Sunday Signal Nov. 11, 2018

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NOVEMBER 11, 2018

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COC KEEPS ON CLAWING WAY TO A BOWL BERTH

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MELTING THE PAIN AWAY THERAPEUTICALLY

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BLACK FRIDAY: THE HOLIDAY’S HISTORY

PLUS : CITY NEWS | OPINION | SCHOOL | ENTERTAINMENT | CALENDAR | HEALTH & FITNESS

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS FEATURES

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A trip back in time • The history of Black Friday • Honoring veterans at SCCS • Tracking the extraterrestrial for 50 years • Celebrating SCV’s single moms

NEWS OF THE WEEK

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District releases cease-and-desist letter • A first for the district • Discovery of gnatcatcher nest • Keeping familiar faces • Body found in vehicle

CITY MANAGER

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Santa Clarita ready to start the holiday season

SPORTS

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Cougars clawing their way to postseason play

REAL ESTATE

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This week in real estate

OPINION

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Our View • David Hegg • Tim Whyte

16086 Comet Way Canyon Country91387 4 beds, 4 baths, 3,613 sq ft

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Donna’s Day • Dining at Draconum

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Spacious master suite, with retreat, fireplace, balcony with views, bright master bath, plus huge walk in closet. 3 Car garage, large front yard with fenced side yard. Backyard with views, Solar that is owned and can be added to, full copper plumbing right to street. Washer/Dryer/Refrig included.

Close to golf course, shopping, entertainment, freeway, and several new developments.

A MUST SEE.

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Ready for a road trip?

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Dr. Roach • Vaccines • Setting holiday health goals

SCHOOLS

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School menus •

ENTERTAINMENT

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Dokken coming to Santa Clarita

GARDENING

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Planting for the fall • lawn care

SENIORS

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PROFILE

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Memory gains • Saving for the senior years

Teacher increasing access with action book

BRAIN GAMES

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Games • Crossword • Village Idiot

SUNDAY SIGNAL SignalSCV.com

Richard Budman Perry Smith Tim Whyte Brad Lanfranco Doña Uhrig Karen Bennett • Matt Boyle • Abner Gutierrez

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 5

S C V F E AT U R E

Exploring the lost city of Pompeii

Temple of Jupiter and Mt. Vesuvius in the background at the ancient city of Pompeii, Naples Italy. PHOTO CREDIT SORINCOLAC

By Brennon Dixson Signal Staff Writer

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efore it was buried in the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the Roman city of Pompeii was known as a place of art, culture and beauty, and it remains so to this very day, according to two College of the Canyons experts.

More than 1,900 years later, we still know little about the Roman city, said Kevin Anthony, chair of the college’s hotel and restaurant management program. “It’s an ongoing discovery, because they’re continuing to excavate the site, so the story keeps evolving.”

Despite attending school in Rome and having visited nine times, Anthony said he’s still captivated with the archaeological site.

“For me, I’m fascinated with finding out who these people were,

how were their lives like ours and what can we learn from that?” he said.“That’s what fascinated me on this journey.”

Anthony and his peer hope to shed light on some of their questions and more when they take the stage for their scholarly presentation, “Pompeii: Life and Art.” The free event is sponsored by the College of the Canyons Foundation and will occur at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center.

With the use of photos and maps, McCaffrey and Anthony hope to offer a visual narrative of Pompeii and a detailed analysis of the Roman style wall paintings, frescoes and friezes that continues to awe today.

“For me, it’s interesting because you get to look back at the way people lived their lives, including their values, experiences, ideals and how it compares to ours today,” Anthony

said. “It’s going to be a fascinating journey.”

Most of the people who travel to the thousand-year old city only get to see the tourist destinations, Anthony said, “but we have Google Earth so we’ll go to all of the important locations,” such as Villa of Mysteries — a well-preserved suburban home on the outskirts of Pompeii that features famous frescos and other unique pieces.

“Pompeii is a compelling place,” Anthony said. “If you’ve been there, it’s a place you want to go back to.

You can always learn something new and different. It seems like things are worn down, but that’s where they walked, and lived,” and it offers a path for historians to learn how the citizens lived life.

The idea is to look at the ancient pieces and determine what purpose they used them for, McCaffrey said.

“How does it compare to how we

use it today?

We use art in business, advertising and for many other purposes, and it seems as though Pompeii used it similarly, McCaffrey said. “Like us, they enjoyed their culture to be visual.”

McCaffrey encourages all to come to the presentation because you’re bound to take a useful bit of knowledge home.

“The things that students learn to do in class, like perspective light and shadow, all have their origins in Pompeii and wall painting,” McCaffrey said. The art there is so well-preserved that it remains fresh, vibrant, “and remarkably kind of sophisticated.”

Learn more on Wednesday, or contact the College of the Canyons Foundation and Cindy Biehahn at (661) 362-3737 for more information. 

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S C V F E AT U R E

Black Friday: A look into its origin and the shopping phenomenon

Shoppers fill the Westfield Valencia Town Center mall during the holiday season last year. SIGNAL FILE PHOTOS

By Tammy Murga Signal Staff Writer

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urkey and pumpkin pie are heavily linked with Thanksgiving, but nowadays, Black Friday seems to have become just as synonymous with the annual holiday.

The shopping phenomenon has become the most popular day to find the best deals on the year’s hottest items, ranging from electronics and toys to cars.

Around the U.S., millions of consumers kick off their holiday shopping season either online or at stores, many camping out just outside retailers Thursday night to be the first customers in line to get their hands on the latest iPhone or flat-screen television.

“Even with all the chaos that can come with Black Friday, it is tons of fun and interesting to see how busi-

ness and shopping has changed on this one day,” said Stephani Bryden, operational manager at Best Buy on Bouquet Canyon Road.

Perhaps less known, however, is Black Friday’s origin, with several myths claiming its start as far back as 1869.

known has been during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the world’s largest parade held in New York City. With millions watching, local and national retailers would sponsor the event and let viewers

know they could get their shopping done in time.

But how did the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas become known as the holiday season?

In 1941, Congress passed legislation

The holiday shopping season Gift-giving has occurred for as long as history can trace back, but the holiday shopping season is more closely tied to modern-day consumerism.

Even with today’s successful e-commerce, Black Friday is mostly connected with visits to shopping malls, outlets and other retail centers.

That’s because shoppers know that stores remain open for business, some with extended operation hours, during the holiday season.

A perfect opportunity to make that

Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off a frenzied season of shopping across the country.

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S C V F E AT U R E

The shopping phenomenon

Hard-to-beat, once-a-year sales are also a trademark of the consumer holiday.

to mark the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day, thanks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and retailers and businesses.

“Concerned that the shortened Christmas shopping season might dampen the economic recovery, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued

a Presidential Proclamation moving Thanksgiving to the second to last Thursday of November,” according to the Center for Legislative Archives.

Previously, the holiday fell on the last Thursday of the month until 1939, leaving less than 24 days of holiday shopping days. This prompted

Around the country, many people now plan activities around shopping excursions around for the Friday after Thanksgiving.

businesses to help establish a longer shopping season for consumers while improving an economy shaken by the Great Depression.

The birth of the term The infamous “Black Friday” term was first applied to a financial crisis, rather than anything shopping-related, according to the History Channel.

There are a few different theories, but modern usage of the term is thought to stem from a Philadelphia mob scene in the 1950s.

The term was used by police to describe the hordes of suburban shoppers and tourists entering the city after Thanksgiving ahead of the Army-Navy football game held on that Saturday every year to shop, according to Bonnie Taylor-Blake, a neuroscience researcher at the University of North Carolina.

The term quickly caught on with Philly cops and the rest of the city, as the long lines and shopping frenzy grew in stores, even shoplifting.

Now including Cyber Monday — the online version of Black Friday — more than 174 million Americans shopped by the end of the holiday weekend in 2017, according to a report by the National Retail Federation.

The growing phenomenon beat the 164 estimated shoppers the year before, and those numbers may increase in 2018.

With that much foot traffic expected at multiple stores every year, businesses adjust operations to handle the crowds best.

At Best Buy, Bryden said they expect three times as many customers on Black Friday than of its usual 400 to 900 shoppers a day. Preparation is key, she said.

“We have a plan in place,” said Bryden. “From employees at the front door welcoming those that come early to then running to the departments to help out and then checking them out at the lines. It’s about organization and having a plan.”

The operational manager said the Bouquet Canyon store had not experienced fights among shoppers as sometimes seen at other locations.

Over the last two years, the store hired security to continue to ensure safe shopping and has strategically increased the number of products for sale.

At Walmart, shoppers will have the chance to bypass the checkout counters and purchase items with the help of employees stationed at the aisles.

Customers can click on the retailer’s app and pinpoint the location of the item on their holiday list. The service will be available at all Walmart locations just in time for Black Friday, a spokesperson at the Saugus location said.

At the Valencia Town Center, perhaps one of the most popular places to shop on Black Friday in the Santa Clarita Valley, extended hours for the holiday shopping day are already in place to run from 6 a.m. to midnight on Thursday, and from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday. 

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

LOCALNEWS

District releases cease-and-desist letter

By Brennon Dixson Signal Staff Writer

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augus Union School District officials have released the previously reported ceaseand-desist letter that was sent in response to a union member’s allegations of conduct violations by the district’s board president.

After refusing to release the letter prior to the election, officials released a letter Wednesday that was addressed to Board Clerk Paul De La Cerda and signed by Richa Amar, an attorney for the Saugus Teachers Association.

De La Cerda previously said legal counsel had informed board members not to speak about the ceaseand-desist letter, so he could not

confirm at the time if Trunkey was the subject.

However, the cease-and-desist letter released Wednesday highlights “alleged violations of the Educational Employment Relations Act (“EERA”) and board president Christopher Trunkey’s violations of the board’s Governance Standards and Code of Conduct,” according to the letter written by Amar on behalf of the STA and its members.

“Beginning in or about August 2018, STA, led by STA President Deborah Rocha, spearheaded efforts to vet and endorse board candidates for the upcoming election on Nov. 6,” which would result in the endorsement of multiple candidates, including one who was running against Trunkey in Tuesday’s election, the

letter states.

“Following STA’s endorsement of Sharlene Duzick, Ms. Rocha learned that President Trunkey began making inquiries of community members looking for ‘dirt’ on Ms. Rocha as a way of discrediting STA in retaliation for its endorsement of Ms. Duzick,” Amar states in the letter.

“Ms. Rocha also learned that president Trunkey has contacted agents of Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District,” where Rocha served as president of the board more than eight years ago, according to the letter. The calls were to ask about Rocha’s involvement in a decision involving the controversial Albert Einstein Charter School.

An Acton-Agua Dulce board member on Wednesday told The

A first for the 25th District

By Crystal Duan Signal Staff Writer

V

oters in the 25th Congressional District decided Tuesday night to send Democratic challenger Katie Hill to Congress in Rep. Steve Knight’s place next year.

Knight, R-Palmdale, conceded Tuesday’s hotly contested 25th Congressional District race in a phone call to Hill on Wednesday afternoon.

Hill, former director and deputy CEO of a homelessness nonprofit, won Tuesday’s election for control of the seat with 51.26 percent of the vote pending additional provisional ballots and mail-in ballots that have yet to be counted. Knight won 48.74 percent of the vote by the time all precincts were counted in the early morning on Wednesday.

Hill’s win comes in a district that many pundits had as a “toss-up” district slightly favoring the incumbent Knight. She is the first woman to represent the district.

New member orientation for the freshman congressional class begins Monday, and Hill said she will head out to D.C. to “learn the ropes.”

“The first things that need to happen is to get our priorities in order,” she said. “Here, that’s been made clear

Katie Hill addresses her supporters at The Canyon on Tuesday. Hill is set to replace Steve Knight in January. PHOTO BY CORY RUBIN / THE SIGNAL

that has to be health care, making sure we’ve got good jobs that are paying well, and rebuilding our district in terms of infrastructure.”

The congresswoman-elect said she wants to focus on making a government “reflective of who we are as a people,” and said she is excited to work with congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle and change the tone around politics.

First, she wants to work with her predecessor. Although she disagreed with him on some policy issues, Hill believes some of Knight’s bipartisan initiatives in Congress should be continued.

“I’d like the opportunity to talk to Steve Knight during this transition process to figure out what he’s leaving off and what I may be able to pick (up),” she said of Knight’s legislative work. “I do think there’s a lot that I can continue to carry forward, because I do think he was doing a fair amount in terms of bipartisan legislation. And I know he’s been plugged into the district, so I want his advice and feedback on how to move forward. I think there absolutely is common ground, and I look forward to finding more of that (with voters).”

See HILL, page 11

Signal that Trunkey’s calls were about Rocha.

According to the letter, Rocha confronted Trunkey at an Oct. 16 district meeting and said: “I know you’ve been asking around about me. What can I help you with? What do you want to know?”

“Trunkey seemed taken aback, but eventually admitted that he was trying to obtain information about the ‘pay to play,’ referring to the finances involved with approving Albert Einstein Charter School,” the letter stated. At the end of the conversation, Rocha asked Trunkey why he didn’t simply ask her, “to which Mr. Trunkey responded, ‘I didn’t think it was worth the time asking you.’”

Amar and the STA believe Trunkey’s conduct is unlawful, “because it interferes with, restrains, and coerces an employee (Rocha)“ simply because she chose to participate in a protected union activity as a member of STA’s political action committee, the letter states. “By Mr. Trunkey’s actions, he is not only seeking to harm STA’s president’s reputation and to deter her from engaging in protected activity, but also to discredit STA in retaliation for opposing his candidacy.”

As a result, STA requested that the board clerk serve as the chair of the board’s Code of Conduct subcommittee to consider the allegations, the letter states. “STA hereby demands that board president Trunkey cease and desist from interfering with the rights of STA and its members and from making inquiries of third parties concerning Ms. Rocha.”

The board is to provide a written response no later than 20 days from the receipt of cease-and-desist letter, Amar said, adding, “Please also be aware that if the complained-of conduct persists, STA may bring legal action against the board and seek appropriate legal relief.”

Trunkey said in an email Wednesday, “On Friday, October 26, the District received a complaint from CTA. Consistent with district policy and procedure, the district will investigate the allegations and respond appropriately. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the district is not at liberty to comment further.” 

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LOCALNEWS

Discovery of gnatcatcher nest slows WhittakerBermite cleanup

By Jim Holt Signal Senior Staff Writer

A

s 18 years of cleanup on the nearly 1,000 acres of the former Whittaker-Bermite site comes to a close, cleanup officials have reported a snag as they eagerly approach the year-end target cleanup date — a nest of the threatened California gnatcatcher.

Hassan Amini, project manager with the cleanup firm Amec Foster Wheeler, told stakeholders attending a multi-jurisdictional meeting at Santa Clarita City Hall Wednesday that a biologist monitoring the cleanup recently spotted evidence of the threatened bird, prompting the shutdown of bulldozers and trucks busy on the site.

Although the bird itself is considered “threatened” and is not on the endangered list, its habitat — coastal sage

scrub — is classified as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. “Because it is a protected species,” Amini told stakeholders eager to hear how the cleanup is still on target, “not only does California Fish and Wildlife get involved but it also gets elevated to the federal level and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service gets involved.

“So, they need to review the reports that we provided and they need to consult with the Army Corps of Engineers. And, these federal agencies need to talk and, eventually, issue their opinion and any protective measures that we need to take along with our continued excavation of the site,” Amini said.

“We don’t want to cut any corners but rather we want to bring attention to this matter so that we can move forward,” Amini said.

The California gnatcatcher, ac-

cording to environmentalists manning the website Paloverdes.com, is a songbird about 4 inches long that survives in coastal sage scrub habitats in California.

They are highly territoA California gnatcatcher nest was found at the rial and mate for life. Once Whittaker-Bermite site. The bird is a threatened paired, gnatcatchers do not species. SIGNAL FILE PHOTO normally migrate beyond a 1- to 2-acre territory all year.

“I’m still optimistic that within the As described on the website: “The November/December time frame greatest threat to the survival of this we’ll get a resolution of this with this bird is during their first year. The go-forward permit,” Amini said. young often fall victim to nest predThe gnatcatcher, according to enviators such as rodents, snakes, scrubronmentalists, is at risk of extinction jays, road runners, feral or domestic due to a drastic decline in natural cats. They also can have their nests sage scrub habitat. destroyed by bulldozing activity.”

Of the 2.5 million acres of such Although bulldozer activity has habitat and chaparral that once slowed at certain areas on the Whitstretched from Ventura County to taker-Bermite site, cleanup crews are the Mexican border, only 10 percent optimistic they can still meet their remains, they report on their webcleanup deadline of Dec. 31. site. 

