Maureen Stephenson: Handle potential billing snafus face-to-face

An entrepreneur called me the other day for some brainstorming. It seems that he discovered his company had been billing a client half of what he should have been billed. This client had been difficult in the past and the entrepreneur wasn't looking forward to dealing with him. He knew he had to do something though, and his partner felt it had to be done in a face-to-face meeting with the client. They felt the ...

Pathetic reporting

I feel compelled to write this letter regarding the "Tossed paper causes incident at Canyon" article (April 1).

Paper-tossing exaggerated

I believe that this article ("Tossed paper causes incident at Canyon," published April 1) is way overblown.

Article raises questions

Brian Charles' front page article (April 1) regarding the "tossed paper controversy" at Canyon High School raises more questions than the incident itself.

Teacher accused

In a front page article on April 1, ("Tossed paper causes incident at Canyon") Signal Staff Writer Brian Charles has wrongly convicted teacher Michael Motherspaw by grossly misrepresenting a Canyon High classroom incident without researching or representing the facts.

Tossed paper story lopsided

Regarding the "Tossed paper causes incident at Canyon" story in The Signal April 1: This is just one more example of the parenting-induced and encouraged hypersensitivity to even the least of the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

Paper story biased

Editor's note: The following letter was addressed to Signal Publisher Ian Lamont. I am sending this correspondence to you in order to express my grave concerns regarding the story that was printed by The Signal on April 1, 2009. The article to which I am referring was composed by Signal Staff Writer Brian Charles regarding the incident between a Canyon High School teacher and a student. Let me initiate this letter by stating that ...

Reader Meter results, April 3-10, 2009

The-Signal.com visitors cast a total of 232 votes from late afternoon Friday, April 3 to late afternoon, Friday, April 10, 2009.

What's good in education, April 10, 2009

Sequoia Students Visit School's Namesakes Sequoia Charter School junior high students embraced their namesake and took a trip to the Sequoia National Forest. Most of the students in the class had never seen a mighty Sequoia and did not have an understanding of the majesty of its size. Following the trip, the students engaged in a study of forest life and completed an English essay analyzing the imagery of the Sequoia tree and how it ...

‘Dancing with Our Stars’ aids nonprofits

"Dancing with Our Stars," a Santa Clarita ballroom dance competition inspired by the TV show "Dancing with the Stars," is set for Saturday, April 18 at the Hyatt Valencia.

Sylmar man busted with drugs

Sheriff's deputies who stopped to help a motorist with a smoking car soon found themselves arresting the driver, a Sylmar man, for possession of methamphetamines.

Two Women on Wine: Hand-selected wines are only the beginning

You can tell a great deal about a wine store from the labels it carries. Some stores strive to carry big name brands that consumers easily recognize, while others embrace the challenge of stocking their racks with lesser-known labels. In a store devoted exclusively to wine and wine accessories, you are more likely to discover lesser-known boutique wines that don't enjoy the benefit of large marketing budgets and advertising dollars to promote them. Instead, these ...

Review: 'Observe and Report'

The most charitable thing we can say about the otherwise insufferable "Observe and Report" is that it shows Seth Rogen has some range.

Review: 'Hannah Montana'

"Hannah Montana: The Movie" just shouldn't be analyzed from an adult perspective - which, frankly, is irrelevant. The big-screen version of the Disney TV series is not made for us - it's made for girls aged 6-14 and no one else - and so we must consider how they're going to respond to it. Now, this will come as no surprise at all: They're gonna love it. And it makes sense, really. If you were ...

The Signal.com's Daybreak: April 10, 2009

Hello, Santa Clarita Valley! Welcome to The-Signal.com's Daybreak, your point of entry for the day, and a quick journey through the past, present and future. Let the adventure begin:

Midwest braces for more storms

SHAWNEE, Okla. (AP) - When Lindsay Carter heard on the radio that a violent storm was approaching her rural Oklahoma neighborhood, she gathered her belongings and fled. When she returned, there was little left.

Small Fla. city wonders who won Powerball jackpot

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (AP) - Some lucky person walked into a Publix supermarket in suburban Florida over the past few days and bought a ticket now worth an estimated $590.5 million - the highest Powerball jackpot in history.

10 Things to Know for Monday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

Obama exhorts good deeds by Morehouse graduates

ATLANTA (AP) - President Barack Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, on Sunday told graduates of historically black Morehouse College to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people's lives.

Tornadoes level homes in Okla., 21 injured

SHAWNEE, Okla. (AP) - One of several tornadoes that touched down Sunday in Oklahoma turned homes in a trailer park near Oklahoma City into splinters and rubble and sent frightened residents along a 100-mile corridor scurrying for shelter.

Rebates benefit buyers and the local economy

Rebates are available to Santa Clarita Valley residents this spring on high-efficiency washing machines and electric-powered lawnmowers under deals offered through government agencies.

Santa Clarita City Council weighs in on state legislation

Santa Clarita City Council members have heartily endorsed the Boxer-Feinstein bill to block the proposed open-pit sand and gravel mine in Canyon Country but turned thumbs-down to a bill that would open up public spaces to use by the homeless at any time.

At least seven injured in two crashes on Highway 14

Two multi-car crashes involving five vehicles injured at least seven people and caused a backup on the northbound Highway 14.

Greening's goal in 2nd OT lifts Sens over Pens

OTTAWA (AP) - Colin Greening scored 7:39 into double overtime, and the Ottawa Senators rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins that cut their series deficit to 2-1 on Sunday night.

AP CEO calls records seizure unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (AP) - The president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on Sunday called the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records "unconstitutional" and said the news cooperative had not ruled out legal action against the Justice Department.

Angels' Vargas goes 7 scoreless against Chisox

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Jason Vargas kept throwing strikes and catcher Chris Iannetta kept taking his walks - a winning formula for the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Braves rally with 4-run 8th to sweep Dodgers

ATLANTA (AP) - Ramiro Pena got a fierce wakeup call with the bases loaded and the scored tied in the eighth inning.

College of the Canyons football adapting to slew of changes

COC Insider: Cougars close season with two state titles

Tornadoes hit Kansas and Oklahoma; no injuries reported

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) - A powerful storm system rumbled through the Plains and upper Midwest on Sunday, spawning tornadoes that damaged homes and buildings near Oklahoma City and put the Tulsa area on high-alert.