No worries: We've got 2 years of stored water

If the Big One happens today and an earthquake destroys our water supply from the San Joacquin Delta, Santa Clarita Valley residents can get by on stored water for two years, the valley's top water official told a group of local business people Thursday.

Hart district beefs up sexual assault training

The Hart district has stepped up its anti-sexual-harassment training in light of recent investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct by three district teachers, a counselor and now a volunteer coach. All employees of the William S. Hart Union High School District go through an online sexual harassment training program that is updated annually and can be viewed at the district's Web site at www.hartdistrict.org. "We go through it every year, and every new employee ...

New contractor on board for buses

City bus riders may notice slight improvements in bus services when a new transit contractor comes on board in August, a Santa Clarita transit official said Thursday. The City Council approved switching to a new contractor to manage, operate and maintain the city's transit services. The council approved a three-year, $49 million contract with MV Transportation. The proposal was $3.5 million less than the proposal by the current contractor, yet provided staffing increases. "The ...

City breaks ground on Sports Complex addition

Gold shovels hit the gravel Thursday as city officials kicked off a $25 million expansion of the Santa Clarita Sports Complex in Canyon Country.

City's suite of fees to go up 4% beginning July 1

Expect to pay a few bucks more to the cashier at City Hall beginning July 1. Hundreds of city service fees will go up about 4 percent due to an increase in the Consumer Price Index as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor. Every five years, city officials examine the costs associated with providing city services and adjust fees accordingly. With the council's approval this week, fees ranging from development fees to some ...

Dog struck with shovel euthanized

A dog that was allegedly struck by his owner with a shovel Saturday was euthanized, officials confirmed Thursday. Matthew Lantzy, 30, of Saugus struck his pit bull on its head several times with a shovel in his backyard, fracturing its skull, a Sheriff's Department report said.

Kindergartners' story garners grand prize

When they wrote a Dr. Seuss-style story about their school mascot, a group of kindergartners at Canyon Spring Elementary School never dreamed they would win grand prize in a competition that included students up to the eighth grade level. The 5- and 6-year-olds in Cathy Kuebler's reading group, most of whom are English language learners, won one of two grand prize awards in Time Warner Cable's ninth annual "Time 2 Write Seuss Style" competition. ...

Hart District receives $152,000 grant for emergency readiness

The William S. Hart Union High School District has received a $152,000 grant to expand emergency preparedness programs for local schools. The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant is one of 92 awarded to schools and school districts in 34 states by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools of the U.S. Department of Education. Recipients were recently announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. "Nothing is more important to Americans than ...

Hospital hosts quarterly health fair

Mechanics advise an auto checkup once every three months. And that's how often Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital holds its quarterly "Care for Your Heart" Health Fair for members of the community to receive free heart checkups from the hospital's health professionals. The next fair takes place Friday from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Santa Clarita Community Center. Like the warning lights on your car's dashboard, the signs of heart disease often come ...

Coach arrested for assault

A Canyon High School volunteer football coach has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female student at an L.A. Unified School District high school where the coach is employed. Kevin Thomas, 40, an assistant football coach and special education teacher's assistant at Birmingham High School in the San Fernando Valley, was arrested Tuesday. Thomas had also been coaching the Canyon Cowboy varsity defense as a volunteer for the past several weeks.

Family searches for lost dog

The bright yellow fliers papering telephone poles and tucked into store windows all over Saugus look deceptively cheerful, sporting a picture of a cute Dachshund.

Council demands solution for Benz Road

Traffic problems on a residential street in Saugus are turning neighbor against neighbor and neighbors against the city. Santa Clarita city officials this week presented the City Council with survey results showing most residents did not want any further traffic restrictions on Benz Road, which sits between Copper Hill Drive and Bouquet Canyon Road in the northeast corner of the city, offering a narrow, residential-street connection between two major thoroughfares. But after ...

Newhall Land sighs in relief

Newhall Land officials are breathing a sigh of relief today now that an East Coast bankruptcy court has given its parent company permission to keep the lights on - at least until the end of the month.

If you see smoke, don't panic

Don't be alarmed if you see flames and smoke billowing from a site near the intersection of Seco Canyon Road and Copper Hill Drive this afternoon. The Army National Guard is planning to film a television commercial that includes setting a fire, said Jessica Freude, film associate for the city of Santa Clarita. The film permit is valid from noon today until 1 a.m. Friday, she said. "There's going to be a mock fire," ...

Schools offer free summer meals

Parents of children who qualify for free meals during the school year sometimes have a hard time providing meals during the summer months, but thanks to the Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services Agency, those summertime meals are covered.

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.

Storm expected; local snow level to be low

A very cold upper-level low pressure system originating from the Gulf of Alaska is predicted to bring thunderstorms, snow, hail and rain to Southern California on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Valencia woman unharmed after robbery attempt

A Valencia woman is safe and unharmed after she snubbed two would-be robbers who held her at gunpoint, a local sheriff's spokesman said.

UPDATE: Officials probe incident where pedestrian was hit running across I-5

A man seriously hurt when he was hit by two cars Friday had been running across the freeway at the time of the collision, an investigator with the California Highway Patrol reported.

Clothes for a cause

Santa Clarita Valley fashion icon Margo Hudson has a new mission in life: clothes for a cause.

Captain to make full recovery

Carrie Stuart, a captain in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who nearly died in a fiery two-car crash before Christmas, is out of the hospital and expected to make a full recovery, her daughter says.

3-D presentation teaches water pollution prevention

The city of Santa Clarita went 3-D to teach students how to prevent pollution at the Newhall Library one day last week.

Today in the SCV: Monday Feb. 18, 2013

SCV Mindful Meditation Group