If you were to ask me where I would spend a perfect day, I would immediately say the California desert. It wasn’t always that way. As a child, before I moved to California, the only perception I had of the desert was that it was sandy, windy and full of tumbleweeds blowing around. My idea of hiking...
Traveling through our desert, one often sees roadside markers that are typically constructed of concrete or rocks with a metal plaque on the top or front. Some are marked with the letters “ECV” on the back or on the ground.
If you take the time to stop and read these plaques, you will discover that...
Conglomerate Mesa lies in the southern Inyo Mountains, sandwiched between the Sierra Nevada range and Death Valley National Park. The nearest towns are Olancha to the southwest and Lone Pine to the northwest.
The mesa itself is an impressive landform when seen from a distance, extending from 3,800 to...
A California desert jewel lies about eight miles north of the Barstow in the Calico Peaks Range: Rainbow Basin Natural Area. As the name suggests, the rocks in the area are colorful, ranging from pinks and tans to greens and purples.
However, Rainbow Basin does not look like a basin. It is merely an...
The yellow-billed cuckoo is a rather striking bird. It has grayish brown plumage above and white below, red primary flight feathers, and tail feathers that have a bold pattern that almost looks like a white and black braid.
The yellow-billed cuckoo is a member of the avian family Cuculidae. Some ornithologists...
Last week, SCV News featured an opinion piece by Linda Castro of Santa Clarita about the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project (“Protect the Groundwater Beneath Our National Treasures,” June 15). I share with Ms. Castro the affection for the Cadiz Valley and agree...
The Cadiz Valley is located in the eastern Mojave Desert, south of the Mojave National Preserve and Historic Route 66 and east of the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. Cadiz Valley is a postcard of the California desert, surrounded by mountains, sand dunes, dry lake beds, ancient creosote plants and...
Were you one of the lucky people who was able to visit the Carrizo Plain National Monument earlier this spring to witness the spectacular superbloom of multi-colored spring flowers?
How would you feel if the president of the United States took the Carrizo Plain away from you and handed it over to corporations...
The sign for exit 239 on Interstate 15, six miles southwest of Baker, says “Zzyzx Road.” Have you ever gotten off at that exit to explore? Have you wondered what is down that road?
First, you might be wondering how to pronounce this strange word. Zzyzx is pronounced “Zī – zĭx,” with the...
One of my favorite destinations in Death Valley National Park is located in Wildrose Canyon, where you will find what are believed to be the best known surviving examples of charcoal kilns in the western states – plus a great hiking trail and campground.
The Wildrose Charcoal Kilns are among the...
The SCV Chamber of Commerce announced their participation as a Neighborhood Champion during the 11th annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28, 2020, to help encourage residents to support small businesses.
Advantage Media Services, Inc. has partnered with the Val Verde Sheriff's Youth Activity League for the tenth year in a row to help give families in need a Thanksgiving meal through YAL's 'Adopt a Family' program.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Monday reported 8 new deaths and the county's highest-ever daily number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 -- 6,124 since Sunday -- as unincorporated Canyon Country recorded its first COVID fatality over the weekend.
The city of Santa Clarita is calling for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to justify the new Health Officer Order update that bans outdoor dining for at least the next three weeks starting Wednesday.
The Santa Clarita City Council will hold special and regular meetings at City Hall on Tuesday, November 24, and hear public comments from citizens virtually via Zoom.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger will oppose the county Department of Public Health’s decision to prohibit outdoor dining and further restrictions including another "Safer at Home" order, she said in a statement Monday morning.
Los Angeles County Public Health Department officials on Sunday reported the county’s five-day average COVID-19 case rate had reached more than 4,000, prompting another tightening of pandemic safeguards and restrictions, including restricting dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars.
Researchers who correctly forecasted the growth of COVID-19 infections over the summer issued a warning Monday that cases could nearly double by Inauguration Day, January 20, when presumptive President-elect Joe Biden is to be sworn into office.
The California Retailers Association released a safe holiday shopping video with guidelines and best practices to help employees and consumers be safe during the holiday season.
Los Angeles County supervisors are expected to conduct a public hearing Tuesday for the proposed development of nearly 140 homes next to Castaic High School.
To encourage safe travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, the California Highway Patrol will enact a Maximum Enforcement Period beginning at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, and continuing through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 29.
1967 - Local voters approve formation of community college and elect COC's first five-member board - Dr. William G. Bonelli Jr., Bruce Fortine, Sheila Dyer, Peter Huntsinger, Edward Muhl [story]
The families of Gracie Muehlberger and Dominic Blackwell, the two students who died during the Saugus High School shooting filed wrongful death lawsuits Monday against the William S. Hart Union High School District.
City of Santa Clarita and Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation officials said Friday that 149 small businesses within the SCV have been approved to receive one-time COVID relief grants of up to $5,000 per business as reimbursement for COVID-related expenses.
Valencia, California-based Princess Cruises is extending its pause in global sailing operations in response to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Framework for Conditional Sailing Order” pertaining to the resumption of U.S. cruise operations.
The American Public Works Association’s Southern California Chapter has recognized the Inclusive Play Area at Santa Clarita's Canyon Country Park as one of its 2020 'Projects of the Year.'
The Newhall School District has decided to allow preschool reopenings, giving their preschool program director the green light to reopen three preschool sites.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday asked Americans to stay home for Thanksgiving and only celebrate with people they live with.
