The West Ranch Beacon

Southland will sizzle until Tuesday; Health warnings issued for kids, elderly, pets as temperatures rise

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:30:24 +0000

As Southland temperatures soared into the 90s Thursday, health officials warned residents to take precautions because high temperatures are expected to last through the weekend. The heat is the result of a strong high-pressure system over the West Coast combined with weak to moderate offshore flow, according to the National Weather Service.

“High temperatures through Saturday will soar into the 90s across most of the interior sections, with the hottest locations expected to exceed 100 degrees,” according to a Weather Service advisory.

Daytime temperatures will range from the mid-70s to the mid-80s along the coastal plain, but are expected to climb into the 90s inland and in the valleys reports the Daily News.

“Daytime high temperatures may near or exceed record levels,” according to the advisory.

Near-record temperatures could occur in the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.

Inland temperatures will remain high until Tuesday, when the region will experience a general cooling, according to the Weather Service.

Public-health officials urged residents to wear loose, light-color clothing, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol, and avoid the sun and unnecessary exertion when outside.

“When temperatures are high, prolonged sun exposure may cause dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” said Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding.

Read it here: Southland will sizzle until Tuesday

Families Shed Light on Likely Causative Gene for Alzheimer’s

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:30:22 +0000

The genetic profile of two large Georgia families with high rates of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease points to a gene that may cause the disease, researchers say.

Genetic variations called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, are common in DNA, but this pattern of SNPs shows up in nine out of 10 affected family members, says Dr. Shirley E. Poduslo, neuroscientist in the Medical College of Georgia Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies and the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta reports Science Daily.

The 10th family member had half the distinctive pattern. The SNPs also were found in the DNA of 36 percent of 200 other late-onset patients stored in the Alzheimers’ DNA Bank.

“We were shocked; we had never seen anything like this before,” Dr. Poduslo says of findings published online in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. “If we looked at unaffected spouses, their SNPs were all different. The variants consistently found in affected siblings are suggesting there is something in this gene. Now we have to go back and find what is in this gene that is making it so unique for Alzheimer’s patients.”

The variation was in the TRPC4AP gene, part of a large family of genes that is not well-studied but is believed to regulate calcium. Calcium is needed throughout the body but its dysregulation can result in inflammation, nerve cell death and possibly plaque formation as well, she says.

The finding provides new directions for research and possibly new treatment targets, Dr. Poduslo says. It also shows the important role large families affected by a disease can have in determining the cause of the disease.

Read it here: Families Shed Light on Likely Causative Gene for Alzheimer’s

Newhall Land sets the pace for Bike to Work Day

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:30:18 +0000

Bike to Work Day was a success this week for one local company. 45 Newhall Land associates participated in the Bike to Work Day on Thursday morning. About half of employees met up at the City Hall Pit Stop on the way to the office to participate in the festivities. Last year, Newhall Land had the highest percentage of participants in a category of their business size in LA County and they are hoping to be amongst the highest again this year. Tallies won’t be in until next week.

HEALTH ALERT: Air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups in the West San Fernando Valley

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:30:21 +0000

Air quality is a concern for Friday, May 16, as the South Coast Air Quality Management District predicts air quality will be unhealthy for sensitive persons in West San Fernando Valley and the East San Gabriel Valley. Individuals living in these areas with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory disease should minimize outdoor activities. Poor air quality can make people even more susceptible to heat-related illness.

“We are advising schools in these affected areas to exercise caution with outside physical activities, including after school sports until conditions improve,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Public Health Director and County Health Officer. “The elderly and other sensitive individuals, including adults and children with heart disease, emphysema, asthma, or other lung disease, should stay indoors as much as possible.”

Also, on Friday, as temperatures in many parts of Los Angeles County will be in the 90s and the low 100s, people should take precautions to protect themselves and their dependents from the heat. It is important to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Symptoms of dehydration and heat cramps include dizziness, fatigue, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps, and increased thirst. Individuals with these symptoms should be removed to a cooler, shaded place and given water or sport drinks.

