Archive By Author - Jim Holt
New homes sought in Acton
One plucky developer is trying to push through red tape to build 16 homes in Acton near 38 homes that are in foreclosure.
Agency not waiting for a drought
New home construction is slow, but local water officials are pressing forward with six work projects that require changes to pipelines, treatment plants and pumping stations in anticipation of a massive increase in demand for water over the next 20 years.
On Election Day, all this man wants is your vote
Yeah, it's funny - until someone loses an election. Funny, that is, for local presidential candidate Stephen Thomas, who actually seems to make sense on issues that don't involve flatulence, infomercials and "noogies." "If elected, I promise to do absolutely nothing," he said. Thomas, a 38-year-old married Valencia man with a 9-year-old daughter, is running for president, and he is on the campaign trail drumming up support. He urges anyone swayed by his promise to ...
Trade group questions source of river salt
A trade group is challenging Measure S on November's ballot, saying water softener manufacturers are made a scapegoat for other agencies that dump salt into the Santa Clara River.
Political signs take a beating
Republican or Democrat, residents of the Santa Clarita Valley are waking up to destruction or elimination of their political lawn signs, and they're united in their anger.
Project never teed off
A woman in a plush white bathrobe leisurely looks over her balcony at beautiful rolling green hills and a professionally designed golf course called Los Valles.
One valley, one water supplier, official says
Tenth story in "The Big Picture," The Signal's series on plans for growth in the Santa Clarita Valley. Today we look at water, and why some officials think one agency should handle the SCV's water supplies. Click here for the rest of the stories.
Exec: Las Lomas not dead yet
Officials for the Las Lomas project believe they can resurrect the moribund 5,500-home development despite a stop-work order, a failed lawsuit, a president's resignation and two cities' resistance.
Alleged BB gunmen collared
Two alleged BB-gun snipers facing felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, used a laser scope and a BB gun that looks like a fully automatic AR-15 assault rifle, according to deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station.
Jailhouse talk forbidden
VAN NUYS - A Superior Court judge Friday ordered former high school teacher Kevin Lamont Thomas, accused of performing lewd acts with teenage girls, to stop communicating with his alleged victims from jail.
As the clouds lift, attention turns to frosty plants
Many rain-soaked and shivering Santa Clarita Valley residents thawing out from Wednesday's snowstorm turned their attention to plants and trees exposed to freezing temperatures.
Saugus man killed in crash
Rubin Villalobos, 41, of Saugus was killed at 5:50 a.m. after his 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee hit a patch of black ice and rolled over the southbound San Fernando Road offramp onto Highway 14, said Officer John Lutz of the California Highway Patrol.
UPDATED Traffic & Weather: I-5, 14 now open
UPDATED 4 p.m. Thursday: Both Interstate 5 and Highway 14 are now open in both directions, according to Caltrans. UPDATED 12:45 p.m. Thursday: The I-5 is now open to northbound travelers. Traffic is moving freely through the cities of Santa Clarita and Valencia, said CHP Public Information Officer John Lutz. Highway 14 is closed to southbound traffic from 6.6 miles south of Palmdale at Soledad Canyon to the Highway 138 junction due to snow. ...
Bankruptcy plan would liquidate properties
A plan filed in a bankruptcy court could lead to the sale of several high-profile SCV properties. Barclays Bank proposed a liquidation plan to turn all assets owned by LandSource Communities Development LLC into cash to pay its biggest creditors, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware heard this week.
Castaic High site picked
The long-awaited Castaic high school will be built near the Sterling Gateway industrial complex, Castaic Area Town Council members heard Wednesday night.
Articles By Author - Jim Holt
Is 'blond scammer' crime spree related to others?
Detectives in four jurisdictions are scrutinizing the actions of a woman suspected of being the so-called "blond scammer" - a woman believed at the center of a ring that stole wallets from shopping carts and impersonated credit card holders to obtain cash or expensive jewelry.
West Ranch: 1 student taken to hospital, 1 girl in custody in alleged pot-laced cookie case
A West Ranch High School student was treated at the local hospital Thursday after another girl allegedly gave her pot-laced cookies to eat, a sheriff's official said.
UPDATE: Red flag warnings issued for fire danger
High winds triggered local house alarms and fanned the flames of a brush fire in the Newhall Pass Thursday as the National Weather Service called a red flag warning for the Santa Clarita Valley and other areas in Los Angeles County.
Daughter pleads not guilty in mother’s slaying
A former Saugus High School student accused of killing her mother pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge of first-degree murder, a court official said.
Preliminary hearing set for Castaic man in bar beating case
A preliminary hearing was set Wednesday for a Castaic man charged with attempted murder after he allegedly beat a disabled man with a "mini baseball bat" inside a Sunland bar last month, a court official said.
Jury trial scheduled in Agua Dulce assault, kidnap case
Two men charged in the alleged beating and abduction of an Agua Dulce woman last fall and with the alleged attempted kidnapping of her adult son will be tried by a jury next month, an assistant district attorney said.
Report: Agua Dulce driver in fatal crash was 3 times legal limit
An Agua Dulce man killed in a January head-on crash that left another man still recovering from injuries was three times over California's legal blood alcohol limit, a coroner's report shows.
Valencia: Two injured, including SCV Sheriff’s deputy, in crash
Two people, including a local sheriff's deputy, were taken to the hospital today following a two-car crash on Copper Hill Drive, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Probation ordered in car crash that killed woman
A 20-year-old Turkish man charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for a car crash that killed a young Turkish woman last summer pleaded no contest Monday and was placed on three years' probation, a District Attorney spokeswoman said.
Woman pleads no contest to charges in ‘blond scammer’ ring
The ringleader in the so-called "blond scammer" case was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after pleading no contest to a charge of identity theft, a court clerk said.
UPDATE: At least 2 injured in Valencia crash
Six cars piled up in the eastbound lanes of Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia on Monday, injuring at least two people.
UPDATE: Boston Marathon runners with SCV connection shaken by experience
At least 15 Santa Clarita Valley marathon runners competing in Monday's death-marred Boston Marathon - including a 70-year-old pulled from the course half a mile before the finish line - are OK today but weighing the severity of the deadly incident, according to family, friends and at least one competing runner.
Fingers may point to identity of 'mummified' body
Investigators with the county coroner's office hope "re-hydrated" fingers will identify a Hispanic woman whose body was found "mummified" in a tarp and dumped at the side of San Francisquito Canyon Road last week.
'Mudders' get down and dirty at Castaic Lake mud run
They call themselves the "Dirty Girls," and on Sunday the four friends from Stevenson Ranch worked hard running, scrambling, climbing and crawling to get head-to-foot dirty in the Merrell Down & Dirty Obstacle Race at Castaic Lake.
Small brush fire in Valencia extinguished
A small brush fire at the side of Interstate 5 was quickly doused Sunday morning, an emergency response spokesman said.
