Domo arigato, competition roboto

Local students from Placerita Junior High, Castaic Middle School and SCVi Charter School put their technical skills and teamwork abilities to the test at the Sixth annual FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition Friday.

Special fish fried by Sayre Fire

The fish are foul and the mosquitoes are multiplying. Ash from the Sayre Fire choked the county's supply of mosquito-killing fish to death. Los Angeles County officials use the fish to fight the spread of deadly West Nile Virus. The fishes' pond in Sylmar is reduced to a body of water in need of protection from mosquitoes. "Our pond with all the mosquito fish was covered in ash," said Truc Dever, spokeswoman for the Greater ...

Local motels become sanctuaries for fire evacuees

Jody Miller didn't have time to think Friday night. "When I heard the LAPD coming through on loud speakers screaming we needed to leave, we just grabbed what we could," she said. The Millers are one of more than 600 families evacuated Friday because of the Sayre Fire. The Millers live in the Oak Ridge Mobile Home Park which was ravaged by fire, Miller said. Her home survived the fire, but sustained major smoke damage. ...

Bringing patients back from the brink

Charlie Chang suffered a stroke in January that paralyzed his left side. He spent nearly two months at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital under the care of nurses and doctors who monitored his conditions until his release at the end of February. A team of occupational and physical therapists pushed him to work through the pain so he could move his arms and walk. He continues to undergo outpatient treatment with the therapists. Chang, 53, ...

Planning commission meets tonight

A nonconforming sign will be the topic of discussion during the Santa Clarita Planning Commission's meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Boulevard.

City named most business-friendly

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation named Santa Clarita the most business-friendly city in the county among cities with populations of more than 50,000 at its 13th annual Eddy Awards on Monday.

Castaic outcry overturns school plans

It's back to the drawing board for the director of a small, private school who was hoping to relocate the campus from Valencia to a private home in Castaic.

Blood drive today at St. Stephen's

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is hosting a blood drive today from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to help replenish and stock the blood bank at the UCLA Medical Center, where some of the victims of Friday's Metrolink train crash remain hospitalized.

Sheriff’s Station hosts workshop

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station hosts a town hall meeting to "take a bite out of crime" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the City Council Chambers of City Hall. Topics include crime prevention, neighborhood watch, vacation checks and other safety issues. City Hall is located at 23920 Valencia Blvd.

Many can’t afford to live here

More than half the people who work in the valley can't afford to live here. That's the challenge facing local civic leaders who want to keep Santa Clarita Valley's economy stable. "Over 50 percent of the 40,000 employees employed in the Valencia Industrial Center don't live in Santa Clarita," said Julie Weith, Valley Industrial Association chairwoman. Her figures do not include the number of retail workers, teachers and skilled laborers who don't live locally because ...

AIG chaos may doom Bermite plans

Cleanup at the 996-acre Whittaker-Bermite site could come to screeching halt if the company funding the project declares bankruptcy, as many fear.

Bloody body found in Valencia

Three Hart High School students found a Valencia man drenched in blood and stabbed to death in the front seat of his car Tuesday in a driveway on Undine Road, a sheriff's official said.

Big-rig collision causes gridlock on Highway 14

A tractor trailer slammed into a sport utility vehicle before plunging 75 feet down the embankment near Highway 14 and Agua Dulce Canyon Road on Tuesday, trapping the trucker in his inverted cab, a CHP official said.

Fighting fire with fire

Firefighters from several departments spent most of Monday cutting a fire break and planning a backfire near Placerita Canyon Road east of Highway 14.

Local nurses counsel fire victims

SYLMAR - Gail Smith stood in line with her neighbors, waiting to tour her burned-out Sylmar neighborhood Monday.

Bi-partisan bill by State Senators to require prevailing wage jobs in California charter cities

(Sacramento) – Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) will co-author a measure on prevailing wage to increase middle-class jobs, sustain a skilled workforce, and ensure cost efficient and high quality public works projects. Senate Bill 7 would make charter cities eligible to receive or use state funds for a public works project only if the city has a policy of requiring contractors on all its municipal projects to comply ...

LAPD chief: Review of Dorner firing under way

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck says the review of ex-officer Christopher Dorner's firing is under way, but it's too early to comment on the re-examination.

UPDATE: Storm due to hit SCV overnight

Santa Clarita Valley residents will be asleep for most of the latest winter storm expected to hit our area, a spokesman for the National Weather Service said today.

"Every 15 Minutes" program planned for Hart High School

On Thursday, February 21st 2013, the City of Santa Clarita, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station and Hart High School officials will join in partnership to conduct the Every 15 Minutes program at Hart High School.

Today in the SCV: Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2013. There are 315 days left in the year.

Helmet saves a life

HOA still recovering months after paint crime

Vandals who hopped a North Valencia HOA pool fence last summer and dumped seven gallons of paint into the pool and hot tub, causing more than $300,000 damage, are still at large.