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

LOCALNEWS

Keeping familiar faces Voters keep incumbents Miranda, McLean, Weste on City Council

By Tammy Murga Signal Staff Writer

D

espite a large pool of 15 candidates in the race for Santa Clarita City Council, voters stayed loyal to three incumbents for at least another term, as the tallying of election results rolled into early Wednesday morning.

Some mail-in ballots and additional provisional ballots await to be added to the final count, but the current council members contending for three seats led the polls throughout the vote count Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, with 105 of 105 precincts reported, Mayor Laurene Weste led with 14.67 percent of the vote, or 18,350 tallies. She was followed by Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean, with 14.48 percent (18,112 votes) and in third was Councilman Bill Miranda, with 10.88 percent of the vote (13,605 votes).

“I’m really honored to represent this community,” Weste, who has served on the council since 1998, said Wednesday. “I heard a lot of interesting things throughout this time that triggered this thought process. We will be doing a lot of work, and it will be lots of work, but we can do it together, and we have because other cities have come here to see how we are doing it.”

A close watch throughout the night was for the third seat, as challenger Diane Trautman, a former Santa Clarita planning commissioner, stayed close behind Miranda with only a 1.72-percent differential.

The hopeful, which aimed to “bring your voice back to City Hall,” remained positive throughout the night but fell short by 2,341 votes.

By Wednesday morning, she had garnered 9.01 percent of the vote, or 11,264 votes.

The candidates who followed behind her were Ken Dean with 9,749 votes, TimBen Boydston with 9,498, Logan Smith with 8,626 votes, Brett Haddock with 7,542 votes and Jason Gibbs with 6,976 votes.

The three incumbents have ex-

City Council incumbents Bill Miranda, Marsha McLean and Laurene Weste led the polls during Election Day. PHOTOS BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

pressed similar priorities including tackling the issue of homelessness head-on by building a year-round homeless shelter and improving the road network.

Weste said she was grateful for the

$47 million federal grant secured

by Rep. Steve Knight in June to help relieve the traffic congestion on Interstate 5. Still, she said, “We need to double down, look at traffic and think of all the factors, including concerns

I’ve heard about big buses.”

Improving public safety, building more homes and take a closer look at the need for mental health centers were also pressing topics mentioned by the council members. 

New faces join SCV school boards

By Brennon Dixson Signal Staff Writer

F

our of the seven school board races that featured multiple candidates running in Tuesday’s election ended with a victorious incumbent, but three new faces will soon be headed to the governing boards of the Saugus Union and Newhall school districts.

Despite a majority of the incumbents claiming their seats, most races were won by less than a few hundred votes.

COC

Ann-Marie Bjorkman challenged the longtime incumbent Joan MacGregor, who has served as a trustee on COC’s board for 25 years, in Area No. 5 of the Santa Clarita Community College District.

When early voting numbers were released at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, MacGregor jumped out to a lead over Bjorkman, which she would maintain throughout the night after securing more than 5,000 votes.

“I am really pleased to have the

support of the voters in my area and I think they have shown that experience is what’s important to them,” MacGregor said. “I look forward to having another positive effect on the board in the future.”

Hart district

In the William S. Hart Union High School District, six candidates were campaigning for one of the two seats that were available in the district.

Donna Robert would put up fight against incumbent Bob Jensen and challenger Chris Werthe, but Jensen would win by 6 percentage points.

Joe Messina, who also faced two challengers in Jeff Martin and Kelly Trunkey, would also go on to reclaim his spot as a trustee in the Hart District as he had more than 7,300 votes, which equated to 51 percent of the total votes cast in the race.

“I’m excited and looking forward to serving another four years,” Jensen said during Wednesday’s district meeting.

Saugus Union

In Area No. 5 of the Saugus Union

School District, where board President Chris Trunkey took on Sharlene Duzick, only 144 votes separated the winner from the loser as Trunkey received a little more than 51 percent of his area’s votes.

It would prove to be the closest race in SUSD, but Area No. 1, which featured Jesus Henao, David Barlavi and Evan Patlian vying for Paul De La Cerda’s vacant seat, was a close second.

Patlian would lose by 200 votes as Barlavi claimed victory with 38 percent of the vote, according to Los Angeles County records. Henao trailed close behind the pair with 1,250 votes In the last of the Saugus Union races, Laura Arrowsmith would secure a seat in Trustee Area No. 2 of the district. With 53 percent of the vote, the Hart District educator was able to unseat longtime incumbent Judy Umeck.

All three candidates were at The Canyon Tuesday night, where they said they are eager to get to work and described the respect they had for their competition.

See SCHOOL, next page

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 11

LOCALNEWS

Body found in vehicle

By Jim Holt Signal Senior Staff Writer

A

motorist is dead after his car plunged over a cliff and down a 400-foot ravine in Castaic late Wednesday.

The incident happened a “couple of days ago” with no witnesses, Officer Josh Greengard of the California Highway Patrol said late Wednesday afternoon.

“Some hikers were down in the ravine and saw the vehicle,” he said.

“They investigated and saw the body.”

The discovery was made at approximately 4 p.m., about one mile north of Lake Hughes Road on Ridge Route Road.

“This was a solo vehicle went over the embankment,” Greengard said.

“There was one dead at the scene,” he said, describing the deceased man as the “solo occupant” of a 2013 Jetta.

About 4:05 p.m., paramedics with

HILL

Continued from page 8

Knight, a former LAPD officer and veteran, had run for office because he wanted to “complete some missions.”

“I hope that people understand that my whole thought process in running for office was to try and get something done,” he said. “And I think I did a good job at doing that. The last four years have been something I’ll never forget.”

The two-term congressman has his eye on continuing work within the community he has worked to provide health care for.

“I’ll do something,” he said. “I’d love to stay near the veteran community.

And if I can volunteer and help out

SCHOOL

Continued from previous page

Newhall district In other local school district races, Donna Rose led in the fight for a seat in the Newhall School District’s Area No. 2 with 50 percent of the vote.

Her 1,891 votes were enough to edge former principal Larry Heath and

the Los Angeles County Fire Department were dispatched to the remote stretch of Ridge Route Road, Fire Department spokeswoman Vanessa Lozano said.

“Paramedics found the person dead on arrival,” she said, noting firefighters estimated the drop to be about 400 feet.

At 5 p.m., paramedics were waiting for officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner to arrive.

Getting to the crash site, however, proved a challenge for emergency response crews.

“They’re going to have a difficult time retrieving the vehicle,” Greengard said.

“They may not be able to get the vehicle out of there today,” he said, noting the body of the deceased man would be turned over to the coroner.

CHP officers are investigating the incident, Greengard said.  and do things with the veterans that’ll be great. I think some opportunities are going to present themselves.”

Hill said she is grateful to her constituents and takes her new responsibilities very seriously.

“We have seen a historic turnout, and we’ve seen people inspired and mobilized and ready for a change,” she said. “We will not always agree on every policy, but what I do promise is to be there and be fighting for all of us.”

Staffing for the new congressional office and a tentative date for Hill’s first townhall will happen around December or January, according to her campaign.

Hill, a Santa Clarita native, begins her term on Jan. 3.  candidate Liz Guardado, who were both also challenging for the seat that was left vacant when Christy Smith announced her intentions to run for the state’s 38th Assembly District seat.

Rose said she will look to provide support to the district’s new superintendent, which is something she feels qualified to do after serving as an assistant superintendent in the Santa Paula Unified School District prior to retirement. 

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www.ReferralsThatMakeADifference.com We are on a mission to raise $10,000 for Bangalore Children’s Home by donating a portion of our income from home sales to them. This ministry is very close to my heart as they work hard to help give these children by providing a warm bed, clothes, and food. And as you probably know they need sponsorships and donations to continue their care. We are committed to donating a portion of our income from home sales to this very worthy cause.

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12 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

FROM THE CITY MANAGER

‘Light Up Main Street’ event kicks off holiday season in SCV

By Ken Striplin City Manager

T

he holiday season means something different to everyone.

People celebrate a variety of holidays in a variety of ways.

For me, the holiday season means a calendar chalk full of school performances, where I get to see my kids all dressed up, singing classic holiday songs. It means gathering with loved ones for good food and good company. As I look forward to this festive time of the year — the landmark event that kicks it all off is our always popular “Light Up Main Street.”

This much anticipated event grows every year and has become Santa Clarita’s official start to the holidays.

This year, Light Up Main Street will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. New and exciting elements have

COURTESY PHOTO

turned this tree-lighting ceremony into a community-wide holiday celebration that everyone will enjoy.

Prior to Light Up Main Street, business owners in Old Town Newhall will hold their annual Sip ‘N’ Shop, which offers shoppers discounts and incentives on handcrafted gifts and other products and services. This is a great way to strengthen our local economy by supporting those who do business in Santa Clarita. Sip ‘N’ Shop will take place from 2-6 p.m.

Light Up Main Street is a popular

event because it brings together residents from throughout the community and surrounding areas to enjoy music, performances and holiday activities. Main Street will be transformed with lights and decorations and children will have an opportunity to take a photo with Santa. This year there will be a new, chilly addition to the festivities... snow! That’s right, a blanket of white wonderfulness will cover a portion of Main Street for a real winter feel. While kids indulge in a snowball fight — real live reindeer

will be on standby to report back to Santa who has been naughty and nice.

Members of the Santa Clarita City Council will officially flip the switch to light up the 23-foot tall Christmas tree in front of the Old Town Newhall Library at 7:30 p.m. You’ll want to stick around after the tree lighting, because Prussia will perform a special holiday concert.

I’d like to take a moment to thank our community partners for their support of Light Up Main Street, including Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, Re/Max of Santa Clarita, Snow Orthodontics and Valencia Auto Center.

There is much to do in Santa Clarita to get ready for the holidays, and it all starts at Light Up Main Street.

I hope to see you and your family in Old Town Newhall this Saturday.

Ken Striplin is the Santa Clarita City Manager and can be reached at kstriplin@santa-clarita.com. 

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 13

SPORTS

Low key, hard hitting defense paving the way for COC

By Dan Lovi Signal Staff Writer

O

ne of the best-kept secrets on the Santa Clarita Valley sports scene this year is the College of the Canyons football squad, which is led by a record-setting defense.

And while best-kept secret is not usually the way one describes a nationally ranked team, it’s a description befitting the team’s no-nonsense, no-frills, get-the-job-done approach, led by a defense that’s drawn a proverbial line for opposing teams, at the 1-yard line.

“We try to hang our hats on not having people score on us,” sophomore defensive end Tre Easter said.

“Our whole defense as a unit — we just try to play as hard.”

And so far, it’s worked.

The Cougars defense has been trending toward the top all season, allowing only 7.3 points per game,

which ranks them No.1 in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). They are holding opponents to an average of 128.1 passing yards per game, which is also best in the state. The team’s defense has allowed only one passing touchdown all year.

Defensive coordinator Dan Corbet has been preaching a “bend-butdon’t-break” mentality all summer and all season.

It’s paid off for the Cougars, who have found themselves making big plays on defense when it matters most: near their own end zone.

The defense is led by linebacker Tariq Speights and defensive back Shaddrick Lowery Jr., but the roster runs deep. From the starters to the third-stringers, everyone contributes.

“I have full faith in the ones that I run with all the way down to the threes,” Speights said. “We have something really special as a program, not just our starters, but as an

entire program.”

The passion the players have for the game and one another is evident on the field, as every big defensive stop is followed by a congregation around the player who made the play.

When sophomore linebacker Johnny Morrison III sacks the opposing quarterback, his first reaction is to thank his fellow teammates for doing their jobs to make it easier for him. When freshman defensive back Antonio Hunt intercepts a pass as the opposing team is driving, it’s his fellow defensive linemen who are the first ones to hoist him into the air in celebration.

“The most impressive part about them is their collective playing as a group,” Corbet said. “They all go out there to play as a unit and not just as individuals. They have a never give up mentality.”

No matter the opposition’s record, the Cougars don’t take any opponents lightly.

Cougars sophomore wide receiver Jarrin Pierce stiff-arms a Huskies defender in a win over East LA College.

PHOTO BY CORY RUBIN / THE SIGNAL

“Our program is built on a blue-collar mentality. We clock in and go to work every single day and they know if they’re not here to work they don’t belong here,” head coach Ted Iacenda said. “They show up every single day, they put in a full day’s work and that’s how they stay focused.”

The Cougars do it all with their minds on the playoffs and the ultimate end goal: a state championship. 

14 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Let’s honor those who served for Veterans Day

By Ray Kutylo Signal Contributing Writer

measure the depth of their devotion, the purity of their love, or the totality of their courage. We only hope that every day we can prove worthy not only of their sacrifice and service but of the sacrifice made by the families and loved ones they left behind.”

As an American living in freedom, I am thankful for those who defend that freedom every day. Private ownership of property is

P

resident Trump said in a Veterans Day speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier last year: “Words cannot

one of the freedoms of our American system of liberty, and Realtors perform an essential service in representing their clients’ interests in private property transactions.

One of the largest hurdles people face in buying a home, especially their first home, is financing. Veterans have access to special financing: V.A. low and no down loans. The loans aren’t made by the government, but are made by

private lenders and are guaranteed by the government. The guarantee V.A. provides to lenders allows them to provide vets with more favorable terms, including: no down payment as long as the sales price doesn’t exceed the appraised value, no private mortgage insurance premium requirement and possibly lower interest rates.

See VETERANS, page 22

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY CLOSED SALES 10/26/18 TO 11/02/18 AREA/St#

St Name

ACTON/AGUA DULCE 6667 Escondido Canyon RD 3021 Country WAY 31511 Indian Oak RD 33610 Desert RD 9210 Yucca Hills RD

Sold Price

Br/Ba

Sqft/Source

Price/SqFt

$385,000 $568,000 $649,900 $695,000 $639,000

3/2, 4/2,0,1, 4/3, 5/3, 5/4,

960/E 2200/S 2828/O 3176/A 2559/A

$401.04 $258.18 $229.81 $218.83 $249.71

$275,000 $280,000 $297,500 $318,000 $345,000 $454,000 $470,000 $490,000 $490,000 $520,000 $520,000 $522,000 $549,700 $559,000 $565,000 $570,000 $600,000 $608,500 $610,000 $685,000 $740,000 $749,999 $780,000 $1.150 M

2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 3/2, 4/2, 4/2, 4/2, 3/2, 3/3, 3/2,0,1, 4/2, 4/2,0,1, 4/3, 4/3, 4/3, 4/3, 4/3, 4/3, 4/1,1, 4/3, 3/3, 5/3, 4/4,0,1,

860/A 850/A 843/A 964/A 1001/A 1144/A 1144/A 1362/A 1437/A 2063/A 1606/A 1628/A 2526/A 2336/A 2073/A 1900/A 2353/A 2036/A 2478/A 2087/AP 3027/A 3239/A 3400/A 4132/A

$319.77 $329.41 $352.91 $329.88 $344.66 $396.85 $410.84 $359.77 $340.99 $252.06 $323.79 $320.64 $217.62 $239.30 $272.55 $300.00 $254.99 $298.87 $246.17 $328.22 $244.47 $231.55 $229.41 $278.32

$342,900 $350,000 $496,500 $734,000 $1.500 M

3/2, 2/2, 3/2, 4/3, 4/4,

1392/A 1140/A 2005/S 3312/A 5133/O

$246.34 $307.02 $247.63 $221.62 $292.23

$220,200 $314,000 $425,000 $440,000 $530,000 $594,000 $665,000

2/1, 1/1, 2/2, 3/2, 3/2,0,1, 3/1,0,1, 5/3,

806/A 400/A 1198/A 1479/A 1877/A 1492/P 2744/A

$273.20 $785.00 $354.76 $297.50 $282.37 $398.12 $242.35

$300,000 $410,000 $450,000

2/1,1, 2/2,0,1, 3/3,

939/A 1440/A 1520/A

$319.49 $284.72 $296.05

CANYON COUNTRY 18756 18750 18146 27925 26840 27708 19319 30024 30447 27645 29622 18935 18507 15604 14903 19332 27607 27953 17414 16207 18738 17038 18806 26921

Mandan ST #1513 Mandan ST #1114 American Beauty #1055 Tyler LN #736 Claudette ST #230 Walnut Springs AVE Delight ST Abelia RD Sunrose PL Hermes LN Parkglen PL Cabral ST Himalayan CT Meadow DR Narcissus Crest AVE Old Friend RD Sienna Ridge Row Calypso LN Smoke Tree LN Valley Ranch RD Cedar Crest DR River Birch CT Thorn Crest CT Whitehorse PL

