings. While the honor of getting to share the area's history with the public is great, what is a municipality to do when the buildings fall into disrepair or no longer meet modern standards? It's a question Thousa...

05/02/2019

Sunday heats up with chili, brews | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Can you stand the heat?

Cool temps and overcast skies call for a big bowl of chili. Luckily, the 43rd annual Thousand Oaks Chili Cook-Off and Craft Brew Festival will be providing plenty of the spicy stuff this weekend. New this year to Sunday's Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks-hosted event: a chili-cookin' showdown between th...

05/01/2019

The newest issue of our lifestyle magazine, Beyond the Acorn, is out today! Find a pickup location near you: http://bit.ly/BeyondPickupLocations

04/27/2019

Tickets | Live Nation presents 4U: The Music of Prince with Symphony - Thousand Oaks, CA at Ticketmaster

Purple Rain in the forecast May 12 at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
#SPONSORED

Buy Live Nation presents 4U: The Music of Prince with Symphony tickets at the Fred Kavli Theatre-Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, CA for May 12, 2019 08:00 PM at Ticketmaster.

04/27/2019

Ventura County couple helps out with annual Ride for the Red | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“I just remember thinking we need to do something more for the Red Cross."

In 2012, a group of 40 cyclists set out on a nine-week, 4,200-mile journey from one side of the United States to the other. But for Allyn and Denise Rice, the trip was about more than cycling; it was the fulfillment of a nearly decade-old "dare" between the couple. "We should do something that reall...

04/26/2019

A firefighter's life | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Vaughan Miller started as a cadet in the Ventura County Fire Department in 1980. When he retired last month, the Newbury Park resident stepped down as deputy chief—the second highest rank in the department.

Vaughan Miller started as a cadet in the Ventura County Fire Department in 1980. When he retired from the department last month, the Newbury Park resident stepped down as deputy chief—the second highest rank in the department. He told the Acorn that he started his career in the fire service by ans...

04/26/2019

Coming soon!

Get a new view of the spirit of local living - NEW issue of Beyond the Acorn is coming soon!

04/25/2019

A Thousand Oaks woman stands accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from an elementary school booster club in Moorpark. At the time she was working as the club's treasurer.
Story: https://bit.ly/2PtggJf

04/25/2019

Gridlock in the forecast for 7 city intersections | Thousand Oaks Acorn

A fee tied to new development is expected to pay for millions in future intersection improvements meant to keep Thousand Oaks traffic flowing.

A new citywide traffic impact fee established this week is intended to ensure Thousand Oaks' busiest intersections remain at an acceptable level of service, even as the city's population grows. The fee will be attached to any future development, whether residential, commercial or industrial, and wil...

04/25/2019

Gun shows under fire | Thousand Oaks Acorn

The Ventura Co. Board of Supervisors has asked cities to voice opposition to gun shows being held at the fairgrounds. So far, only one has. Many don't have any plans to even address the matter.

The Ventura County Fairgrounds has been home to occasional gun shows for decades, but in the last year the practice has come under fire—so much so the fairgrounds board is considering banning the shows. Some heavy hitters have weighed in. In December, at the urging of Supervisor Steve Bennett, the...

04/25/2019

Feeling rattled | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“We’re having a bumper crop of rattlers right now.”

Carol Ames came into the living room of her Wildwood home Monday evening and saw a young snake lying perfectly still between the legs of an end table. The Thousand Oaks resident placed a Tupperware container in front of the serpent, and it slithered in of its own accord. Ames closed the lid and rele...

04/24/2019

Does this beach weather have you dreaming of summertime? The Summer/Outdoors issue of our lifestyle magazine, Beyond the Acorn, hits newsstands next week! Subscribe to get it delivered to your home: bit.ly/2I88cZB

04/24/2019

Judge denies request for videotaped testimony in Noell case | Thousand Oaks Acorn

COURT REPORT: The wheels of justice are known to turn slowly. This feature keeps our readers informed about criminal cases we’re tracking out of Thousand Oaks.

The wheels of justice are known to turn slowly. This feature keeps our readers informed about criminal cases we're tracking out of Thousand Oaks. Jury trial set After nearly 3½ years of delays, an attempted murder case against a onetime Wall Street executive is scheduled for a jury trial April 30, ...

04/23/2019

Hope Walk

LACE 'EM UP!
Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara will hold its inaugural HOPE WALK at 9 a.m. Sat., June 15. in Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Use link below to register.
Story: https://bit.ly/2VfZ0MI

Help support Cancer Support Community Valley Ventura Santa Barb today!

