“The United States and Israel enjoy a special relationship, and that bond will weather this storm.  In order to respond to nearly constant attacks, Israel has a right to defend itself and impose a blockade to stop the flow of weapons to its enemies.

“While I regret the loss of life in this incident, I am confident that the Israeli government will adequately review its policies and procedures to ensure an adequate balance between its own legitimate security concerns and its desire to respect human rights.

“Finally, it’s alarming that the United Nations would move without delay to condemn these actions even before knowing the facts while remaining silent in the aftermath of North Korea’s blatant aggression that left 46 South Koreans dead.”

If you look at the County and City beach bus schedules they are complimentary. The City’s Beach Bus is on Saturday and Sunday while the County’s Beach Bus is on Wednesday and Friday. That means that SCV residents can go to the beach 4 days out of the week for $4 or under. That is a great deal and a terrific service.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Santa Clarita Transit system does receive some funding from Los Angeles County which supplements the City’s bus system. It made more sense to underwrite part of the City’s transit system rather than implement a separate bus system in the unincorporated areas of SCV.

No one-upmanship here!! These are just the facts.

Okay, so last night I was having a drink with a friend and she asked me what I thought about the supposed low flying F-16 that buzzed Santa Clarita a week or so ago. Unlike other folks that have jumped on the conspiracy theory bandwagon, I don’t believe it was a fighter jet out of March or Edwards Air Force bases.  

I heard the low flying aircraft and it did not sound like a jet aircraft to me. It did however sound like a turbo-prop aircraft similar to the Canadian Firefighting planes the County leases every year. Those planes are up in Canada and not in Los Angeles County yet.

Now I am not an aviation expect but I have flown hundreds of thousands of miles over the years on all types of aircraft. I have flown extensively around the Caribbean on ATR-40 turbo-prop planes.

To me it is all about the sound  and what I heard was not a jet but a turbo-prop plane flying very low right over the Stevenson Ranch community. I don’t believe it was a fighter jet or a UFO and I certainly don’t believe that people are lying about it.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it until the agents from Area 51 tell me to change it!

Dave Bossert- Commentary

Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.

Authorities said a Nissan Pathfinder at West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue was left Saturday night loaded with a bomb made from two clocks, three propane gas tanks, two additional one-gallon gas canisters and fireworks.

“It appeared that [the bomb] was in the process of detonating and malfunctioned,” said police spokesman Paul Browne.

A street vendor alerted a policeman on mounted patrol—Wayne Rhatigan, 47 years old, a 19-year-veteran of the force. In an interview, Mr. Rhatigan said he smelled gunpowder coming from the vehicle and went toward it, thinking it could explode at any second. He grabbed two other officers to help move people away from the smoking Pathfinder as he called for backup at 6:34 p.m.

Read more here: Times Square Reopens after Bomb Scare

(From the L.A. Times)

The clip quickly became one of Sunday’s most viewed YouTube videos, scoring 180,000 views in less than 12 hours. Whether you think the video is a delicious bit of countercultural anti-hype or more evidence of the dissolution of suburban youth, its success suggests that if nothing else, they were thinking different.

We caught up with Kocott, a 19-year-old Pittsburgh high school student, to ask him about the “project.”

What gave you the idea for the video?

Read more here: Teen who destroyed his iPad with a baseball bat: ‘I love Apple’

West Ranch Town Council

Mailing address: 25876 The Old Road #213 Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381

1. Call to Order / Welcome – 6:30pm Start Time
2. Approval of  West Ranch Town Council Meeting Minutes
3. Treasurer’s Report and Banking Update
4. LA County Updates
   1. LA County Parks and Recreation Department Report
   2. LA County Sheriff’s Liaison Report
   3. CHP Liaison Report
   4. Newhall Land Report
   5. Rosalind Wayman – LA County Supervisor Antonovich’s Office Report