CASTAIC / VAL VERDE 27551 27558 30037 30011 30443

Amethyst WAY Amethyst WAY Rainbow DR Penrose LN Cartagena PL

NEWHALL 19144 Ave. Of The Oaks #D 20581 Placerita Canyon RD 26435 Circle Knoll CT 26320 Long Oak DR 26012 Lindale PL 25253 Everett DR 19615 Ellis Henry CT SAUGUS 27612 28436 28445

Susan Beth WAY #C Mirabelle LN Mirabelle LN

AREA/St#

22049 27419 22834 21751 21945 28002 19027 28205 22451

St Name

Alamogordo RD Catala AVE White Pine PL Redwood Canyon PL Lynette LN Kenny LN Graham LN Matador PL Flatwater CT

STEVENSON RANCH 25941 Stafford Cyn. RD #C 25138 Steinbeck AVE #D 26061 Ohara LN VALENCIA Del Monte DR #153 23745 24132 Victoria LN #36 24655 Masters Cup WAY 26512 Caribou CT 24717 Masters Cup WAY 24634 Montevista CIR 26031 Palomita DR 27449 Cherry Creek DR 27776 Summer Grove PL 23940 Whitfield PL 25443 Via Jardin 27002 Alabastro DR 28310 Esplanada DR 28359 Esplanada DR 28415 Calex DR 23605 Sunderland CT 28161 Graciosa ST 29217 Las Terreno LN 25706 Floral CT

Sold Price

Br/Ba

Sqft/Source

Price/SqFt

$519,950 $555,000 $575,000 $615,000 $685,000 $690,000 $803,315 $820,000 $880,000

4/2, 4/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3, 5/4, 5/4, 5/3,0,1, 5/2,1,1,

1250/A 1260/A 1800/A 2024/A 2098/A 2912/A 3538/B 3374/A 3528/A

$415.96 $440.48 $319.44 $303.85 $326.50 $236.95 $227.05 $243.03 $249.43

$365,000 $385,000 $800,000

2/2, 2/3, 5/3,

1127/A 1164/A 2611/A

$323.87 $330.76 $306.40

$330,000 2/2, $377,500 2/2, $398,000 3/1,0,1,1 $420,000 2/3, $425,000 3/2,0,1, $490,000 3/2,0,1, $515,000 3/2,0,1, $535,000 3/2, $544,800 3/2,1, $589,500 2/2, $609,000 5/3, $630,000 4/3, $640,000 5/3, $659,000 5/3, $690,000 4/1,2, $705,000 4/3, $715,000 4/3, $815,000 5/3,1, $830,000 5/4,

940/A 990/A 1169/A 1176/A 1217/A 1517/A 1356/A 1245/A 1720/A 1445/A 2244/A 2241/A 2562/A 2562/A 2459/A 2330/A 2740/A 3568/A 3030/A

$351.06 $381.31 $340.46 $357.14 $349.22 $323.01 $379.79 $429.72 $316.74 $407.96 $271.39 $281.12 $249.80 $257.22 $280.60 $302.58 $260.95 $228.42 $273.93

Based on information from the Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®/Multiple Listing Service for the week ending on 11/02/18. All data, including all measurements and calculations of area, is obtained from various sources and has not been, and will not be, verified by broker or MLS. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy.

Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 15

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1 6 · S U N D AY S I G N A L

Opinion

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Unless otherwise stated, the views and opinions expressed are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Signal.

OURVIEW

E T H I C A L LY S P E A K I N G

Did SUSD Play Politics on Release of STA Letter?

The Importance and Art of Using Your Words Well

By The Signal Editorial Board

By David Hegg

T

his one doesn’t pass the smell test.

On the week before Tuesday’s election, The Signal became aware of the existence of a “cease and desist” letter from the Saugus Teachers Association's attorney to the Saugus Union School District.

The letter involves a dispute between SUSD board President Chris Trunkey and STA President Deborah Rocha, who accuses Trunkey of trying to dig up “dirt” on her after the STA endorsed another candidate —Sharlene Duzick — for his Area 5 seat.

When we first heard of its existence, sources told us the nature of the letter, but we needed to see it to confirm its contents before reporting the details.

So, we asked for a copy. It’s a letter from the STA to the district, and as far as we know there would be no reason to believe it wasn’t a public record.

But the SUSD said we couldn’t have the letter, at least not right away. Upon our original request, made under the California Public Records Act on Nov. 1, the response we received from the SUSD was that the letter could not be made available until Nov. 9.

For those keeping score, that would

be three days after the midterm election in which Trunkey was seeking re-election.

The law does allow a public agency up to 10 days to respond to a Public Records Act request. So, the district’s response to our request did not violate the law. However, the district’s refusal to release the letter before the election seems shady to say the least.

As it turned out, the district released the Oct. 26 letter sooner than they said they would, but still not before the election. It was released on Wednesday, after all the ballots were cast.

That’s a head-scratcher, isn’t it?

The letter was addressed to Board Clerk Paul De La Cerda and signed

by Richa Amar, an attorney for the teachers association. It details the STA’s allegations that the school board violated the Educational Employment Relations Act and Trunkey violated the board’s Governance Standards and Code of Conduct.

See OUR VIEW, page 18

“P

apa, hold you up?” With those four words my granddaughter of not quite 2 years communicated in no uncertain terms just what she wanted of me. She wanted me to hold her, but not sitting down. She wanted to be held by me, standing up. Having just spent three wonderful days with my kids and their kids I am still marveling at the wonder of language, or rather, the incredible way our kids learn to speak intelligibly.

My granddaughter knows around 100 words, which isn’t much of a vocabulary unless you are not quite 2.

Then it seems to be sufficient. She has no trouble getting the various adults in her life to do whatever she wants. And she does it with very few words. There is a lesson to be learned here.

As a writer and speaker I have come to love words. And maybe I love them just a bit too much. At least one of my readers has complained about the length of my columns so maybe I need to pay more attention to brevity and not worry so much about clarity.

But here’s the problem.

There is a great difference between communicating to be understood, and communicating so as not to be misunderstood.

When my granddaughter speaks, everyone in the room stops to listen, and they also work really hard to understand what she is saying. In fact, most will repeat what she has said to make sure there is understanding. This is the way children learn vocabulary, and eventually, correct pronunciation, grammar and syntax. This “speak and repeat” regimen becomes part of a parent’s daily routine and eventually, if the parent speaks well, so will the child.

But while this is essential to learning a language, it is not the standard communication cycle of adult life. Most of our language use is one-sided. Email, texts, Facebook messages, letters and this column are all examples. I sit here in my office typing on my computer, and I am communicating to people I don’t know and probably will never meet. I have no chance to see by your facial expressions if you are following See HEGG, page 18

READERLETTERS

A Lesson to Our Friends from Across the Aisle Please allow this letter to serve as a learning moment for leftists throughout the country. What I will be teaching you in this letter is very important and you should all pay attention.

To Katie Hill, Democrats now in charge of the House, and to Democrats throughout the country, I wish to congratulate you! See how easy that was?

You may note that upon hearing of the defeat of Steve Knight, his supporters did not cry in agony

or threaten to leave the country. When Republicans learned they had lost the House, they did not scream at the sky, vow to resist and organize (sometimes violent) demonstrations. When Republicans lost several governorships, they did not fail to concede or claim fraud or claim that the will of the people had not been followed or demand the Constitution be amended.

No, what we did was acknowledge the defeat of the Republican Party and vow to try again in two years, go to bed and then get up the next day for work. This is the adult way to handle defeat — not to threaten to blow up the White House or wish

death upon our political opponents a hundred different ways.

Congrats again to Katie Hill and we all look forward to your commitment to fix D.C. I’m sure you’re going to find it harder than it sounds, but by all means, give it a go and we’ll see you again in two years.

Brian Richards, Stevenson Ranch Submit a Letter to the Editor

Include name, address & phone number; Anonymous letters are not printed; Email: letters@signalscv.com; Mail to: Letters to the Editor, The Signal, 26330 Diamond Place, Ste. 100, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AY S I G N A L · 1 7

Opinion

Contact: Tim Whyte, Signal Editor Phone: 661-287-5591 | Email: letters@signalscv.com Mail: 26330 Diamond Place, Suite 100, Santa Clarita, CA 91350

BLACK&WHYTE

FIRSTPERSON

On Surprise Finishes and Borderline Bar & Grill: A Missing the Old Format Safe Haven Is Shattered

By Tim Whyte Signal Editor

A

s the fur and dust settle after Tuesday’s election, I look back on the past few months and can’t help feeling like something was missing: the City Council election.

Sure. The election occurred, alright.

But it didn’t dominate the local conversation like it did in the good ol’ days.

The ingredients were there. Fifteen candidates, three seats. A solid mix of aspirational newcomers, old guard and predictable also-rans who, let’s be honest, never stand much of a chance of sweeping any voter category beyond their friends and immediate family.

The results were kind of what you’d expect, too. The incumbents won — Laurene Weste, Marsha McLean and Bill Miranda. Diane Trautman, an experienced former city planning commissioner, came in fourth.

Anyone handicapping the election would say, sure, that top four shows everything sort of going according to form based on past voter behavior.

So, after the top three and Trautman, who would you think would be next?

TimBen Boydston, a former council member seeking to return?

Good guess, but no.

Jason Gibbs, the newcomer who had won the support of Councilman Bob Kellar and other movers and shakers?

Another swing and a miss!

How about Trautman’s de facto Democrat “running mates,” Brett Haddock (aka the guy with the bowtie) and Logan Smith? Strike three!

Nope. Sitting pretty in fifth was none other than my favorite “perennial candidate,” Ken Dean, with 9,749 votes, pending late mail-ins and provisionals.

Sure, with 3,856 votes between him and third place, Ken wasn’t much of a threat to win a seat. And yes, a few

folks pointed out that his name appeared first on the ballot. But the winners all came from much farther down the list. The man barely campaigned.

Didn’t raise any money to speak of — and the top candidates raised more than $50,000.

Talk about grass roots.

In 2016, the first year in which the council election switched from a stand-alone election in April to run concurrent with the general election, Ken drew 10,101 votes and placed fifth in a campaign for two seats.

That was by far his best showing until this year. He ran five times under the “old” format and was usually not in contention for the win. In 2006, he got 714 votes. In 1994, he got 332 votes. In 1992, he got 1,318. In 1990, his previous best showing, he got 3,015 votes and came in fourth in the battle for three seats. In 1987, the original cityhood election, on a ballot jammed with more than two dozen candidates seeking five seats, Ken got 1,214 votes.

My point? Under the new format, seven-time candidate Ken Dean is a rising star in local politics! With a little fundraising and some campaigning (I mean, literally, ANY), could we push Ken over the top in 2020?

Anyhoo. That excitement aside, I came to conclude in this election cycle that I kind of miss having the City Council election stand on its own.

Why? Because the council election was about the third or fourth most interesting local race. One could argue it’s actually the most important local campaign, based on the impact the City Council has on our town.

But it just didn’t capture the imagination of the public. What were people talking about the past few weeks?

No. 1 was clear: the 25th CongresSee WHYTE, page 18

Editor's note: This first-person article first appeared in the Friday edition of The Signal.

By Michele Lutes Signal Staff Writer

O

ur place. Our people. It’s hard to wrap your mind around a tragedy that hits so close to home.

I have been going to Borderline Bar and Grill for three years since I was 18. It was the place where I counted down the days until I was old enough to get in and then counted down the days again until I could get the 21-andover wristband. A place that reunited me with my best friends and created everlasting memories for us.

One best friend met her husband there and another met her boyfriend there. We celebrated birthdays and engagements there and created lifetime bonds with people from all over Los Angeles and Ventura County.

It’s about a 45-minute drive from the Santa Clarita Valley to Thousand Oaks, and almost every week dozens of SCV residents make the drive to dance with their second family at the place many consider their second home.

“Everyone says it’s like a family there, but literally my Snapchat group is named Borderline family,” said Will Davison, an SCV resident, my friend and Borderline regular.

With country music blasting and practicing line dances in our heads, I’d park the car at Borderline and we’d boot-scoot our way to the door. We’d step up to the cashier to pay and get X’s on our hands or get our wristband.

The DJ would call out line dances as we’d rush to the floor to grab a spot to dance, or even make fools of ourselves as we’d try to follow a dance we don’t know. Either way, the smiles on our faces and the memories we are mak-

ing are ones that will last forever.

Borderline is a place that has attracted the country community for years. Since 1993 the bar has been open to ages 18 and up. Whether it’s college night, country night or a concert and two-step lessons, the place would

be packed.

It’s easy to make friends with whoever happens to be next to you whether you’re sitting on a bar stool or you never leave the dance floor, and you’d even run into people from your own neighborhood in the bathroom.

We know the names and faces of every single employee, from the bouncers to the line dance teachers.

“I’ve been going there for years and years. It’s a very safe place,” Davison said. “Everybody there is welcoming and inviting. This is not the place you think this would happen.”

Wednesday night, horrific events hit close to home. Hundreds stood inside a place that was made for memories — and they feared for their lives.

“At that moment I just kept thinking to myself, ‘Am I gonna be alive?’ Nothing else was going through my head,” said Katelyn Dolder, SCV resident and my friend of six years.

She had not missed a college night at Borderline in more than four months.

A gunman barged into Borderline and opened fire. By the time his rampage was done, he had killed at least 12 people, including a Ventura County sheriff ’s sergeant who was the first to respond to the scene.

“I just feel shattered,” Davison said.

He did not attend Wednesday’s event, but his friends were among the injured and deceased. He knew at least six of those killed.

It could have been any of us out See LUTES, page 18

1 8 · S U N D AY S I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Opinion

OUR VIEW

Continued from page 16

The letter outlines all of the accusations and closes by saying “if the complained-of conduct persists, STA may bring legal action against the board and seek appropriate relief.”

We asked the district for a reason that the letter was being withheld until after the election. We were given none.

And, as far as we know, there is no valid reason for it to be withheld. But we’re open-minded — if the SUSD wants to offer up a valid reason for withholding the letter, we’ll listen.

Superintendent Colleen Hawkins, Trunkey and De La Cerda have declined comment on the letter, and that is understandable. There could be litigation in the future between the teachers association and the district, so their legal counsel is probably advising them that the less said, the better. The board held a closed-session meeting Oct. 30 to discuss the district’s “significant exposure to litigation,” according to the agenda for that meeting.

But no one has explained the delay in releasing the letter, and on its face, the reason seems obvious: Politics.

The election was Tuesday. The SUSD withheld the letter until Wednesday,

WHYTE

Continued from page 17

sional District race between Katie Hill and Steve Knight. Whichever side you were on, it was INTERESTING, and there’s no denying it was the headline act. The undercard? Probably the battle between Dante Acosta and Christy Smith for the 38th Assembly District.

Those, plus the other races and initiatives, left the City Council election in the role of warm-up act.

That’s what I liked about the standalone elections: Every two years, the community engaged in a robust discussion of who should run our town.

The results might not have been any different — and yes, more people vote in a general election — but when it was a stand-alone, there was more conversation and the council election was THE thing local wags talked about.

I know there were good reasons to move it from a stand-alone to coincide

after Trunkey had apparently won re-election by just 144 votes over Duzick — the official outcome, of course, being subject to any shifts that may occur as provisional and late mail-in ballots are counted.

Why didn’t the district release the letter before the election? It’s a public record. It’s three pages long. If the office copy machine at SUSD headquarters was on the fritz, the total cost of a photocopy would be about 39 cents at one of your better office supply stores.

Or, they could save a tree, scan the letter and email us a pdf. Total time invested: maybe five minutes.

Turns out, they did send it as a pdf.

On Wednesday. You can view the whole letter online at: bit.ly/2DtycAb So, why was the answer “not until Nov. 9” when we first asked for a copy of a three-page public record? Why was it withheld until one day after the election?

What EVER could the reason be?

It couldn’t possibly be that the district office, a public agency, was manipulating the timing of the release of a public record in order to protect a board member’s re-election hopes, could it?

Nah, it can’t be. They wouldn’t do such a thing.

Would they?  with the general election. The city was basically compelled to make the switch in 2016 when it settled a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit. By piggybacking on the general election, the city involves thousands more voters. It of course saves a few bucks, too.

Further, as we’ve editorialized, it's time to revisit the way our council members are elected. With 15 candidates in a rodeo over three seats, it’s nearly impossible for even a conscientious voter to know them all. I’d expect some kind of a change in the future, perhaps involving a switch to elections by district, or some other mechanism.

Meanwhile, so long as council elections run concurrent with general elections, we’re going to have council elections playing third fiddle to other campaigns.

That is, unless we get some real energy behind Ken Dean in 2020.

Tim Whyte is editor of The Signal. His column appears Sundays. 

LUTES

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there on that dance floor.

Wednesday night when I received the notification on my phone, I awoke, startled, and prayed it wasn’t real.

