Archive By Author - Jim Holt
In spite of sprawl, a tiny fish fights to survive
The unarmored three-spine stickleback is one tough little prickly survivor. As a freshwater fish the size of a minnow, fighting for its life in a quasi-desert terrain, the stickleback has survived every single major drought since the glaciers from the most recent ice age melted about 10,000 years ago and has managed to dodge every predator two to 10 times its size. It survived the dustbowl days of the "Dirty Thirties" and it outlasted Southern ...
Sun shines on Devil’s Den
While Devil's Den may sound like an ominous and scary place, local water officials want to turn the Kern County water outpost into a green and sustainable, solar-powered, money-making enterprise.
VIDEO UPDATE: Bailout package not that stimulating
President Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus bill approved Wednesday by the Democrat-controlled House might be historic, but it won't create the jobs most people think it will, says Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon.
Leasing company wants golf equipment returned from TPC
Two firms that lease equipment to the Tournament Players Club are seeking the return of their golf carts and course-trimming machines because they haven't received payment.
Local nurses do not want merit pay system
Local registered nurses held a candlelight vigil outside Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Wednesday as a show of solidarity on the only sticky issue of ongoing contract negotiations - performance-based pay.
Agency wins award
In hockey it's a called a hat trick. For the Castaic Lake Water Agency it's the third consecutive national award for having prepared an exceptional budget. Valerie L. Pryor, the agency's Administrative Services Manager, and Controller Carlos V. Corrales, are credited with winning a national award for the agency from the Government Finance Officers Association for their exceptional budget. "It took a few years of hard work to achieve this," Pryor said. The finance officers ...
Sanitation officials plan to halt salt sales
In their ongoing effort to put the Santa Clara River on a salt-free diet, sanitation officials plan to stop the sale of salt at local hardware stores.
Prosecution sets sights on Arriano
Attorneys continued their prosecution Friday against 29-year-old Adrian Guadalupe Arriano, an undocumented immigrant who is accused of raping two women and attempting to rape a third in Santa Clarita. Arriano is expected back in San Fernando Superior Court Tuesday when prosecution testimony resumes.
Bill changes could leave more kids uninsured
About 20,000 underprivileged children in the 25th Congressional district, including some in the Santa Clarita Valley, are being deprived of the health care promised in a program set up more than a decade ago, Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon said Friday.
Rain makes tough driving in SCV
Rain-soaked streets in and around Santa Clarita Valley contributed to almost an accident an hour Friday.
Water officials investing $100 million
Local water officials want to find new ways of safely investing more than $100 million. This week, members of the Castaic Lake Water Agency's Finance and Administration Committee recommended the board revise its policy on how to invest $100 million in its general agency fund. They want the board to hire a private company to deposit several large sums of the agency's money in several banks, in an effort to guarantee it's all insured. "First ...
Pedophile Jack McClellan loses appeal
A self-proclaimed pedophile who promised to return to Santa Clarita Valley to watch young girls in public areas has lost his appeal of a statewide ban keeping him away from children.
Locals clean up to save condors
Katherine Squires picked a shard of green glass from the dirt and showed it to her sister, Caroline.
UPDATED: Officials hope to breathe life back into Las Lomas
Las Lomas Land Company, LLC company lawyers announced Friday they will appeal a Superior Court ruling that snuffed construction of 5,500 houses into the hilly terrain that straddles the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.
Las Lomas appeals court ruling
The Las Lomas Land Company, LLC announced today it will appeal a Superior Court ruling last month dismissing its lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles.
Articles By Author - Jim Holt
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.
1 injured in Bouquet Canyon head-on collision
One person was rushed to the hospital with undisclosed injuries this morning following a head-on collision in Saugus, according to emergency response officials.
Turkish man charged in Valencia crash is working a deal
A 20-year-old Turkish man charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for a car crash last summer that killed a young Turkish woman was represented in court today by a lawyer trying to work out a deal for him.
UPDATE: Valencia woman confronts burglars
Two burglars, one brandishing a crowbar, startled a Valencia resident today when they tried to break into her home in an attempted "hot prowl" burglary, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
Newhall man arrested after woman attacked in her garage
A 25-year-old Newhall construction worker is in custody Tuesday facing assault charges after he allegedly attacked a woman in her garage in Canyon Country last week, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
Preliminary hearing ordered in Saugus murder case
A preliminary hearing has been ordered for a 41-year-old man charged with murder in the death of his Saugus girlfriend 18 months ago, a court clerk said Tuesday.
Plea deal pending in summertime fatal crash
A 20-year-old Turkish man charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for a car crash last summer that killed a young Turkish woman was represented in court today by a lawyer trying to work out a deal for him.
Valencia resident confronts burglars
Two burglars, one brandishing a crowbar, startled a Valencia resident today when they tried to break into her home in an attempted "hot prowl" burglary, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
Judge: Water purchase complaint remains valid
A state administrative law judge has refused to throw out an environmental group's complaint over a Santa Clarita Valley water district deal.
UPDATE: Keene sentenced to 10 years in drunken-driving death of neighbor
Dennis Dean Keene, the Agua Dulce man convicted in October of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the death of his neighbor, Lori Lindlief, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in state prison.
UPDATE: Preliminary report says chopper pitched forward
A helicopter that crashed during a reality TV production this month suddenly pitched down and hit the ground about a minute after taking off in early morning darkness, a preliminary report said Monday.
Race to support students
Little feet made big strides Sunday as scores of kids took part in the WiSH Education Foundation Run For Gold races in Newhall.
Police searching for 3 muggers
A man was mugged at gunpoint for his iPod and cash in Canyon Country Sunday afternoon, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
Man charged with reckless driving
A driver clocked speeding close to 100 mph through city streets, past Central Park and Saugus High School and through one red light, has been charged with reckless driving, according to a report filed by a local sheriff's deputy.
