Archive By Section - Columnists
The Pulskamp who stole Christmas
The darndest things oft find their way into my wicked fingers. The other day, a friend mailed me a copy of the Burrtec News.
Wilderness Bill moves forward
The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act has received wide bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
Improving academic performance and environment
It was one of those moments we educators thrive upon - receipt of test scores that placed our students at the top of the heap in a state that bears a reputation for underachievement in education.
Credit where credit is due: Hart district compares well
The Signal recently reported on the Academic Performance Index results for the William S. Hart District and elementary school districts in the Santa Clarita Valley, so it's time to once again tear into the numbers to see what really happened and how the Hart district stacks up against other suburban high school districts in Southern California.
New club in town
Welcome to Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Welcome to the new members of the Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Santa Clarita Valley/Antelope Valley chapter. I was thrilled to attend the elegant installation ceremony held last weekend at the Hyatt Valencia. Kudos to the club which, after more than a year in the making, graduated from provisional to full chapter status. The ladies were brilliantly attired in all white, from their shoes to their ...
Uncle Earl’s view on the election
My Uncle Earl has voted for every Republican since Barry Goldwater in '64. To say Earl is little right wing is akin to saying that Chuck Norris has a slightly hard edge. Earl was very upset about the election. From the last phone call with him, I could tell that a couple of hours venting was all he needed to get back to his regular old crusty self. Dutiful nephew that I am, I paid ...
Palin: the chink in the Dems’ armor
We are renovating our house. Any of you who have lived through this experience know what a horrible thing this is. What was once a nice, comfortable retreat from daily struggles is now a nightmare of dust, debris, and detritus.
Is a water monopoly a good thing?
Recently, Castaic Lake Water Agency has begun promoting itself to become a water monopoly in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Inclusionary housing the way to go
Affordable housing is quite the buzzword these days. From the city's rush to approve a new housing element that meets state law in this area, to a developer in the county who used that law to push through a senior project in a high-fire-hazard zone, and Valencia Industrial Association's luncheon meeting on the subject, it seems that this problem has somehow just come to everyone's attention. As of 2008 there are 80,000 dwelling units in ...
Schools remember, honor 9/11
The thousand of lost lives and heartbreak from the 9/11 tragedy are something students and teachers in the Santa Clarita Valley will always remember.
We should not 'stay the course'
Bush's recent speech to the G20 was mostly a plea to stay the course and avoid the temptation of too much government intervention in the economy.
Pick the smartest guy at the BBQ
Oh, boy. Monday's stock market crash signaled a resounding kiss goodbye to the Great Lipstick Debate. The worst day in finance since 9-11. A 500-point crash on top of a real estate and mortgage meltdown of epic and unprecedented proportions.
Reflection on the election
This presidential election is one for the history books. Around-the-clock political analyzing and second-guessing had as its downsize the tendency for pundits to misconstrue or blow out of proportion every word, gesture, deed, acquaintance and faux pas of politicians. Whether the commentators appear malicious or simply attention-grabbing, the influence of the news organizations played a pivotal role in America's democratic journey.
Don’t let them fool you with their lies
With less than two months until the election, I believe we are on the verge of some significant and very-much-needed change.
Spending cuts and tax increases
Well, here we go again with another version of the Sacramento budget crisis. Californians were given a heads-up that the state is in deep trouble when, on Oct. 2, the governor sent a letter to the House of Representatives on the eve of the vote regarding the bailout of financial institutions. Schwarzenegger wrote: "Absent a clear resolution to this financial crisis that restores confidence and liquidity to the credit markets, California and other states may ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Tina Dupuy: The Theory of Relative Laziness
My working theory - you could call it a philosophy, or a freestanding reason of how the world works - is what I call the Theory of Relative Laziness.
Charlie Vignola: America worried about the wrong things
America has always had a propensity to whip itself into a frenzy about the wrong things, but seldom has it been so clear as it has been the last few weeks, particularly in the wake of the Boston Marathon Bombings.
Danny Tyree: R.I.P. George Jones
Editor's note: The following column ran in 2006 marking the 75th birthday of George Jones. The longtime country singer died Friday at age 81 and will be remembered at a public memorial Thursday at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
David Hegg: The need for adversity
We're all familiar with the old saying "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." It is often used to remind us that most really important things in life come with adversity built in.
Donna Brazile: Accountability needed
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, lawmakers are demanding answers from the FBI. They want answers not only about the Tsarnaev brothers - Did they act alone? Why did the do it? - but also about our security and intelligence operations.
Timothy Myers: Gearing up for a chloride war
One of my favorite tales of Santa Clarita political lore involves former Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, and I happen to know that it actually occurred.
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
With more than 1,100 businesses small and large, the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce represents tens of thousands of local jobs and employees and is Santa Clarita's premier business membership organization.
Phil Kerpen: Obama’s FAA harm offensive
If sequestration happens and nobody feels it, does it have a political impact?
Kathryn Lopez: Real questions in evil's wake
Martin Richard's life ended as he waited at the Boston Marathon finish line on a local holiday. He was there to celebrate his dad's victory with his family.
Tom Purcell: Fighting for the America we want it to be
I listened to a Frank Sinatra tune this week - "The House I Live In" - and enjoyed a renewed desire to fight on.
Joe Gandelman: Was Twitter for the birds?
When James French became the last person to be executed in 1966 under Oklahoma's death penalty law, he uttered these famous last words (no joke) that quickly belong to the ages: "Hey fellas," he shouted to reporters there to witness his electrocution. "How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French Fries!'"
Dick Polman: Bombing is lame excuse to halt immigration reform
Conservatives have been desperately trying to halt the bipartisan momentum for path-to-citizenship immigration reform, and, thanks to the Boston bombing, they think they've finally found the perfect (phony) argument: Fear of foreign terrorism.
Gary Horton: Lobbyists are at the root of our violent culture
After the Brothers Tsarnaev blew their lids and went on their Boston pressure-cooker bombing spree, it wasn't surprising that sooner or later unregistered, illegally obtained guns and rifles would show up in the bloody mix.
The Village Idiot: Plan the marriage first, then the wedding
"I got an email today," Mel told me. "Chardonnay and Jackson are splitting up. They only got married four months ago. It's so sad. I played guitar at their wedding."
SCV Voices: Special interests only ones to benefit from toll roads
I was reading the article last week about making the HOV lanes on the I-5 through Santa Clarita toll lanes ("Metro committee approves I-5 toll lanes in SCV," April 17).