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000 employees and has an annual budget exceeding $750 million. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:30:13 +0000

Faced with a persistent drought and the threat of tighter water supplies, Los Angeles plans to begin using heavily cleansed sewage to increase drinking water supplies, joining a growing number of cities considering similar measures.

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who opposed such a plan a decade ago over safety concerns, announced the proposal on Thursday as part of a package of initiatives to put the city, the nation’s second largest, on a stricter water budget. The other plans include increasing fines for watering lawns during restricted times, tapping into and cleaning more groundwater, and encouraging businesses and residents to use more efficient sprinklers and plumbing fixtures reports the New York Times.

The move comes as California braces for the possibility of the most severe water shortages in decades.

Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about a third of Los Angeles’s water, is short of expectations. At the same time, the Western drought has lowered supplies in reservoirs, while legal rulings to protect endangered species will curtail water deliveries from Northern California.

Worsening the problem, Los Angeles is expected to add 500,000 people by 2030, forcing the city to examine new ways to meet demand. One option off the table, Mr. Villaraigosa said, is a repeat of the city’s troubled history, fictionalized in the movie “Chinatown,” of diverting a distant river southward to slake the city’s thirst.

Read it here: Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

The Ride is Over for Reckless Motorcyclist in Canyon Country

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:00:11 +0000

The ride came to an end for a motorcyclist who is suspected in several incidents of reckless driving and evading Deputy Sheriffs in the Santa Clarita Valley, dating back nearly 18 months. The incidents apparently all involved the same motorcycle and rider, and occurred when deputies and California Highway Patrol Officers attempted to pull the motorcyclist over for various traffic violations, reckless driving, and no license plates on more than six separate occasions.

It became common practice for the suspect to immediately flee from the deputies and officers as they attempted the traffic stop. Although the deputies would immediately terminate their attempts to stop the suspect because of the potential danger to the public, in each incident the rider continued at a high rate of speed, routinely exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour on Santa Clarita Valley surface streets, with no regard for the safety of other motorists, pedestrians, or himself.

During one of the incidents on Wednesday, November 15, 2006, a deputy was reportedly pulled two feet alongside the suspect’s motorcycle when he attempted to grab the suspect’s arm and prevent him from fleeing following a traffic stop. The suspect then reportedly turned around and drove back towards the deputy. As the deputy attempted to get out of the way, the suspect grazed him with the motorcycle and sped away from the area.

The latest incident occurred on Monday, May 12, 2008, where a motorcycle deputy from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station used his hand-held laser to document, who they believe is the same motorcyclist, traveling at over 100 MPH in the 22500 block of Soledad Canyon Road. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the rider continued at a high rate of speed westbound on Soledad Canyon Road to Creekside Road and out of sight.

The deputies finally got the break they had been waiting for when another deputy recalled recently spotting a motorcycle matching the description parked in the 14000 block of Begonias Lane, Canyon Country. Investigators from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Traffic Department set up an operation in the area on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, and arrested the suspect without incident.

The helmet the suspect was wearing and the motorcycle, 2006 Honda CBR, were both recovered. Ironically, the helmet the suspect was reportedly wearing during one of the incidents had a sticker with the following phrase on it: “Capable of Evading High Speed Pursuit”. Deputies found the suspect was also on probation for Reckless Driving.

Joseph Milhoan, MW/21, of Canyon Country, was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station on several felony and misdemeanor charges and his motorcycle was impounded.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office - Newhall filed one felony count of Reckless Evading with Willful Disregard for Public Safety, one felony count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Peace Officer, one misdemeanor count of Reckless Driving and one misdemeanor count of Driving on a Suspended License. The suspect was in court today and his arraignment was continued to Friday, May 30, 2008. He was remanded to custody and is currently being held in lieu of $125,000 bail.

Traffic deputies are grateful this reckless behavior was brought to an end before anyone was seriously injured or killed. They were very concerned that this unsafe practice could end in tragedy and were especially concerned because of recent increase in the number of incidents involving fatalities of teenagers and young adults who were also riding motorcycles, many times recklessly or without a license or training.

