Sheriff's sleuths getting some help

Local CSI detectives will get some crime-fighting training that might make their TV counterparts green with envy.

Bleak houses, hard times

Part two of a two part series: Streets in Stevenson Ranch will be darker and bleaker this Christmas.

Game over for golf club?

Dr. Mehran Abbassian is a dentist when he's not golfing. He bought a house in West Ridge, next to the Tournament Players Club at Valencia. He also made sure it was near his work. Dr. Mehran Abbassian is a golfer when he's not fixing people's teeth. "The reason I moved there is because I love golf," he said. If he walks to work, his five-minute morning commute takes him on foot across the golf course ...

Alleged I.D. thief in court today

A man charged with four theft-related felonies for allegedly using his girlfriend's credit card to run up thousands of dollars in purchases was expected to appear in court today.

No money but lots of fineries

Golfers are back on the green at Tournament Players Club at Valencia following a couple of weeks of necessary seeding.

Bailout cash comes home to SCV

Part of the federal government's $300 billion housing market repair package is trickling down to foreclosed homes in the Santa Clarita Valley's unincorporated areas, but local social workers fear it's not enough.

Players Club in bankruptcy

In these times of big bailouts and bankruptcies, it's hard to make par. For the Tournament Players Club at Valencia golf course it means delivering a high standard of quality at the front door while coping with bankruptcy issues unfolding in the back room. Ever since 16-time PGA Tour event winner Mark O'Meara smashed the first golf ball off the tee on June 26, 2003, TPC at Valencia became the anchor of the West Ridge ...

‘Troops’ honor Henderson

In life, he always put his "troops" first. At the end of his life, the "troops" put Sgt. Archibald "Archie" E. Henderson Jr. first. On Wednesday morning, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department motorcade slowly wound its way through Santa Clarita, from one end of the city to the other, in a line of black-and-white patrol cars almost a half-mile long. More than 200 people, all but a few of them sheriff's deputies wearing green ...

SCV a soft-water test zone

Just call the Santa Clarita Valley green and salt-free. By endorsing Measure S in November's election, the valley is the first community in California to ban salt-rendering water softeners. It is now the testing ground for the next generation of water softeners after pioneering a move to stop water-softener-rendered salt from ending up in the Santa Clara River. "Santa Clarita is in a very unique position compared to the rest of California," said Paul Martyn, ...

Local vintner hit with lawsuit

A stage manager to the stars is suing the Loose Goose Wine Festival's organizer, claiming he has not been paid for helping create one of Santa Clarita's signature annual events.

Santa Clarita taps into a change

State and city legislators have seen the future of water, and the future feels soft. Standing on the dry west bank of San Francisquito Creek a few weeks ago, Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar and Sen. George Runner, witnessed a way of turning hard water into soft water that promises to revolutionize water softening. Since September, about 400 Copper Hill Drive area residents have turned on their taps to get soft, clean drinking water, ending ...

The hard case for soft water

A groundbreaking water experiment is flowing through pipes under Santa Clarita Valley. The Valencia Water Company is supplying 1.2 million gallons of pre-softened water to about 400 Copperhill residents. The experiment, called the Groundwater Softening Demonstration Project, is the first of its kind in the country. If it works - and it seems to be doing well, according to users - the process promises to revolutionize the way water is delivered to the community and ...

I-5 project year late, over budget

Delayed by unexpected digging problems and running more than $6 million over budget, major road upgrades near Six Flags Magic Mountain are proving far from magical for city of Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County administrators who now hope to have the entire project completed by the end of 2009.

Man shot in broad daylight

A passenger sitting in a pickup truck waiting for the light to change at a busy Newhall intersection Friday suddenly found himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with an armed robber.

Giving, and giving thanks

Here's how the whole Thanksgiving Day thing works: You give. It's that simple, says the man who runs a bicycle shop in Newhall and who, once a year, feeds as many people as he can. "Matthew 25:35 tells you what to do," Roger Hasper said between hugs given by men and women, old people and children, who stopped to thank him personally. "I'm not a smart man. I just know how to take directions," he ...

Hearing due to begin Monday in Sand Canyon street racing case

A preliminary hearing is expected to get under way Monday for two men described as street racers charged with murder in a fatal crash that killed a friend, a court clerk said Thursday.

Wind will die down but temps to rise

Winds are expected to ease off in the Santa Clarita Valley today following a day of high winds that caused some damage.

Granada Hills man sentenced in local forgery attempt

A 52-year-old Granada Hills man charged with trying to cash a forged check at a Valencia bank in January is now serving a three-year sentence.

SCV deputies chase down, capture burglary suspect

Jumping over fences, Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's deputies chased down and captured a burglary suspect Wednesday in Canyon Country.

Former SCV family mourns murdered mother

The children of a former Valencia High School educator shot and killed in Woodland Hills on Valentine's Day are struggling with "the worst thing" imaginable as they make funeral arrangements for their mother.

Pilot’s license suspended twice in past 10 years

A veteran Hollywood stunt helicopter pilot killed in a chopper crash in Acton earlier this month had his flying license suspended twice in the last 10 years, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said Tuesday.

Local educator found slain on Valentine's Day

A former Valencia High School educator was shot and killed in Woodland Hills on Valentine's Day and her daughter arrested in Oregon eight hours after the body was discovered, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Helmet saves a life