This race is the pits

When the mud stopped flying Sunday, Miguel Bauges didn't care about being the first kid to cross the finish line. The 11-year-old was happy enough just being covered in mud, he said.

The hard case for soft water

A groundbreaking water experiment is flowing through pipes under Santa Clarita Valley. The Valencia Water Company is supplying 1.2 million gallons of pre-softened water to about 400 Copperhill residents. The experiment, called the Groundwater Softening Demonstration Project, is the first of its kind in the country. If it works - and it seems to be doing well, according to users - the process promises to revolutionize the way water is delivered to the community and ...

Chock full of holiday cheer

Just in time for the holidays, a U.S. soldier overseas will soon open a small greeting card that reads, "Dear Friend: Merry Christmas. Thanks for saving the U.S.A.," written in a child's crooked penmanship.

As coyote population grows, what you should know

Coyotes are becoming increasingly comfortable with living and breeding close to neighborhoods in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Concert should be a real mother

A benefit concert for the family of Jimmy Carl Black, original drummer for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, will be staged from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Thousand Trails Campground, 4700 Crown Valley Road in Acton.

Housing group aids Sayre Fire victims

Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association members are collecting donations to assist recent wildfire victims with their immediate needs.

Hey kid, wash your hands

It's foamy and easy and Hart District Governing Board Member Patricia Hanrion hopes that students will use the district's new hand-washing stations to help prevent illnesses from spreading on campus.

DUI checkpoint in Newhall nets zero arrests

No arrests were made during a Friday night DUI checkpoint in Newhall, according to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station.

Thousands attend Newhall powwow

Thousands of visitors from the Santa Clarita Valley and beyond celebrated the culture and heritage of American Indians during Los Angeles County's largest powwow on Saturday.

I-5 project year late, over budget

Delayed by unexpected digging problems and running more than $6 million over budget, major road upgrades near Six Flags Magic Mountain are proving far from magical for city of Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County administrators who now hope to have the entire project completed by the end of 2009.

And they're off! Shoppers pack SCV stores

With 50 people straining to see over their shoulders, Candace Jensen, sisters Susan and Teresa Rodney and Courtney Granger staked their claim to a front-of-the-line position at the entrance of Victoria's Secret at 5:45 a.m. Friday.

A tale of certified genius

Mensa recently accepted a new member into its group of geniuses: Valencia's Angelica Boggs.

Local med student wages war on diabetes

A 23-year-old Valencia man who struggled with obesity as a youngster has won a scholarship to continue studies on eliminating obesity and curing type 2 diabetes.

Going green for the holidays

The volume of household waste in the United States increases about 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

High-wind warning on I-5

The California Highway Patrol's wind advisory will remain in effect as dangerous winds whip along Interstate 5, a CHP official said.

UPDATES: Biking activities take center stage in Santa Clarita Valley

You might call today the kick-off of Bicycle Week in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Insanity plea by Holmes holds risks for both sides

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - One of James Holmes' lawyers asked a judge on Monday to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity in the Colorado theater shootings. Such a plea is seen as his best hope of avoiding the death penalty in the killings of 12 people at a packed midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora. Changing the plea still carries risks for Holmes but moving in that direction ...

Smoke from controlled burn alarms Castaic residents

Smoke from a controlled burn near Hasley Canyon alarmed some Castaic residents this morning, a Fire Department spokesman said.

City budget projected to be slightly smaller than last year

Even as state and national economic conditions continue to improve, Santa Clarita's proposed budget for next year will actually shrink a bit, City Manager Ken Striplin said at a recent budget study session.

Homeowners face challenges from high-speed rail project

While the planned California high-speed rail isn't expected to arrive in the Santa Clarita Valley for 20 to 30 years, homeowners are already being held hostage to what some call a boondoggle and others say is a step into the modern transportation era for the state, some local residents say.

Kids and youth compete in the Antelope Valley Youth Rodeo Association Junior Rodeo

About 90 contestants raced, roped and rode in the Antelope Valley Youth Rodeo Association Junoir Rodeo on Sunday at JPK Arena in Agua Dulce.

Babies and parents celebrate Henry Mayo NICU’s first birthday

Graduation season has begun in the Santa Clarita Valley, but one recent ceremony was unique: all the graduates arrived in diapers.

Road closures for Amgen

Family, friends gather to honor crash victim

Blast to the past at Placerita Canyon nature Center's Open House

Outdoor fire in Castaic spreads to house

An outdoor fire around supper time Saturday ended up spreading to a house, emergency response officials said.

Chloride options: Pay up or pay up

Nearly everyone who flushes a toilet or does a load of laundry in the Santa Clarita Valley faces a complicated and costly problem over the issue of chloride contamination ­- and, according to sanitation officials, it's a problem that's not going to go away.

Real Life Church opens community center

Real Life Church has opened "Savia," a 23,600 square foot community center in Newhall, Real Life Church spent more than a year finishing the interior of a vacant building in the Stagecoach Plaza retail center on Newhall Avenue that was originally slated for a grocery store.

Coyotes are threat at local park

A coyote snatched a dog from a girl's arms in Valencia Summit Park, where sheriff's deputies and animal control workers responded Friday on a report of a jogger chased by a coyote, officials confirmed.

The Master's College holds 86th commencement

About 300 students from The Master's College marked the end of their college days during a Friday commencement ceremony at College of the Canyons in Valencia.