Thousand Oaks on Kiplinger Magazine's "10 Great Cities to Raise Your Kids"

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In its May 2012 issue, Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine published the article "10 Great Cities to Raise Your Kids." In this article Kiplinger selected 10 safe family-friendly cities using a two-step approach. The first step identified areas with high incomes relative to living costs, a larger percentage of families with kids under 18 and low crime rates. They basically were looking for nice places to raise kids where earnings potential was deemed more than adequate to cover the costs of raising a family.

The 2nd stop was to find specific cities within the top 10 metropolitan areas identified based on education quality, availability of local parks, playgrounds and libraries, and average incomes. Lo and behold, our very own Thousand Oaks made the list at #4!

And here is what Kiplingers said (in italics):

City population: 126,683
Average family income: $138,313
Percentage of families with children: 33.4%
Metro-area spending per student: $5,947
Public playgrounds: 40

Thousand Oaks started life as a planned communit

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Missed the 4th of July Fireworks? Scenes From the 2012 Thousand Oaks Show!

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We enjoyed the annual Conejo Recreation & Park District and City of Thousand Oaks annual 4th of July fireworks display last night as did tens of thousands of local residents! Kudos to CRPD for their tireless work each 4th of July, bringing residents fun activities from sunup to sundown, including a pancake breakfast, home run derby, free swimming at local pools, free concert and fireworks show!

Speaking of the fireworks show, if you missed it, here is some footage. The show is roughly 20 minutes long, so here is about a third of the show for your viewing pleasure.

Fun With the Kids Yesterday at the Glendale Galleria LEGO Store

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With two LEGO fans in my household, the selection at the local Target and Toys R Us gets old after awhile. So short of taking the trek down to LEGOLAND Park in Carlsbad, the best place to go within range of the Conejo Valley is the LEGO Store at the Glendale Galleria.

The selection at the store is amazing. Your kids will be in LEGO heaven.

Watch out though...you will come across high end LEGO sets like these $400 Star Wars sets with 3,000 to 4,000 pieces! Really cool!

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CDC Reports High-Risk Behaviors for Skin Cancer is Actually Increasing in Young Adults

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. In 2008, 59,695 people were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, and 8,623 people died from it. CDC leads national efforts to reduce skin cancer through education. When in the sun, seek shade, cover up, get a hat, wear sunglasses, and use sunscreen.

The CDC recently issued a press release indicating how common high-risk behavior for skin cancer are among young adults. Half of adults under age 30 report being sunburn in the last year.

Young adults are increasing their risk for developing skin cancer, according to two studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.

One study, of people aged 18-29, found that 50% reported at least one sunburn in the past year, despite an increase in protective behaviors such as sunscreen use, seeking shade, and wearing long clothing to the ankles. Another report found that indoor tanning is common among young adults, with the highest rates of indoor tanning among white women aged 18-21 years (32%) and 22-25 years (30%).

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer.  Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from indoor tanning equipment is the most important preventable risk factor for skin cancer. Indoor tanning before age 35 increases a person’s risk of getting melanoma by 75%. Sunburn indic

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How To Make a General Donation to the United States Government

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For those of you who have done well in the stock market (the S&P 500 has nearly doubled in the last 3 years), won the lotto or lucky enough to be an original investor in Facebook stock, we know you've been wondering how to give back to all of us. Right!?

Well, the Financial Management Service (FMS), a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, is here to help out. They outlined how citizens an make a donation to the U.S. government!

From www.fms.treas.gov/faq/moretopics_gifts.html:

Gifts to the United States Government

How do I make a contribution to the U.S. government?

Citizens who wish to make a general donation to the U.S. government may send contributions to a specific account called "Gifts to the United States." This account was established in 1843 to accept gifts, such as bequests, from individuals wishing to express their patriotism to the United States. Money deposited into this account is for general use by the federal government and can be available for budget needs. These contributions are considered an unconditional gift to the

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June 14, 2012 Thousand Oaks Police Department "City Watch" Alert

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Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Senior Deputy Tim Lohman of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from via email, click here for more information.

This latest update is from Senior Deputy, Tim Lohman, who has taken over from Senior Deputy Jim DeSoto, who has moved to another opportunity within the department. Tim has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 18 years and has worked on many assignments within the Sheriff’s Office, from custody to patrol, including working as a D.A.R.E instructor, School Resource Officer, Background Investigator and Public Information Officer, to name a few.  He is looking forward to this role as Crime Prevention Officer and to strengthen the relationship between the residents of Thousand Oaks and the Thousand Oaks Police Department.

Now that summer is in full swing it’s that time of year that people, especially children, look forward to the most. The time when families go on vacation, children are out of school, the weather is warm and inviting, and the beach is calling. It’s a much needed time for children and parents to relax from the demands of school and work. It can be a time when one may let his or her guard down and not be as attentive as he or she should be.

Unfortunately, criminals do not take a break. Many times, criminals may see this as an opportunity to take advantage of the relaxed vigilance. It is important to b

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June Gloom, June Heat, June Cold, Back to June Gloom in the Conejo Valley

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Weather patterns here in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County are consistently inconsistent in recent memory. Hot summer, cool summers and daily/weekly changes from hot to cold and sunny to overcast. Personally I prefer the cold to the heat because I enjoy local running when it is cool outside. This morning was perfect running weather...cool and overcast.

Overcast skies make it optimal to run up Boney Mountain. Whether you make it all the way up or not, you're bound to reach a point where you can look down at the cloud cover below towards Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.

On the way up Boney (no I didn't run to the very top this morning), I passed the Danielson Monument, dedicated to the man who donated much of his land to the National Park Service for all of us to enjoy.

And while dodging numerous massive spider webs on the trails going up the hill (I'm still imagining spiders crawling on me), I came upon this deer on the trail. Bambi? His body action told me he was a bit unnerved about my running toward him (or her).

Click here for more local trails and hiking throughout the area.