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

The number of structures burned by the Station fire has surged to 74 as the out-of-control wildfire pushed west and north, officials say. Fifty-three homes, mountain cabins and other buildings were destroyed when the fire swept through the hamlet of Stonyvale in Tujunga Canyon. (more…)

The Wildlife Waystation, a home for numerous exotic animals, is being evacuated as the gigantic Station Fire advances toward its location in the (more…)

A voracious five-day-old wildfire that has churned through more than 105,000 acres of mountainous brush across northern Los Angeles County showed little sign of slowing down this afternoon as it threatened 12,000 homes in suburban tracts and desert communities, along with a historic observatory and major array of television and radio transmission towers. (more…)

A concerned citizen contacted a Sheriff’s Deputy to provide information about a crime being committed.  The citizen told the deputy of a rural location in Castaic where marijuana was being grown.  Station Narcotics Detectives conducted an investigation of the location. (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday September 2, 2009 at the Tournament Player Club in West Ranch located at 26550 Heritage View Lane in the Westridge neighborhood at 6:30 PM. (more…)

Crews battling the Station fire believe that it’s only a matter of time before the deadly blaze hits Mt. Wilson, but officials are hopeful that frantic work by hand crews and aircraft dropping flame retardant will protect the communications centers there. “There is a good chance the fire will hit Mt. Wilson today,” (more…)

As temperatures soar, scientists have been collecting data amid the ancient ruins that symbolize the birthplace of western culture. These data, combined with measurements from aircraft and satellites, promise to improve ‘urban heat island’ forecasts to make life in modern-day Athens easier during heat waves. (more…)

The health care reform debate rages on and on, and with the death of Senator Kennedy I am sure that it will intensify even more. As with many issues that evoke strong feelings there is a lot of information to try and wade through and understand. (more…)

The Station fire, which has destroyed 21 homes and killed two firefighters, was burning within a quarter of a mile of Mt. Wilson as firefighters prepared for another long, hot day. Inspector Edward Osorio of the Los Angeles County Fire Department estimated property damage (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita City Council are inviting local businesses and community members to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of the Old Town Newhall Streetscape Project on Thursday, September 3 at 5 p.m. at the intersection of Market Street (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 Board of Supervisors has ordered that County flags on all County buildings be lowered to half-staff in memory of the two Los Angeles County firefighters who were killed in the line of duty on Sunday, August 30. The flags are to remain lowered until the end of the day of the scheduled funeral services.

Last week the City of Santa Clarita announced that it was “encouraging eligible residents to apply for a position on the City’s newly-established Arts Commission.” The operative words were “eligible residents” all else interested need not apply! (more…)

There are two active wildfires taking place in various parts of Los Angeles County. The first is the Morris Fire, which began on Tue., Aug. 25. This fire has burned 2,195 acres in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa and Glendora areas. The Morris Fire is 95 percent contained. There have been no confirmed structures destroyed at this time. Due to the ongoing Morris Fire, power outages and voluntary evacuation order near the Morris Dam in the Angeles National Forest which began Aug. 25, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Drinking Water Program in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service are advising residents/employees of the following areas (listed below) to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution upon the lifting of the evacuation order and return to the residency. (more…)

The giant fire in Angeles National Forest continued its slow-motion rampage through the mountains Sunday, causing the deaths of two firefighters as it bore down on the semirural community of Acton and threatened to overrun Mt. Wilson. (more…)

About a dozen residents of Maurice Avenue on the north end of an island of La Crescenta homes known as Briggs Terrace found themselves in the middle of the street late Saturday, taking stock of their situation. (more…)

The Federal Reserve has made a $14bn profit on loan programs that provided hundreds of billions of dollars in liquidity to the financial system since (more…)

Eighteen homes have now been destroyed by the Station fire, which has burned 42,500 acres in the Angeles National Forest; fire officials said Sunday evening reports the Los Angeles Times as of 8:00 PM Sunday, August 30, 2009. (more…)

The fire burning in Angeles National Forest is approaching the historic solar observatory and television transmission towers atop Mt. Wilson, according to Los Angeles County fire officials. (more…)

Mandatory Evacuations are still in place (all immediate effected areas) as of 6:00 PM Sunday, August 30, 2009. The Station fire has burned 35,200 acres at this time and continues to move north towards Acton. IT is currently only 5% contained and the cause is under investigation.

Acton- All residences to the south of Soledad Canyon Road from Highway 14 to Crown Valley Road

1. All residences in Alison Canyon Road from Angeles Forest Highway to Soledad Canyon Road
2. Mandatory evacuations of Crown Valley, Aliso Canyon and Soledad Canyon, south of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway to Aqua Dulce Road Canyon Road. (more…)