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

(From the latimes.com) A red flag fire warning is in effect for mountain regions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through 3 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service announced Friday night. Breezy offshore winds and low humidity have raised the risk of “extreme fire behavior,” said weather specialist Bonnie Bartling of the service’s forecast office in Oxnard. Gusts of up to 30 mph are expected overnight through the passes and canyons. (more…)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with Netsmart Technologies, Inc., to provide a state-of-the-art electronic health record system, known as the Integrated Behavioral Health Information System (IBHIS). IBHIS supports the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) in its role as a provider of mental health services and as the local plan administrator for California’s Medicaid mental health program. (more…)

Is Barrack Hussein Obama an anti-Semite? As the allure of this ideologue fades into opaqueness approaching the 2012 election, the question begs to be asked: Is our Nation’s 44^th president a Jew-hater. I submit the case he is in fact an in-the-closet anti-Semite. Most Americans concur Obama was not properly vetted prior to and following his 2008 nomination. Questions surfaced as to his legal name, first name Barack or Barry, middle name Hussein, last name Obama or Soetero. (more…)

The Santa Clarita Public Library is celebrating National Novel Writing Month in November by challenging community members to write a novel in thirty days. Interested authors of all skill levels have from 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 to complete a 50,000 word novel. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be heading to the Bridge to Nowhere on Saturday, October 29, 2011. The Bridge to Nowhere was built in the mid-1930s, and was meant to connect the San Gabriel Valley with Wrightwood. In 1938, Azusa got 14” of rain in 1 hour, which all drained into the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. A 100 Foot wall of water was the result, which washed out the road to the bridge, and ended the road project forever, leaving the bridge (which hangs high at 125 feet above the river) truly, to lead nowhere. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Excavated trenches reveal two faults that bound the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada in Antelope Valley, California and the Carson Range in Reno, Nevada. Observations by researchers at University of Nevada, Reno, suggest new details about the active faulting of the area. (more…)

The following is political activity for Friday, October 28, 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…)

Shawn Shai Halahmy is a pal, and like other winemaking pals, I forget what came first, a love for their wine that developed into a friendship, or if we became friends before I tried his wine. Actually, I’m going with the former; wine does make the heart grow fonder, eh? (more…)

The MTA Board of Directors unanimously passed a motion by Los Angeles County Mayor and MTA Vice Chair Michael D. Antonovich establishing a “culture of safety” by ordering a full audit of MTA’s safety measures. “The top priority for the MTA Board of Directors must include a vigilant oversight of the bus and rail system to ensure safety for our 38 million monthly passengers,” said Antonovich. (more…)

(From cnbc.com) U.S. consumer spending rose in September as Americans saved less to fund purchases amid weak income growth, which could cast doubts over the durability of the third-quarter’s economic growth spurt. The Commerce Department said consumer spending increased 0.6 percent, matching expectations, after an unrevised 0.2 percent gain in August. Spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. (more…)

The public can expect minor delays and rolling road and parking lot closures periodically on Sunday, November 6, 2011 from 2:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to accommodate for the 2011 Santa Clarita Marathon. Detours will be provided for major road closures. McBean Parkway from Magic Mountain Parkway to Valencia Boulevard will be closed from 5:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. Westbound Valencia Boulevard will be detoured via Citrus Avenue to Magic Mountain Parkway from 6:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) The Obama administration will allow California to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from Medi-Cal, a move doctors and experts say will make it harder for the poor to get medical treatment. California plans to reduce rates by 10% to many providers, including physicians, dentists, clinics, pharmacies and most nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) The continuing economic downturn has drastically altered the internal migration habits of Americans, turning the flood of migrants into the Sun Belt and out of states like New York, Massachusetts and California into a relative trickle, an analysis of recent federal data confirms. (more…)

Valencia Water Company today unveiled its new HELIUM (High Efficiency Landscape Irrigation Upgrade Measures) program that provides rebates to customers who replace older sprinklers, nozzles and other watering equipment with newer ones that keep landscapes healthy and can use up to 30 percent less water. (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold its regular monthly meeting tonight, Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at the Tournament Player Club in West Ranch located at 26550 Heritage View Lane in the Westridge neighborhood at 6:30 PM. The meeting will include regular updates from Los Angeles County, the CHP and the Sheriff’s Department. The following items are on the agenda: (more…)