December 24, 2010 RSS feed / Front Page

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Rotarians get busy building bikes

ROLLING ALONG—Above, Dorina Timbol, a member of Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise, tests out new bikes on Dec. 15 as she moves them into place for delivery. More...

SVPD did no wrong in ’09 death of detainee, DA report finds

Man was reportedly high on meth when he died while resisting arrest
By Joann Groff
joann@theacorn.com

Simi Valley police officers didn’t use excessive force last year during a struggle with a 36-year-old man who died after being detained, according to the DA’s office. More...

Health & Wellness

Brothers play Santa for ER patients

STOCKING STUFFERS— Brothers Joseph and Zachary Lombard, both 17, donated 60 Christmas stockings to Simi Valley Hospital’s emergency department on Dec. 17. More...

Pregnant women, infants targets for the flu

Vaccines highly recommended

The risk from flu is greater for pregnant women because pregnancy can reduce the ability of the lungs and the immune system to work normally. This can be bad for both mother and baby. More...

Clouds can’t shield eyes from UV rays’ damage

Sunglasses, hats needed all year

Here’s eye- opening news: While wearing sunglasses to protect against the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays may not seem necessary during cloudy, cold-weather months, harmful UV rays that can damage the eyes are actually present year-round. More...

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Schools

Huber replaced on community college board

By Carissa Marsh
cmarsh@theacorn.com

Because of his new role as mayor of Simi Valley, Bob Huber was forced to resign from his position as chair of the Ventura County Community College District halfway through his four-year term. More...

Little ones spreading joy

SINGING CHRISTMAS SONGS—Above, students from Arroyo Montessori preschool sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” during their holiday program on Dec. 16. More...

Class open to adult learners

Robert Stellwagen, Ph.D., will present a class, The Anatomy of a Scientific Revolution, from 6 to 8 p.m. Wed., Jan. 12 through March 2 at the Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi. More...

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Pets

Pet of the Week

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A leisurely stroll

TAKING THEIR TIME—Simi Valley residents Byrdie Adlof and Dan Hitchcock take their 4-yearold, 80-pound sulcata desert tortoise Nike for a walk along Madera Road. More...

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Faith

Local quadriplegic woman stays commited to supporting the disabled worldwide

By Sylvie Belmond
belmond@theacorn.com

“I believe that God works everything out for my good and his glory, even that diving accident so many, many years ago” says Joni Eareckson Tada, leader of the Joni and Friends International Disability Center in Agoura Hills, as she dictat More...

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Dining & Entertainment

T.O resident’s digital works to go on view at CLU

A suite of digital works by artist T.C. Hengst will be displayed from Jan. 10 through Feb. 5 in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture in Soiland Humanities Center at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. More...

Moorpark to select featured artist for fest

Contest entries due by Dec. 30

The city of Moorpark invites Southern California artists to compete for selection as the featured artist for the 2011 Moorpark Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More...

Simi cast to reprise roles in ‘Rent’ next year

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Rent” will run again from Jan. 2 through Feb. 13 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. More...

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Editorials

This holiday season, put your gadgets down and pick your heads up

As the holiday season begins to wind down, many of us are giddy over the prospect of receiving the latest, coolest electronic gadget underneath the tree. The lucky ones have already received their high-tech gifts for Hanukkah. More...

Cartoon

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Datebook

Datebook

SAT., DEC. 25 Free Christmas Dinner More...

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Simi Town Center sold

Mall comes with $112 million mortgage
By Carissa Marsh
cmarsh@theacorn.com

After six months on the market, the Simi Valley Town Center has been sold. Walton Street Capital LLC, a private equity real estate investment firm in Chicago, purchased the property. More...

DTSC makes final call: Runkle is safe

By Carissa Marsh
cmarsh@theacorn.com

Four years after the outcries of concerned residents prompted the city to halt grading of Runkle Canyon, the state has finally made a decision on the property, declaring it safe for residential development. More...

Fighting for cover

NO SHARING—Twelve-year-old Jacob Robinson, left, and 11-year-old friend Garrett Sonstegard, both from Moorpark, wrestle for control of an umbrella so they can be ready for the next downpour. More...

