Santa Clarita

Seismologists have upgraded the earthquake that hit near Santa Clarita today to a magnitude 4.3. The temblor was logged five miles southeast of Santa Clarita at 1:47 p.m. today, according to the US Geological Survey . Mild tremors were felt in downtown Glendale, and there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake hit at a depth of about one-tenth of a mile, according to the earthquake tracking center. More than 100 people notified the center's online website that they felt the quake.

On a cold, wet afternoon two cowboys trudge across a muddy street in a western town carrying saddles on their backs as a loud speaker blasts Jim Croce's hit song "I got a Name. " The scene was being played out at the historic Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita , where director Quentin Tarantino was filming his upcoming western "Django Unchained," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx. "It's a blast shooting here," Tarantino said in a break from shooting. "Most other western towns look like dollhouses.

Clara's Dream, a shelter operated by the Santa Clarita Valley Domestic Violence Center, was scheduled to reopen Friday following a major renovation. The shelter underwent  a much-needed face lift thanks to donations of money, time and materials from HomeAid of Los Angeles and Ventura, a national nonprofit that provides temporary housing for homeless families; from the home builder Pardee Homes; and from local construction trade companies. “We now have a shelter that provides a warm and loving environment for families who need emergency shelter,” Pamela Braly, chair of the domestic violence center's board of directors said in prepared remarks.

Weak shaking from a magnitude 4.3 earthquake in the San Fernando Valley was felt as far away as the Grapevine and Orange County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. But the shaking was not enough to cause damage. And the shaking was variable, depending on the neighborhood. For example, Anthony Guarino, a seismic analyst at Caltech in Pasadena, said he didn't feel the quake, but his colleagues across the street at the U.S. Geological Survey felt a sharp jolt. The quake was centered in a highly seismic area in the mountains north of the Valley, near the same area where the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and the 1994 Northridge quake occurred, Guarino said.

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Special Victims Bureau have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly sexually molesting his 12-year-old stepdaughter, authorities said. According to information from sheriff's officials, the incident occurred about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in the 28300 block of Willow Court in Saugus, an unincorporated area of the Santa Clarita Valley.  Investigators said in a news release that the child's mother returned home earlier than usual from work and went into her daughter's room to check on her. When she opened the door, she saw her husband on top of the girl, authorities said.

Local and state officials have announced a $72-million project to add truck lanes on the Interstate 5 through Newhall Pass and into Santa Clarita. The truck lanes are needed to separate heavy big-rig traffic from passenger vehicles and create safer, quicker passage for a growing population in the Santa Clarita Valley, state transportation officials say. The southbound truck lane will extend 3.7 million from Pico Canyon Road/Lyons Avenue in Santa Clarita to the Antelope Valley (SR-14)

A motorist was burned to death when an SUV went over the side of the 14 Freeway in Santa Clarita, the CHP said Tuesday. The driver lost control of the Ford Explorer about 8:30 p.m. Monday after the vehicle's back left tire blew out, and the SUV was launched over the guard rail, the agency told the L.A. Times . The vehicle then rolled about 100 feet down the embankment, where it became engulfed in flames. The driver has not yet been identified. The crash forced the closure of two lanes Monday night on the northbound side of the freeway, according to CHP Officer Tatiana Sauquillo.

A former building inspector for Santa Clarita will be arraigned later this month on charges that he accepted more than $30,000 in bribes in exchange for signing off on construction permits, authorities announced today. Craig Allen Ingraham, 58, is scheduled to be arraigned on seven counts of accepting bribes and one count of issuing a fraudulent check, according to the L.A. County district attorney's office. Between March 2007 and Decemeber 2008, Ingraham allegedly accepted cash, cigars, a sink and vanity and a $29,000-loan.

GLENDALE — A confluence of high-profile swimming events has had area athletes competing in two divergent locales over the last three days. The ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis features three of this year's top area high school girls' swimmers, while the Southern California Swimming Summer Junior Olympics has more high schoolers, as well as some of the area's younger club talent, competing closer to home in Santa Clarita. Thursday, in the third day of competiton in Indianapolis, Crescenta Valley High's top two swimmers of 2007 were in action.

