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
Valencia: One injured in collision of motorcycle and car
One person was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries Thursday following a traffic collision involving a motorcycle and a car in Valencia, a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said.
UPDATE: Suspected ‘blond scammer’ taken into custody by Ventura deputies
SAN FERNANDO - A woman suspected of being the "blond scammer" - who stalked other women at grocery stores, stealing their wallets and then using their IDs to obtain cash or expensive jewelry - appeared briefly in court today only to be arrested by Ventura County sheriff's deputies, a bailiff said.
Stevenson Ranch: 5 ID theft suspects make court appearance Wednesday
Five people suspected of identity theft after being arrested at a Stevenson Ranch hotel this week made a court appearance Wednesday and were scheduled to be arraigned next month.
Saugus man gets probation in online dating thefts
A Saugus man charged with three felonies for stealing from local women he romanced online received a suspended sentence and three years' probation this week after pleading no contest to the charges.
Resolution possible for Valencia pair charged with possessing illegal weapon
SAN FERNANDO - The lawyer representing a young Valencia man who made national news last fall for allegedly posting online comments about hurting children told a San Fernando Superior Court commissioner Wednesday he anticipates a "possible resolution" in the case.
5 due in court Wednesday on ID theft charges
Five people arrested at a Stevenson Ranch hotel Monday are expected to appear in court Wednesday on felony identity theft charges, a local sheriff's spokesman said.
UPDATE: Canyon Country: One taken to hospital following fight near fast-food restaurant
A man was taken to the hospital today following a fist fight near the McDonalds Restaurant on Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country, emergency response officials said.
UPDATE: Admitted Stevenson Ranch rapist sentenced to 43 years to life
SAN FERNANDO - A 19-year-old man who admitted to a brutal rape last year, then tried to withdraw his admission, was sentenced to 43 years to life in prison Monday after a judge said he couldn't change his mind about the plea.
Newhall: Man arrested on suspicion of van theft
Sheriff's deputies arrested a man in Newhall this morning on suspicion he stole a van, a sheriff's spokesman said.
UPDATE: Acton crash survivor listed in good condition
A 9-year-old girl who survived a vehicle crash that killed her father in Acton is expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, a California Highway Patrol official said Monday.
All for the competition
More than 160 young people on their way to becoming police officers competed in a series of challenges Sunday similar to what law enforcement officers experience day to day.
UPDATE: Attempted homicide charge filed in bar beating
A Castaic man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly beat another man in a Sunland bar Monday night, using a "mini baseball bat," officials said Thursday.
Alleged gang members to stand trial for Canyon Country bank robbery
SAN FERNANDO - Three men identified by prosecutors as Rollin 40s Crips gang members were ordered to stand trial Wednesday for a take-over bank robbery in Canyon Country last September.
Valencia woman faces felony charge in hit-and-run
A Valencia woman faces a felony hit-and-run charge today for allegedly hitting a bicyclist in Newhall on Friday, then leaving the scene, court papers show.
