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

“The state’s realignment plan is a Trojan Horse that will financially break the backs of  local government,” said County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich. ” While nationally, Democrat and Republican governors are providing leadership in renegotiating labor agreements, cutting costs and lowering taxes, Governor Brown is taking California in the opposite direction.” (more…)

(From the latimes.com) The Legislature passed an austerity budget Tuesday night that would cut from universities, courts and the poor, shutter 70 parks and threaten schools but would not — by officials’ own admission — restore California’s long-term financial health. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita is proud to announce the launch of the Santa Clarita Public Library system at the Canyon Country, Newhall and Valencia branches, beginning on Friday, July 1. Celebratory grand re-openings will be hosted on Friday, July 1, for the Canyon Country Library at 10 a.m. and the Newhall Library at 2 p.m., with the Valencia Library opening on Tuesday, July 5, at 10 a.m.  The grand opening celebrations are free and open to the public. (more…)

I’m off again! But this time it’s for pleasure. Every year for the better part of nearly two decades I have taken a 7-10 day “sabbatical from life” in the great state of Maine. During the summer time every year I head up to the same sparsely populated area in the northern part of mid-coast Maine, by myself, for a little R&R; a battery re-charge if you will. This year I am doing something a little different, I’m taking two weeks off; something I haven’t done in more than twenty years. (more…)

County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich reminds residents preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July that fireworks of any kind are illegal in Los Angeles County. “While some cities allow “safe and sane” fireworks, fireworks, of any kind, are illegal in Los Angeles County,” said Antonovich.  The penalties for possession or use of illegal fireworks can range from a fine of up to $1000, to one year in county jail. (more…)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved a summer jobs program introduced last week in a joint motion by Supervisors Don Knabe and Zev Yaroslavsky.  The program is expected to create at least 2,200 jobs for economically disadvantaged youth Countywide. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Despite recent cold snaps that brought record-setting low temperatures over much of Texas, the outlook for the annual Monarch butterfly invasion to the state looks promising “and better than expected,” says a Texas A&M University researcher. Craig Wilson, a senior research associate in the Center for Mathematics and Science Education and a long-time butterfly enthusiast, says the numbers of Monarchs entering the state over the next few weeks should be very strong. (more…)

The following is political activity for Tuesday, June 27, 2011, going on in Washington and across the nation. It is courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available. (more…)

As the patriotic holiday July 4th rolls toward us, and we unpack memories of America’s finest hours, one of the great turning points of our nation’s history remains the impact our military made in Europe in World War I. And yet this is the war that seems have be most mysteriously forgotten. World War I has indeed become the “hidden war” in American history. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative Democrats are hashing out a new majority-vote budget that relies on $4 billion more flowing into state coffers but “triggers” mid-year cuts to education and other programs if that money never materializes. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Doctors warned of a potential public health epidemic in a recent report on patients in Los Angeles and New York who developed serious skin reactions after smoking or snorting cocaine believed to be contaminated with a veterinary medication drug dealers are using to dilute, or “cut,” up to 70% of the cocaine in the U.S. (more…)

“The arrest of a 81-year-old registered sex offender for attempting to kidnap a young girl under 14 in the Antelope Valley this past Saturday is a clear example that age should never be a factor for early release or lenient sentencing practices,” said County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich.  “This 81-year-old predator is a registered sex offender and convicted child molester who should be incarcerated (more…)

Plan Ahead, Avoid The Area, Or Stay Home. (Seriously, plan to STAY HOME) That’s the message public safety officials are sending to the public in anticipation of a planned 10-mile, 53-hour closure of the I-405 freeway between the U.S. 101 and I-10 on the weekend of July 16-17, 2011 for planned demolition work on the Mulholland Bridge, part of a major I-405 improvement project. (more…)

Two Stevenson Ranch residents have recently been named to the Dean’s List at Boston University for the Spring semester. Students recognized for this honor include: Sydney L. Bossert, Launie Fleming. Boston University is the fourth largest independent university in the United States, with an enrollment of more than 29,000 students in its 17 schools and colleges.  The university offers an exceptional grounding in the liberal arts, a broad range of programs in the arts, sciences, engineering, and professional areas, and state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research.

(From Science Daily) The development of ‘brain-like’ computers has taken a major step forward with the publication of research led by the University of Exeter. Published in the journal Advanced Materials, the study involved the first ever demonstration of simultaneous information processing and storage using phase-change materials. (more…)