Archive By Author - Jim Holt
5.4 quake rattles, leaves no major damage
You can call it wobbly, you can call it undulating, but you cannot call Wednesday's earthquake harmful in any way - at least in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Jury deliberates in Rodriguez trial
SAN FERNANDO - Jury deliberations are under way this week in the murder trial of Antonio Rodriguez, 29, who is charged with sexually assaulting his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter and killing her in a Castaic park bathroom.
Defense rests in Rodriguez trial
SAN FERNANDO - There is no evidence that 5-year-old Desarie Elizabeth Saravia was sexually assaulted by the man accused of beating her to death inside a Castaic park bathroom, the man's defense lawyer said in closing arguments Tuesday.
Prosecution closes case with photos
SAN FERNANDO - The prosecution wrapped up its case against accused child killer Antonio Rodriguez on Friday by letting some of the more than 100 injury pictures tell the stories of brutality in the savage beating death of 5-year-old Desarie Elizabeth Saravia.
Businesses balk at fees
A planned sewer-system hookup fee - part of a package of sewer-fee rate hikes proposed Santa Clarita Valley-wide - is necessary to avoid future bond measures, a sanitation district official said this week.
They called him ‘Daddy’
SAN FERNANDO - Lawyers representing a man accused of beating to death his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter wrapped up their case Wednesday with further testimony that he was a caring man whom the little girl called "Daddy."
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.
Articles By Author - Jim Holt
Hearing in street racing case postponed for 5th time
SAN FERNANDO - For the fifth time, and with a courtroom filled with spectators and witnesses ready to testify, the preliminary hearing of two men charged with murder in a Sand Canyon street racing death was delayed Monday.
Nearly 500 people come out for 17th Annual Castaic Town Council 5K Run/Walk
The 17th annual Castaic Town Council 5K Run/Walk at Castaic Lake Sunday drew nearly 500 running enthusiasts, their families and friends for a day of fun in the sun – complete with pancakes – to raise funds for local schools, clubs and organizations.
Deputy arrests 4 in suspicious car found to be stolen
An alert sheriff's deputy arrested four people on charges including drug possession and possession of stolen property early Sunday morning when something about their car didn't add up, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
SCV Sheriff’s Station volunteer coordinator takes role of volunteer
Artie Thompson - the nation's one-time Airman of the Year, the state's National Guardsman and the community's veteran sheriff's deputy reserve coordinator - is retired but not deterred in pursuing his civic duties.
Truck fire shuts down 2 lanes of I-5
A truck fully engulfed in flames shut down two lanes of Interstate 5 today for more than an hour near Smokey Bear Road, emergency response officials said.
Truck fire shuts down two lanes on Interstate 5
A truck fully engulfed in flames shut down two lanes of Interstate 5 today for more than an hour near Smokey Bear Road, emergency response officials said.
5 plead not guilty of identity theft
Five people arrested for identity theft at a Stevenson Ranch hotel last month each entered a plea of not guilty in court Thursday, a court clerk said.
Firefighters respond to Agua Dulce brush fire
Firefighters responded to a half-acre brush fire near Agua Dulce today on the north side of Highway 14 just north Escondido Canyon Road, a fire official said. About 1 p.m., officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were dispatched to a brush fire north of the highway's southbound lanes, said Inspector Scott Miller. "We had a report of four small spot fires in that location," he said. Officers with the California Highway Patrol reported ...
Alleged SCV graffiti vandal ordered to preliminary hearing
A preliminary hearing was set Wednesday for a young man described as a prolific graffiti vandal who allegedly spray-painted property across the Santa Clarita Valley 160 times, a court clerk said.
UPDATE: San Fernando Valley man arrested in boating death last summer
A 29-year-old man has been charged in the boating death of a young Russian man on Pyramid Lake last summer, court papers show.
Chloride plan offers four alternatives
In a bid to stave off more chloride fines levied by the state, local sanitation district officials Wednesday have released four proposals for reducing the amount of salt discharged into the Santa Clara River.
San Francisquito Canyon body not murder victim
A woman whose body was found wrapped in a tarp and dumped at the side of San Francisquito Canyon Road two weeks ago does not appear to be the victim of foul play, the lead investigator said Tuesday.
UPDATE: Canyon Country: Child airlifted to L.A. hospital
An 8-year-old boy who lost consciousness after he fell from play structure at a Canyon Country elementary school was airlifted to a hospital in Los Angeles Tuesday morning, the school's principal said.
SCV Chloride plan due to be released Wednesday
When Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District officials release their proposal Wednesday to remove chloride from the Santa Clara River, with it will come close to a million dollars of advising, polling, presenting and translating "engineer-speak" into English, organizers say.
UPDATE: Newhall stabbing victim recovering in hospital
A 29-year-old Hispanic man is recovering in the hospital Tuesday after being stabbed an estimated seven times in an alcohol-fueled altercation in Newhall Monday night, a sheriff's official said.
