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...
L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger proclaimed a state of emergency in the county Sunday, as the sheriff sets a 6 p.m. curfew countywide to address widespread unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Sunday 1,379 new cases of COVID-19 and 25 new deaths due to the virus countywide, and a total of 1,547 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 89 more than Saturday.
Using diluted bleach on a cloth wipe, I clean all sinks, counters, knobs, buttons, light switches, ground phones, faucets, remote controls, keyboards, mouse and table tops. Takes me five minutes. Everyone should be doing this.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Saturday 2,112 new cases of COVID-19 and 48 new deaths due to the virus countywide, and a total of 1,458 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 152 more than reported Friday.
A crowd of several hundred gathered Saturday in Santa Clarita to protest police violence as part of a nationwide reaction to several high-profile deaths in recent months.
One morning, it was pea-soup foggy as I thumped across an aged railroad trestle while the sun rose, casting stick-like tree shadows across my path. Momentarily entranced by the scene, I suddenly realized I was running through a swarm of small flies.
WASHINGTON (CN) — Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal wing of the Supreme Court in a late-night ruling Friday declining to block California’s restrictions on reopening places of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As fire season in Los Angeles grows closer, Angeles National Forest officials are reminding visitors to pay attention to the fire use restrictions in place before visiting the national forest.
The Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector is in the process of mailing Notices of Delinquency to property owners who have not paid their property taxes in full for the 2019-20 tax year. Delinquent taxes from the 2019-20 tax year will default if payment is not received by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time or postmarked by the United States Postal Service before midnight on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
The city of Santa Clarita's Planning Commissioners will consider extending the timeframe for a 90,900-square-foot business development on Sierra Highway and hear public comments on a proposed 375-unit residential development in Saugus at the commission's next meeting on Tuesday, June 2, starting at 6 p.m.
California Department of Public Health officials gave Los Angeles County the OK Friday to reopen restaurants for in-person dining and allow barbershops and hair salons to resume offering services.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Friday 1,824 new cases of COVID-19 and 50 new deaths due to the virus countywide, and a total of 1,306 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 122 more than reported Thursday.
California will enter the next phase of reopening its economy, but decisions will be left up to individual counties, Governor Gavin Newsom said Friday.
CVS Health has opened additional COVID-19 test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations, including the Canyon Country location at 26861 Sierra Highway.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is hard to sort through true and false claims promoted by researchers that could be for profit and even harm the public.
Artist, writer, educator and CalArts alum Audrey Chan (Art MFA 07) has been named the first-ever resident artist by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
CSUN’s Class of 2019-2020 worked too hard — and overcame too many challenges — not to celebrate the completion of this chapter in their academic journey, at least virtually.
The COVID-19 pandemic has required people to stay at home as much as possible. For those in abusive households, “Safer at Home” orders heightened the risk factors associated with child maltreatment, domestic violence and sexual assault.
The Valley Industry Association aka VIA will launch a member-exclusive online business coaching program, called "Breakfast Club," on Friday, June 5, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The California State Senate rejected Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget cuts to sectors like education and health care Thursday, instead seeking to draw down more reserves, raise taxes on certain industries and borrow against the future to make up an estimated $54 billion shortfall.
