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

Long-serving Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, embroiled in a sex scandal and finding little support from his party, will resign from the Senate (more…)

With an election looming, even the driest documents can spark fury. Hillary Clinton expressed “outrage” at the news contained in the Census Bureau’s latest report on (more…)

Celebrate the spirit of Labor Day this weekend by earning some green and closing the recycling loop. The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works encourages all residents to be (more…)

Ben Bernanke offered no clear signal that the Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates in a speech to central bankers on Friday, even as he reaffirmed its commitment to take into account the likely effects of (more…)

Allied Waste Industries, Inc. along with County and City officials, yesterday officially dedicated its grant of 400 acres of land in Elsmere Canyon in the County of Los Angeles to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) for (more…)

A Lancaster man suspected of fondling several young girls at two local elementary schools was arrested early Thursday, authorities said (more…)

In the moments after Senator Larry E. Craig was arrested in an airport men’s room, he accused an undercover police sergeant of entrapping him, emphasized that he did not want to go to court or (more…)

For the 24 hour period of Wednesday August 29^th, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Personnel issued approximately 62 citations and warnings for traffic, parking and other related traffic offenses including misdemeanors and infractions. Deputies responded to 4 traffic collisions or related incidents.

Station personnel arrested and booked, or field released, 20 adults and detained 7 juveniles on 10 felony and 17 misdemeanor primary charges as summarized below:

Wednesday – August 29, 2007 – 12:30 p.m. – Saugus: Deputy Peterson arrested Roger Villalobos, MH/56, of Saugus on suspicion of (more…)

Ten years have passed since Diana, Princess of Wales, died and Britain erupted in a febrile convulsion of grief and anger, but in some ways you would hardly (more…)

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for shooting two shelter residents of (more…)

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and representatives from the City of Santa Clarita, Mountain and Recreation Conservation Authority, Allied Waste, and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation dedicated (more…)

September 1^st – Whitney Canyon Hike- Meet at Placerita Nature Center at 8:00 AM or meet at the Whitney Canyon Trailhead at 8:30 AM. Bring water and a snack. (more…)

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect responsible for attacking three children at Sierra Elementary School (more…)

A California produce company recalled bagged fresh spinach Wednesday after it tested positive for (more…)

President George W. Bush warned on Tuesday that a US retreat from Iraq could embolden Iran to develop atomic weapons and trigger a nuclear arms race in the (more…)

For the 24 hour period of Tuesday August 28^th, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Personnel issued approximately 61 citations and warnings for traffic, parking and other related traffic offenses including misdemeanors and infractions. Deputies responded to 11 traffic collisions or related incidents.

Station personnel arrested and booked, or field released, 10 adults and detained 0 juveniles on 6 felony and 4 misdemeanor primary charges as summarized below:

Tuesday – August 28, 2007 – 12:10 a.m. – Newhall: Deputies Heater and De La Maza arrested a Newhall man on drug related charges after stopping him as he road a (more…)

I was one of the many people in attendance at last night’s city council meeting.  My column will focus on the two major issues of the night: the call for a code of ethics and the proposed hospital expansion. (more…)

California’s child care programs, which issue over $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars each year, have been increasingly vulnerable to fraudulent activity and improper payments, due to (more…)