Tony Biasotti

4 days ago | vcstar.com | Tony Biasotti

Conejo Unified won a competitive $11.3 million grant to pay for five years of enhanced mental health services. The Trump administration says it is canceling what remains of the $1 billion in grant funds nationwide. Students in Newbury Park say their grant-funded wellness center has helped them socially and academically. Over the past decade, as rates of depression and anxiety among young people have grown, it's become common for public schools to offer on-campus mental health services.

6 days ago | vcstar.com | Tony Biasotti

Students at Westlake High have complained of a culture of sexism and misogyny. Administrators have not taken their complaints seriously, students said. Conejo Unified introduced a resolution that includes new measures to address misconduct. No vote was taken, but board members spoke in support and told district staff to return with a final version.

1 week ago | vcstar.com | Tony Biasotti |Isaiah Murtaugh

A preliminary report of crash is expected within 30 days. Of the two homes affected, one was deemed unsafe to enter and the other was deemed safe for limited entry. The plane was manufactured in 2022 and is classified as an experimental aircraft. Federal investigators were in Simi Valley over the weekend, looking into what may have caused a small plane to crash into two houses in the Wood Ranch neighborhood.

1 week ago | vcstar.com | Tony Biasotti

One current Westlake High student and one former say they were sexually assaulted by a boy who is now a senior. School and district officials investigated the reports, and the boy remains at the school, students said. One girl has appealed the district's decision to an outside attorney, under Title IX. At a pair of protests on May 2, students said they had been groped, harassed and targeted with sexist comments by boys at the school.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Tony Biasotti

Andrew Luster, in prison since 2003 for drugging and raping three women at his beachfront house in Ventura County, won’t be getting out just yet. On April 29, a panel of the California Board of Parole Hearings rejected his request for an early release, according to an email from Mary Xjimenez, a spokesperson with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It is likely to be his last such hearing — the denial covers three years, and Luster will be released in 18 months.