Calif. GOP shakeup bodes ill for $42B budget plan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Chances of a quick resolution to California's budget stalemate appeared to fade Wednesday after Senate Republican holdouts ousted their leader in a midnight coup and promised to resist tax increases that GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says are needed to close a $42 billion deficit. The Democrat-controlled Legislature appears to need just one more GOP vote in the Senate to reach the two-thirds majority it needs to get the budget to the ...

Text of letter from VIA to City of Santa Clarita regarding Housing and Circulation plan

The following is the text of a letter sent by the Valley Industrial Association to the City of Santa Clarita:

Calif. Senate reconvenes in bid to fix budget

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California Democrats renewed their push Wednesday to secure the single vote needed to pass a plan to fix the state's $42 billion budget deficit after another all-night session failed to break a partisan log jam. The Senate was called back into session during the morning after the delicate compromise proposal crafted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders suffered a setback when Senate Republicans ousted their own leader over opposition to ...

Highway 14 road sign to be changed from San Fernando Road to Newhall Avenue

State Route/Highway 14 freeway exit signs for San Fernando Road were to be changed today to "Newhall Avenue," completing the street name transition that began in 2005 with the adoption of the Downtown Newhall General Plan.

Caltrans details state route, freeway closures for Amgen cycle race

LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Rolling lane closures will be in effect on various state routes and freeways from Sunday, February 15 through Sunday, February 22 for the Amgen Tour of California multi-day professional bicycle race from San Francisco to Pasadena. Stage 7 of the race will take place Saturday, February 21, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. from the Westfield Valencia Town Center mall in Santa Clarita to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Cal Grant application deadline is March 2

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Feb. 17, 2009 (PRNewswire-USNewswire) -- The California Student Aid Commission (Commission) announces its "Countdown to Cal Grants" final push to encourage and remind students to apply for Cal Grants and other financial aid for education beyond high school. "Cal Grants provide access for students who want to pursue their college, career or technical training, said the Commission's Executive Director, Diana Fuentes-Michel. It is important that students opt-in to pursue their college and career ...

Newhall Community Center to Host Dinner and Award Ceremony for Volunteers

WHO: Santa Clarita Mayor Frank Ferry, City Manager Ken Pulskamp, City Officials and Council Members, Parks and Recreation and Community Services Commission.

Canyon Country Little League rededicates field Saturday

Canyon Country Little League renames its playing field Saturday in honor of longtime supporters Sheldon and Janella Wigdor, who will throw out the first pitch after dedication ceremonies.

Smyth launches new Web site

Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, announced the launch of his new Web site, which can be found at www.assembly.ca.gov/smyth.

Bowl-a-thon for Pleasantview at Valencia Lanes

Pleasantview Industries hosts its 10th Annual No-tap Tournament and Fundraiser Saturday at the Valencia Lanes.

Calif. GOP oust leader amid strained budget talks

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A delicate budget fix crafted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders was on the brink of collapse early Wednesday after Republicans in the Senate ousted their leader.

SCV Historical Society to host St. Francis Dam tour

The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society will host a tour of the site of the St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon March 15 as a fundraiser.

Thanks for the balanced reporting

I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Signal for providing an article regarding the creation/evolution seminar at The Masters College Feb. 21. It is refreshing to see a newspaper report on such things.

The Republican Twist

Have you ever seen the Republicans more twisted than they are today? I've been hard pressed to find greater examples of insanity from the far Right than have been exhibited in the past week. Here we have a Republican Pparty that's been discredited and bloodied, and yet in the face of an enormously popular president who is confounding conventional wisdom while building a working consensus among American voters, the Republicans appear to be reflexively coughing ...

Hart dancers take 13 awards

The Hart High dance team is a tightly knit, dedicated group of dancers whose rhythmic movements act as a force to be reckoned with in the competitive dance arena.

Bieber's car hits photographer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Video shows Justin Bieber running into a photographer with his white Ferrari in Hollywood, but police say there was no crime and the injuries aren't life-threatening.

Serial murder suspect delivers opening remarks

SAN RAFAEL (AP) - Serial murder suspect Joseph Naso delivered an hours-long personal history Monday replete with childhood photos, as he launched his defense, denied the decades-old slayings of four women and claimed he is not the "monster" prosecutors have made him out to be.

Obama: NSA secret data gathering 'transparent'

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama defended top secret National Security Agency spying programs as legal in a lengthy interview Monday, and called them transparent - even though they are authorized in secret.

N. Calif. wildfire brings evacuation of 150 homes

MARIPOSA (AP) - A wind-whipped wildfire near the main route into Yosemite National Park in the Sierra foothills forced the evacuation of at least 150 houses Monday and was threatening more, state fire officials said.

Will Durst: Your ever-vigilant friends at the NSA

Dear U.S. Citizen,

Charlie Vignola: Giving up freedom and privacy for security

Two weeks have gone by since Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old computer tech working as an NSA contractor, leaked information about classified government information to the press, effectively exposing top secret programs designed to combat terrorism and save American lives.

John Rosemond: Living with Children

If my parents told me once, they told me at least one hundred times, "Don't talk to anyone about their religious or political beliefs." They meant, of course, that those topics are likely to generate tension and angry conflict. As such, they were not the stuff of polite social conversation. Notwithstanding the fact that I find religion and politics to be the two most interesting of all conversational topics, a third caution should be added ...

4 Saugus board members’ behavior professional during censure meeting

Where’s our raises, City Council?

I have lived in Santa Clarita since 1963, paying my taxes, gas bills, etc. myself. I and many others are on Social Security.

Sexual Assaults in the Military

The Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating an alarming Pentagon survey which revealed over 26,000 sexual assaults in our military ranks last year.

UPDATE: Suspected wrong-way driver arrested after multiple-car pileup on 14

By Signal Staff

Bruins beat Blackhawks 2-0, lead Cup finals 2-1

BOSTON (AP) - Tuukka Rask shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night and got enough help from the Bruins' offense to do it without another exhausting overtime.

Man arrested a month ago awaiting arraignment

A man charged with murder in an Acton shooting has yet to be arraigned and no prosecutor has been assigned to the case a month after his arrest, a court official said Monday.

Winkler residency expected to be addressed Tuesday night

The issue of censured school board member Stephen Winkler's legal residency is expected be debated at the Saugus Union School District meeting Tuesday night. Some expect the board to fire him by declaring his seat vacant.

Two COC Cougars to compete at U.S. Junior Track and Field Championships

A pair of College of the Canyons freshmen, Tim White and Anthony Fowler, are headed to the U.S. Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships this week in Des Moines, Iowa.