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

John McCain’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination gained further momentum on Thursday when he received an endorsement from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of (more…)

The second suspect has been arrested in connection with the robbery of the Stevenson Ranch Fifty-Six Store which occurred on Monday, January 21st, 2008, at 5:50 p.m. Through further investigation and follow-up, Detective Welch of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Robbery (more…)

A suspected U.S. missile strike that killed up to 13 foreign militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region this week had targeted second or third tier al Qaeda leaders, according to residents in (more…)

The Messenger spacecraft that zipped past Mercury two weeks ago found more evidence of the innermost planet’s turbulent past, including ridges that run hundreds of miles and a unique feature made up of more than (more…)

   Sad as it may sound for my fellow independent friends, the GOP wants nothing to do with us during this critical California primary season.  Oh, a new law has allowed us to vote for primary candidates among the Democrats and the American Independent Party.  But California Republicans want nothing but GOP purebreds selecting the Republican winner of the February 5 California Primary. (more…)

Bracing for lengthy delays as a new security law takes effect, officials said Wednesday that officers will be added at U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada to try to ease passport-inspection problems. Beginning today, Americans (more…)

Is it us or does it appear that the LAPD operates by its own rules? Thinking back over the years about the some of the incidents that have occurred, most recently the immigration protest where people were beaten randomly, it just seems that the LAPD is marching to a very different drummer.  Two brothers who worked as police officers were convicted Wednesday of participating in home invasion-style robberies staged to look like legitimate law enforcement raids, prompting the judge to say that the case underscored the need for (more…)

With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger set to endorse Sen. John McCain Thursday in Los Angeles, and with the boost of a powerful new endorsement from Rudy Giuliani, the Arizona senator built up a (more…)

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in partnership with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, will distribute free flu vaccine to the public on Saturday, February 2. The free Flu shots will be available at (more…)

   On Thursday, February 21^st, Congressman Buck McKeon will be the guest speaker at the Santa Clarita Valley Republican Assembly’s monthly meeting. The Congressman will be giving an update on his efforts in Washington D.C. and will be taking questions. (more…)

On Tuesday, February 5th, at 6:00PM join the local SCV Dem Club for a Super Tuesday “Watch the returns come in Party.” The gathering will be at Casa Bailey located at (more…)

In the event you heading out to the beach for pleasure or business on Thursday, January 31, 2008, Malibu Waterworks will be closing the Eastbound (South) #2 lane of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) at (more…)

The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by a half-percentage point on Wednesday as part of an aggressive effort to halt a sharp slowdown in an economy hit by a housing slump and (more…)

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed its forecast for US growth and warned that no country would be immune from what it termed a “global slowdown”. The Fund said global growth would fall from (more…)

Financially adrift, Yahoo Inc. said Tuesday that it plans to cut 1,000 jobs as part of an effort to jolt its business back into shape. The announcement came as the Web portal reported a lackluster (more…)

   Who knows the narrative?  I certainly do not. But one cannot deny the facts.  The notional value of SCV real estate fell over the last 24 months (and, indeed, nearly the entire country) after enjoying a steady rise since 1998 with a particularly steepened growth curve from 2002 to January of 2006. (more…)

For 60 years, Newhall Hardware was the place to buy that tiny screw, odd-size nuts and bolts or even the perfect doorstop. But the iconic neighborhood store – which struggled to survive in an era (more…)

Preservation of what once was the Sunset Strip’s most colorful place has turned into a black-and-white issue in West Hollywood. Preservationists complain that city leaders blocked their application to (more…)

Rudy Giuliani’s campaign kept a brave face Tuesday night, but the former New York mayor reportedly was preparing to end his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and throw his support (more…)

UBS, the largest Swiss bank, said Wednesday that it would write off $14 billion in losses on the troubled U.S. housing market and post a net loss for 2007. The write-offs will result in a record fourth-quarter net (more…)