The-Signal.com's Daybreak: Jan. 17, 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: First Word

Robert Lamoureux: Don’t take shortcuts with contractor’s insurance

Hello Robert, I represent an HOA and we have received a few bids from different contractors. The prices are night and day. One contractor is more along the lines of what we want to spend but does not have HOA insurance. Our question would be, is this something we should be concerned with? Thank you. Mary B. Hello Mary, Yes. This should be one of your primary concerns. When it comes to HOA properties, never ...

Canyon Country Advisory Committee meeting Jan. 21

The first Canyon Country Advisory Committee meeting of 2009 will be held Wednesday, Jan. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the George A. Caravalho Activity Center Banquet Room, 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway,

McGrath Project rocks Roast House tonight

The McGrath Project will perform tonight at the Roast House from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The line up will include Gary McGrath (vocal, guitars) Tim Bogert (bass guitars), Dean Minnerly (piano and keys) and Mike Dupke (drums and percussion).

McKeon Statement on Passage of SCHIP

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following Wednesday's House passage of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) made the following statement: "While thousands of our poorest children in America remain without health coverage, Democrats passed legislation that circumvents the issue and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program to include higher-income children and a growing number of adults. "I have supported the SCHIP program since its ...

City invites residents to participate in commuter parking meeting Saturday

Santa Clarita's Transit Division is inviting residents to a public participation meeting on commuter parking on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. at City Hall.

Newhall Redevelopment Committee Seeking New Members

The City of Santa Clarita is encouraging community members 18 years of age or older to apply for one of seven available positions on the Newhall Redevelopment Committee.

'Horizon Line' compassion play shows adolescents importance of cultural learning

The City of Santa Clarita is presenting the final live performance for A Season of Diversity, bringing the 2008-2009 program near to its close.

Antonovich calls for nursing home grading system

LOS ANGELES COUNTY - To ensure the health and well-being of the county's senior population, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich to encourage the Governor and State Health officials to require nursing homes to display publically their five-star rating issued by the Federal Government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

City invites community volunteers to participate in 2009 AT&T Champions Golf Classic

The City of Santa Clarita is looking for volunteers to participate in the 2009 AT&T Champions Golf Classic at the Valencia Country Club from March 9-15.

City to host 2009 Job Fair

The City of Santa Clarita is hosting a job fair for summer, part-time and seasonal employees Saturday, Jan. 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center.

Fire danger flares up again

Tie your mother, brother and all others down -- Santa Ana winds blow through the Santa Clarita Valley again today and into the early evening.

City seeks more Youth Grove names

The city of Santa Clarita's Blue Ribbon Task Force is currently accepting names to be placed in the city's Youth Grove Memorial in Central Park. The deadline for submissions is Monday, Feb. 9, 2009.

Start off the New Year with a polite pen to all

Do you have a checklist of the people who deserve a thank-you note from you for holiday gifts? Whether you'll be writing notes of cheer and happy thanks, or some more serious correspondence like condolences, apologies or "Dear Johns," you can put words together with a polite pen that make your communication a positive experience.

O Yi of Little Faith

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."

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.

Tejay van Garderen wins Tour of California

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Always close to the front but never first at the end, Tejay van Garderen would often wear himself out wondering if he could swap the white jersey that goes to the best young rider for the yellow one that goes to the winner.

Officer shot in Marathon showdown wants to work

BOSTON (AP) - With a bullet still in his body, the police officer who survived a showdown with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects said Sunday he's determined to return to duty.

UPDATE: Shooting victim identified

Officials with the County Coroner's office have identified the Canyon Country man shot and killed Thursday as 53-year-old Juan Mejia.

OJ Simpson lawyers say he is closer to freedom

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defense team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison.

Tip leads to the arrest of a Canyon County man sought in shooting

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station deputies arrested a man who allegedly shot his father in the head late Thursday night in Canyon Country thanks to a tip supplied by a citizen, a sheriff's spokesman said.

'Trek' does $70.6M but falls short of studio hopes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Star Trek: Into Darkness" has warped its way to a $70.6 million domestic launch from Friday to Sunday, though it's not setting any light-speed records with a debut that's lower than the studio's expectations.

Tea party looks to take advantage of moment

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Is the tea party getting its groove back? Shouts of vindication from around the country suggest the movement's leaders certainly think so.

2 Calif. Powerball tickets have five of six numbers

SAN JOSE (AP) - California Lottery officials say two Powerball tickets sold in California have five of the six winning numbers. Officials say those tickets win $1 million each.

Fate of LA pot shops left to voters

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles politicians have struggled for more than five years to regulate medical marijuana, trying to balance the needs of the sick against neighborhood concerns that pot shops attract crime.

David Hegg: Of progress and purpose

There is no debate that time marches on. The sun rises, shines, and sets, and then does it all over again, day after day. And each day we encounter the unknown components of a whole new 24-hour set of life experience.