I had seen friends post on Snapchat and Instagram that they were at Borderline an hour prior. All I could do was contact them and wait. For at least two hours, I heard nothing. No sign from the ones we call family. Friends and family from across the nation contacted me asking me if I was OK, if I was there and what was going on.

I contacted Katelyn and waited over two hours to hear if she was safe. She was OK, but she had been running for her life, she said. She made it out alive with a hurt ankle and was able to go home and hug her family again.

HEGG

Continued from page 16

my thought, much less agreeing or disagreeing. This means I have no chance to correct misunderstandings so I have to do all I can to make sure I not only am communicating, but also doing so in a way that can’t be easily misunderstood. And unfortunately, that means using too many words, especially if the subject has a complexity to it.

This is more clearly seen in the difference between reading a comic strip, and reading G. K. Chesterton’s "Orthodoxy" or John Owen’s "Mortification of Sin." The comic is simple, hopefully funny, and easy to understand. But humorous strips can never communicate complex ideas of the type that have occupied human society and intellectual discourse for ages. On the other hand, if you read Chesterton or Owen your mind will be put through its paces trying to grasp the intricacies of the topics and arguments.

Working with words is a job all of us take on throughout our lives. And today’s technology only makes it more apparent just how caught up we are in the dance of instant communication.

We feel naked and at risk whenever we forget to take our phones with us. Yet, instead of becoming more able to engage in lengthy, meaningful dialogue on important subjects, we

“When I first got home, it was still pitch dark,” she said. She sat down on the couch and tried to watch a Disney movie. “I kept looking at the window. I was just paranoid. I don’t know what’s gonna come through a window now, or through a door. I’m just afraid to open it and see what’s on the other side.”

I felt hopeless, angry, hurt, confused and anxious as I watched the news unfold in front of my eyes. A place we call home shattered into pieces. Barstools thrown out windows, blood dried on the front steps and the deceased inside.

“It’s just painful. It was where some of the best memories have happened lately, but now it’s turned into the worst memory,” Katelyn said.

It’s gonna be a long road for all of us. We have to stick together and be Country Strong.

Michele Lutes is a Signal staff writer.  are becoming more and more like my granddaughter. Now we have to reduce everything down to 140 characters so that it can be texted. Our political discussions have been reduced to 30-second responses and sound bites. Brevity is king, but at what cost?

We are in danger of making everything simple, of losing our ability to think deeply. In our desire for quick and simple we are minimizing critical thought and argument, and maximizing clever and cute.

It certainly works for my granddaughter, but here’s the irony of it. In order to make it in this world, she’ll have to get better and better at using words, forming sentences, and putting arguments and critical solutions together. By the very nature of things, she will develop more complex language skills in order to be successful.

She won’t always sit and listen as I read "Good Night Moon" to her. Someday she and I will discuss the merits of John Calvin’s "Institutes."

I only hope that our society will still recognize and appreciate lengthy discourse by the time she’s ready to participate.

David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church and a Santa Clarita resident.“Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays. 

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018 2018

19 S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 9

= Family Friendly Event

THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR

ONGOING Santa Clarita City Council Meetings second and fourth Tuesday of every month 6 p.m.

Council meetings are also broadcast live on SCV TV channel 20 and on the city’s website. Santa Clarita City Hall, City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita. Info: City Clerk’s office Clerk’s office: (661) 255-4391.

Sundays, 7:30 a.m. Dragon Boat Paddling.

Experience a long Dragon boat with the Castaic Lake Dragon Boat team and a two-hour physical workout. Free, no experience necessary. Paddle and PFD personal flotation device provided. Info: teamdragoneyes.my-free.website (213) 447-5707.

Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m. The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society invites guests to visit Heritage Junction Historic Park inside William S. Hart Park in Newhall. Tours are held every Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m. 24101 Newhall Ave, Newhall. Info: scvhs.org.

Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Remo Community Drumming Experience is an hour of fun entry-level experiential music making with drums and percussion that is accessible to everyone. Family-friendly environment with facilitator. All ages and levels of ability are welcome and no prior musical experience is necessary. Drums and percussion instruments provided at no cost. Free. Info: santaclaritaarts.com.

Saturdays thru Dec. 8, 8 a.m. to noon. Trails & Open Space Beautification Projects. Join a group of dedicated volunteers and help clean up and maintain city trails. Interested volunteers must pre-register at SantaClaritaVolunteers.com.

Saturdays, 11 a.m. Family Nature Walk and a Native Live Animal Presentation at 1 p.m. Free. Placerita Nature Center, 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall.

Info: placerita.org.

Second Saturday of the month, 8 a.m. A docent-led bird walk for beginning to advanced birders. Bring binoculars, a field guide, and water.

19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall.

Info: placerita.org.

First, second and third Thursdays of each month, 6-9 p.m. ARTree Figure Drawing. Visit ARTree Community Arts Center for a chance to really explore your creative potential using a live model.

Just drop in and bring a pencil and paper. $10 donation. ARTree Community Arts Center, 22508 6th St., Newhall. Info: theartree.org.

Saturdays and Sundays (except rainy days and holidays) 9:30 a.m. to noon. The Gibbon Conservation Center is open to the public. A tour is given at 10 a.m. and self-guided tours are available at all times. Admission: $15 (adults); $12 (teens and

students); $10 (seniors); $5 (children 6-12); $0 (Children under 5). Gibbon Conservation Center, 19100 Esguerra Road Saugus.

Info: gibboncenter.org

EVENTS BY DATE Tuesday, Nov. 13, 5-6 p.m. Keeping Your Brain Healthy. Did you know that your brain is an organ too? Learn about things you can do to help your memory and brain stay strong as you age. Second Tuesday of each month. Henry Mayo Fitness and Health, Room 1 24525 Town Center Drive, Valencia, 91355. Register/info: Adrianna Guadarrama, (818) 830-4738, aguadarrama@ alzgla.org.

Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. COC Scholarly Presentation. Kevin Anthony & Michael McCaffrey present Pompeii: Life and Art. Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, 91355. Info: canyons.edu/Offices/Foundation/ Pages/default.aspx Thursday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. The Master’s University Fall Instrumental Ensembles Concert.

General Admission: $8; Alumni: $5 Children 12 & under: Free. The Master’s University Recital Hall, 21726 Placerita Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, 91321. Info: masters.edu/performingarts/music Friday, Nov. 16, 7:30-10:30 a.m. Heart Health Fair: Care For Your Heart. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital presents Free Community Heart Health Fair. Come to this event to receive several free heart healthy screenings such as blood pressure monitoring, height and weight analysis, body composition. Canyon Country Community Center, 18792 Flying Tiger Drive, Santa Clarita.

Info: henrymayo.com/classes-events/classes-events-details/?Event=4321 Friday, Nov. 16, 8:30 a.m. MakerSpace Tour at College of the Canyons. The MakerSpace enables community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldn’t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone. If you are wondering where to create a prototype or perhaps you enjoy tinkering, come see the MakerSpace and learn more about this community resource.

MakerSpace 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita. Info: canyons.edu/Offices/SchoolofAppliedTech/MakerSpace/Pages/default.aspx Friday, Nov. 16, 6-11 p.m. Magic of the Lights Gala to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley. The premier Festival of Trees event.

Reservations required. $85 individual ticket, tables available with sponsorships. Boutique shopping and a hosted cocktail reception with silent auction gingerbread houses and tabletop trees, followed by live entertainment, a live

auction of the large trees, drinks and gourmet food. Festive attire. Info: scvbgc.org/festival-of-trees-santa-clarita/ Saturday, Nov. 17, Sunday, Nov. 18 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Festival of Trees to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley. $8 adults, $3 children, $4 seniors & military. Decorated large trees, tabletop trees and gingerbread house viewing; holiday boutique shopping, live entertainment; arts & crafts in the Kids’ Corner and photos with Santa. Select items available for silent auction bidding. Pay for Admission at the Door. Kids’ Corner & Santa Photo tickets available on site. The Centre, off-site parking during general admission times. Follow the signs for parking at Mission Valley Bank and take the free shuttle to The Centre, 26415 Carl Boyer Drive, Santa Clarita. $2 off coupon and info: scvbgc.org/festival-of-trees-santa-clarita Saturday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m. Twilight Hike Placerita Canyon Nature Center, 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall. Info. placerita.org.

Saturday, Nov. 17, 2-6 p.m. Old Town Newhall Sip N’ Shop An afternoon of local shopping, wine and holiday fun during Old Town Newhall’s Sip ’n’ Shop event. Cruise up and down the streets of Old Town Newhall visiting local boutiques,

specialty shops, restaurants and wine bars. Appetizers, wine, beverages and holiday specials. Old Town Newhall Library, 24500 Main St., Newhall.

Info: facebook.com/OldTownSipNShop Saturday, Nov. 17, 2 p.m. Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society Lecture Series presents: Southland: A video presentation on the railroad scene in Southern California 1950-1976. Free.

Presenters: Authors Tom Gildersleeve and Gordon Glattenberg. “Southland” is an all color book that features their photographic work regarding the railroad scene in Southern California between 1950 and 1976, with the main emphasis being the 1960s. Saugus Train Station, Heritage Junction within William S. Hart Park, 24101 Newhall Ave., Newhall, 91321. Info: scvhs.org/ wp/events-2/ Saturday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m. Light Up Main Street. Old Town Newhall will be transformed into a dazzling winter wonderland. A night of festive holiday performances on the stage in front of the Old Town Newhall Library. The lights will be turned on at 7:30 p.m. Food trucks (both sweet and savory), photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, entertainment. Main Street and Market Street, Santa Clarita Info: facebook.com/ events/321520578612163/?active_tab=about

! N! !

N I W WI WIN CONGRATULATIONS to JANELLE NOLAND OF VALENCIA — the winner of $100 for correctly identifying the artwork as being from TRINITY ACADEMY advertisement on page 12 of our Oct. 28 issue.

Identify this piece of artwork and the page number that it is on in one of the advertisements in this week’s issue, and you will be entered to win $100. One game and one winner each week.

Mail your entry to: The Signal – Contest 26330 Diamond Place | Santa Clarita, CA 91350 Or email to: contest@signalscv.com

Best in the SCV 201 7 years in a r

Advertiser: Page # Name: Address:

Phone:

This week’s entries are due Wed. Nov. 21.

Winner to be announced in 2 weeks.

Heating Service Special Includes Free Common Size Ple

20 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

TWO Train Robberies & Mucho Cool SCV History

A

men boy howdy, do we have an interesting trail ride ahead, history saddlepals. We’ve got movie stars, epic crimes, a local first lady who runs over movie stars, giant wild boars, disasters and, well, phew.

Get your heinies up into the saddles and come see for yourselves…

WAY BACK WHEN & THEN SOME

• The silent movie, “Tom Mix in Arabia,” was released on this date in 1923. The movie was shot in Newhall and, making it more local, Tom had his little studio/residence on Main Street, just across from another superstar, Wm. S. Hart. Interestingly, Hart was the No. 1 cowboy box office star in the world and Mix would take his place. Another local footnote?

Tony, the Wonderhorse, was born and raised in Placerita Canyon.

• William Mulholland was the center of attention when he turned a spigot to release the first water from the Owens Valley into the San Fernando Valley. Most of you have driven by the spot hundreds of times. It’s that picturesque manmade waterfall near the I-5 and Highway 14 split. After opening the valve that would help make Los Angeles one of the great cities in the history of civilization, Mulholland spoke few words that day of Nov. 5, 1913: “There it is. Take it.”

• Few have heard of Bertha Wilkens. She had the first legal deed to Vasquez Rocks, signing over 160 acres to her on Nov. 11, 1898.

• The epic three-year drought had begun in 1862. Hardly a drop fell in the entire state. Cattle died by the hundreds of thousands, including on our own Rancho San Francisco, which covered the entire Santa Clarita Valley then. Stock prices had hit a high in 1862 from $75 a steer, falling to a measly two bits. A description of the SCV from a Los Angeles newspaper of the day: “The air was rank with smell of stinking beef carcasses…”

NOV. 11, 1928

• Lou Henry Hoover is the closest thing the SCV has to a first lady. Her father managed gold mines in Acton and Agua Dulce and she was a tom girl, playing on slag heaps and riding horses. Her husband, Herbert, was elected president 90 years back. He carried the SCV. We had 234 registered

Republicans, 108 Democrats, seven Socialists and three Prohibitionists.

Another nine cast their ballots, but they were unreadable. Back to Lou. While attending a dinner at her alma mater, Stanford, years later, she had a slight accident. Driving in the dark, she hit a young student, Richard Boone, breaking his leg. Rich would later become a movie and TV star, famous for starring as “Paladin.”

• Goldena Sabula (try saying that fast, 10 times) drew a stiff sentence for drunk driving. She was fined $250 plus 90 days in the slammer. Back in 1928, you could buy an entire house on an acre for $500 — TOTAL price.

• It was a terrible freak accident. A mighty gust of wind literally forced a Model T over a 400-foot cliff north of town. The driver, Anna Chilton, died in the crash. Her three girlfriends escaped with minor scrapes.

NOV. 10, 1929

• It was, inarguably, the most spectacular crime in the history of the SCV. A local cattle rustler, crook and mountebank, Tom Averill, derailed the Owl train near the Saugus Speedway. Then, he climbed on board, robbed the passengers and escaped to Wyoming (where he derailed another train and robbed it). Tom went by the name of “Buffalo Tom,” claiming he rode in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

It’s unlikely he did. Tom wasn’t hard to capture. While crouching behind a tool shed near the rails, he dropped a letter out of his pocket, which carried his itinerary for the next few months.

NOV. 11, 1938

• The little bright red, one-room schoolhouse up Bouquet Canyon closed for good. New Era was built 30 years earlier and served only a handful of students. Parents voted to close it and send the few kids to Saugus Elementary, adjacent to where IHOP

is today on Bouquet.

• Hard to believe, but giant wild boars roamed the SCV, terrorizing locals. A 500-pound beast attacked a prize brood mare on a Newhall ranch, goring and biting it to death.

• In a rare occurrence, the SCV went Democrat. We gave up 978 votes to Culbert Levy Olson, the first Dem governor of California in 40 years.

An avowed atheist since 10, Olson refused to repeat, “So help me God” during his oath of office. Soundly defeated in the next election, Olson blamed the Catholic church.

• Signal Editor Fred Trueblood wrote these words in a front-page editorial: “The best thing about the election is it’s over. In every election, the principal effort of both sides is to convince the electorate that the country or state will go to hell in a handcart if the other side is elected. One side or the other wins, but the election never results in the complete break-up of organized society.” Amen.

NOV. 11, 1948

• Bet you didn’t know this one: The first time any high school had a night home game WITH a band and cheerleaders was on Nov. 5, 1948. The Indians lost to Oxnard, 22-6 but the half-time show got more attention than the game.

• Seventy years later, that photo of a grinning Harry S. Truman holding the Chicago Tribune headline of “Dewey Beats Truman” is iconic.

Signal Editor Fred Trueblood wrote a humble apology, noting he hadn’t given Truman “…a Chinaman’s chance” of beating the New York governor, Thomas Dewey. Trueblood confessed The Mighty Signal was as off-base as every paper in the country, “…maybe even more.”

NOV. 11, 1958

• A pox that travels through lifetimes on the mouth-breathing low-lives who swiped state historical plaque No. 556. It was dedicated on this date and commemorated the “Missing Mission San Francisco and Rancho San Francisco” from a century earlier. The SCV had been a well-used trading hub for Indians as far away as Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Northern California.

• Most don’t recognize the name Joe Kapp today. The former Hart ath-

letic star was named College Back of the Week after the runner scored two TD’s for his Berkeley squad over Oregon. Joe would have a stellar career in pro football. He also is the answer to the trivia question: “Who is the only player to compete in a Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl?” Poor Joe. Lost all three. But, he still holds the shared record of throwing seven TD’s — in one game! — when his Vikings beat the Baltimore Colts in 1969.

NOV. 11, 1968

• A not-so-merry prankster doctored the campaign posters of Democratic candidate, Alan Cranston.

Someone edited Al’s big poster with the unasked-for text: “Stalin Registered Guns. Cranston Wants To.” • Henry Wendell certainly earned his nickname of “Choo-Choo.” The mutt got drunk, stole a locomotive at the Saugus Train Station and took it for a joy ride. Our beloved jurist Adrian Adams so wanted to throw the book at Choo-Choo, but was frustrated there wasn’t a law against stealing a train. Adams was forced to give Chooch the maximum: 45 days behind bars and a $550 fine.

NOV. 11, 1978

• Canyon COUNTY (whose borders would be the SCV) was defeated for the second time. While it passed 59-41 percent here, it was defeated at the L.A. County level, 67-33. Nine years later, we went back door and formed the City of Santa Clarita.

