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.

Hart meeting rescheduled for June 18

The meeting of the William S. Hart Union High School District governing board scheduled for June 11 has been postponed to June 18. Less than a quorum of the governing board were available for the June 11 meeting. The public hearings scheduled for June 11 will be held on June 18, and the meeting's agenda will be the same.

FBI: Crime up in city

Violent crime was down in the city of Santa Clarita last year, but the number of crimes was up a little over 8 percent, according to statistics released by the FBI on Tuesday.

On the Road with The Signal

You're going on vacation? The Signal would like to come along! (You can fit it easily into your suitcase.)

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.

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.

Fire doused near Golden Valley Road

A brush fire that broke out near Golden Valley Road on Friday afternoon blackened about half an acre and prompted a traffic jam as Golden Valley High School students left for the weekend.

UPDATE: Coyotes snatch dog, confront person at Valencia 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.

Bill introduced to help put buyers into homes

Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, announced new legislation Friday intended to help investors secure loans to fix up derelict homes and put them on the market.