The state of the race they’re in

I have written that this national election is one of the most historic and important in modern history, and that is still true. However, recent events have conspired to turn this presidential campaign into either farce or tragedy.

GOP needs more Stricklands and Smyths

"Show me a young conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."

Renewable energy: The foundation for a new, better economy

As many families across the state know first hand, our economy is in crisis. Households are increasingly finding it hard to make ends meet with spikes in the price of gas ticking $5 a gallon, grocery bills that are taking up more and more of the family budget, home prices that are dropping, and the mortgage crunch affecting us all.

The smart, humble guy: Cameron Smyth

Why did I not support a Republican candidate for president in 2008? Anyone with a fully functioning brain would conclude we needed to turn away from eight years of "Bushenfreude." (Sorry, Sen. McCain.) Why did I not support Hillary Clinton? Simple. From earliest days she and/or her handlers based their primary campaign not on any enthusiasm for the actual candidate but a kind of Mafioso-type thuggery of complete arrogance: "I deserve this so get on ...

John Boston: On dirt clods and an Acton bullet

"The world is dying from a lack of love." - Barbara Mary Muhl Bullies form us. It ought not to be so. It is. In a seeming universe away this week, 10 gunmen inflicted their sick will on the ancient jewel once known as Bombay. At last count, 171 were murdered in Mumbai, India, some 300 more injured. At home, our outlying friends in Acton are famous for nearly becoming the state capital. Today, the ...

Let's join the chorus: Approve Sunrise

There is a groundswell of support up and down California for an electric transmission project that promises to move the state toward greater reliance on renewable, "green" energy.

Myths vs. facts: Hasley Canyon Private School

I am an educator. My intent in founding Monticello Preparatory School has been to provide an alternative quality education for the students and families of a community that I have come to admire and love.

Mayor will host town hall meetings

Providing a wide variety of avenues for residents to communicate with their city has long been a hallmark of Santa Clarita.

Where was Buck during the economic meltdown?

Historians certainly like to second-guess the bad thing. The most frequent example revolves around avoiding World War II by subverting the rise of Adolf Hitler.

A cool, helping hand for kids

In 2004, when I made my first trip to the Painted Turtle Camp in Lake Hughes, I knew I was in for something special.

The best meal I’ve ever eaten

I'm glad to feel the taste of fall in the air. It would be nice if the weather stayed this mild!

Photos with Santa a year-round gift for pets

Each year around this time I devote a column to the Santa Clarita Chapter of Pet Assistance Foundation. I do it because I love dogs (and other pets), and I wholly support the good work that Pet Assistance does, including its seasonal tradition of more than 15 years, Pet Photos with Santa. I hope that you'll embrace that cause as well.

The passing of a school board legend

Board rooms were never dull or lifeless when John Hassel was in the room. His sharp wit and unconventional levity would bring even the most heated discussion to its knees as tensions took a momentary pause to consider the wisdom of his remarks. More than the occasional one-liners and well-timed zingers, John brought a large dose of sense and sensibility to every school-centered discussion. Above all else, John Hassel was an advocate for students and ...

I say we let the Big Three go belly up

"Lord Mr. Ford, I just wish that you could see What your simple horseless carriage has become Well, it seems your contribution to man To say the least, got a little out of hand." - Jerry Reed, 1973 When the silver-tongued Jerry Reed sang these words 35 years ago, little did he realize how prophetic they would be. With the U.S. economy in a downward spiral and people not buying big cars, the Big Three ...

Honey, listen. I didn’t sleep with Jessica Alba

I've noticed something. Men are different than women. Bow. Smile wanly. Bow some more. Wave. Thank you. I now will accept my Nobel Prize for being a Brain Scientist.

Laurene Weste: Live from City Hall

One of the hallmarks of our city is its commitment to sustainability, state-of-the-art recycling and diversion programs, and community support to work together for the environment.

Tim Myers: A lesson in the industry of self preservation

I would commend to anyone with an ironic sense of humor the cable TV series "Portlandia," from the minds of Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live and Carrie Brownstein of indie music fame.

Helen Harwood: SCV Voices

I do wish sometimes that some of your regular contributors to The Signal's Letters to the Editor would spend less time writing unsubstantiated clichés and more time reading up on economics.

Danny Tyree: Candy capitulation: say it ain’t so!

According to ABC News, you should probably get ready for a take-no-prisoners "This is your brain on nougat" campaign.

Byron York: Has Obama overplayed his hand in sequester?

Nine months ago, Barack Obama likened his Republican opposition to an illness. If he could just defeat Mitt Romney, Obama said, then the illness might subside. "I believe that if we're successful in this election - when we're successful in this election - that the fever may break," Obama told a fundraiser in Minneapolis last June.

Tammy Messina: Defending the Second Amendment

Most of us have never had to fight for our freedom. We don't even know what that looks like. In our lifetime, we've always had the right to say what we want and do what we want, as long as we operate inside the law. Many of those who've emigrated from other countries do know what it's like to live without those freedoms and how precious they are once obtained.

Joe Gandelman: Political gridlock

An old vaudeville joke went like this: "Do I look like an idiot? Do I look like a jerk who doesn't know what's going on? Do you think I'm dumb? Don't answer that!"

Kevin Bayona: Is the red menace back?

We don't hear much from Russia these days, but rest assured the Russian Federation is on the move across Eurasia and the world as its pugnacious leader, Vladimir Putin, vies to return Russia to the glory days of the Soviet Union.

Gary Horton: Incompetent staff make it a bad cruise

Cruise ships have become popular vacation scenes over the past decade. A chance to leisurely enjoy freedom of the open seas as ship's staff cater to whims and needs!

Tom Purcell: My parents school the Senate

"All right," said my mother, standing before the members of the U.S. Senate, "it's time for you to get your act together."

Jonathan Kraut: Heroes or vicitms?

I am having a problem with associating the term "hero" with every law-enforcement officer and government employee who has been harmed or died on duty.

Steve Lunetta: Obama's folly

The irony is astounding. The sequestration plan that appears to be a machination by President Obama's White House is now coming back to haunt him big time.

Donna Brazile: Right to vote isn't a racial entitlement

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Shelby County v. Holder - a challenge to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically Section 5, which requires states and localities with a history of voting discrimination against racial and language minorities to get "pre-approved" by the federal government before changing how elections are conducted or voters are registered.

David Hegg: Choosing Chastity

I may be asked to turn in my man card for this, but here goes. On a getaway for my wife's birthday, I joined her to watch an episode of The Bachelor.

Tim Myers: Does election date change help incumbents?