• Swashbuckling Signal Editor Scott Newhall hadn’t met a president he didn’t want to impeach. He added No. 39 to his menu. Scott wrote, on the front page, the last time we had a public servant so inept as Jimmy Carter, it was Gen. Custer.

See you in seven days with another exciting Time Ranger adventure, dear saddlepals. Until then — sigue votando hasta que te alcancen y vayan con Dios!

John Boston, aka, Mr. Santa Clarita Valley, has been writing about and teaching the history of the SCV for more than 40 years. Read his historical tome, “Images of America: The Santa Clarita Valley.” 

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 21

HOMEIMPROVEMENT

Home Improvement: safely doing drywall and stopping leaks

By Robert Lamoureux Signal Contributing Writer

Question: Fire Tape Hi Robert, I can handle many scopes of work around my house as I am a licensed electrician and have years of experience in construction but there are moments where I am uncertain about codes for building, and this is one of them. I prefer to follow the rules and make changes per code so here is the thing that stumped me at this time. I would like to put up shiplap, or wood in the form of shiplap, on the inside of an exterior wall. There is new drywall on this area so I’m wondering if I need to fire tape this, and prime and paint, prior to the install of the shiplap.

Thank you for your help, Konrad W. Konrad, On a wall that is not a “fire” wall, you do not have to fire tape this.

You’ll want to at least prime the area most likely, and possibly paint it with the idea that the gap that is usually present with shiplap, will allow the color of the wall behind, to show.

In your case, it would be the drywall so depending on the look that you’re going for, keep that in mind.

If you’re dealing with a party wall, also known as a fire wall, this is one example where the answer would be, “Yes,” that you’d need to fire-tape. Any time you have a fire-rated area (or an area that’s designed to be fire-rated), you need to keep consistent with the planning/engineering, because otherwise you have a safety issue.

Good question, and good luck with your project, Robert Question: Dry wall layers Robert, I live in a condo in Canyon Country and have an adjoining wall with our next-door neighbor.

We recently had a flood and the drywall on the adjoining wall was removed right down to the plywood.

I am by no means a contractor, but as

I recall during the removal of the wet drywall, there were two layers of this stuff, the drywall.

They sent in the handyman for repairs and he only put up one layer. I’m guessing that since there were two layers to begin with, there should be two put back.

My question to you is, is there a reason that he only put one back, and is this OK? He told me we are done and even though the area looks like something is missing, he insists that this is OK. Please give me your feedback so I can be sure on this before I make an official complaint.

Thank you, Robert G. Robert, My feedback is that you are correct, and this should be two layers.

The reason two are needed is because this is a fire wall. I can tell you that there was no permit pulled for this work which there should have been, this is one very good reason why.

There is no way that an inspector would have signed off on this, as two layers are needed and the first layer needs to be inspected prior to the second going up. The inspector would be checking for nailing, fire tape and in some cities, smoke stop.

Once they sign off on the first layer then and only then, is it ok to proceed to the second layer. As I always say, the cities are there for safety, and they are vital to help make sure that things are done correctly so folks are safe. I highly recommend that you reach out to your management company and request that they pull a permit and complete this job properly.

Keeping in mind first and foremost safety, and in the unfortunate event of a fire, both homes need proper protection. Secondary to that, keep insurance in mind. Generally coverage can and will be questioned if such things are not done correctly.

Advocate for yourself and get this done properly, ASAP. Good luck, Robert

Safety calls for two layers of dry wall to be installed in the home, to account for the fire wall, a safety measure. COURTESY PHOTO

Question: Leaking garage walls Robert, We have a below-ground garage that is leaking on the interior two walls.

On the exterior, there are planters with dirt below. We have had three contractors out here and all three have different opinions. Given the pics I sent you of the interior and the exterior, what is your opinion of what we should do?

We are not a wealthy HOA and must fix this, but can’t be broke either.

Mary R. Mary, Based on the finances and the enormity of the problem, I would recommend using an epoxy injection system to the affected areas and attempt to resolve the problem that way. The crew will come in and core (approximately) half-inch holes into the wall and inject and epoxy that will travel behind the wall attempting to seal the water behind the dirt, not allowing it to enter the garage.

This is not a 100 percent fool-proof repair, but a good attempt at stopping the water.

If you use a reputable company, they are pretty good at stopping the majority of the leaks. Sometimes negative waterproofing is an option but if you were to try a negative water-

proofing here, this would encapsulate the water which would allow the rebar to sit in water 24/7, exacerbating the rusting of the steel.

If the steel is allowed to sit in the water like that, then you will get a condition called spalling, where the steel rusts and expands and then blows the inner face of the block wall off.

This is then structural damage and over time can become extremely hazardous and very costly. Give the epoxy a try here, it may buy you some time to allow the HOA to gather funds in order to do a more permanent repair at a future date.

Good luck, Robert Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia.

His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at robert@imsconstruction.com.

22 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Home, condo inventory high; sales dropping Tammy Murga Signal Staff Writer

F

or the fourth consecutive month, the inventory of Santa Clarita Valley homes and condominiums increased to its highest level since August 2014, but a recent report showed sales dropped during September.

Data released by the SCV division of the Southland Regional Association of Realtors, found 709 active listings by the end of the month, an increase of nearly 32 percent from a year ago.

In August, 699 homes and condos were listed.

M. Dean Vincent, chairman of the SCV division said September’s findings mirror that of the previous month, a sign that “the market is changing, it’s in transition.”

Much like in August, Tim Johnson, SRAR’s CEO, said the continued pattern of fewer sales shows that the market is transitioning to a buyer’s market.

This means, he said in a statement, “Buyers have more properties to choose from and more negotiating leverage, while sellers can still receive a very favorable price for their home.”

The lowest tally for the month on

VETERANS

Continued from page 14

In addition, V.A. limits the amount of closing costs you can be charged.

Veterans don’t have to be a first-time buyer and can re-use the benefit. I work with a number of reputable lenders who offer V.A. loans as part of their loan services.

Limited affordable housing, as well as veteran homelessness, is a major issue for our society at large, as well as our local community. Homes 4 Families, Habitat for Humanity, local government and area residents with other volunteers have answered the need in part with the building of 78 homes specifically for low income veterans and their families.

However, the need continues for affordable housing, especially for homeless veterans. One solution may be a pilot community of tiny houses

record was 162 single-family homes, which dropped 25 percent from 2017, the report showed.

When compared to Sept. of last year, the association assisted in 33-percent fewer condominium transactions.

“An increase in the number of active listings combined with prices that fewer and fewer buyers can afford, give the remaining buyers more bargaining tools,” Vincent said in a statement. “We’re still a long way from a buyers’ market, but anything that eases upward pressure on prices is welcome.”

The report also found that at the Sept. pace of sales the inventory represented a 3.1-month supply, the highest since Jan. 2015.

Johnson added that “there are no major storm clouds on the horizon today and over the next three to six months there appear to be more opportunities than potential pitfalls for buyers and sellers alike.”

The median price of homes was $599,900 during Sept., up 2.5 percent from 2017, but almost 7 percent below the record high of $643,000 in April 2006, according to the report.

The median condominium price was $385,000, slightly down from the previous month but nearly 7 percent

for this at-risk veteran population.

Tiny houses, as made famous on TV, are relatively inexpensive, and if located near available social services, can provide a safe transition for veterans back into civilian life and mainstream society.

Today is Veterans Day. Who will join me in helping bring our veterans home, to their own home? Please give me a call and let’s see if we can move this idea forward, and “honor those who carry the burden of freedom on their shoulders so that all of our families can live in safety and live in peace.”

Ray the Realtor® Kutylo has been a licensed Realtor since 1986, and he’s also a member of the SCV Home Team at Keller Williams VIP Properties. You can reach Ray the Realtor at (661) 312-9461 or Ray@SCVhometeam.com.

CA DRE# 00918855 

higher from a year ago.

Except for only two transactions, data found that almost 99 percent of the 222 homes and condominiums that closed escrow during Sept. were standard sales involving traditional buyers and sellers.

No distressed sales of condominiums, one foreclosure-related home sale and one sold via short sale, where a lender agrees to a purchase price lower than the outstanding loan balance, were also reported.  2018

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 23

Donna’s Day: Creative Family Fun

FOOD

Help Kids Make Mini Succulent Pumpkins

J

ust in time for Thanksgiving and December holiday gatherings, stylish mini pumpkins can star in stripes, white and vari ous shades of orange for eyecatching place settings and centerpieces when you glue moss and embed living succulents on top.

Give your kids the job of keeping succulents misted every few days as the plants root into the moss, and enjoy the creations in your home now and into the new year. When the mini pumpkins soften and age, toss them in the compost bin and pot the succulents indoors in soil in a flowerpot to grow in bright sunlight or outdoors in a frost-free garden bed.

Get older kids involved in creating the mini succulent pumpkins by swirling the nontoxic sticky glue or a glue gun, handling the wiry moss and arranging different varieties of succulents and add-ins make for artful fun.

• Sphagnum moss, available in garden centers or craft stores.

• Several succulents. Use cuttings from your garden or purchase at garden centers.

• Natural add-ons such as seedpods, acorns, tiny pine cones, eucalyptus.

Here’s what you’ll need: • One clean pumpkin with a flattop surface.

• Water-soluble white glue that dries clear, such as Mod Podge Matte finish or a low-temp glue gun.

Did you know?

tain? Pumpkin spice is a combination of several different ground spices. It typically Come autumn, many foods seem to take includes cinnamon, cloves, ginger and on a unique flavor exclusive to the season. nutmeg.

That’s thanks to the ubiquitous “pumpIt also may include allspice. Pumpkin kin spice,” which each fall is a specially fea- spice is the name given to the blend in tured ingredient in everything from cream the United States. In the United Kingdom, cheese to marshmallows. pumpkin spice is known as “mixed spice,” Naturally, pumpkin spice is also a key which is a similar but not exact blend as ingredient when preparing pumpkin pie. that used to create pumpkin spice. Bot But just what does pumpkin spice con- feature cinnamon as the dominant flavor.

Put those leftover pumpkins to use

F

ew items signal the fall harvest season more than the bright, orange pumpkins that dot fields and liven up displays outside of homes and businesses.

Come fall, many pumpkins are turned into grinning jack-o-lanterns just in time for Halloween. But there are many other uses for pumpkins, as well.

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Early Native Americans relied on pumpkins as a source of food that helped them survive long winters. Pumpkins could be roasted, baked, boiled and dried, and they were eaten and used as medicine. Pumpkin blossoms were added to stews. The shells of the

pumpkins could be dried and used as eating and storage vessels.

While pumpkins may now be symbolic of Halloween, the following are a handful of additional ways this versatile fruit can be put to use.

Here’s the fun: 1. Set mini pumpkin on a newspaper-covered work surface. Remove stem with clippers, being careful not to cut into the pumpkin.

2. Drizzle glue around the top area of the pumpkin in swirls. Cover with moss, about 1/2-inch thick, pressing firmly in place. Let dry.

3. Remove roots and soil from the succulents. Dip short stems into glue and poke into the moss. For balance, place a tall succulent for a focal point near the center and add remaining succulents and add-ons around it over the moss. An adult or older child may use a glue gun to affix the addons, if you prefer.

Care tips: Set the pumpkin on a saucer, trivet or tray. Mist succulents and moss regularly, making sure the pumpkin remains fresh and dry. The succulents will begin to root through the glue into the moss. Keep away from excessive heat, freezing temperatures and rain.

Holiday idea: Use at each guest’s place at the Thanksgiving table. Tuck a name card in each one and set at each plate. Spray paint pumpkins in gold or silver for December holiday dinners. Guests may take one home to enjoy into the new year.

Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.”  ©2018 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.

Santa

Beauty regimen

Pumpkins contain a number of essential vitamins and minerals that can help replenish the skin. Pumpkin puree can be mixed with honey, aloe vera gel, olive oil, and a bit of cornmeal to create an exfoliating mask for the face or body. Pumpkin also can be used to rejuvenate dry or tired skin from cold weather.

Honey, pumpkin and yogurt can be See PUMPKINS, page 28

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24 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

T R AV E L

Ready on the road, just in case A few steps before you go can make a big difference in an emergency

R

oad trips make for excellent getaways. Whether you’re embarking on a weekend excursion or a lengthy vacation, driving yourself to your destination is a great way to travel, especially for families looking to save money.

Though no one wants to think about the possibility of a vehicle breakdown while out of town, such things do happen. How prepared drivers are can go a long way toward determining how affected they and their passengers will be if this happens.

• Get a checkup before skipping town. It sounds simple, but many drivers may overlook the importance of vehicle checkups before departing on weekend getaways or longer trips. A full checkup (including an oil change if the recommended interval has passed or is approaching) can uncover any problems that might derail a trip.

• Examine your options in regard

to emergency roadside assistance.

Insurance providers typically offer emergency roadside assistance to policy holders for a nominal fee, and memberships in clubs, such as AAA, also are inexpensive. Roadside assistance offered through an insurance company or motor club may include tow trucks free of charge up to a certain number of miles, allowing travelers to get their cars back home without breaking the bank.

• Inspect tires, including your spare. Many a road trip has been derailed or thrown off schedule due to a flat tire or tires. Before departing, check the condition of your existing tires, including the spare, as well as the air pressure in each one.

To determine if tread wear is something to worry about, Firestone recommends the penny test, which involves placing a penny head first into several tread grooves across the tire. If the top of Abraham Lincoln’s head is always visible, then your tires

Safe travel tips for your holiday getaway

T

he week of Thanksgiving is a busy time of the year to travel that’s marked by a large number of people traveling to see loved ones. In 2017, AAA projected 50.9 million Americans would journey 50 miles or more from home on Thanksgiving. While many people look forward to seeing their loved ones, the sheer volume of cars on the road during Thanksgiving week makes it a dangerous time to travel.

A 2013 study examining the previous five years of data on traffic crashes in Alberta, Canada, found that long weekends have 18 percent more deadly accidents than nonholiday weekends. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Thanksgiving is the most dangerous holiday for driving.

The most recent data available from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System indicates that there were 764 crashes involving a fatality during Thanksgiving 2012. In comparison, there were 654 crashes involving a

fatality during Christmas that year.

This Thanksgiving, drivers should make it a point to follow these tips to ensure they get to their destinations safely and soundly.

• Check the forecast before you go.

Weather can be unpredictable around Thanksgiving. Conditions may be sunny one day and then cold and icy the next. Stay up-to-date on the latest weather forecasts and road conditions as you prepare for your trip, making sensible decisions about traveling if there is inclement weather.

• Get your vehicle inspected. Have your vehicle inspected in the days before you hit the road. A mechanic’s diagnostic checkup and routine servicing, such as topping off fluids and changing windshield wipers, can make driving safer.

• Keep your fuel tank more than half-full. FEMA suggests keeping the tank full when temperatures are extremely cold. This is because condensation can build up in near-empty gas tanks, potentially freezing fuel lines and leaving you stranded.

The Santa Clarita Valley has some mountainous terrain that requires cautious travel during the winter. Regardless of where you’re headed, signing up for an auto club or similar service is always a good idea before you travel. SIGNAL FILE PHOTO

are shallow and worn and need to be replaced. But if part of Lincoln’s head is always covered, your tires can probably withstand the trip. Worn tire treads can make it hard for tires to safely navigate roads in inclement weather, so don’t discount the importance of this simple step.

• Bring along some basic tools.

Pack some basic tools, such as screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, a trolley jack, a battery charger, and, of course, duct tape, which may help you temporarily solve some issues on your own.

This is especially important for drivers who intend to visit remote locations where mobile phone networks may be inaccessible and the nearest tow truck might be far away. Hone your tire-changing skills before hitting the road and make sure tools are still capable of performing the kind of basic maintenance that might help your vehicle safely return to civilization.

Vehicle breakdowns happen, even while on vacation. Some advance preparation can help drivers avert out-of-town disasters.  — Metro Connections

Thanksgiving weekend is bound to see a lot of travelers on the road. Make sure you leave time, and it’s not a bad idea to also check the traffic forecast before you go using a mobile app. SIGNAL FILE PHOTO

• Opt for airline updates. Flights can be delayed or canceled when weather is poor. Many airlines will now text travelers who are subscribed to updates or frequent-flyer programs and apps. That’s a convenient and free bonus.

• Plan for stops. Drowsy driving and distracted driving are extreme dangers across North America. Take breaks to avoid drowsiness, and only use a mobile device when safely

pulled over at a rest stop.

• Leave plenty of time. There are bound to be many travelers come Thanksgiving week. Build extra time into your trip so you don’t have to speed or rush to make it on time.

Thanksgiving is a big travel holiday.

