WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers 'TIS THE SEASON—Kayden Alves of Camarillo, 18 months old, checks out the shiny decorations adorning the Christmas tree at the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Arneill Road that was part of the annual Old Town Camarillo Holiday Celebration on Dec. 5. The evening event included a visit from Santa, a tree lighting and carriage rides. More...
DEVLIN GANDY/Special to the Acorn HOT COMMUTE—Thirty acres of steep terrain began burning at the top of the Conejo Grade north of the 101 Freeway on Tuesday. The blaze continued for about 24 hours until the Ventura County Fire Department put it out using 150 personnel. The brush fire also caused a major tieup on the freeway that lasted through the evening commute. Earlier Tuesday, another small brush fire flared up on the south side of the California State University Channel Islands campus. The fire, which burned two acres, was put out with the help of a water-dropping helicopter. More...
Students invited to make food donations to local pantry
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com
In August, due to budget constraints, many public school buses in Camarillo screeched to a halt. Now, a big yellow bus will ride for a good cause. Nearly every school in Pleasant Valley School District is participating in the Stuff-a-Bus food collection drive. More...
Police are investigating the stabbings of a 27-year-old man and a 15-year-old male youth. The two were attacked Dec. 6 around 12:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of W. Los Angeles Avenue in an unincorporated area of Ventura County just north of Camarillo. More...
The Best Supporting Volunteer Program award was given recently to the American Red Cross of Ventura County for its commitment to preparedness and response to emergencies and disasters. More...
Sales of pre-owned BMWs up 90 percent, Thomas says
While car dealerships throughout the U.S. are closing shop, Steve Thomas BMW has found a way to not only survive the rocky economy, but actually increase sales and expand the company. To do so, the Camarillo car dealership has focused on selling pre-owned BMWs. More...
What started as a friendly competition between Monte Vista Middle School students and adults eventually led to a mountain-sized collection of socks that will be donated to local nonprofit organizations today. Hoping to collect 400 pairs of socks, participants nearly tripled that figure, collecting 1,171 pairs. More...
If the Camarillo High girls' soccer team had a theme song this year, it could be the Beatles "We Can Work it Out" because there's no time for fussing and fighting. The Scorpions finished the season with a 3-7-3 overall record a year ago and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Orange High. More...
CUTE AND FRIENDLY— Whereisshe is a 1-year-old female chinchilla. She can be adopted from the Camarillo Animal Shelter. Ask for ID #A456843 at the Camarillo Animal Shelter, 600 Aviation Drive. Occasionally pets have already been adopted, so visit www.vcar.us or call (805) 388-4341 before visiting the shelter. More...
Sometime between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1, burglars broke into CK Technologies, 3629 Vista Mercado. Nothing was reported stolen. A thief stole about $3,400 in property from T&R Berries, 2487 Laguna Road, sometime between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. More...
QUITE A TREE— Nearly 50 choir singers practice earlier this week for an upcoming series of Christmas-themed performances at Grace Bible Church in Oxnard. The choir, seated in the 35-foot-high Living Christmas Tree on the church's stage, will perform a 1950s tribute to America's favorite classic toys. More...
Nausheen Ahmed remembers being a young student in math class frustrated by a blackboard packed with numbers and equations. Ahmed said she struggled with math at her elementary school in Pakistan before coming to the U.S. with her family at the age of 10. It was the learn-by-repetition approach that made understanding numbers both painstaking and fruitless. More...
Fireworks lit up more than the sky on July 4, 2003. That was the day Mary Ellen and David Lefler had their first date. The two had grown up in Oxnard and joined the Camarillo Community Band while in high school. Mary Ellen played flute and piccolo, and when David came on board, he played percussion. More...
GIRLS' TIME—From left, Claudia Spies, Debbie Barker, Corrie Barker, Molly Cook, Kari Schmitt, Lorna Boulger, Sue Spies and Brigette Boulger enjoy a getaway weekend at Antonio's Restaurant on Catalina Island. The women, all related, have been taking weekend trips together for 20 years. More...
Judy Lucas never wanted to be a clown. But last month the 60-year-old Camarillo resident and longtime educator became one when she accompanied Hunter "Patch" Adams on a humanitarian tour of Russia. More...
Lisa Topor won the award for Top Listing Agent and Top Selling Agent from Prudential California Realty's Camarillo office in September 2008. Having achieved Prudential's Chairman's Circle for outstanding production since 1997, Topor is also a member of Prudential's "Legends." This accomplishment indicates her dedication to excellence. More...
A time to remember and reflect