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

An unidentified man died this morning when his helicopter crashed along the Santa Clara River near Piru. No one else was injured in the accident. (more…)

A small earthquake has shaken the desert area of Kern County, but there are no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.  preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey says a 4.4-magnitude quake struck at 1:09 p.m. Saturday. Its epicenter was eight miles from the sparsely populated town of Randsburg reports the Associated Press. A Kern County Sheriff’s dispatcher in Bakersfield says she did feel the quake and has not received any calls

People are dying from “super bugs” because our antibiotic arsenal has run dry, leaving the world without sufficient weapons to fight ever-changing bacteria, warn infectious disease researchers at (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday February 4, 2009 at the Tournament Player Club in West Ranch located at 26550 Heritage View Lane in the Westridge neighborhood at 6:30 PM. (more…)

Six teenagers have been treated after they were found disoriented or unconscious at a Valencia bookstore, and drugs are suspected. Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Robert Lewis says deputies went to (more…)

The big bang announcement by US Treasury planned for next week is likely to have three key economic elements: moves to clean up the banking system, moves to restore the flow of credit in securitized financial markets, and moves to reduce home foreclosures. (more…)

As owner of child-care facility Auntie Jessie’s Playhouse in Lancaster, Jessica Timmons is one of hundreds of thousands of Californians (more…)

In 1983, a young lawyer in the Reagan White House was hard at work on what he called in a memorandum “the campaign to amend or abolish the exclusionary rule” – the principle that evidence obtained by police misconduct cannot be used against a defendant. (more…)

Alert Saugus residents reported vandals driving around the area smashing vehicle side mirrors with a baseball bat early Wednesday morning.  Responding deputies located the described vehicle, a silver Chevrolet pick up truck.  Inside the vehicle, (more…)

Come enjoy Figaro’s American Adventure, a charming opera based on the popular classic, The Barber of Seville. With his band of sneaky barbers and mercenaries, our wily hero, Figaro, leads us on a delightful musical goose chase. Ultimately, he outsmarts his adversary, and love triumphs as he helps his friend, the Count, win the hand of his beloved. The performance is at 2:00 PM on Saturday, January 31^st, tickets are $15/ $10/ and $8. For more information contact the Box-office at (661) 362-5304 or email at boxoffice@canyons.edu

A new theory as to how galaxies were formed in the Universe billions of years ago has been formulated by Hebrew University of Jerusalem cosmologists. The theory takes issue with the prevailing view on how the galaxies came to exist. The new theory, motivated by advanced astronomical observations and based on state-of-the-art computer simulations, (more…)

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed another bill on Thursday to delay the national transition to digital television. (more…)

Vesta Clemmons, who is 77 and lives alone, relies on the battered Zenith television in her tiny apartment here as more than just a lifeline to the outside world. “It’s like a friend,” she said in her living room, which is also her dining room and bedroom. (more…)

The following is a roundup of political activity 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…)

(Anxious to see what’s happening in this week’s SCV Wine Calendar? Just jump to the bottom of this post.) Getting ready hours ahead for a single malt Scotch tasting, I was pleased with how nice our dining room looked.  The table glittered with blond and golden hues as the bottles were set out and anxious to be enjoyed. (more…)

The SCV Sheriffs are taking a forward-thinking approach to protecting our valley community with the launch of vacant house check program. During these challenging economic times and the downturn in the housing and real estate markets we may see an increase in the number of vacant houses and other structures throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. (more…)

The State Lands Commission on Thursday rejected a proposal that could have led to the first new oil drilling project off the California coast in 40 years. The panel voted 2-1 against Plains Exploration & Production Co.’s request for approval (more…)

President Obama and his advisers have approached Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, about becoming commerce secretary, a step that could open the way to significant shift in the balance of power in Congress. (more…)