Archive By Author - Jim Holt
Locals hope to flush out truth about potential sewer-rate hike
Sanitation District officials who held the first of a series of public information meetings on a proposed sewer-rate hike met with criticism and confusion from about 50 people who attended.
Family testifies accused was father figure
SAN FERNANDO - Antonio Rodriguez, who is accused of beating to death his girlfriend's daughter, was a caring father figure who took the child and her brother to his mother's house every day to feed them, according to testimony offered in court Tuesday.
Murdered girl’s blood found in motel room
SAN FERNANDO - Prosecutors wrapped up their case against accused murderer Antonio Rodriguez on Monday with crime analysts saying they found blood belonging to the murdered girl, Desarie Elizabeth Saravia, and her brother inside a blood-splattered Van Nuys motel room.
The sewage-rate hike’s salty effect on business
Hiking Santa Clarita Valley business owners' fees to pay for a salt-ridding machine is not the way to encourage new business to locate here, some owners say.
Experts describe wounding of lifeless little girl
SAN FERNANDO - A veteran emergency room physician said Friday he had never seen a patient injured as badly as tiny 5-year-old Desarie Elizabeth Saravia when she arrived lifeless at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital one afternoon in 2004.
Tragic details unfold through pictures
SAN FERNANDO - A crayon drawing done by a badly beaten boy three days after his 5-year-old sister was savagely beaten to death in a Castaic park bathroom gave jurors a glimpse into the children's shared suffering Thursday as a murder trial continued. On Nov. 15, 2004, Brian Saravia, then 6, remained silent when a doctor specializing in cases of child abuse asked him a few questions at the University of California Los Angeles ...
Meadows works out with the best of ’em
Having exercised with students almost every other day for a month, teachers at Meadows Elementary School will have little problem jumping for joy today when they learn their school is a finalist in a statewide challenge to keep kids fit.
Reliving Desarie’s final moments
SAN FERNANDO - Two Castaic women described in court Wednesday what happened the day a lifeless, naked young girl ended up on their quiet suburban street.
High cost of salt wars
The victor of a water war over chloride levels in the Santa Clara River, pitting upstream suburbanites against downstream farmers, could be determined with the flourish of a pen on two emerging fronts this summer, The Signal has learned following a month-long investigation.
Downstreamers’ plight
VENTURA COUNTY - As he makes his way through a furrow that cuts one strawberry mound from the next, his steps are slow and sure, one dusty boot in front of the other.
SCV pays to pass the salt
Snow melting atop mountains in Plumas County, some 480 miles from the Santa Clarita Valley, is as clean as state legislators demand in their Porter-Cologne Act of 1969, and it's as clean as the Feds demand in their Clean Water Act of 1972.
Of woolly mammoths and farming
As the glaciers melted about 10,000 years ago, torrents of freshly melted ice and snow were sent rushing down the Santa Clarita Valley.
Man charged with assault on woman
A woman is conscious but suffering serious head injuries today after a man allegedly hit her in the face, causing her to fall and strike her head on the pavement.
Lines drawn in salty river
You and three friends sit down for lunch at a Santa Clarita Valley restaurant, and each of you orders the soup of the day.
Jets, comets, mystery
It's been about one month since the heavens over Santa Clarita opened up with a roar and revealed - something. It's still not absolutely clear what caused such a commotion at about 8:30 p.m. May 4. Initial reports referred to a "jet doing doughnuts," according to a complaint filed with Edwards Air Force Base, and to "two jets" according to several e-mails to The Signal. After a month of probing, the skies over Santa Clarita ...
Articles By Author - Jim Holt
Valencia: SCV Sheriff’s deputies bust suspected meth-dealing operation
Local drug squad deputies disrupted a meth-dealing operation in a Valencia neighborhood this week with the arrest of one man charged with possessing a controlled substance for sale, court documents show.
Santa Clarita mayor sees ‘definitive year’ on two major city issues
This year will be the "definitive year" for chloride and Cemex - two of the weightiest issues vexing residents in the Santa Clarita Valley, said Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar during a town hall meeting Wednesday night.
Memorial service for Brittany Schlumpberger scheduled Saturday
Parents of a popular woman killed in a single-car crash on Sand Canyon Road last week are inviting the public to join them Saturday in paying tribute to their daughter, Brittany Schlumpberger.
Newhall man gets 2 years in death of woman
A 68-year-old Newhall man who left the scene of a fatal accident in Valencia more than a year ago has been sentenced to two years in jail, a court clerk said.
2 suspected gang members arrested on weapons charge
California Highway Patrol officers arrested two women, identified as convicted felons and suspected gang members, for allegedly having a firearm in their possession, court papers showed Wednesday.
Saugus residents oppose registered sex offender’s return
A registered sex offender recently released from a jail sentence for previously violating his parole is back in the same neighborhood where he lived when he committed those violations, and neighbors are protesting.
Sand Canyon residents remember youth killed at oak tree 32 years ago
While Kevin and Michelle Schlumpberger prepare for the funeral of their daughter, Brittany, killed last week in a single-car crash on Sand Canyon Road, others in Canyon Country recall a teen who died at the same spot 32 years ago today.
UPDATE: Suspect in deputy-involved shooting was hit in hand, officials say
A suspect arrested for allegedly pointing a handgun at officers last week was shot in the hand, possibly by local sheriff's deputies, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.
UPDATE: Police chase in Valencia nabs 3 suspects
Three people suspected of burglary for allegedly stealing a safe from a Saugus home were behind bars Tuesday after a wild ride through the Santa Clarita Valley, and a foot chase across the Santa Clara River, officials and witnesses said.
Prolific graffiti vandal sentenced to 270 days in jail
A young man described as a prolific graffiti vandal having spray-painted property across the Santa Clarita Valley 160 times was sentenced to 270 days in jail and ordered to clean up his mess after he pleaded no contest today to four felony counts, court officials said.
UPDATE: Crashes slow travelers on rain-slick SCV freeways
Monday morning commuters making their way to work on local rain-slick roadways encountered at least three multi-vehicle crashes on both Highway 14 and Interstate 5, emergency response officials said.
Family of Sand Canyon crash victim warns drivers
The father of a popular woman killed in a single-car crash on Sand Canyon wants Santa Clarita Valley's young drivers to take greater care travelling on local roads.
SUV flips in two-car collision on Highway 126 near Val Verde, officials said
Three people were injured and taken to the hospital Sunday when two vehicles collided on Highway 126, near Val Verde, fire officials said.
Celebrities raise money for sick children at soccer game
More than 100 people showed up Sunday to watch some of their favorite celebrities raise money for sick children by playing each other in a friendly match of soccer.
Spring break school burglar sentenced to 1 year in jail
A 20-year-old suspected gang member arrested for spring break school burglaries in the Santa Clarita Valley was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading guilty, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said Thursday.
