Archive By Section - Columnists
Annual Cowboy Festival rides into Santa Clarita Valley
Since 1994, the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival has been recognized as one of the best in the West, taking visitors back in time and bringing to life the music, magic, and spirit of the Old West. The city of Santa Clarita encourages folks of all ages to come and enjoy the sights, sounds, and original cuisine of the 2008 Cowboy Festival. The main festival is set to run Saturday, April 26, through Sunday, April 27, ...
Are you ready to cowboy up?
SCV Scene The best time of the year is here. The Cowboy Festival at Melody Ranch in Placerita Canyon rides into town next weekend. Great food, great music, great fun and a chance to walk the historic streets of the Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio where many famous Western films and television shows were made ("The Lone Ranger," "Gunsmoke," "Hopalong Cassidy" and many others). Visit www.cowboyfestival.org for schedules and ticket information. Santa Clarita Symphony For ...
Our water supply 'portfolio'
If you're an investor with a diversified portfolio, there's a pretty good chance you have greater peace of mind during an economic downturn than you would if all of your financial eggs were in the same basket. That simple philosophy - diversification - can save you money and headaches over the long run.
Supreme Court's decision means justice for victims
This week's Supreme Court decision upholding lethal injection as a legitimate method for execution is a watershed moment. The justices voted 7-2 on a Kentucky death row inmate's claim that three-ingredient lethal injection amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. The High Court rejected that argument with authority; the decision wasn't even close. This clears the way to lift the unofficial moratorium on executions.
The politics of race
When I encounter writer's block, I often go over to my Uncle Earl's. Earl is an eccentric combination of Texas Two-Stepper, Bible Belt Bully, Illinois Intellectual, and California Conservative. He's loud-mouthed, opinionated and crude, but often right. He tends to say the things I want to say but cannot. So I enjoy my visits with Uncle Earl since he fills my steno pad with column ideas. On my latest visit, I asked Earl about Barack ...
Thinking green for Earth Day
My 4-year-old son is very excited about Earth Day on Tuesday. Yup, Earth Day, the annual celebration of our planet during which Americans promote awareness and appreciation for the environment. My wife and I told our boy about Earth Day, and he seems more excited about cleaning up beaches and recycling than he's been about opening presents on Christmas morning or trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
The ethics of water ownership
In 2003 a Superior Court judge ruled for Newhall Land, now Lennar Corporation, thus allowing the Newhall Ranch Specific Plan. He made this ruling based on the assertion that the developer had purchased water from elsewhere in the state to supply these housing units and that together with the ground water used for farming, there would be a sufficient supply to serve this 21,000-unit proposal.
In Iraq, it's all about oil
Many believe we have had a successful surge in Iraq. But few if any troops are coming home to stay. Instead, rotation from home to Iraq has been bounced from 12 months to 15 months, depending on whether you like Gen. Petraeus or the president. Could it be that we don't plan, for covert reasons, to have our armed forces permanently leave Iraq in numbers any time soon? And it may have nothing to do ...
Kudos in Canyon Country
Once a year, I write an op-ed piece about the area of Canyon Country. Specifically, I provide a "to-do" list, and I applaud the city for making improvements and taking action.
Springtime for politicos
Is this a great year, or what? It is only April and I have already voted in two elections, the presidential primary in February and local City Council race last week. And because this is the best election year ever, we get to vote two more times before it is over.
Who pays for litigation?
Rarely will you ever hear an attorney complain about the increasing number of frivolous lawsuits being filed by plaintiffs across this state. After all, as a defense attorney, these lawsuits help to pay my mortgage, my car payments and eventually will finance college for my three girls and hopefully a comfortable retirement.
Disaster doesn't wait — in Santa Clarita, prepare for 2008
Finding yourself in the center of either a natural disaster or an emergency of some sort can be a trying experience. These disasters and emergencies never call us to schedule a visit, or send an e-invite to let us know ahead of time what is planned, but instead they happen without warning. This can lead to much more chaos than necessary if we are unprepared for the unexpected emergency.