GLENDALE — As Santa Ana winds stoked wildfires over the weekend and Monday, Glendale has largely steered clear of the havoc breaking out across Southern California. “All things are quiet in Glendale, but everywhere else is burning away,” Glendale Fire Capt. Tom Propst said. Even the seasonal strong winds have spared Glendale so far, with only a few reports of wind-related damage, Public Works Director Steve Zurn said. There was a report of a downed tree limb on Grandview Avenue, which damaged a vehicle, but other fallen limbs in town have not caused damage, he said.

GLENDALE - While the Glendale Angelenos baseball team certainly didn't deliver an early blow, perhaps the biggest positive for the squad Friday evening is that the host avoided a knockout punch late, despite an unexpected blow to the head. The Angelenos scored the game's first four runs and then held on with just enough pitching and defense in defeating visiting Team Victory of Santa Clarita, 4-3, in a California Summer Collegiate Baseball game nearly marred because of a late ejection.

The meeting started late and it started badly, with a 10-minute argument about approving the minutes of the last meeting. Then it headed downhill. Issues that were raised were sent to committees for further study, though no one was quite sure which members were on them or when they would be able to meet. Welcome to the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments - a three-year-old coalition that was supposed to finally, belatedly, bring the cities of Glendale, Burbank, San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Los Angeles together to develop plans and raise funds to solve transportation and other regional problems like every other part of the county has been doing for so long.

Red flag warnings were issued Wednesday across Southern California as heat and dry winds were expected to turn Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains and valleys into a tinderbox. The National Weather Service said the red flag warnings would be in effect through Thursday for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and Ventura County valleys, the L.A. Times reported. Temperatures on Friday could rise past 100 degrees from Burbank to Pasadena, according to the weather service.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) warned that a U.S. Department of the Interior recommendation that the San Gabriel Mountains be designated a national recreation area separate from the Santa Monica Mountains will create its own set of challenges. On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recommended adding the San Gabriel River watershed and most of the San Gabriel Mountains to the National Park Service as a component of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, the L.A. Times reported.

SANTA CLARITA - Faced with a difficult challenge in the first round of the Division V CIF State Basketball Championships on Wednesday, the Flintridge Prep boys' team faced the task head on. Taking on No. 4 Village Christian, the defending state champion, the Rebels showed no signs of intimidation, taking it to the Crusaders in the opening quarter. Flintridge Prep opened the game with a shooting barrage from the outside, converting seven three-pointers in the first quarter and jumping out to a surprising 10-point lead.

Charles H. Gibson, also known as “Coach”, passed away in Walla Walla, Washington on February 15th, 2013. He was predeceased by his wife of 65 years, Dotti Gibson. Chuck and Dotti had fond memories of their friends in Glendale, Carlsbad, and Santa Clarita, before moving to Walla Walla. They both enjoyed tennis, travel, and their church. Our thanks go to family and friends for making their lives so rich with meaningful memories, topped with a generous dollop of laughter! A memorial gift may be sent in honor of Chuck to: Glendale College Athletics c/o The Glendale College Foundation 1500 N. Verdugo Rd. Glendale, CA 91208

A red flag warning has been issued until 6 p.m. Tuesday for parts of Los Angeles County, including local mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley, as wind gusts and dry conditions increase the threat of fire. Wind gusts on Monday could reach 50 mph in the mountains before starting to subside on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the tri-city area are expected to warm into the mid-80s through Wednesday before clouds return, bringing with them a 30% chance of rain Thursday evening, the weather service said.

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Special Victims Bureau have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly sexually molesting his 12-year-old stepdaughter, authorities said. According to information from sheriff's officials, the incident occurred about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in the 28300 block of Willow Court in Saugus, an unincorporated area of the Santa Clarita Valley.  Investigators said in a news release that the child's mother returned home earlier than usual from work and went into her daughter's room to check on her. When she opened the door, she saw her husband on top of the girl, authorities said.

Local and state officials have announced a $72-million project to add truck lanes on the Interstate 5 through Newhall Pass and into Santa Clarita. The truck lanes are needed to separate heavy big-rig traffic from passenger vehicles and create safer, quicker passage for a growing population in the Santa Clarita Valley, state transportation officials say. The southbound truck lane will extend 3.7 million from Pico Canyon Road/Lyons Avenue in Santa Clarita to the Antelope Valley (SR-14)

An A1 story on April 15 titled “ Size ranking to drop a notch ” incorrectly stated that Santa Clarita was processing an additional 20 annexation applications. In fact, the city has already processed 28.