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July 23
1982 - Vic Morrow & two child actors killed in helicopter crash at Indian Dunes during filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" [story]
Twilight Zone Movie


| Monday, May 24, 2021
Dorsey Home
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station deputies investigate a stabbing on Fir Court in Saugus on Thursday, April 15, 2021. Tim Whyte/The Signal

Officials from the Los Angeles Superior Court announced Monday that media will be allowed into the courtroom next month during the sentencing of James Dorsey, a reversal of the bench’s previous standing order.

In a statement released Monday, officials said Judge Cynthia Ulfig reversed her previous order barring members of the media from the courtroom after the action had been specifically requested by defense counsel.

The transcript of that conversation was sealed and unpublished in the court record, but remained in effect for all subsequent court appearances by Dorsey, including last week’s procedural hearing where he entered a no-contest plea to having broken into his estranged wife’s Saugus home April 15 and stabbed her to death while their children slept in their rooms.

In total, Dorsey, 42, pleaded no contest — what is essentially treated as a guilty plea — to the following: murder, attempted kidnapping, residential burglary, evading police and resisting a law enforcement officer.

Prosecutors say he fatally stabbed Michelle Dorsey, 39, at the Fir Court residence in the early morning before then stealing her Chevy Malibu from in front of the home and fleeing the scene.

At 5:10 a.m. Michelle Dorsey made the call to 911, saying that she had been attacked in her home and required medical attention. She would go on to make what investigators call a “dying declaration,” naming her husband as her attacker, before she died at the hospital later that morning.

Dorsey was taken into custody at 10 p.m. that same day, after leading law enforcement on a countywide manhunt and ultimately crashing the Malibu into an embankment on a remote road in Quartz Hill, near the Kern County line.

The trial, despite its relatively quick speed, has been brought to the center of the conversation surrounding both local domestic abuse as well as county politics.

In previous articles published by The Signal, law enforcement officials and family members openly criticized the charges levied against the accused murderer. Their criticism has stemmed from the lack of sentencing enhancements — a way in which prosecutors request additional sentencing years from judges should there be extenuating circumstances in a particular case — added to the five charges to which Dorsey eventually pleaded no contest.

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SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Tuesday, Jul 23, 2024
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1982 - Vic Morrow & two child actors killed in helicopter crash at Indian Dunes during filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" [story]
Twilight Zone Movie
Picture this…a cozy blanket laid out on the grass, the warm evening breeze and your favorite film playing on the big screen.
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The California State University, Los Angeles Golden Eagle volleyball team, which included middle blocker Shelby Grubbs from Newhall, was welcomed to the White House on Monday, alongside other national champions from the past academic year, to celebrate their accomplishments as part of NCAA Sports Day.
Former Hart High Standout Honored at White House’s NCAA Sports Day
The Friends of Hart Park - in partnership with the Natural History Museum and Los Angeles County Parks - is pleased to announce the return of their signature event “Silents Under the Stars” on Saturday, Sept. 7, starting at 6 p.m., at William S. Hart Park.
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Circle of Hope's Annual Tea is one of Santa Clarita’s most anticipated fundraisers bringing awareness of breast cancer and raising funds to help those in our local community fighting this disease.
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The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of four productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, July 22 - Sunday, July 28.
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The Santa Clarita Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SCV SELPA) and its member districts actively seek out all individuals with exceptional needs, from birth to age 22, including infants and children parentally placed in private schools.
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The Superior Court of Los Angeles County will be closed Monday, July 22, as the Court works diligently to repair and reboot network systems that were severely impacted by a ransomware attack first detected the morning of Friday, July 19.
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The Los Angeles County Health Officer has issued a heat advisory for the Santa Clarita Valley through Thursday as high temperatures have been forecast.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has closed two beaches due to a recent sewage spill.
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2000 - Historic Larinan house in Pico Canyon burns down [story]
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1952 - 7.5-magnitude Kern County earthquake devastates Tehachapi; damage spread from San Diego to Las Vegas [story]
quake map
2001 - Then-Assemblyman George Runner introduces legislation to memorialize the historic Ridge Route. Enacted Oct. 4. [story]
Ridge Route
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Caltrans announces the northbound Interstate 5 will be reduced to one or two lanes overnights Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26 from Lake Hughes Road to two miles north of Templin Highway (near the Whitaker Sand Shed) north of Castaic for paving work.
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The Santa Clarita Master Chorale, Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra and the Child & Family Center have all earned grants from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
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Sign up to volunteer today for the city of Santa Clarita’s Third Annual Graffiti Removal Day on Saturday, Aug. 3, 8-11 a.m. at Soledad Canyon Road and Camp Plenty.
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