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March 13, 2009  RSS feed

CIF championship a long time coming
JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers INCREDIBLE—Rio Mesa High School senior Javier Marquez (11) celebrates with his teammates on the Spartans boys' soccer team after scoring his second—and game-winning—goal during the CIF Southern Section Div. IV championship game at Pacifica High School in Oxnard March 6. Rio Mesa defeated Channel Islands High School, 2-1, to take the section title, a first for the program. The high school's last CIF championship was won by its track team in 1991. The soccer team qualified for the CIF Southern California Division II Regional Championships. They defeated Porterville High School, 4-2, March 10 at home to advance to the next round. The team played last night against top-seeded Cathedral Catholic in San Diego in the semifinal round. Results were unavailable at press time. See page 12 for a picture of the entire team. More...
'A sad day for education'
Board to vote on $3.2 million in cuts, larger class sizes
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

"It's a sad day for education." Pleasant Valley School Board member Patty Lerner's lament summed up much of what was felt by her and the district's other top officials when it was determined late last week that 27 teaching positions in Pleasant Valley School More...

Rash of burglaries sweeps city
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Five Camarillo businesses and three homes were burglarized over a 10-day period in the past month. On Feb. 28, burglars ransacked the iSold It On eBay store and Paseo Nails, both in the same Verdugo Way shopping center. Nothing was stolen, but police said they think the burglars wanted the stores' computers because they were moved during the burglary. More...

 Community
• article has image Students aim high, succeed
READY, AIM, FIRE—The Naval Surface Warfare Center at the Ventura County Naval Base at Pt. Hueneme recently announced the winners of its 2009 National Engineers Week "Engineering Challenge." Two local middle school teams placed in the top three. The Santa Rosa Technology Magnet School team, top, took second place, while students from Los Primeros Structured School, above, earned third place. Balboa Middle School in Ventura placed first. The Feb. 19 competition pit 15 middle schools in a contest to build the best "missile" from household objects such as foil, water bottles and Popsicle sticks. The annual competition helps students develop math and science skills. It also introduces them to the basics of engineering. The other Camarillo schools competing were Las Colinas Middle School, Mesa Union School and Monte Vista Middle School. More...
• Church invites community to movie night
• article has image Group takes charity work personally
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 Health & Wellness
• article has image Legend makes opening day special for kids
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME—Thousand Oaks resident George "Sparky" Anderson, above, addresses parents and youngsters at opening day ceremonies for the Camarillo PONY Baseball Association at Pleasant Valley Park March 7. Anderson is a retired Hall of Fame Major League baseball manager. At right, Camarillo resident Randy Bluhm shares a moment with his 9-year-old son, Trevor, a fourth-grader at Tierra Linda Elementary School, during the Saturday event. Bluhm is an assistant coach for his son's Mustang AA team, the Dodgers. Speaking of the Boys in Blue, spring training for Major League Baseball is underway, making this time of year magical for those who love our national pastime. Here's to all the parent volunteers who make youth sports possible. More...
• Relax with yoga class
• Volunteering can lead to better health
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 Bulletin Board
• Datebook
FRI., MAR. 13 Conejo Valley Republican Women Federated Luncheon meeting at Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Guest speaker Larry Greenfield, new fellow in American studies, Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy. Greenfield discusses foreign policy of new Obama administration. Reservations required. More...
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 Business
• article has image Business is family affair
Seven years ago Robert Perez was working as a paralegal at a law firm when his grandmother died. Though grief-stricken, Perez and his sister had to deal with making the arrangements for the funeral. The funeral turned out well, and the experience left Perez wondering if he was on the right career track. More...
• article has image Made to order
• Save the date for poker charity
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 Schools
• article has image Club collects school supplies for those in need
It was only paper, but it led Martha JimenezIto to take notice of a peculiar, and unsettling, trend occurring in her classrooms last year. Martha Jimenez-Ito, who teaches Spanish at Rio Mesa High School, would put out extra paper for her students to use. More...
• Apply for Lions scholarships
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 Sports
• article has image Scorpion sluggers come out swinging
Baseball season is underway
A certain word isn't uttered around Camarillo High's baseball diamond. ACHS is carrying three freshmen and two sophomores on its 15man roster this season. Thomas Reilly is the lone senior. But don't even think about calling the Scorpions "young. More...
• article has image Rio Mesa soccer team's title run is one for the ages
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 Police
• article has image Camarillo
Vandals caused $100 in damage to a property in the 200 block of Earl Joseph Drive sometime between Feb. 25 and March 5. A car parked in the 900 block of Paseo Camarillo was burglarized sometime between March 2 and 3. Vandals caused less than $400 in damage to a business in the 2500 block of Las Posas Road on March 3. More...
• Pair of flashers sought by police
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 Faith
• article has image Love the moment, like it or not
"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. There fore, each moment is vital. It af fects the whole. Life is a succes sion of such moments, and to live each is to succeed." —Corita Kent I have long held the belief that every moment of life holds something in it worth loving if we look into it deeply enough. More...
• Holocaust, Jewish studies scholar to speak
• Celebrate Purim
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 On The Town
• article has image Unearthing the wonders of science
GREEN AND DELICIOUS—Students and staff from Las Colinas Middle School tend to the vegetable garden that was planted by summer school students. The program, which incorporates life science and environmental lessons, is led by Dianne Polen, the school's beautification and life lab adviser. The garden includes lettuce, radishes, bell peppers and carrots. Camarillobased soil maker Agromin provided soil for the garden and the school's landscape. More...
• New recital hall opens
• article has image Girls' Night Out
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 Letters
• Says simply reporting on crime doesn't give whole picture
This letter is in regards to the Feb. 27 article "Violent crime down 18 percent in city." I believe insightful reporting on crime is critical to a healthy community. Public safety includes both internal and external dimensions. Crime-rate reporting should clarify real risks of crime given our particular lifestyles. More...
• Give photos context
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 Editorials
• Volunteer coaches should be cheered, not jeered
Spring has nearly sprung and what a wonderful time of year. Sure, the flowers are blooming and the bees are buzzing, but that's not exactly why the days of March are so special. What makes March warm the heart of many is that its longer days bring the much-loved American pastime, baseball. More...
• article has image Cartoon
• For the record
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 Neighbors
• article has image Getting behind ONE cause
A hero. That's what CHP Capt. Cliff Williams called Tony Pedeferri, the motorcycle officer who'd been hit while on duty by an impaired driver 15 months ago and left a paraplegic. Williams was the keynote speaker at the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo's annual ONEClub Breakfast fundraiser last week at Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo. More...
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 Real Estate
• article has image This Home Backs To Open Space
This house is in Thousand Oaks on Canyon Vista Drive at the end of a cul-de-sac. This home backs to open space that will appeal to those who love privacy and nature. More...
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