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

The carnage continues in the newspaper sector as a major sea change continues to grip the industry. Look for more staff cuts and closures as old media grapples with trying to figure out how to re-invent their business. Many of these papers are run by individuals who are out of touch with the community, new technology and demographic trends. These are the “know-it alls” that will continue to drive their businesses into the ground. Newspapers are today’s buggy whip business!   

The Los Angeles Daily News laid off 22 newsroom employees Friday amid a national and statewide squeeze on the newspaper industry. The layoffs of reporters, photographers, editors and library and clerical staff at the 150,000-circulation newspaper (more…)

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is warning county residents about a lottery scam used this week to cheat a Fillmore resident out of hundreds of dollars. A short, heavyset man with (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will host a Search and Rescue Dog presentation this Saturday, March 1st at the East Canyon Picnic/Garden area. Meet at the East Canyon Picnic/Garden area just behind the Pay parking area for a wonderful Search and Rescue demonstration by (more…)

Investors in commodity markets enjoyed another record-breaking week, scaling new peaks in energy, agriculture and precious and base metals markets. Gold moved closer to $1,000 a troy ounce as (more…)

Stocks were sharply lower on Wall Street on Friday after a painful dose of weak economic data reignited fears that a recession may be imminent. A new round of woes in the financial industry also contributed to the sell-off. (more…)

Six people were arrested this week in a human-smuggling operation based in Los Angeles that involved thousands of illegal immigrants held in horrid conditions. Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement culminated a three-year investigation that began when (more…)

To help provide travelers with a convenient, reliable and inexpensive alternative to commuting to LAX, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich unveiled a new dedicated express bus service – called the Palmdale Flyer — at the Antelope Valley Board of Trade (more…)

Stocks fell on Friday after data pointed to more deterioration in the economy and the largest loss in insurer American International Group Inc’s history signaled the worst was far from over for the beleaguered financial sector. (more…)

A Canyon Country woman, who ran a red light while coming off a methamphetamine binge, killing a 70-year-old Salvadoran man in town to visit relatives, was sentenced  (more…)

A Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s deputy fired his gun Wednesday night while arresting three graffiti vandalism suspects, one of whom appeared to be reaching for a gun, (more…)

California sued the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday over plans that would open more than 500,000 acres to roads and oil drilling in the state’s largest national forests. (more…)

Iraqi leaders say they have found a way to execute Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali and one of Saddam Hussein’s most notorious henchmen. Mr. Majid was sentenced to death last June, and the approval of his execution comes after months of struggling with a legal (more…)

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the circumstances surrounding a deputy involved shooting which occurred during the arrest of three felony vandalism suspects in the 18500 block of Soledad Canyon Road Wednesday night.  Deputies from (more…)

     The Department of Beaches and Harbors will again offer its popular Outdoor Adventures programs in Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey, beginning February 28.  Bird Watching, Harbor Kayaking, and Surf Kayaking will offer exciting experiences for individuals and families. (more…)

The collapse of the US housing market caused the economy almost to stall at the end of the last year but prices continued to surge, increasing the threat of stagflation. The economy grew at a 0.6 per cent annual rate in the last three months of the year, according (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold their monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 5th, at the Tournament Player Club in West Ranch located at 26550 Heritage View Lane in Westridge at 6:30 PM. The meeting will include the regular updates (more…)

Bringing an end to a long flirtation with a bid for the White House, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has officially closed the door on a presidential candidacy this year. In an Op-Ed article published in Thursday’s New York Times, Mr. Bloomberg wrote that he still believed that (more…)

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station invites our residents, business leaders, and community representatives to take a moment and join us to meet the men and women of your Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, (more…)

Six Antelope Valley school districts are facing state sanctions for persistently failing to make adequate academic progress, officials said Wednesday. The state has recommended that the Keppel Union School District receive the harshest intervention in which it would be assigned (more…)

A freeway overpass in the San Fernando Valley may seem an unlikely place to discover buried treasure, but that’s exactly where authorities struck pay dirt this week when police received a handwritten map that led them to a cache of stolen valuables by the 118 Freeway. (more…)