Make it to family dinner safe and full of smiles by following various safety trips during your travels.  — Metro Connections

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 25

H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

To Your Good Health

By Keith Roach, M.D. Signal Contributing Editor

RISKS, BENEFITS OF HPV VACCINE FOR BOYS

Dear Dr. Roach: What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of HPV vaccine for boys?

— L.P.B. ANSWER: There are risks and benefits to the individual, but also benefits to society.

The HPV vaccine should really be considered an anticancer vaccine, since its goal is to reduce infection from the kinds of human papilloma virus strains that can lead to cancer. Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-related cancer, but some throat, anal and genital cancers also are HPV-related. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are about 30,000 HPV-related cancers in the U.S. annually. It is possible but unproven that the HPV vaccine will provide protection against some or all of these.

When given to girls or women who have not been infected with HPV, the HPV vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing persistent infection with the strains most likely to lead to cancer. In males age 16-26 years, the efficacy of the vaccine at preventing highrisk HPV-related warts was about 90 percent. However, the HPV vaccine is relatively new, and it is not clear how long immunity will last. It has been proven to last only eight to nine years, but studies looking at protection up to 15 years are ongoing. It is possible that additional boosters may be necessary.

The most serious risk of HPV vaccine is anaphylaxis, a possibly fatal allergic reaction. There have been 36 cases of ana-

phylaxis reported in the world literature and through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system, according to the Institute of Medicine’s 2012 report on adverse effects of vaccines. There have been 67 million doses given, with a 0.003 percent rate of all adverse events, 90 percent of which were not considered serious. The most common nonserious adverse events in men were redness and soreness at the injection site, dizziness, headache and fainting. Among the adverse events considered serious, the most common were headache, nausea, vomiting and fever.

The societal benefit to vaccinating boys is that they are less likely to spread infection to others. Since essentially all cases of cervical cancer are HPV-related, males are the most common source of infection (although it can be transmitted female to female).

By vaccinating your boy, you are reducing his risk of developing HPV infection and might be decreasing his risk of several types of HPV-related cancer, at a small risk of an adverse event, which is usually minor. However, probably the most compelling reason is to protect your son’s future sexual partners. Put in the starkest terms, you are reducing the risk that your future daughter-in-law will develop cervical cancer.

DR. ROACH WRITES: Several people wrote to me about the symptom of burping.

One physician recalled several cases where burping, not chest discomfort, was the major sign of a heart blockage.

A reader observed belching in a family member who was later diagnosed with stomach cancer, and another noted gastroparesis as the cause. I think these are all unlikely but possible causes to be considered when the cause can’t be found and symptoms persist.

Finally, one person wrote in that ginger solved her burping problem.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible.

Readers may email questions to ToYour GoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. To view and order health pamphlets, visit www.rbma mall.com, or write to Good Health, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.  ©2018 North America Synd., Inc.

DTaP protects most kids from diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis throughout their childhood, and usually distributed in five doses at various intervals. COURTESY PHOTO

Explaining the DTaP vaccine Newborns begin receiving vaccinations immediately after they’re born, and vaccination schedules continue for years afterward. One inoculation parents have heard of but may not necessarily understand is the DTaP vaccine. DTaP refers to diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, a collection of serious diseases that are caused by bacteria.

• Diphtheria: Diphtheria causes a thick covering to develop in the back of the throat and can lead to breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis, and even death.

• Tetanus: Sometimes referred to as “lockjaw,” tetanus causes muscles to tighten, typically all over the body, and is very painful. The AAP notes that tetanus can lead to death in up to two out of 10 cases.

• Pertussis: Pediatricians may refer to pertussis as “whooping cough,” which can produce weeks-long coughing spells that make it difficult for infants to eat, drink or breathe.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, tetanus enters the body through cuts or wounds, while diphtheria and pertussis are spread from person to person. A safer version of the DTP vaccine, DTaP

protects most children from diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis throughout childhood and is distributed in five doses at various intervals in a child’s life.

Some children, including those who are moderately or severely ill, should wait until they are fully recovered before receiving the DTaP vaccine. In addition, children who suffer life-threatening allergic reactions after a dose of DTaP or those who develop brain or nervous system disease within a week of receiving a DTaP dose should not receive another dose.

When children receive a dose of the DTaP vaccine, parents should pay close attention to how their kids react to the dose. The AAP advises parents speak with their children’s pediatricians if children have a seizure or collapse after a dose of DTaP, cry nonstop for three hours or more after a dose or develop a fever over 105 F after receiving a dose of the vaccine.

Children typically receive their first dose of the DTaP vaccine at two months of age, so parents should bring up any questions or concerns they have with their children’s pediatricians before their kids reach that age.  —Metro Connection

26 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

Where physical therapy helps MELT pain away

By Michelle Sathe Signal Staff Writer

J

im Savery tried all sorts of physical therapy to lessen the pain of his spinal stenosis, but nothing worked. Finally, Savery’s chiropractor suggested yoga, which led him to eventually discover MELT (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique.

Two to three times a week for the last 18 months, Savery has taken the MELT class at Yogaworks in Valencia, using a blue foam roller in a variety of positions for an hour at a time.

“I love it. I can’t function without it,” he said. “Before, I had trouble moving, my back bothered me so much. MELT has relaxed a lot of the pressure and the pain.”

His favorite is the rebalancing sequence, where Savery and the other students lay on the roller vertically, aligning their spines along the roller and tipping gently back and forth.

That’s followed by a series of breathing exercises and tucking and tilting the spine.

Once it’s finished, students roll off and lay on their yoga mats, doing a self-assessment on the before and after effects.

“I feel totally relaxed and loose, like everything is in place,” Savery said.

MELT was created in the early 2000s by manual therapist and connective tissue specialist Sue Hitzmann, who went on to write on to write the bestselling “The MELT

Left: MELT method and yoga instructor, Jackie Field, left, instructs students on the proper use of the foam roller in her MELT method class.

Below: MELT method and yoga instructor, Jackie Field, discusses the proper use of the foam roller in class. PHOTOS

BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

Method: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain, Erase the Signs of Aging, and Feel Fantastic in Just 10 Minutes a Day.” MELT, which has been reviewed by experts in the field of neuroscience and connective tissue, is used in rehabilitation and hospital settings, as well as at fitness, sports and wellness facilities.

By using the foam roller, as well as some small soft balls for the hands, feet, and face, those who practice MELT can relieve stuck stress and rehydrate the connective tissue that surrounds every joint, muscle, nerve, bone, and organ in the body.

Over time, MELT studies have shown it enhances the body’s abili-

Student Sarah Grizzle uses the foam roller during her class.

ty to repair and heal itself, which improves flexibility, alignment and posture, joint mobility, sleep, and digestion, while reducing aches, pains, cellulite and wrinkles, tension, stress, headaches, and the risk of injury.

The secret to MELT is the soft roller, according to Jackie Field, certified MELT instructor at Yogaworks.

“Your body won’t tense up against it. You can’t get into the muscle and connective tissue when you’re tense,” Field said.

Field, a long-time fitness professional and former gymnastics trainer, doesn’t just teach MELT. She does it every day at home to relieve pain from a crushed foot, as well as a decades-old neck and back vertebrae injury from a car accident.

Before MELT, Field found herself having to take muscle relaxers and several hot showers a day just to function.

“I felt like my body was rejecting me. I felt hopeless,” she recalled.

Today, Field is feeling great, teaching MELT several times throughout the week. It’s a job she loves.

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. People come up to me with tears in their eyes. One student

said it was their first time not being in pain since back surgery four years before,” she said.

The 56-year-old is also able to enjoy spending quality time with her young grandchildren.

“I can sit on the floor with them for an hour or two and it doesn’t bother me at all,” Field said with a smile.

One of Field’s mantras at the end of each MELT class is “you should sleep better tonight and eliminate in the morning” before signing off into the classic “namaste.”

Sarah Grizzle, of Valencia, found herself sleeping better the night after her first MELT class and become such a fan that she bought a roller to practice daily at home, which has helped her relieve leg tightness.

“It helped calm my whole body down,” said the 43-year-old, stay-athome mother. “It makes me feel like I had a massage and I get into bed feeling grounded.”

Yogaworks is located at 23951 Newhall Ranch Road, Valencia. For more information, call (661) 799-2645 or visit www.yogaworks.com 

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 27

H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

Strategies for a healthier holiday season

By Rachel Cosgrove Signal Contributor

F

or your health and fitness, this time of year can be one of the worst bringing stress, overwhelm, too many commitments, no time for yourself and maybe even family drama causing you to forget to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.

Forget “surviving” … let’s talk about how we can make this time of year your best time of year yet. Why not be at your best this holiday season?

Stress, not enough time, overcommitted ... I hear you, and guess what?

These are the exact reasons that ‘tis the season … to be about you.

Instead of letting the holidays happen to you, your waistline and your mindset, decide that you will take control starting now and follow the below strategies to finish the year feeling incredible.

“Strategy trumps willpower” is a popular saying of my good friend and celebrity trainer Valerie Waters. And this time of year, your willpower can run thin.

The first time you say, “No, thank you,” your willpower is like a full battery that starts to get drained as the holidays progress or even as the day progresses until you have none left.

(Have you ever noticed you tend to give in at the end of the day?)

Instead of using your willpower to try to fight your way through “surviving,” let’s put the following two simple strategies in place to look and feel great right through the New Year.

Fact No. 1: We are surrounded by treats starting at Halloween, and it doesn’t stop right through Thanksgiving, then holiday parties, Christmas and New Year’s — followed closely by Super Bowl Sunday.

If you don’t get a strategy in place you could do a lot of damage over that three-month period.

Strategy No. 1: ‘Tis the season to indulge as long as you have a strategy.

By eating healthy 90 percent of the time, you can get away with splurging on your favorite things 10 percent of your week.

How does this work? Fuel your body throughout the day using healthy foods, including protein with fruits and vegetables, eating breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner. This keeps your blood sugar stable, and if you are eating four to five meals a day, you are having a minimum of 28 meals a week. So 10 percent of 28 means three of those meals a week you can, and absolutely should, indulge. Plan ahead if you know you’ll be at a party to use these three splurges when you most want to.

Speaking of “what you most want,” here’s a quick exercise for you: Make a list now of your favorite things to enjoy the holidays. What do you absolutely not want to miss out on? Is it the sweet potato pie at Thanksgiving? Is it the cookies you make with your kids? Having drinks on New Year’s Eve? Make your list, check it twice, and plan to be naughty guilt-free… using your splurges to really enjoy your most favorite things! You’ll probably be surprised that three splurges a week are plenty to enjoy all of your favorite things.

Fact No. 2: We are busy and stressed.

There is too much to do in too little time. Many of us are stress addicts, and especially this time of year it’s easy to get all worked up, putting our body in “survival” mode once again and sending our stress hormones sky high. The big culprit is cortisol, which can affect sleep, increase belly fat, increase cravings for sugar, decrease our immune system and cause anxiety, etc.

Strategy No. 2: Breathe!

It is time to set aside some me time, especially this time of year.

I know — you don’t have time. But you have to make time — no exceptions. For many of our clients at Results Fitness, their workout is their me time.

This past week, one of our members said: “My day has been crazy, and who knows what tonight holds, but coming in here and doing a workout resets me for the day. It’s the one constant I count on and absolutely need every day to get my mind right and take care of me. I always know coming in to workout I’ll leave here more level headed, and with energy

Top and Middle: Cat/Camel Stretch. This stretch will help release any tension in your upper back. On your hands and knees with your toes tucked underneath, start by rounding your back with your head down. Then, slowly, one vertebrae at a time, reverse the position to move into a full arch with your back pulling your shoulder blades together. Bottom: Floor Pike. This stretch will get you from head to toe.

Starting in a plank position, push back to raise your hips in the air, shifting your weight to your feet pushing your heels into the ground stretching your calves and hamstrings, while keeping your hands planted, stretching your upper back and shoulders. PHOTOS BY CORY RUBIN / THE SIGNAL

ready to tackle anything.”

Set aside two hours a week to go to the gym or do something active for yourself. If you can’t get to the gym, take three to five minutes at the start, or end, of your day to stretch and move. Perform these simple stretches after a long day of running errands to get rid of the tension in your shoulders while stretching out your back and your legs.

Putting these simple strategies in place will set you up to be your abso-

lute best this holiday season.

So at the holiday party, when everyone else is stressed out and overcommitted, noticing that you’re not — just say, “Thank you” and give them the strategies you have learned.

Rachel Cosgrove is the owner of Results Fitness. For help getting your holiday strategies in place, call Results Fitness for a free Strategy Session at (661) 799-7900, located at 24420 Walnut Street, Newhall. Results-fitness. com. 

28 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

FOOD

Light Bites for Healthier Holidays

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or those who are always on the go leading up to the holidays, the season can feel more like madness than merrymaking.

From planning get-togethers to building out a perfect menu for the events, there can be difficulties for hosts and guests alike to ensure proper nutrition is still top of mind.

Instead of sacrificing taste or eating less, aim for simple changes that give you the energy to power through the busy season. For example, instead of opting for a carb-loaded breakfast in the morning, try a low-carb Milk Chocolate Protein Muffin, which takes just a few minutes of prep and microwave time. The quick cook time leaves you with ample opportunities to run errands or divvy up precious seconds toward other activities, while the protein can fuel you for the day ahead.

Almost nothing beats warm soup on a chilly day, and this butternut squash and pear soup provides feelgood flavor without weighing you down. Finally, when snacks are on the mind — as it tends to happen when constantly on the go — Coconut Muesli Clusters are simple to make and won’t undo the nutritious efforts you’ve made throughout the day.

This full menu of tasty recipes is part of the Atkins low-carb lifestyle, a long-term, healthy eating approach focused on high-fiber carbohydrates, optimal protein and healthy fats. The plan also aims to reduce levels of refined carbohydrates, added sugars and the “hidden sugar effect” — when carbohydrates convert to sugar when digested. You don’t see the sugar, but your body does.

Find more ways to live healthier during the holidays and learn more about the benefits of a balanced, lowcarb lifestyle at Atkins.com.

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup Recipe courtesy of Atkins Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 6

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 medium (2 1/2-inch diameter) onion, chopped

2 pounds butternut winter squash, cubed 1 medium pear, sliced, plus additional, for garnish (optional) 1 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 5 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup heavy cream nutmeg (optional)

In large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add squash, pear, curry powder, salt and white pepper; saute 3 minutes.

Increase heat to high and add chicken broth. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low; simmer 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until cubed squash is very tender. Allow to cool about 10-15 minutes.

In blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and add lemon juice and heavy cream.

Stir soup over low heat until hot.

Garnish with additional sliced pears and sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired.

Milk Chocolate Protein Muffin Recipe courtesy of Atkins Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 1 minute Servings: 1

2 tablespoons full-fat cream cheese 1 egg 3 tablespoons Atkins Milk Chocolate Protein Powder 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 dash salt

In microwave-safe mug, heat cream cheese 10-15 seconds to soften. Add egg and blend briskly using fork. Add protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; blend until smooth.

Microwave on high 1 minute; muffin will puff up then deflate slightly once done. Remove from mug and enjoy warm.

Coconut Muesli Clusters Recipe courtesy of “Atkins: Eat Right, Not Less” Active time: 10 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Servings: 8

Olive oil spray 1 cup plain protein powder 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seeds 1 cup whole raw pecans 1 cup unsweetened whole flake shredded coconut 1/2 cup chia seeds or ground flaxseeds 1 tablespoon stevia This butternut squash and pear soup recipe 2 teaspoons cinnamon provides feel-good flavor with a hot meal on a 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric cold winter’s day, without weighing you down.

1 tablespoon coconut oil COURTESY PHOTO 1 tablespoon peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs An on-the-go energy boost 1/4 cup water As a hectic holiday season unfolds,

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper, coat with olive oil spray and set aside.

In large bowl, mix together protein powder, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, pecans, coconut, chia seeds or flaxseeds, stevia, cinnamon and turmeric.

In large skillet, combine coconut oil, peanut butter and vanilla extract; melt completely then stir in nut mixture. Turn heat off and add eggs and water, tossing well. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and spread mixture in layer about 1/2-inch thick.

Bake 10-15 minutes until mixture starts to brown and clumps together to make clusters. Cool completely on baking sheet then store in airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 week.

it can be difficult to maintain energy while making dishes for get-togethers and keeping up with the festivities.

To stay fueled and energized throughout the season, try incorporating Atkins Plus Protein and Fiber Shakes. Sweet and creamy, they make for ideal snacks, containing 30 grams of high-quality dairy protein and 7 grams of fiber. To help ensure steady blood sugar levels, the shakes also have a low glycemic impact and are made with 20 vitamins and minerals.

