New water commissioner appointed

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Dean Efstathiou to the local water agency board Tuesday.

Sheriff’s Station expanding

Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's detectives will soon be moving into some new digs since the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a request for 9,500 square-feet in additional office space Tuesday.

School bond hits a roadblock

A local Republican committee tabled motions to support - and not to support - the Hart district's $300-million bond measure on the Nov. 4 ballot.

High-voltage protection

It rolls on three wheels, seats two people and peers through the night with three headlights. The bed of the white "Xebra" electric truck doesn't contain any security equipment, just the 12 lead-acid batteries that keep the vehicle moving. It runs solely on electricity and it's Maxwell Security's way of saving money on gasoline and helping the environment. For the past two months, the private security company hummed through the blacktop jungles of the Santa ...

A mound of remembrance

Lee Jennings is healing her community and honoring soldiers one brick at a time. The Military Commemorative Mound was designed to honor United States soldiers, Jennings said. The effort to build the mound went well beyond just honoring troops and pulled people from all parts of the community together, she said "I wanted to see some kind of dedication or tribute to servicemen," she said. The Agua Dulce Civic Association put togther the plan for ...

News briefs

Veterans Day breakfast Thursday Canyon Springs Community School hosts its second annual Veterans Day celebration at 7:50 a.m. Thursday. The school is located at 19059 Vicci Street in Canyon Country. The Student Affairs Organization will award medals of citizenship to Mayor Bob Kellar and 13 other veterans. Breakfast will be served in the library from 7:20 to 7:40 a.m. Parent Academy night at Valencia High School Valencia High School hosts "Parent Academy" from 7 to ...

Girl scout gets to the root issue

Planting trees was a "golden activity" for Emily Elam, a local Girl Scout and senior at Valencia High School.

Wine shop chips in for hunger

Vino 100 is working with the Hunger Defense Fund on a monthlong food drive to feed the hungry.

Students work election polls

Henry Gomez had an important job to do Tuesday. He manned the polls at Skyblue Mesa Elementary School in Canyon Country.

UPDATED: Strickland defeated by 108 votes

UPDATED 4:55 a.m. Wednesday: Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson edged her opponent by 108 votes in the state Senate election, garnering 50.1 percent of the total vote with all 744 precincts reporting. Jackson picked up 153,106 votes while the tally for Tony Strickland was 152,998. Jackson challenged Strickland for the state Senate 19th District, a race without an incumbent. Strickland is a conservative Republican with experience in the state Assembly. Local Strickland supporters remained optimistic late Tuesday at Republican headquarters in ...

UPDATED: School bond passes

UPDATED 1:45 a.m. Wednesday: A Hart district school bond measure too close to call late Tuesday night appears to have won as of early Wednesday morning. With 71.96 percent of precincts reporting as of 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, more than 59 percent of the voters had approved Measure SA for the William S. Hart Union High School District. A 55 percent majority was required for passage. +++++++ "We are thrilled and we are very, very hopeful that it is ...

Same sex, different opinions

With Proposition 8 expected to appear on the November ballot, the definition of marriage has been at the center of a controversy in California.

Local firemen heading to Gulf Coast

Two local firefighters are among a group of 14 the Los Angeles County Fire Department is sending to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast.

Water agency looking ahead

Perchlorate cleanup and new developer water fees are two issues topping the local water agency's agenda for the remainder of the year, said the agency's top official prior to an agenda-setting meeting Tuesday night.

Hate tagger says he’s sorry

A racist event that could have torn a Saugus neighborhood apart might bring it together. Nathan Sklar's sport utility vehicle was vandalized late Aug. 27. The vandals used shoe polish to draw a swastika and a penis on the rear window of the vehicle, he said. He used the incident as a chance to teach an important lesson. Sklar, who is Jewish, circulated letters Thursday warning his neighbors about the dangers of intolerance. He also ...

Saugus board raises concerns at Einstein charter hearing

The Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences began its fourth attempt to charter an elementary school in the Saugus Union School District with a public hearing Tuesday night.

Baca introduces new Assistant Sheriff Terri McDonald, new Chief Ted Sexton

New Assistant Sheriff Terri McDonald and Chief Ted Sexton Introduced On Monday, March 18, 2013 at Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau, Sheriff Lee Baca introduced Terri McDonald as the new Assistant Sheriff of Custody Division. She will have the responsibility of overseeing the largest jail system in the nation with nine custody and correctional facilities and over 18,000 inmates. In addition, Assistant Sheriff McDonald will supervise the Education Based Incarceration Bureau, which is an important component within ...

Today in the SCV: Wednesday, March 20, 2013

'Teen Scene Plugged-In' event

Striking the right chord

An event called the "Instrument Petting Zoo" was held at Wiley Canyon Elementary School in Newhall on Tuesday. Students were introduced to a variety of instruments in an effort to recruit them to the school's orchestra.

TEDxCollegeoftheCanyons Convenes Local Thought Leaders

Motion could streamline services for county's mentally ill

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – A motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich directing the Chief Executive Officer to develop recommendations for streamlining and improving the provision of County services for the mentally ill homeless was unanimously approved.

Felony vandalism charges filed against young man arrested on drug charges

A young man arrested on drug charges but described as a prolific graffiti vandal has been charged with a dozen felony counts of vandalism, authorities said Tuesday.

UPDATE: Attempted homicide suspect detained on I-5

A Castaic man wanted for assault with a deadly weapon and attempted homicide was in custody Tuesday after local sheriff's deputies arrested him following a brief pursuit.

Canyon Country: Witnesses describe moments of terror during bank robbery

SAN FERNANDO - Witnesses took the stand in San Fernando Superior Court on Tuesday to describe long moments of sheer terror as suspected gang members allegedly threatened and shouted at them during a Canyon Country bank robbery last fall.

Supervisors ask for further review of near $1 billion jail project

County supervisors put a temporary hold Tuesday on a proposal to build a new downtown Los Angeles jail - with a price tag of almost $1 billion.

Knight supports realignment reform

SACRAMENTO­– Senator Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley) attended a press conference this morning which introduced a series of bills to reform Prison Realignment in California. Assembly Bill 109 was passed by the California Legislature and signed by Governor Brown, taking effect in October, 2011.

SCV: Home sales continue march to recovery

Santa Clarita Valley home sales and prices continued their housing-slump recovery in February, the Southland Regional Association of Realtors reported Tuesday.

Suicide Is Second Leading Cause Of Death For College Students, Yet Too Few Seek Help

War deaths in Afghanistan number almost 2,100 young Americans lost since the U.S. entered that conflict in 2003. But most people are unaware that an even greater loss of young lives occurs every year on this nation's college campuses.

Open call for community photos

Community members are invited to submit their favorite local snapshots for the City of Santa Clarita's quarterly photography contest. The spring contest is currently underway and new submissions must be received by March 31, 2013 to qualify for a variety of cash prizes.

Today in the SCV: Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Rock Club meeting