Community

Local homeless in need this winter

By Carissa Marsh
cmarsh@theacorn.com

While the holiday season is known as a time of overindulgence for many, there are some in the community struggling to meet their basic needs. For these people—the homeless and nearly homeless—the Samaritan Center steps in. More...

Simi man dies in solo vehicle crash

Investigators suspect drugs, alcohol involved

A Simi Valley man died last week due to injuries he sustained in a solo vehicle crash. S. Prakash Keshav, 50, died Dec. 13, two days after his car ran into a light pole on Tapo Canyon Road. More...

Career center offering workshops for job seekers

The East County Job and Career Center at 980 Enchanted Way, Simi Valley, offers free one-day career shops for job seekers starting Mon., Jan. 3. Career Shop topics include computer basics, resume writing and job interview techniques. More...

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Business

Chamber to lead guided tour of Simi

The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce will host a Tourism Roundtable FAM Tour of places of interest in the city from 8:26 a.m. to noon Wed., Jan. 12. Participants will meet at the Reagan Library main entrance gate to start the tour. More...

City’s economic development committee seeks business owners

The city of Simi Valley is accepting applications to fill three non-Chamber of Commerce vacancies on the city’s Simi Valley Economic Development Committee, formerly called the Small Business Advisory Committee. More...

Local joins apartment brokerage team

Dyer Sheehan Group Inc. has added Parker Shaw to its apartment brokerage team. Shaw specializes in analyzing multifamily properties in the greater Ventura County market area and representing buyers and sellers in investment property transactions. More...

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Sports

Relentless Simi Valley wrestlers stay hungry

By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com

It’s Christmas week, but the work never stops for the Simi Valley High wrestling team. Samuel Duchene was in head coach Guy Greene’s office at 8 a.m. Tuesday—the first day of winter—watching tape. More...

Commentary

Tough to call it ‘recruiting’ when players come knocking
By Stephen Dorman
sdorman@theacorn.com

My Christmas gift for local high school football fans is a reality check. And I’m not talking about a check you receive for going on a reality show. No sir, I’m talking about the cold, hard truth. More...

Catching Chargers a major challenge

Marmonte League winter overview: Girls’ water polo
By Eliav Appelbaum
eliav@theacorn.com

There’s no mystery. One school is favored to run away with the Marmonte League girls’ water polo championship. Everything else is up in the air. More...

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Police

Police Blotter

Dec. 13 Officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress in the 1200 block of E. Los Angeles Avenue and arrested a 36-year-old man on a charge of robbery. More...

History of Simi police celebrated in 2011 calendar

Sales benefit local law enforcement

The Simi Valley Police Foundation is currently selling a 40th anniversary wall calendar that will serve as a fundraiser for the Simi Valley Police Department. More...

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Letters

School schedule changes too late

I found out that the Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) wants to make a change in the start date of the 2011-12 school year. They want it to start on Aug. 10, 2011, and end on June 1, 2012. Apparently, there is a vote scheduled for Jan. 18. More...

WM big supporter of local community

I doubt other local businesses have contributed as much to the community as Waste Management has, and to question the company’s integrity is just wrong. More...

Sojka, Becerra lend objectivity

With the withdrawal of Barbra Williamson from the Landfill Expansion Task Force, the postponement of the court decision in the suit launched by the task force against Waste Management (WM) and the resumption of talks between the city and WM, I am bec More...

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Vacation Photos

Take Your Simi Valley Acorn on Vacation

Send your photos to vacation@theacorn.com

How to submit: E-mail your vacation photo as a .jpg attachment only to vacation@theacorn.com. Include name, address, phone number and a brief description of the scene. More...

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Neighbors

Royal High artist’s ‘moving’ piece wins statewide contest

By Carissa Marsh
cmarsh@theacorn.com

Even as a child, Royal High School senior Myles Hacock had an affinity for art. More...

Serving the community

READY TO EAT—Boy Scout Jack Collis, 11, delivers 109 filled grocery bags to Darren Lavett, kitchen coordinator and Renee Frumkin, case manager, at the Samaritan Center last weekend. More...

Neighborhood councils recruiting

The city of Simi Valley is accepting applications for Neighborhood Council executive board members. The deadline for submitting applications is 5 p.m. Tues., Jan. 4. A total of 21 vacancies exist on the four Neighborhood Council executive boards. More...

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