2014-02-14

Read the Latest Simi Valley Acorn!

Click below to read the latest edition of The Simi Valley Acorn!

Enjoy the new online reading experience!

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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

Screening, early detection are key to beating colorectal cancer



March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and a good time to learn more about colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) and how it can be prevented or best treated. Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in the United States for both men and women combined. This year, approximately 140,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will […]

Royal students take the stage



Teens meet for faith, fellowship



Rescued pet is the perfect medicine this Valentine’s Day




Love takes many forms, and humans are fortunate in being able to express in poetry and song the depths of their affections. In the past 10 weeks I have come to share my life with a kind and sensitive soul unable to verbalize his feelings on Valentine’s Day. He also can’t order rose bouquets, purchase heart-shaped candy boxes or mail […]

Ventura County Public Health debuts STD therapy program



Ventura County Public Health has launched a new expedited partner therapy program intended to treat the sexual partners of people diagnosed with chlamydia, a common sexually transmitted disease, as well as stem the tide of new infections. The EPT program allows people who have been diagnosed with chlamydia to receive free antibiotic medications to distribute to their sexual partners without […]

Los Robles offering Hands-Only CPR training



Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center will offer Hands- Only CPR training for free to the community from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 19 in the main lobby of Los Robles Hospital, 215 W. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. At the event will be cardiac arrest survivors who are alive due to Hands-Only CPR. Families are encouraged to attend. Children […]

Simi Valley Hospital offering detox program



Simi Valley Hospital is offering an inpatient acute detox program. The program covers both drug and alcohol addiction. Patients who are admitted through the hospital’s Emergency Department or by direct admission from their physician will spend three to five days undergoing medical detox, using national best practices with oversight by addiction-medicine physicians. Along with the medical intervention, social workers and […]

Time to prepare for tax season

COMMENTARY Social Security


Wise taxpayers may want to take advantage of winter months indoors to prepare for tax filing season this spring. Whether you are a small-business owner, a retiree or a new parent, here are some Social Security tax tips that may help. Q: Are Social Security benefits taxable? A: Yes, for some people with higher incomes. About onethird of those receiving […]

Fair seeking winning poster



The fifth annual poster contest for the 2014 Ventura County Fair is open to artists in grades five through 12 who live in Ventura County. The theme of the 2014 fair, “A Country Fair with Ocean Air,” will serve as the guideline to the imagery. Artwork can be created in any medium but may not include the use of glitter, […]

Fair board elects new leader



The board of directors of the 31st District Agricultural Association, better known as the Ventura County Fairgrounds, has elected Leah Lacayo as president and director Bonnie Weigel to the office of vice president. Lacayo is serving her second appointment to the Ventura County Fairgrounds Board of Directors. Her first appointment included a term as president in 2005. She also serves […]