04/20/2019

A splashing success | Thousand Oaks Acorn

A first of its kind Special Olympics swim team for kids is now practicing out of Daland Swim School in Thousand Oaks.

Ventura County's newest swim squad is making a big splash. Formed in February, the Special Olympics Ventura County chapter swim team is the result of one parent's efforts to attract more youths to the worldwide organization, which gives individuals with disabilities a chance to compete in sports. Fo...

04/20/2019

Botanic garden hike in full bloom | Thousand Oaks Acorn

In the mood for an easy hike with colorful flowers to spare? Check out the nature path at the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden.

In the mood for an easy hike with colorful flowers to spare? Check out the nature path at the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden. A ¾-mile nature path wraps around the 33-acre garden, meandering through hillsides lush with California sunflowers, especially this spring. To help on sunny days, a portion of...

04/19/2019

Man convicted in 2015 stabbing death of NPHS student | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“His intended target was Mr. Hunt, but Daniel Morales stood in front of his friend. Daniel Morales was a hero that day.”

A jury has found Tyler Ostertag guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Newbury Park High School senior Daniel Morales in 2015. The Ventura County Superior Court jury of six men and six women deliberated for two full days before convicting the 24-year-old. Jurors also found true a sp...

04/19/2019

Mother's Day Love Notes 2019 | The Acorn Newspapers Portal

It's almost that time again. The Thousand Oaks Acorn wants to pay tribute to local moms and we need your help to do it. Click on the link below to submit a note about why your mother means so much to you. It will be published in the May 9 paper so you can surprise Mom just before Mother's Day.

Send Us You Dear Mom Message . . . Mother's Day is Sun., May 12, and the Acorn Newspapers want your mom to receive the recognition she so deserves. Click on the newspaper you receive (one paper only) and in 100 words or fewer, please write and tell us why your mother is special. Whether it's a poign...

04/19/2019

Park board not keen on livestream | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Conejo Rec. & Park board is camera shy:

A new member's suggestion that the Conejo Recreation and Park District begin livestreaming its board of director's meetings appears dead on arrival. At an earlier CRPD board meeting, newly elected director Doug Nickles raised the question of why the park board doesn't join the City of Thousand Oaks....

04/19/2019

CalAm-ity avoided | Thousand Oaks Acorn

After a three-year legal battle, Thousand Oaks customers of California American Water see rates rise only a fraction of what was originally proposed.

After a hard-fought legal battle, Thousand Oaks customers of California American Water will only see their rates raised a fraction of what the private utility initially requested in 2016. Instead of rate increases of 10% in 2018 and 2019, CalAm's 20,000 or so customers in T.O. and Newbury Park will....

04/18/2019

County health pulls CBD products from T.O. natural food store | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“We’ve been alerting our inspectors that if they see cannabis or hemp products, they need to check it out and see if it’s legal.”

After suffering a concussion in January, Thousand Oaks resident Christine Robert turned to cannabidiol, a cannabis derivative, to help her heal. She had seen research that looked promising, and use of the drug produced the results she was looking for. But on a recent trip to Lassens natural food sto...

04/18/2019

Golf course will be site of groundwater treatment plant | Thousand Oaks Acorn

T.O. city staff is going to busy in the next two years. Here's a list of capital improvement projects it's got planned:

In an effort to end Thousand Oaks' near total reliance on imported water, public works staff is asking the City Council to commit $16.6 million over the next two years to build a groundwater treatment plant at the city's publicly owned golf course. The Los Robles Greens Golf Course Groundwater Utili...

04/18/2019

State mulling plans to expand 101 in county | Thousand Oaks Acorn

TONIGHT: 6 p.m. meeting at Thousand Oaks City Hall (inside Civic Arts Plaza Founders Room) hosted by Caltrans District 7 Headquarters to discuss plans to widen freeway between T.O. and Ventura, and possibly add HOV lanes.

Are carpool lanes the answer to the 101 Freeway's congestion woes? Caltrans wants to know what residents think. Tonight, the state transportation agency, in conjunction with the Ventura County Transportation Commission, will hold the third of four meetings intended to gather input on plans to widen....

04/14/2019

Art Walk will fill Oaks parking lot | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Today is the final day of Thousand Oaks Art Walk

Thousand Oaks Art Walk 2019 will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat. and Sun., April 13 and 14, in the east end parking lot at The Oaks mall, 305 W. Hillcrest Drive. Artists will display their original work in all mediums of fine art and fine crafts. Artwork will include paintings, photography, mixe...

04/14/2019

Drama today at Thousand Oaks Post Office after off-duty officer reportedly pulls gun on man he felt was acting suspiciously. No arrests made.

SHERIFFS RESPOND TO GUN DRAWN CALL AT A THOUSAND OAKS POST OFFICE:

Shortly before 12:00pm on Saturday, April 13, multiple customers were escorted out of the Post Office located at Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Duesenburg Drive in Thousand Oaks.

Post Office employees had gone to emergency procedures after an initial call of a man with a gun holding another man at gunpoint within the location.

Multiple Ventura County Sheriff's Department deputies responded lights and siren to the call. As more information became available, according to radio traffic, the man with a gun was said to be an off-duty police officer. He had reportedly put his gun away before deputies arrived.

Sheriff's deputies, including two Sergeants, arrived and began an investigation. According to the Sheriff's Office, the off-duty police officer, reported to be with the Ventura County Community College District, had pulled his gun on a man he said was acting suspiciously inside the Post Office. The off-duty police officer had believed that the suspicious man was armed, the Sheriff's Office said.

After an investigation, the Sheriff's Office reported they determined that ultimately no crime had been committed, and no charges were filed. There was no report of a weapon being found on the man said to be acting suspiciously.

Customers had been allowed to return shortly after 12:00pm.

04/14/2019

Margarita masters to mix it up at 18th Soroptimist fundraiser | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Got salt?

Soroptimist of the Conejo will present its 18th annual Margarita Mixoff and More! fundraiser from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thurs., April 25 at The Gardens at Los Robles Greens, 299 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. Restaurants will compete to win the People's Choice award for Best Margarita. The event will fea...

04/12/2019

Woman dies in Westlake Village freeway crash | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Good Samaritans tried unsuccessfully yesterday to pull a 66-year-old woman involved in a crash on the 101 Freeway off-ramp at Lindero Canyon Road from the vehicle before it went up in flames.

A woman and her dog died April 11 when the SUV she was driving crashed into a tree and caught fire at the Lindero Canyon Road exit off the 101 Freeway in Westlake Village. The Westlake Village resident, whose name has not been released, was driving a Ford Expedition SUV north in the far-right lane a...

04/11/2019

Opiates, meth are county's top killers | Thousand Oaks Acorn

"People think it’s like a Skid Row problem and it’s not. It’s in every community."

Drugs and alcohol were responsible for 170 deaths in Ventura County last year—just over three per week—according to the county medical examiner's 2018 overdose report. Released in March, the report breaks down overdose deaths by substance, age and city. Total overdose deaths increased by five in...

04/11/2019

City, stable operator in legal fight | Thousand Oaks Acorn

The operator of the Rancho Potrero Equestrian Center is fighting eviction by the City of Thousand Oaks over allegations that the operator’s son sexually assaulted an underage girl at the publicly owned facility in 2016.

The operator of the Rancho Potrero Equestrian Center is fighting eviction by the City of Thousand Oaks over allegations that the operator's son sexually assaulted an underage boarder at the publicly owned facility in 2016. In January, the city attorney's office notified Velencia Circle K Riding Stab...

04/05/2019

Concert of a lifetime | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“Some of it made me cry, but mostly I was just happy, happy, happy to hear it again."

On St. Patrick's Day, the air at United Methodist Church Westlake Village was filled with music. Participants in the "Celebrating the Joy of Music" concert performed secular tunes like "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" and sacred ones, including "For the Beauty of the Earth" and Beethoven's "Hallelujah....

04/05/2019

The Tribe goes hunting | Thousand Oaks Acorn

“This is probably the best crop of freshmen and sophomores to ever come in here in the history of the school.”

SOFTBALL /// Westlake Warriors . Warriors expect to win a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 title, if everyone's happy and healthy Kylie Chung stepped up to the plate in street clothes. She swung and sent the ball screaming over the center field fence for a home run during batting practice. So, what's...

04/05/2019

Survey finds over 100 homeless in Thousand Oaks | Thousand Oaks Acorn

Annual count back to "normal" after an anomaly in 2018.

The City of Thousand Oaks is trying to address the challenge of homelessness on a personal level. Recently, after a man contacted city staff to let them know someone was living in an RV across the street from his place of business, City Manager Andrew Powers forwarded the correspondence to Police Ch...