Available in Creamy Milk Chocolate and Creamy Vanilla flavors, the ready-to-drink shakes provide hunger satisfaction for those who are on the go and seeking to maximize production with a busy schedule.  — Family Features

PUMPKINS

Continued from page 23

mixed together and used to condition hair. Let the mixture sit for 15-20 minutes, and then wash it out and shampoo.

Foods and beverages

Pumpkin purée is the basis for many tasty, pumpkin-infused treats.

Purée can be used in pies, cakes, muffins, breads and many additional foods. Pumpkin purée also may be found in certain beverages, such as smoothies and shakes. A bit of spiced purée may appear as flavoring in teas and coffees.

Roasted pumpkin seeds make a healthy treat. Foodies suggest using the seeds from “sugar pumpkins” or

the ones best for making pies. Boil the seeds for a few minutes before draining. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and put the seeds in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and serve.

Pumpkin wines and beers are popular as well. There are many recipes for developing sweet, fermented beverages, which tend to be especially popular in the fall.

The “guts” of the pumpkin can be simmered along with aromatics and other vegetables to create a vegetable stock perfect for soups and broths.  — Metro Connection

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 29

SCHOOLS

Tutoring benefits and how to find a tutor that fits

C

hildren tend to learn at their own pace, and certain subjects may challenge them more than others. In many instances, students can benefit from working with tutors.

Tutors can be very effective. Children who work with tutors and then see their grades improve may develop greater confidence and feel less anxious about going to school or taking tests.

Without intervention like tutoring, atrisk students (those who are not meeting academic standards) may not pass their classes, and some may face year-end retention or experience difficulty keeping up in the next grade. The National Tutoring Association says students at all grade levels participating in tutorial programs improve their reading performance and can achieve significant cognitive gains.

Tutoring can be the answer for students affected by inconsistent delivery of classroom content. For example, when families move, students may be forced to catch up in a new school where teachers may have different styles than students’ previous teachers. Students who have missed classroom time due to illness or injury may face similar difficulties.

Sometimes children struggle because they have difficulty processing or remembering their lessons. In such instances, a fresh approach through one-on-one tutoring may be necessary.

Parents and students have different tutoring options at their disposal.

Some services may be offered through the school system at no extra charge.

Pull-out instruction during the day or before or after school might be part of such services. Private tutors, academic coaches, peer tutors, online tutoring, and home tutoring are other options.

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Depending on need, budget and comfort levels, families can explore these and other options at their disposal.

The NTA says families should not discount peer tutoring. Peer tutoring is a cost-effective way to improve performance. This type of tutoring also can contribute to students’ social and cognitive development. According to Care.com, which helps consumers find tutors, caretakers and babysitters, one can expect to pay an average $10 to $15 for a peer high school student tutor. Comparatively, a private tutor, whether it’s a professional teacher or a tutor hired through a service, may charge as much as $75 per hour.

Parents should contact their children’s schools for information about tutoring programs. Schools typically keep lists of tutors or tutoring programs.

Examine credentials and seek recom-

mendations prior to hiring a tutor to get a feel for the person and his or her teaching philosophy. Certified tutors also can be found by visiting www.ntatutor.com.

Keep in mind that it isn’t enough for the tutor to know the subject matter. He or she also has to relate to your child. According to the tutoring firm Test Prep Authority, motivation plays a key role in the

COURTESY PHOTO

success or failure of a students’ work with tutors. Motivation may be compromised if the tutor and student do not connect.

Tutors also should know how to present materials in ways similar to how it is being taught in school so that lessons are in sync.

Tutoring has helped many children gain confidence and succeed in school.  —Metro Connection

CLIP N SAVE Elementary School Menus Menus courtesy of Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services which serves these school districts: Castaic USD • Newhall USD • Saugus USD • Sulphur Springs USD

(choice of one entree, seasonal fruit and milk)

BREAKFAST

LUNCH

Monday, Nov. 12 Tuesday, Nov. 13

No School

No School

Breakfast Bagel Breakfast Bun Cereal Chilled Fruit Fresh Fruit

Wednesday, Nov. 14

Maple Burst’n Mini Pancakes Breakfast Bun Cereal Chilled Fruit Fresh Fruit Apple Cinnamon Muffin & String Cheese Breakfast Bun Cereal Chilled Fruit Fresh Fruit Breakfast Pizza* Breakfast Bun Cereal Chilled Fruit Fruit Juice

Meat Loaf & Mashed Potatoes Chicken Nuggets PBJ Sandwich & String Cheese Smart Choice Pizza Seasonal Salad Bar Brownie Cup BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich Chicken Nuggets Bean & Cheese Burrito Smart Choice Pizza Seasonal Salad Bar Chocolate Chip Cookie Macaroni & Cheese Dippin’ Chicken & Sauce Smart Choice Pizza Seasonal Salad Bar

Thursday, Nov. 15 Friday, Nov. 16

Carnitas Quesadilla

Cheesy Quesadilla Chicken Sandwich

Spicy Chicken Sandwich Smart Choice Pizza Seasonal Salad Bar

30 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Dokken set to appear at Canyon Santa Clarita

By Stephen K. Peeples Signal Staff Writer

G

lobe-trotting L.A.-based band Dokken will lay down melodic hard rock classics from the ’80s to future classics from last year at the Canyon Santa Clarita on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Featuring founder Don Dokken and bandmates Jon Levin, “Wild” Mick Brown and Chris McCarvill, the show is one of the quartet’s final sets of the year before they break for the holidays and head into the studio to work on their next album.

The original Dokken lineup — Dokken, George Lynch, Mick Brown and Jeff Pilson — broke out of the

L.A. hard rock-metal scene with the 1983 album “Breaking the Chains” and 35 years later have sold 10 million albums worldwide.

Their hits include “Burning Like a Flame,” “Heaven Sent,” “Kiss of Death,” “Dream Warriors,” “In My Dreams,” “The Hunter” and “It’s Not Love.” Today, Dokken enjoys a strong following in the U.S., as well as the

U.K., Sweden, Europe (especially Germany, Italy and Spain) and Japan.

Their most recent album is 2012’s “Broken Bones.”

“We’re going to play all the hits and maybe some deep tracks people are not used to hearing,” Dokken said on the phone from the road.

See DOKKEN, page 31

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 31

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Major Impact continues to thrive with new show

By Patti Rasmussen Signal Staff Writer

I

t’s been said there is place for everyone in theater and nothing in the Santa Clarita Valley better exemplifies that expression than the cast and crew at Major Impact Theater, or MIT. From the actors, writers and behind-the-scenes help, MIT is made up of physical challenged adults who seem to come alive once they stand on the stage.

The dream of Major Impact founders Shawnda Davis and Jill Garson started back in 2014. Both Davis and Garson worked together with developmentally disabled adults at a facility in the San Fernando Valley.

One year, Davis decided to put on a Christmas play and was surprised and delighted by the enjoyment from the actors and reception by the audience.

“I knew then I wanted to put on another show,” Davis said.

Born and raised in Woodland Hills, Davis said she was considered a lazy student, and the school district thought she had learning disabilities.

“There wasn’t a lot of special education classes back then,” Davis said.

“It just took me a longer time to learn things.”

Davis feels because of this experience she chose to work with special need adults.

“I was confused at first with the behavior I witnessed,” Davis said. “But then I realized I was working with all these beautiful angels. I would think, wait a minute, they can do anything.”

With that realization, Davis and Garson teamed up to create Major Impact Theater. The goal of Major Impact was to expand the ability to

DOKKEN

Continued from last page

“We’re going to play ‘Just Another Day,’ the new song we did last year.

It’s the first one (the original lineup has) written together in more than 25 years. We did a video that’s on YouTube.”

Dokken knows that seeing an “‘80s

provide educational classes in theater arts including acting, voice, diction, screenwriting, musical ensemble, musical dance and theater audition skills.

Davis said the experience has had a major impact on the performers, Major impact Theater actors, from left, Sara Palmer, improving their Amanda Stegall and Kenny Opalk run their lines as they speech, memory, rehearse the Play “Diamond in the Rough” on stage at self-esteem, social the Newhall Family Theater on Tuesday Night in Newhall. skills, job searching PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL abilities, identity and duction. He started going to several confidence.

“From the very first show, I just saw shows and noticed the improvement of one actor in particular who had the change in the performers,” Davis a speech challenge and was able to said. “It’s almost like the disability overcome it on stage. It was this disappeared — a that’s a word I don’t “breakthrough” that inspired Erio to like to use because I think we are all become more involved with MIT. just different.”

Erio has a background in entertainment and has been involved in executive management of nonprofits Soon, the program had over 30 performers producing plays through- for people who have disabilities for 25 years. out the valley using any space or A major goal for the organization multi-purpose room they could rent. would be to attain its own theater and After several years, Major Impact was involve other groups to come in at the first production company to perform in the newly renovated Newhall some level, so that there will be a social integration of diverse populations Family Theater last spring. through performing arts, Erios said.

For Major Impact board President And there is plenty to do.

Bob Erio, that was a big step forward.

Actors not only perform, but many “We were extremely grateful for of them like to write the scripts that being able to perform at the Newhall Family Theatre, and have the support are parodies of blockbuster movies.

Script-writing can take up to a year, the city of Santa Clarita,” Erio said.

“My vision for MIT is that it emerges Davis said, because many of the perinto a viable performing arts program formers have day jobs.

Once the scripts are edited, usually in the Santa Clarita arts community.”

by Gaston, it’s just a matter of getting Erio has seen first hand what the theater group can do when his friend the actors ready, trying on costumes and housemate had a part in a proand making props. MIT finds a role

On Nov. 17, MIT will be performing yet again at the Newhall Family Theatre in “Diamond in the Rough” beginning at 6:30 p.m.

This year’s performance will have a huge void, though, and is being dedicated to a person who was very special to the program.

Davis’s partner and co-founder, Jill Gaston, lost her battle with cancer and died Oct. 25. It’s a loss that Davis feels intensely — but she’s grateful for the many people who have stepped in to fill Gaston’s shoes.

“I miss Jill,” Davis said. “Not having her on the side and knowing she not there to help is hard, but we keep practicing. I have faith that with everyone’s help it will come together backstage.”

Davis said A Chorus Line has been especially generous with discounts on costume and others have chipped in to help with backdrops and artwork, including her husband, who does all the lighting.

“The commitment, the professionalism and the strength of these performers is amazing,” Davis said. “I don’t think special needs (adults) get a lot to credit for all they can do.”

Davis encourages everyone to come to a performance and see what these performers are capable of and she promises they will make you smile.

“There is something about theater that makes everyone equal,’ Davis said. “I am surrounded by angels and I am blessed to work with them.

For more information about Major Impact Theater or to buy tickets for the upcoming show, go to www.major impacttheater.org. 

That’s one reason Dokken’s still rockin’ around the world.

“I’m happy because if we didn’t get new fans, then our career would slowly wind down,” he said. “A lot of (hard rock) bands stay the same.

There’s a whole generation of fans who like straight-ahead melodic rock and aren’t into just what’s on the AMAs or the Grammys. There’s a lot of people who still like melodic rock

with guitar solos, which is great.”

Find out more about Dokken at http://dokken.net.

Find the Canyon Santa Clarita on the ground floor of the Westfield Valencia Town Center. Get tickets at the box office 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday-Saturday, by phone at (888) 645-5006, or via TicketMaster.com.

For more info, visit WheremusicmeetstheSoul.com. 

Rapid growth

heritage band” is a lot about nostalgia and memories.

“You remember where you were the first time you heard a Dokken song, in high school, college, or whatever,” he said. “Of course, there’s a whole new generation in their early 20s coming to our shows. When I meet them, they say, ‘My parents passed their Dokken collection down to me and I became a fan.’”

for anyone who wants to perform even if it’s a small part.

A special meaning

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

FOOD

Enjoy elevated pub fare at Brewery Draconum

By Michelle Sathe Signal Staff Writer

I

t’s fall, and I don’t know about you, but I’m craving comfort food. The Shepherd’s Pie ($14) at Brewery Draconum in Newhall certainly fits the bill.

While deceptively simple in concept — mashed potatoes, ground beef and vegetables in gravy — here, it’s elevated to something far more complex.

The potatoes are organic, perfectly fluffy and piped into a beautiful swirl atop a rich, fragrant stew stocked with house-ground Angus beef, carrots, peas and onions simmered in Brewery Draconum’s own stout. Each bite is creamy, savory, satisfying and delicious.

Such attention to detail extends from the food to the incredible selection of beers brewed in-house, with close to two dozen variations to choose from on any given day.

Currently, the most popular brews are IPAs like the fruity Juicy Drake and the west coast style Siduri, which owner Ben Law describes as a “bitter mouth bomb.” A Vienna lager has

Top: An exceptional fish and chips is just one example of the elevated pub fare at Brewery Draconum in Newhall.

Above: Can’t decide on a beer? Try the flight of four mini-beers to sample more than one of the 22 brews on offer.

Right: A nicely tart, crumbly cobbler with melting ice cream is a fitting end to a fine meal. PHOTOS BY MICHELLE SATHE / THE SIGNAL

PHOTO BY EDDIE MARTINEZ / THE SIGNAL

been dubbed “the Brat chaser.”

“We like to have fun with names,” Law said.

There’s also a Salted Caramel Gose on tap for the holidays.

“We have some seasonals, we have some core beers. We can do whatever we want,” Law said. “Brewing is fun.

It’s science, but it’s also an art.”

The beers at Brewery Draconum are created by Law and his assistant brewer, Nora Finch, who spend Tuesdays and Wednesdays brewing.

Law first got into home brewing after being given a “Mr. Beer” kit by his wife back in college. “It was horrible.

The worst thing I ever tasted,” he said.

Motivated to do better, Law began researching brewing techniques online. When he got laid off from his media production job in 2008, Law became an at home dad working at BevMo in his spare time, where he really got immersed in craft beer culture.

Eventually, he went to work at Valencia’s Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewery, where Law learned how to

brew commercially. He also worked at a restaurant in Santa Monica to get management experience, all with the goal of eventually opening his own establishment.

“I created it with my family in mind,” said Law, who has children ages 4 and 6. “People with kids can come here to enjoy a meal and some beer while the kids can run around and play.”

The menu, a collection of classic pub and American bistro favorites, was the result of a collaboration with Canyon Country chef Andres Moya, who’s catered high end Hollywood events and helped open popular restaurants across Southern California. “It was my vision and his execution,” Law said. “Almost everything is made from scratch.”

Brewery Draconum opened in November 2017 and quickly gained a devoted following of beer lovers and foodies, garnering a 4.5-star rating on Yelp.

It’s easy to see why. For appetizers, there are classics like buffalo wings

($10 for 8 or $18 for 16), which are baked, then fried for a crisp but tender texture, just the right amount of tangy sauce, and the perfect spicy kick.

Then there are surprises such as the slow roasted beets with garlic labneh ($6 starter or $10 entrée), an inspired dish of earthy, succulent beets paired with the creamy Greek Yogurt, and a hint of bitterness from the wilted greens. Pile a bit of each on top of the crunchy, cheesy mini-toasts for a delightful mix of flavor and texture.

Entrees include the exceptional Saison fish and chips ($14) features a generous portion of tender, mild Alaskan cod encased in a crisp, beer-infused tempura-like shell.

There’s a choice of fries or chips, the latter of which are especially crunchy and addicting. Both the fish and chips are enhanced with a dip into the tangy remoulade imbued with just a hint of horseradish.

Brewery Draconum also offers a wide selection of hearty, crowd-pleasing sandwiches, hot dogs, and burgers ($10 to $12), including vegetarian options.

If you still have room for dessert, the nicely tart, not too sweet blackberry apple cobbler ($8) comes to the table bubbling hot with a huge scoop of ice cream melting on the crumbly streusel topping. Ask for several spoons and share with the table for a fitting end to a delicious meal.

The servers at Brewery Draconum are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about both the food and the beer, eager to help you find the right pairing. The vibe is hip yet homely, with warm lighting that casts a flattering, golden spell. It’s a place where you feel comfortable lingering over great food and conversation.

“The most rewarding thing about having this restaurant is seeing people enjoying what we’re doing,” Law said.

“It’s all about community and family.”

Brewery Draconum is located at 24407 Main Street, Newhall. Open Monday and Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon to 9 p.m.

Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information, call (661) 568-9160 or like their Facebook page. 

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 33

SCCS hosts event to honor veterans

By Perry Smith Signal Managing Editor

S

anta Clarita Christian School took an opportunity to honor America’s veterans at a special chapel assembly this past week.

School Administrator Greg Jones said it was part of a hands-on lesson that really resonated with the students and provided a powerful connection with a very important with respect to Veterans Day: sacrifice.