1. Guest Speaker
   1. March Guest Speaker – Rob Searcy – Update / Information on Cell Tower Application proposed for Stevenson Ranch Parkway, Stevenson Ranch. 
   2. 2^nd March Guest Speaker – Goodwill Industries – New Store Opening in Stevenson Ranch
   3. April Guest Speaker – TBA
2. Committee Reports
   1. Community Liaison Reports

                                                              i.      Westridge

                                                            ii.      Sunset Pointe

                                                          iii.      Southern Oaks

                                                          iv.      Stevenson Ranch

1.  
   1. Update on Filling Open WRTC Seat
   2. Think Santa Clarita Valley Campaign
2. New Business Items
3. Public Comment
4. Adjournment
   1. Next Meeting is Wednesday,  April 7, 2010 to be held at the TPC – Newhall Room

So, how and where did the holiday get its start? And who is Saint Valentine and why has he become the symbol for love? For starters, Saint Valentine is probably not just one man, but rather any of a number of martyred saints named Valentine or Valentinus, derived from the Latin word for valor. According to Christian tradition, all of these Saint Valentines are believed to have been martyred on February 14.

The first Valentinus, Valentine of Rome, was a priest and doctor, who treated even those patients who could not afford to pay him. The second Saint Valentine was beheaded for protecting Christians from the Romans. And the third is Valentine of Terni, a bishop believed killed during the persecution of Emperor Aurelian.

While these saints likely bestowed upon Valentines Day its name, they still do not explain the holiday’s love connection. To understand that, one has to go back even further in history – to the Romans.

Historians believe that the holiday of love derives its origins from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia. On February 15, the Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercus, to honor and thank the wolf god who watched over the Roman shepherds and their flocks.

While Lupercus doesn’t seem to have much to do with romance, there was a number of fertility customs associated with his feast. In one of these rituals, women would put their names on slips of paper in a box, to be drawn out by men. The two would then be coupled up for the duration of the festival – or for the rest of the year in some cases. This fertility-friendly feast gives some clue as to the romantic – or at least procreative – nature of the holiday. But we don’t celebrate Saint Lupercus Day on February 14th. So, how did the Valentine saints become associated with the Roman god?

Legend has it that in the 3rd century, the Roman emperor Claudius II banned marriages to prevent draft dodgers. Only single men had to go into the army – and too many young men were getting married.

Read more here: The Story of Valentine’s Day

(From the N.Y. Times)

A victory by the Republican, Scott Brown, in Massachusetts would deny Democrats the 60th vote they need in the Senate to surmount Republican filibusters and advance the health legislation.

And with the race too close to call, Democrats are considering several options to save the bill, which could be a major factor in how they fare in this year’s midterm elections.

Some Democrats suggested that even if their candidate, Martha Coakley, scraped out a narrow victory on Tuesday, they might need to ask House Democrats to speed the legislation to the president’s desk, especially if lawmakers who had supported the bill begin to waver as they consider the political implications of a tough re-election cycle.

Read more here: Democrats May Seek to Push Health Bill through House

Southern California FIRE & EMS is based in the heart of Santa Clarita and minutes away from the proposed studios at Golden Oak Ranch. In the coming years the area will be a hotbed of filming joining such productions as CSI, NCIS and others already filming in the area. With an increase in filming projected within the next two to three years, safety on set will be a major priority and safety experts will be readily available at a moment’s notice.

Within the next three to six months, Southern California FIRE & EMS with Symons Event Safety will be expanding by providing basic and advanced life support services to the Santa Clarita motion picture industry. The two companies through this strategic partnership will ease the demand for standby ambulances and fire apparatus for filming. As is, the current ambulance provider is unable to fulfill standby requests.

The two companies aim to create the most dynamic duo to hit the Southern California motion picture industry in recent years. This partnership is welcomed by those who rely on such services for the successful filming of stunts.

Funding for this enforcement and prevention program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Contact the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Traffic Department at (661) 799-5110 for additional information.  

If You See Something, Say Something! Report non-emergency crime anonymously by visiting the following link: Crime Tips or calling (661) 284-2-TIP / (661) 284-2847.