During a 12 month period, between February 2007 and February 2008, there were five fatality related collisions in the City of Santa Clarita and four of them involved motorcyclists. The City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station launched an aggressive Public Safety Months campaign in an effort to raise awareness in the community regarding these types of public safety related matters.

The February 2008 message was pertaining to motorcycle and bicycle safety. For more motorcycle related facts, training classes and safety information, visit the following link: Motorcycle and Bicycle Safety.

The investigation is ongoing and there is no further information at this time.

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.

Antonovich reacts to Supreme Court ruling overturning ban on Same-Sex Marriage

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:31:30 +0000

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich issued the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling overturning the ban on same-sex marriage: “This is another decision where four members of the judiciary reject the will of the people who overwhelming voted in 2000 to ban same sex marriage.”

Sixty-one percent of California voters approved Proposition 22, which said that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California.

Same-sex marriage ruling adds a volatile new issue to the Presidential Race

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:30:42 +0000

The California Supreme Court’s decision allowing same-sex marriage probably throws the politically volatile issue into November, when a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage could spill into the presidential campaign and contests for Congress and the state Legislature reports the Los Angeles Times.

The court’s Thursday ruling was not necessarily good news for the presidential candidates, on whom it could exert problematic pressure.

Republican John McCain’s success depends on melding a fractious coalition of GOP conservatives — who are among those pressing for a ban on same-sex marriage — with independents and conservative Democrats who tend to recoil from candidates campaigning on social issues. Although a November ballot measure could encourage higher turnout by conservatives who are not naturally aligned with McCain, it also could alienate moderates and young voters, who polls show are far more accepting of same-sex marriage.

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had sketched out a more centrist path than the court’s. The decision could encourage Democratic interest groups to press candidates to extend their support for civil unions to same-sex marriage itself.

Read it here: Same-sex marriage ruling adds a volatile new issue to the Presidential Race

McCain Vision Has Most G.I.’s Out of Iraq by 2013

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:06:09 +0000

Senator John McCain declared on Thursday that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013 and that the nation would be a functioning democracy with only “spasmodic” episodes of violence. The comments were a striking departure from his usual refusal to set a date for American withdrawal.

In a speech in the heart of Ohio, a major general election battleground, Mr. McCain set forth a sweeping, extraordinarily positive vision of what the world would look like in 2013, when, he said, he would have been in the White House for four years reports the New York Times.

The remarks, which offered no proposals for how he would achieve that vision, were an effort by Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, to define himself and the rationale of his candidacy to voters before he has a single Democratic rival who will try to do it for him.

“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom,” Mr. McCain said at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. “The Iraq war has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.”

Read it here: McCain Vision Has Most G.I.’s Out of Iraq by 2013

Fed urged to control future asset bubbles

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:01:20 +0000

The Federal Reserve should use regulatory powers aggressively and pro-actively to limit the threat from future asset price bubbles, Frederic Mishkin, one of the Fed’s governors, said on Thursday reports the Financial Times.

Mr. Mishkin, a top academic economist who is intellectually close to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, said “it falls to regulatory policies and supervisory policies to help strengthen the financial system and reduce its vulnerability to both booms and busts in asset prices”.

Such policies “could be made a standard part of the regulatory system and would be operational at all times”. But he also proposed using regulations dynamically to deal with bubbles as they emerge.

“Future bubbles will almost certainly create unanticipated difficulties, and as a result, adjustments to our policy stance to limit the market failure contributing to the bubble could be very beneficial if identified and implemented at the appropriate time,” he said.

His comments in a speech come as the US central bank is reconsidering its traditionally hands-off approach to asset bubbles after two bubbles – housing and the earlier dotcom bubble – in the space of a decade.

Mr. Bernanke is re-evaluating all the evidence, including the use of interest rates to tackle bubbles, but is inclined to favor using regulation more aggressively as Mr. Mishkin proposed on Thursday.

Read it here: Fed urged to control future asset bubbles