“Our desire is to connect our students to history and heroe, that’s kind of the theme we used in planning (the recognition for Veterans Day),” Jones said. “We wanted students to understand the reality of sacrifice, and for the history to come alive.”

The event featured a performance of the national anthem and “In Flanders Field” by the school’s concert choir, a guest appearance by Assemblyman Dante Acosta, who’s a big supporter of the school, and more

than a dozen veterans.

“It was just a really wonderful opportunity to just recount how important, I feel, our veterans are, and to give kids a dose of patriotism and what it means and to have people who are willing to serve and commit themselves to a higher calling and a higher purpose,” Acosta said. “My speech focused on service, commitment, compassion and sacrifice.”

The program, which comes just a few days before the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, also featured a chance for the students to meet with veterans of every war from World War II to those who are in service now. Some of those who were present to meet the students Wednesday were even schoolmates at one point with the children in the crowd, Jones said.

“The goal of the day is to make sure our students have personal connections (with veterans) and to understand Veterans Day — instead of these things being pages on the

Korean War era, veteran Seabee, Ed Banke, right, shakes hands as the 450 Santa Clarita Christian School students and faculty file by after the SCCS Special Veterans Day Chapel event held in the gym at Santa Clarita Christian School in Canyon Country. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

history book ... they’re actually able to meet veterans.”

The keynote speaker was retired Army colonel and Purple Heart recipient Johnnie Hitt.

Speaking to some of SCCS’ high school seniors, Jones noted that he could tell there the students felt a special connection with some of the

younger attendees who now serve.

“For many of them, the reality that the presentation from alumni, are many of those they have actually went to school with, and are people who are serving throughout the world,” Jones said, “certainly in a manner that provides freedom and protections for us.” 

P r e s e n t e d b y Va l e n c i a B M W

Free Concert SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2018 3 P.M.

S i n g e r/s o n g w r i t e r R a c h e l C o l e

SANTA CLARITA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT THE COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS Celebrate the season with many of your favorite holiday melodies as well as a few original selections by singer/songwriter Rachel Cole from her latest CD. The concert will conclude with a sing-along of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.”

WWW.SCPHILHARMONIC.ORG

34 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

GARDENING

Cut back on watering in November

By Jane Gates Signal Staff Writer

A

s soon as all the Halloween hustle is over, preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday goes into full swing. It’s November in Santa Clarita, and this is a great month to take time to put your garden to work balancing out holiday stress and burning off those extra calories with garden projects.

The days are shorter, so with or without rain, you can cut back on irrigation. If it’s dry, add a little more hand-watering in vulnerable spots where Santa Ana winds might dry things out. Work in the garden can be both therapeutic and enjoyable in November. Here are some landscaping suggestions for this month.

your garden or your home if it rains hard, and creates a flammable foothold for airborne wildfire embers. If you want to use containers or pots in your landscape, opt for the heavier ceramic or cast cement types that will stand their ground in gusting winds.

Time to plant

Clean up and batten down: It’s time for the Santa Ana winds. We live in the canyons between the high desert and the San Fernando Valley. This is a main corridor for winds to develop at this time of year as high pressure systems set up to the east.

Winds can whip up impressive damage so make sure your garden is ready. Rake up leaves and put away anything that could get whisked away in a powerful gust. Remove any brush or dried plants near your house.

Don’t forget to clean gutters, too.

Collected trash invites rodents, plugs up drains that could flood parts of

Plant out hardy plants and seeds in the garden. Drought-tolerant plants and California natives tend to suffer less shock when planted in the cooler temperatures and shorter days of November. As I’ve said before, it’s the best time to plant woody shrubs and trees, too. Keep all newly planted additions well-watered for the first year.

This is also a fine time to add wildflowers to your landscape. Sprinkling out a fistful of wildflower seed now is a perfect way to fill in large open areas with quick, inexpensive color for late winter and early spring. Keep seeds well-watered until they germinate. Wind and low humidity will dry out soil surfaces quickly.

Cut back on lawn watering. Unless you are over-seeding with a winter annual grass to keep turf green year round, this will save you maintenance and money while helping out the water reserves.

Most lawn grasses in our area, like Bermuda grass, won’t die, but will simply slow in growth and take on an olive hue. To keep your lawn healthy, this is also a good time of year to aerate. You can use a manual tool or a machine. Either one will dig out little plugs of soil allowing rain to penetrate better and air pockets to form that will help growth in the spring.

Of course, if you really want your

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SoCal lawn water. COURTESY PHOTO

property to be low maintenance, you can reduce your lawn to only the most functional spaces and substitute a drought-resistant garden, permeable paving, a sports area, a vegetable garden or some other more useful or decorative garden feature.

Seed root crops and winter edibles in the vegetable garden

It’s not too late to plant lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leeks, onions, chard and peas. Buy packs of young plants or start them from seed. Add rhubarb roots in the shade and plant a whole crop of onions and garlic from packages of starter bulbs.

Root crops like beets, radishes and carrots will usually germinate reasonably well right through our winters.

They don’t like to be transplanted so grow them from seed where you want them.

Let your garden pay you back

It’s that holiday time of the year, and for many people, garden chores can become just one more demand on the list of priorities.

If you feel that way, take a moment.

Yes, this is a superb month for planting winter annual flowers, perennials, winter vegetables and most experts like it for California natives. Yes, it’s a great month for pruning shrubs and trees as they head into dormancy.

Yes, there is an ever-increasing pile of crisp brown foliage and dead flower heads demanding your clean-up attention before pests decide to move in

and claim the stuff as a winter home.

But unless you are one of the lucky ones who isn’t feeling overwhelmed by all the demands of the season, you can shift your attention away from all the have-to’s (a sure way to make even the most enjoyable projects discouraging), and look at your garden differently — at least for a little while.

Your garden can pay you back for your investment of time and work.

Often November will offer comfortable afternoons cool enough to enjoy Santa Clarita sunshine.

Take out a stool if you haven’t already designed an area with comfortable seating. Bring a frivolous book, your favorite pet, a pair of binoculars, maybe nothing at all. And schedule in a 15-30 minute break in your day.

Young onions. The Santa Clarita Valley was once used to grow large crops of onions. COURTESY PHOTO

Enjoy the fruits of your labors and the gifts of nature. It can refresh you like an extra good night’s sleep and set you back to work with a new and more energetic view on the chores that await you inside. If you take care of yourself, you’ll work more enthusiastically than before, doing not only a better job, but a faster job. And taking care of yourself is the best investment you can make. You can never replace yourself!

November in Southern California can offer a wide range of weather conditions. It also brings friends and families together. Use your garden.

It will not only offer you a chance to make your landscape productive, but can be a source of entertainment, creative projects, or just an opportunity to slip away to the comforts of nature when the everyday demands become stressful. 

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 35

GARDENING

Stock up on gardening essentials

G Fall lawn care tips

S

pring and summer may be the seasons most often associated with landscaping and lawn care, but tending to lawns and gardens is a year-round job. If lawn and garden responsibilities dip considerably in winter, then fall is the last significant chance before the new year that homeowners will have to address the landscaping around their homes.

Fall lawn care differs from spring and summer lawn care, even if the warm temperatures of summer linger into autumn.

Keep mowing, but adjust how you mow

It’s important that homeowners continue to mow their lawns so long as grass is growing. But as fall transitions into winter, lower the blades so the grass is cut shorter while remaining mindful that no blade of grass should ever be trimmed by more than one-third. Lowering the blades will allow more sunlight to reach the grass in the months ahead.

Remove leaves as they fall

Much like apple-picking and foliage, raking leaves is synonymous with fall. Some homeowners may wait to pick up a rake until all of the trees on their properties are bare.

However, allowing fallen leaves to sit on the ground for extended periods of time can have an adverse effect on grass. Leaves left to sit on the lawn

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may ultimately suffocate the grass by forming an impenetrable wall that deprives the lawn of sunlight and oxygen. The result is dead grass and possibly even fungal disease. Leaves may not need to be raked every day, but homeowners should periodically rake and remove leaves from their grass, even if there are plenty left to fall still hanging on the trees.

ardening attracts new devotees year after year.

While Baby Boomers may spend more on gardening than any other demographic, even millennials are getting on the gardening bandwagon.

A 2016 National Gardening Survey from the National Gardening Market Research Company found the average amount spent on backyard or balcony gardening projects exceeded $400 per household. More than $36 billion was spent in 2015, and the vast majority of the six million ‘new’ gardening households belonged to millennials.

When it comes to outfitting a gardening shed, gardeners will not want to be without certain tools and gear.

• Digging shovel: A rounded-blade digging shovel is needed to plant shrubs and trees as well as to excavate areas in a landscape.

• Rake: A rake can be used to clear the ground, remove thatch and leaves from a lawn and level soil in a garden bed.

• Hand tools: Hand tools, such as a hand fork and trowel, are essential for small digging jobs, especially when working with flower pots or containers.

• Edging spade: This flat-blade shovel is handy to have around because of its versatility. Edging spades can slice turf, edge gardens and cut through roots.

• Pruners: Sharpened pruners can cut through stems and branches effortlessly.

• Hose: Choose a high-quality hose that is lightweight and durable, as hoses will always be necessary.  —Metro Connection

Repair bald spots

Summer exacts a toll on lawns in various ways, and even homeowners with green thumbs may end up with a lawn filled with bald spots come September. Autumn is a great time to repair these bald spots.

Aerate the turf

Aerating reduces soil compacting, facilitating the delivery of fertilizer and water to a lawn’s roots. While many homeowners, and particularly those who take pride in tending to their own lawns, can successfully aerate their own turf, it’s best to first have soil tested so you know which amendments to add after the ground has been aerated. Gardening centers and home improvement stores sell soil testing kits that measure the pH of soil, but homeowners who want to test for nutrients or heavy metals in their soil may need to send their samples to a lab for further testing.

Fall lawn care provides a great reason to spend some time in the yard before the arrival of winter.  —Metro Connection

COURTESY PHOTO

NOW OPEN BARBERS WANTED

36 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

SENIORS

4 simple ways to save more for retirement It’s never too early to begin saving for retirement. While millions of people have no doubt heard or read those very words before, surveys indicate that few people are taking that lesson to heart.

A 2018 survey from Bankrate. com found that 20 percent of Americans don’t save any of their annual income. Things aren’t necessarily rosier in Canada, where the financial institution CIBC reports that 32 percent of people nearing or on the cusp of retiring have nothing saved for retirement.

Saving for retirement can seem impossible in households where every dollar counts. But the following are four simple ways to save more for retirement without making dramatic lifestyle changes.

1. Turn raises into retirement savings.

According to the WorldatWork 2018-19 Salary Budget Survey: Top Level Results, salary budgets in the

United States are projected to rise by an average of 3.2 percent in 2019, while those in Canada are expected to rise by 3 percent. Working professionals can save more for retirement by converting some or all their raises into retirement savings. Pre-tax retirement accounts allow working professionals to put aside money before taxes are paid, so weekly paychecks will not be greatly affected if you choose to increase the percentage of your income you deposit into such accounts. Do this each time you receive a raise and your retirement savings will grow considerably.

2. Put bonuses to work.

Professionals who receive bonuses can speak to their employer and request that their retirement contribution rates be increased when bonuses are issued. Many 401(k) retirement plans allow workers to contribute as much as 80 percent of their paychecks. While that’s not sustainable for most people every pay

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period, increasing your contribution rate dramatically when your bonus is issued is a great way to save more for retirement. Contribution rates can then be returned to normal the following pay period.

3. Downsize your home.

Empty nesters nearing retirement age may benefit by downsizing their homes. Doing so can reduce utility bills, property taxes and other expenses, and those savings can then be redirected into retirement accounts.

4. Reinvest tax returns.

Working professionals accustomed

to receiving tax returns can use that money to catch up on their retirement savings. Rather than spending tax returns or depositing them into traditional savings accounts, reinvest them into a retirement account.

Speak with a financial planner to help you figure out how to accomplish this goal. Even if it requires opening a new account, the long-term benefits or reinvesting returns are substantial.

Saving for retirement is important, and it’s never too late or too early to start setting aside more money for your golden years.  –Metro Connection

Pros and cons to early retirement

A lifetime of working compels many people to look forward to their retirement. Some people even work to retire early. But what are the advantages of early retirement beyond starting a life of leisure? And are there any detriments to this plan?

A 2014 survey by the financial services provider TIAA-CREF found that 37 percent of Americans plan to retire before age 65. However, many of them will not have control over the matter. Those who do may want to consider the pros and cons of early retirement.

Advantages

Many people seek early retirement so that they can live a life free of the constraints of schedules. In retirement, time becomes, more or less, a retiree’s own.

Leaving a job can be a boon to a person’s health, as well. Relieving oneself of the pressures and stresses of professional life can free up the mind and body. Stress can affect mental and physical health, taxing the heart and contributing to conditions such as depression or anxiety.

According to the Mayo Clinic, stress can cause headache, muscle and chest pain and contribute to trouble sleeping.

The earlier the retirement, the more opportunity to travel before health issues begin to limit mobility.

Early retirement also can be a way to volunteer more or even start a new job opportunity — one where workers have greater control over their schedules and careers.

Disadvantages

One of the disadvantages of early retirement is a loss of income. Contributions to retirement accounts also ceases at retirement. This can lead to financial setbacks if adequate savings were not allocated for retirement.

According to the resource Wealth How, some people who retire early fear outliving their savings.

While retiring early may be good for health, it also can have negative consequences. An analysis from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that retirement can lead to declines in mental health and mobility as well as feelings of isolation.

Retiring early may jump start these health implications.

Another consideration is that health insurance provided by an employer typically ends at retirement. That means having to pay out of pocket until a person ages into government-subsidized healthcare, such as Medicare in the United States, at age 65.

Retiring early is a complex issue that requires weighing the pros and cons.  –Metro Connection

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 37

SENIORS

Tips to improve memory Forgetfulness can affect anyone. For example, few, if any, adults can say they have not experienced moments when they could not find their keys.

And once the keys are found, people move on without giving much thought to why they did not immediately remember where they left their keys.

Isolated incidents where people cannot recall where they placed their car keys or other minor bouts with forgetfulness do not occur by accident. In fact, the Harvard Medical School notes that they are likely byproducts of age-related changes in thinking skills. When people reach their 50s, chemical and structural changes in the brain may begin to occur, and these changes can affect a person’s ability to process memories.

Father Time may be a formidable foe, but people can take steps to give their memories a boost as they get older.

• Embrace recognition instead of

trusting recall. Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist who specializes in behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, notes that human beings are better at recognition than recall.

That means people are more likely to remember something they read, such as a note or a list, than something they’re simply told.

• Recognize the value of repetition.

The Harvard Medical School notes that people might be more inclined to remember what they hear if they repeat it out loud. Names and addresses might be more easily remembered after they’re repeated out loud because repetition increases the likelihood that the brain will record the information and be capable of retrieving it later. When studying for exams, many students repeat important points to themselves time and again, and that same approach can be applied by adults who are

trying to improve their memories.

• Eat a healthy diet. A study published in 2015 in the journal Neurology found that people who eat healthy diets with lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish and little alcohol and red meat may be less likely to experience declines in their memory and thinking skills. Authored by Andrew Smyth of McMaster University in Ontario and the National University of Ireland in Galway, the study following more than 27,000 people in 40 countries for an average of roughly five years.

All participants were 55 and older and had diabetes or a history of heart disease, stroke or peripheral artery disease. Those who ate the healthiest diets were 24 percent less likely to experience cognitive decline than people with the least healthy diets.

• Break things down. Breaking things down into small chunks

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also can help improve memory. If tasked with remembering something extensive, such as a speech, focus on a single sentence at a time, only moving on to the next sentence when you’re confident you have successfully committed the preceding sentence to memory.

Periodic memory lapses are often nothing to worry about. But men and women concerned about maintaining their memories can employ various strategies to do just that.  –Metro Connection

38 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Single Mothers Outreach readies for Empowering Hearts Gala

By Michele Lutes Signal Staff Writer

T

he goal of Single Mothers Outreach is to connect single parents to vital community resources, providing stable environments for families who are in real danger of losing everything.

However, Single Mothers Outreach’s mission doesn’t just include resources, it’s also about emotional support and recognition of the adversity parents face and overcome each day. That’s part of the message behind SMO’s Empowering HeArts gala.

Single Mothers Outreach of Santa Clarita announced six honorees for its ninth annual event, which selects six Santa Clarita Valley women, based on the gala’s theme, by a committee, said Sheril Porter, event chair of the gala. “This year’s overall theme is integrity, and the event theme is ‘Masquerade.’”

Jane Lopez, Janelle Spindt, Patti Handy, Holly Fenent, