July 30, 2010 RSS feed / Front Page

City wants to know if banner program will fly

The city of Simi Valley is considering a plan to honor local active-duty military personnel with banners hung in the heart of town. The banners would display the name and branch of service of each of the soldiers and thank them for their service. More...

Health & Wellness

Doctors make largest donation ever to Simi Valley Hospital

An abundance of thank-yous were showered on physicians Ushakant “Kant Tucker” Thakkar and his wife, Irma Harriman Thakkar, during a reception held in their honor Wednesday at the Simi Valley Hospital. More...

Rattlesnake season has started

Reptile expert shares tips on staying clear

Children and dogs are most vulnerable to rattlesnake attacks due to their curiosity, but injury and death can be prevented if certain precautions are taken, snake wrangler Bo Slyapich told members of the Conejo Valley Rotary Club at their meeting la More...

Business

Simi-based AeroVironment under investigation

DOJ looking into company’s billing practices

One of the city’s largest employers is being investigated by the Department of Justice. AeroVironment Inc. said in a statement released last month that it is cooperating with an investigation by the Civil Fraud Section of the U.S. More...

Sports

Child’s play

I was recently on the range working with a student, and out of the corner of my eye I spotted the most smooth, powerful motion I had ever seen in person. Upon further study, the individual was making the perfect swing. More...

Abbott’s pitching has District 13 feeling right at home in South Carolina

Royal grad bringing heat

Let the good times roll, take two. District 13, which comprises the Conejo Valley, Moorpark and Simi Valley, earned its second straight trip to the Big League Baseball World Series in Easley, S.C. More...

Fusion stands united as soccer playoffs set to kick off

The Ventura County Fusion barely made the playoffs last season but still won a national championship. This year, the soccer squad won its first-ever division title. Its reward: A road game in Washington to open the postseason. More...

Faith

Boutique to benefit counseling center

The Simi Valley Center for Biblical Counseling will have a fundraising boutique from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat., July 31 at NewHeart Foursquare Church, room 5, 4200 Township Ave., Simi Valley. More...

Dining & Entertainment

An American family endures hard times in repertory’s ‘Grapes of Wrath’

Play review

John Steinbeck’s tale of the American spirit comes alive as the Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi presents the Tony Award-winning “The Grapes of Wrath,” directed by David Ralphe and playing at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Cen More...

Letters

Mayor: E-Verify is ‘highly unreliable’

While I don’t intend to become involved in specific political issues that may arise over the course of this year’s municipal election, I do have an obligation, on behalf of the entire City Council, to ensure that the public has accurate More...

City should screen all job applicants

Bob Huber raised an interesting question in his letter published in last week’s Acorn: Why doesn’t the city of Simi Valley screen its job applicants the way private businesses have to do? More...

If the tool is there, why not use it?

Like most of my friends and neighbors, I am worried about America’s open borders and the threat that illegal immigration poses to our economy and increasing crime. More...

Neighbors

Brood of local fishermen reel in catch of their lives

Team hooks halfton shark near Channel Islands

Team Wicked Squid had no idea what they were up against when they found themselves “running and gunning” after an 1,100- pound mako shark off the coast of Channel Islands last Sunday. More...

Simi may be forced to pay for Bell’s mistakes

City’s chief of police used to head up SVPD

The city hall salary scandal that has ignited local and national headlines and sent one town into an outrage may have a negative trickledown effect on Simi Valley and one other Ventura County municipality. More...

Teen driver gets probation for causing deadly crash

A teen driver that caused an accident that killed two people after she ran a red light earlier this year was sentenced to probation last week. More...

Community

Simi Valley teen falls from moving car

A 49-year-old Simi Valley woman could face charges of reckless driving and child endangerment after she allegedly allowed three teenagers to stand on the bumper of her car as she drove and one of them fell off. More...

Water purveyors warn of overuse

The warmer weather has apparently caused some locals to forget to turn off the tap and conserve water whenever they can. In May and June, the city as a whole failed to attain a 15 percent reduction in water use mandated by purveyors. More...

Officers credited with putting a dent in DUI

On Monday, the City Council recognized six Simi Valley Police Department officers for their efforts in making drunk driving arrests. More...

Schools

YMCA makes new, shorter name for itself

Simpler moniker, logo part of rebranding campaign

For years, corporations have embraced shortened names given them by the public. AT&T, GE and BofA are just a few that are better known by their initials than their proper names. The Young Men’s Christian Association is another. More...

Local residents turn tassels at CLU

The following Simi Valley residents graduated from California Lutheran University during the undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 15 in Mount Clef Stadium on the campus in Thousand Oaks. More...

Simi Valley Education Foundation selects next board

The Simi Valley Education Foundation has named its new 2010-11 board of directors. More...

Police

POLICE BLOTTER

July 21 A man, 34, was arrested for burglary after shoplifting from the Costco in the 2600 block of Park Center Drive. At Madera Road and Royal Avenue, a 22-year-old man was arrested for theft. More...

Family

Fresh from the farm

PRICKLY PRODUCE—Robert Rabalais slices the needlesharp spines off fresh cactus leaves at the Full Circle Ranch booth during the Simi Valley Farmers Market on July 23. More...

Elks rev up for car show

The Simi Valley Elks Lodge No. 2492 is “revving up” for the seventh annual Walk in the Park Car Show from noon to 3 p.m. Sun., Aug. 8 at the Elks Lodge, 1561 Kuehner Drive, Simi Valley. More...

Y offering oneday swim clinic

A one-day swim clinic to promote water safety skills for children ages 7 to 16 will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fri., Aug. 6 at the Simi Valley Family YMCA’s indoor aquatics center. More...

Editorials

Simi taxpayers get Bell rung by city hall salary scandal

The news from Bell, Calif., a city of 40,000, has shocked citizens across the country, including residents of Simi Valley, who are now learning that the municipal salary scandal there will cost taxpayers here. More...

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