Crunch affects more than schools
hen my family moved from Tennessee to California, more than loved ones were left behind. My uncle, a Vanderbilt alum, parted with his corporate expense account and corner-office salary. My aunt, a master's-degree graduate from the National Institutes of Health, left behind the leverage of a upwardly mobile medical career.
Why does city have so much on its plate?
Some weeks ago, while I was moderating a forum for the finest field of City Council candidates who have ever offered themselves for election, I asked the question that the sponsors had told the candidates I was bound to ask: "How do you feel about major county reform, which might mean splitting up the county?"
SCV scene
Picture-perfect day hosts Vine to Wine The annual Vine to Wine fundraiser for the Betty Ferguson Foundation was a delightful affair with wonderful food and wine. The Bridgeport Clubhouse is a spectacular location and it was a perfect day for the event. This year's weather more than made up for last year's blustery conditions. Seen at the event were: Michael and Denise Hause, Pam Ingram, Tora Brown, Dora Zavala, Bob Kellar and Kathy Keysor Smith, ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Danny Tyree: Is the free ride over?
es, I dutifully affix my copyright notice to my column each week, and I've been known to notify the syndicate of suspected unauthorized use; but I haven't gotten anywhere near as persnickety (or creepy) as the entertainment industry.
Rick Jensen: Obama sequester two-step
Watching from the cheap seats, Obama's "Sequester Two-Step" is quite entertaining. While not nearly as graceful as Charles Durning's classic political footplay in "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," only fellow Democrat Bob Menendez puts in a better performance of the beleaguered innocent these days.
Kevin Korenthal: The politics of pain
I am often stunned when I hear people, some of them friends, confess that they do not follow politics.
Cher Gilmore: Just say no to Keystone XL tar sands pipeline
More than 50,000 people traveled to Washington, D.C., from as far away as California on Feb. 17 to demand that President Obama block the Keystone XL pipeline and move forward on climate action.
Phil Kerpen: Government spending hurts people
We should not accept the statist premise that most government spending helps people.
Tom Purcell: Are humans getting dumber?
The report said people are getting dumber - at least I think that's what it said, but the big words kept throwing me off."
Diana West: Setting the record straight on Joe McCarthy
Freshman Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is just the latest in a long series of public figures to be reviled for "McCarthyism" following his recent questioning of Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee for secretary of defense.
Joe Guzzardi: Obama pushes amnesty
After President Obama left for a three-day Florida golf vacation that included a round with Tiger Woods, the White House announced his latest immigration plan.
SCV Voices: From SignalSCV.com
Editor's note: On last Tuesday's Kevin Buck column "Straw men live in glass houses," one poster on SignalSCV.com asked the question, "In your opinion, what are the five biggest problems America faces right now?" Here are some responses from his fellow posters.
David Hegg: What makes right, right?
I recently met a man who was the epitome of post-modern thought in that he did not believe in absolute truth.
Tim Myers: No money, no county
I love history. I plan to purchase the Blu-Ray of the recent film "Lincoln" and rewatch certain key scenes 100 times in a row, unapologetically.
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
In Santa Clarita, the arts influence our community's quality of life. Without even realizing it, the arts act as an economic driver - creating and supporting jobs, generating revenue and serving as a cornerstone of the tourism industry.
Steven and Cokie Roberts: Voting reform
"Obama's proposed voting commission under partisan fire from both sides."
Alice Khosravy: California is at bottom for business
Just a few short days ago the lanterns fell, bringing an end to Chinese New Year season for 2013.
Joe Gandelman: America’s poop deck politics
It's the ultimate stomach turner: how Carnival's 893-foot-long cruise ship Triumph, along with its 4,200 passengers, was stranded due to a fuel engine leak for five days with no food, little water and few working bathrooms.
