The West Ranch Beacon – News & Commentary for the Santa Clarita Valley

Created in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Santa Clarita Valley Disaster Coalition is the local source for collecting and dispensing funds and gift cards to those who have suffered loss as a result of a natural disaster or community-wide emergency. (more…)

We’ve added a new link on the right side of our site to the Community Hiking Clubs new blog. In honor of adding this new link, we thought that this was an interesting article. A U.S.-based television channel investigating the existence of the legendary Yeti in Nepal has found footprints similar (more…)

The long-run value of all paper currencies is zero. That is a fond saying of Bill Bonner, goldbug and publisher of the Daily Reckoning, a contrarian financial newsletter. So why should the dollar (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday December 5th, at 6:30 PM in the Newhall Room at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) located at 26550 Heritage View Lane in Westridge. (more…)

Ben Bernanke put the Federal Reserve on a path towards a December rate cut in a speech on Thursday night in which he said the relapse in financial markets had resulted in a “tightening in (more…)

Acting on information obtained by a patrol deputy, detectives from the station’s Burglary and Theft Team and Narcotics Division served a search warrant at an apartment in the 27900 block of Solamint Road, Canyon Country, Wednesday afternoon. (more…)

Striking screenwriters on Thursday night dismissed a new set of proposals from producers as “a massive rollback,” and called on their members to continue their walkout with fresh resolve (more…)

California farmers used 10 million fewer pounds of pesticides on crops last year, but strawberry growers increased their reliance on fumigants, which are considered among the most dangerous (more…)

A powerful earthquake rocked the eastern Caribbean on Thursday, damaging buildings and panicking residents, some of whom were hurt when they jumped from windows reports the (more…)

     This December the Santa Clarita Ballet Company will present its 13th annual performance of the “The Nutcracker”. The Ballet Company will be performing five (5) shows at the College of the Canyons Performing Arts Center located at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Santa Clarita. (more…)

If this isn’t the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard of; what an embarrassment. A British teacher accused of insulting Muslims after her class called a teddy bear Mohammad was found guilty (more…)

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich will be the guest speaker at the West Ranch Town Council meeting on Wednesday, December 5^th. The Supervisor will be speaking to the (more…)

A free, six-hour holiday spectacular of music, song and dance unfolds on the stage of the beautiful Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center Monday, December 24 from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m.  It’s the 48th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration, L.A. County’s biggest holiday (more…)

The recent wildfires may increase the risk of flooding, mudflows and landslides in areas of the Santa Clarita Valley.  Properties most at risk are those that were directly affected by the fire, (more…)

An 18-year-old from Stevenson Ranch surrendered Wednesday to sheriff’s officials in the slaying of another young man in a weekend brawl. Michael Stephens, who attended Hart High (more…)

Republican presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney scornfully debated immigration in a provocative, no-holds-barred CNN/YouTube debate just over a month before the first votes (more…)

Crude oil prices surged more than $4 a barrel on Thursday after an explosion killed two workers and halted the flow at the main pipeline linking Canada to the US. The pipeline (more…)

Riot police surrounded a Sudanese court as proceedings began Thursday against a British teacher charged with inciting religious hatred over letting her pupils name a teddy bear (more…)

Deputies arrested a Newhall man on theft related charges Tuesday night.  The man was being sought in connection with two separate incidents of theft that occurred Tuesday afternoon. (more…)

As Internet commerce continues to flourish, California tax officials have a piece of advice: Save your online sales receipts. You’ll need them to report your “use (more…)