Archive By Author - Jim Holt
Bermite sale nixed
Developers shocked local officials when they announced Wednesday they would not purchase the contaminated 996-acre chunk of land in the middle of Santa Clarita.
Shake, rattle & fake a quake
The overall fallout of the Great Southern California ShakeOut can be summed up: shaken, not stirred.
Study: Air quality worst near freeways
When it comes to breathing in the Santa Clarita Valley, the most significant factor diminishing air quality and increasing the risk of cancer is microscopic cancer-causing chemicals released in the diesel emissions from trucks traveling along freeways.
Cemex probe in Europe won't affect SCV issues
An anti-trust investigation into Cemex SAB and a handful of other cement companies in Europe does not affect U.S. operations including a federal bill that would prevent a mine operation in Soledad Canyon, a company spokeswoman said.
Drought shuts down east valley well
Sporadic rain this past weekend and the "significant downpour" last weekend came just as plunging drought-critical water levels forced water officials to shut down a sputtering major well in the east end of the valley.
LandSource Chap. 11 no bonus block
The top 10 employees of The Newhall Land and Farming Company are expected to receive their benefits and bonus money despite the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection petition filed in June by parent company LandSource Communities Development LLC, according to a recent decision handed down by a bankruptcy court judge.
Board entering Devil’s Den
If the recent election wasn't harrowing enough, local water officials will enter the Devil's Den today.
Cops raid local investment firm
The owner of a local investment company raided Friday by detectives refused to give details about the early morning incidents.
Mental health center opens
Toni Otis suffered a mental breakdown in 2003. Now she's helping others avoid the same fate, and she'll have new facilities to work with.
Sales tax to rise to 8.75% for transit
A half-cent sales tax to improve transportation in Los Angeles County was among the measures approved by voters on Election Day.
Voters approve Prop. 8
When it came to predicting a split vote on Proposition 8, the street corners of Santa Clarita said it all.
Sheriff’s Station expanding
Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's detectives will soon be moving into some new digs since the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a request for 9,500 square-feet in additional office space Tuesday.
Water agency looking ahead
Perchlorate cleanup and new developer water fees are two issues topping the local water agency's agenda for the remainder of the year, said the agency's top official prior to an agenda-setting meeting Tuesday night.
Towers upset neighbors
A monster stands 200-feet tall in the north end of Valencia, towering over the gray-haired men and women who look up at it in wonder and anger.
City Council back in session
The first meeting of Santa Clarita City Council was a collective "How I spent my summer vacation."
Articles By Author - Jim Holt
Detectives still searching for would-be robbers
Local detectives are still looking for two would-be robbers who held a Valencia woman at gunpoint two weeks ago, said a local sheriff's spokesman.
Hearing delayed for accused bank robbers
A preliminary hearing for three men identified by prosecutors as Crips gang members accused in a take-over bank robbery last September was postponed for the second time Tuesday, a county prosecutor said.
Hearing postponed in fatal Sand Canyon crash
SAN FERNANDO - The preliminary hearing of two men charged with murder in a Sand Canyon street racing death was delayed today over issues of evidence.
Valencia Water customers spout anger at rate increase
News of 20 percent hike in water rates over the next three years upset some Valencia Water Company ratepayers recently, but not as much as having missed the chance to file a formal complaint, according ratepayers who contacted The Signal.
Time tunnel invites visitors to Placerita Canyon Nature Center
Hawks with wings frozen in midair, turtles halted mid-step and snarling mountain lions - all preserved through taxidermy - compete for attention with a lesser-known attraction at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center: a time tunnel of sorts.
Police ID pedestrian killed on Interstate 5
Officials with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office have identified the pedestrian killed early Saturday morning after he was struck by an SUV in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 but are still trying to reach his next of kin, a spokesman said Sunday.
DA reviews charges in boy’s death
Criminal charges are pending in July's fatal boating crash on Pyramid Lake that claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy visiting from Russia, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Chess players compete for championship
There was a beach party at the Hyatt Regency Valencia this weekend and partygoers brought their own boards - chess boards that is.
Motorcyclist taken to hospital after crash
A motorcyclist was taken to the hospital Sunday afternoon following a traffic collision in Canyon Country.
Suspect arrested in blond scammer thefts
A woman suspected of being the blond scammer for allegedly stalking other women at grocery stores, stealing their wallets and then using their IDs to obtain cash or expensive jewelry has been arrested, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
Driver unhurt as car rolls over
A motorist rolled his car several times Thursday after he reportedly pulled onto the gravel shoulder to let a "tailgater" pass on San Francisquito Canyon Road, said a man who towed the wrecked car from the crash site.
UPDATE: Woman returned from Oregon to face charges of killing mother
A former Saugus High School student was in jail in Van Nuys Wednesday accused of murdering her mother after homicide detectives brought her back from Oregon, said the detective in charge of the case.
Attacker sought in Canyon Country condo assault
Despite an arrest made in last week's attack of a woman inside her condo complex garage in Canyon Country, local sheriff's deputies are still looking for a second man wanted for a similar attack on a woman nearly a year ago at the same complex, a local sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.
Canyon Country man sentenced to 14 years in extortion case
A Canyon Country man who shot up the American Beauty condo complex with a machine gun eight years ago pleaded guilty to five criminal counts in a more recent series of offenses, including two counts of felony battery on a peace officer and three counts of extortion, a deputy district attorney said Wednesday.
Trial delayed for pair charged in shotgun holdup
Trial was put off until March today for a couple who allegedly held up a Valencia home-improvement store with a shotgun last September, a court clerk said.
