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

Single-family home prices in the 20 largest metropolitan areas dropped 2.8 per cent in January, according to Case-Shiller’s index of the 20 largest US cities, another sign that the housing market bottom may still be distant. (more…)

Bob Hope Airport will begin Platinum Valet Service Wednesday for passengers who fly out of Burbank and want access to express drop (more…)

Members of an informal global alliance of computer security specialists who have been trying to eradicate a malicious software program known as Conficker said Tuesday that they were seeing early attempts by (more…)

Local businesses are hoping to capitalize on a rush of customers before a sales tax hike takes effect Wednesday that will thrust the rate in Los Angeles County to 9.75%. The county’s current sales tax rate is 8.25% and will jump by 1% statewide because (more…)

There’s a $9.92-an-hour college student making sure a bottled water company doesn’t get free advertising during the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ televised meetings. The student peels labels off water bottles, uses a computer (more…)

New data published in the March 31, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology show that patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who achieve very low levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol along with normal systolic blood pressure have the slowest progression of CAD. The results suggest that patients (more…)

The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It’s courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available. (more…)

The Sun-Times Media Group, parent of the Chicago Sun-Times, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, earning Chicago the distinction (more…)

Often I like to make someone fighting mad, just so that I can help some dead person feel alive about something.  But I was able to make readers white-hot mad only once while I have been writing at the Beacon. (more…)

Volunteen positions are still available for local teens to volunteer at the City’s upcoming 2009 Cowboy Festival.  Students, aged 11 to 14, looking to earn community service hours or who are interested in volunteering, can sign up (more…)

Responding to industry pleas, Gov. Schwarzenegger has asked state air regulators to postpone for at least six months a regulation (more…)

As mortgage rates fall to near historic lows, some home builders are offering even lower interest rates, in an effort to lure buyers amid the slow spring selling season. The latest sales promotion: Lennar Corp. is offering a fixed 3.625% rate (more…)

Barely two months after a huge recall of peanut-related products, federal officials said late Monday that a California processor would recall about one million pounds of pistachio products because of concerns about (more…)

Victims of internet crime filed 33 per cent more complaints in the US last year than the year before, signally that electronic fraud is being exasperated by the economic crisis. (more…)

Maybe once a year, a city has a news day as heavy as the one that just hit Detroit: The White House forced out the chairman of General Motors, word leaked that the administration wanted Chrysler to hitch (more…)

653 guns, including one grenade, were surrendered by local residents during the first weekend of a two-month expansion of the Gifts for Guns program, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today. (more…)

U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today lauded their bill, the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Heritage Act, being signed into law by President Obama as part of the omnibus public lands package. Representative McKeon introduced this bill in the House (more…)

The 47th Annual Renaissance Pleasure Faire, “Where Fantasy Rules!” returns to the Los Angeles County Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, (more…)

The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It’s courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available. (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday April 1, 2009 at the Tournament Player Club (more…)