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

The world’s most powerful laser is prepped and ready to begin keeping tabs on the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile while also studying the heavens and attempting to develop new sources of energy. (more…)

Beginning Sunday evening, May 31, 2009 at 9 P.M. through Friday, June 19, 2009, the northbound off-ramp at Magic Mountain Parkway will be closed for the construction of the ramp widening. During the time of ramp closure, motorists traveling on Northbound I-5 will be able to access Six Flags Magic Mountain (more…)

A previously unknown giant volcanic eruption that led to global mass extinction 260 million years ago has been uncovered by scientists at the University of Leeds. The eruption in the Emeishan province of south-west China unleashed around half a million (more…)

For those who haven’t yet found a way to reliably receive over-the-air digital television, the June 12 deadline for stations to switch from analog to digital broadcasts is less than two weeks away. At this point, if you haven’t signed up for the $40 coupons for DTV (more…)

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a burned car on a remote stretch of road near Angeles National Forest. Sheriff’s Deputy Derrick Thompson says the unidentified man was found early Saturday morning (more…)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not get the election results he sought. Now he seems determined to show California voters the consequences. In a special election on May 19, voters rejected a batch of measures on increasing taxes, borrowing funds (more…)

The National Weather Service is warning of the possibility of strong thunderstorms with isolated flash flooding this afternoon and evening across (more…)

Sheriff’s Homicide Detectives responded to the Interstate (5) Freeway and Templin Highway, Angeles National Forest, early this morning to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a male adult. (more…)

For the second time in four days, an alert resident in the Fair Oaks Ranch area has helped deputies nab burglars.  The resident immediately called the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station after seeing a suspicious vehicle containing three occupants in the 17000 block of Wren Drive.  He saw one of the occupants get out of the car and enter the rear yard of a nearby residence. (more…)

In announcing her nomination to the Supreme Court last week, President Obama said Sonia Sotomayor has the “first and foremost quality” needed in a justice: “a rigorous intellect, a mastery of the law, an ability to home in on the key issues and provide clear answers to complex legal questions.” (more…)

A long-proposed tool for hunting planets has netted its first catch — a Jupiter-like planet orbiting one of the smallest stars known. The technique, called astrometry, was first attempted 50 years ago to search for planets outside our solar system, (more…)

When a new crop of future business leaders graduates from the Harvard Business School next week, many of them will be taking a new oath that says, in effect, greed is not good. Nearly 20 percent of the graduating class have signed “The M.B.A. Oath,” a voluntary student (more…)

One of the common police calls of the summer is “snake in the yard” and rattlesnake bites are a warm-weather hazard in our desert-like community. Because they are an important part of the natural environment, rattlesnakes should be left alone if encountered while hiking. (more…)

Potentially joining a growing group of cities and counties in California that have banned smoking in public areas, Los Angeles County supervisors are set to vote Tuesday whether to ban or limit smoking at county parks and golf courses. (more…)

A fatal traffic collision occurred Friday afternoon on Sand Canyon Road south of the 14 Freeway.  Deputies from the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station (more…)

When Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on The Tonight Show on Tuesday, he joked with Jay Leno about advice he had given in a recent address to students at the University of Southern California. “I told them to work like hell and marry (more…)

A broad array of Californians would be touched in fundamental ways by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest proposal to balance the state budget: (more…)

As part of the ongoing effort to deter and combat gang related crime and activity in the Santa Clarita Valley, several law enforcement personnel from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Detective Bureau, the City of Santa Clarita/Sheriff’s COBRA Unit (more…)