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

Two men died after a head-on crash Friday afternoon on Highway 126 near Fillmore, authorities said. Henry Charles Farner, 22, of Fillmore, and Kenneth Nemson, 58, of Elk Grove, died at the scene, a quarter-mile east of Old Telegraph Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. (more…)

America’s suburbs are coming to resemble its city centers. That is both good news and bad. Fifteen miles east of Philadelphia, Willingboro’s Grand Marketplace is a chaotic place. Merchants hawk Christian T-shirts, Amish quilts, Chinese food, massages and Afrocentric literature. Salsa music blasts from a CD stall. Most of the shoppers are black; the shopkeepers are a variegated mix of blacks, Latinos, Asians, Arabs and whites, including Pennsylvania Dutch farmers in traditional garb. Welcome to bland, homogenous suburbia. (more…)

Two years ago, a bagel shop owner who hadn’t practiced law in more than a decade was voted onto the Los Angeles Superior Court bench over an incumbent judge with two decades’ experience. (more…)

Given that the economy is flagging, this would seem an inauspicious time to be graduating from college and looking for full-time employment. Thomas Holstien, a finance major, is considering working as a senatorial staff assistant. Job prospects this year, however, have been better than career counselors and recent graduates had expected. Employers are still extending offers, just (more…)

A section of Interstate 5 through Sacramento will be intermittently shut for repairs for seven weeks, starting today, but most Bay Area motorists traveling through Sacramento should be unaffected. The 2-mile stretch of freeway (more…)

Hillary Clinton’s campaign on Friday stepped up its defiance of the near-consensus view that Barack Obama has won the Democratic nomination, claiming she would come out ahead on the popular vote by the end of the race next Tuesday. (more…)

A new analysis of the Martian rock that gave hints of water on the Red Planet — and, therefore, optimism about the prospect of life — now suggests the water was more likely a thick brine, far too salty to support life as we know it. “Liquid water is required by all species on Earth and we’ve assumed that water is the very least that would be necessary for life on Mars,” says Nicholas J. Tosca, a postdoctoral (more…)

Ivan George Callais Jr. was arrested last week after five felony animal cruelty charges were filed against him.  His bail has been set at $100,000.  More than 380 neglected, sick, and dying animals including dogs, cats, and farm animals were discovered on his property in Lancaster. (more…)

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the price of gas and speculation on just how high it will go this summer. Some seem to think that by July 4th gas will hit at least $5.00. Diesel is already fast approaching $5.50. So what could possibly be the silver lining to these high prices? (more…)

Already barred from lighting up in restaurants, theaters and the office, Californians may also be banned from smoking in their apartments under a proposal passed by the state Senate on Thursday. The measure would allow landlords to prohibit smoking in apartment buildings (more…)

Iraq has surged back towards the top of the presidential campaign agenda as attention shifts from the closing stages of the Democratic nomination race to the near-certain general election battle between John McCain and Barack Obama. (more…)

Top Democratic leaders intend to push for a quick end to the battle for the presidential nomination when primaries are over next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said (more…)

Harvey Korman, the award-winning comedic actor who rose to fame playing second banana to Carol Burnett on her television variety series and who starred in hit movies like “Blazing Saddles” and “High Anxiety,” died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 81. (more…)

A Veteran of the Army National Guard has become the first permanent employee hired by Los Angeles County through a program designed to give special access to employment and internship opportunities to Veterans. (more…)

Detectives from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s COBRA Team are investigating a shooting incident that occurred Wednesday night in the 24000 block of Race Street, Newhall. (more…)

Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon has recently introduced a wilderness bill into Congress. This bill, HR 6156, “The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act”, will permanently protect more than 470,000 acres of wild mountain tops, open spaces, alpine meadows and nearly 52 miles of wild and scenic rivers. (more…)

 

Two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains have learned to control a mechanical arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach for and grab food and even to adjust for the size and stickiness of morsels when necessary, scientists reported on Wednesday. (more…)