Crime watch: Accused rapist goes on trial next month

SAN FERNANDO - Accused rapist Adrian Guadalupe Arriano will face a trial by jury beginning Sept. 8.

Newhall Pass lanes closing

Several lanes of the Newhall Pass will be closed Friday night through Saturday morning while the California Department of Transportation continues construction work on new carpool lanes.

Ring, ring goes the bell

Most of the students at Newhall Elementary School were happy to be there Wednesday morning for the first day of school, but not 5-year-old kindergartner Emma Cevene, who cried and held onto her mother's neck when it came time for the parents to leave the classroom.

UPDATED: Water main break causes traffic back-up

The intersection of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway was shut down shortly before 6 p.m. after a water main burst, sending water gushing into the air.

I-5 lanes close 5 p.m.-11 a.m. through Friday

Two to three lanes will be closed on the northbound Interstate 5 from Vista Del Lago to Quail Lake Road each night through Friday, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Hospital turns 33 on Friday

The Santa Clarita Valley's hospital is celebrating its 33-year anniversary Friday. The 100-bed Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital opened its doors on Aug. 15, 1975, amid farm fields and rural communities. The hospital now has 221 beds and has plans for an additional 100 beds in the coming years. Over the three decades, the hospital has more than doubled its number of beds in a growing valley. "Our hospital was built to serve a much ...

Pair receive prison after arrest for I.D. theft

Just weeks after they were arrested in connection with identity theft, a Canyon Country man and woman were sentenced to time in state prison, a sheriff's official said Tuesday.

Annexation of portion of Castaic on hold

It could be another four months before the county considers annexing a portion of Castaic into the city of Santa Clarita, after the application hit a snag with a technicality in state law, a city planner said Tuesday.

SCV air quality (cough, cough) down

The hazy days of summer persist, as the county continues to issue air-quality warnings. The air quality Tuesday in Santa Clarita Valley was categorized as "unhealthy for sensitive individuals," according to information provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Today's forecast was a bit more promising, with the valley's air quality projected to be "moderate," according to the AQMD Web site. The Air Quality Index rating, which is used by the district to ...

Arraignment moved for Canyon Country man

The Canyon Country man behind bars for allegedly trying to kill his girlfriend had his arraignment continued Tuesday to Aug. 26, a court official said.

PETA claims victory over Six Flags

Animal rights activists aren't feeling as bugged this week. Six Flags Magic Mountain officials said Tuesday that the park has decided not to hold its cockroach-eating challenge as part of this fall's "Fright Fest" Halloween festivities. The decision follows objections by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A Six Flags official said it was simply a business decision. "Six Flags Magic Mountain was only referring to their specific park as it pertains to discontinuing ...

Georgia's on his mind

Bombs are dropping all around the capitol city of Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia, but as far as Kevin Anthony knows, the friends he made during his visit to the city in May are still safe.

Canyon Country attack may have been hate crime

A Canyon Country man was arrested and three others are being sought for a possible hate crime that reportedly involved an unprovoked attack on a black man whose car was then vandalized in Canyon Country Saturday night, a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said.

Music fans go Craze-Y at Central Park

New wave retro-rockers The Craze rocked out for an all-ages crowd numbering around 3,000 at Central Park Saturday night, in the latest free "Concert in the Park" staged by the city of Santa Clarita.

Tricks of the stunt trade

If you've ever watched Michelle Pfeiffer perform stunts as Catwoman in the movie "Batman Returns," you've seen the work of Anthony De Longis.

Baca says jail violence down significantly

Recorded incidences of violence in Los Angeles County jails have fallen substantially since 2007, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Tuesday.

Pilot’s license suspended twice in past 10 years

A veteran Hollywood stunt helicopter pilot killed in a chopper crash in Acton earlier this month had his flying license suspended twice in the last 10 years, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said Tuesday.

Local educator found slain on Valentine's Day

A former Valencia High School educator was shot and killed in Woodland Hills on Valentine's Day and her daughter arrested in Oregon eight hours after the body was discovered, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Suppliers during 2000 energy crisis face billion-dollar refund

SAN FRANCISCO, February 19, 2013 - The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today said that an Administrative Law Judge at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last Friday issued a sweeping "initial decision" finding more than a dozen electricity wholesalers guilty of market manipulation in the summer of 2000, when California suffered the highest electricity prices in history. If the Administrative Law Judge's decision is adopted by FERC, the sellers will face a collective refund ...

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.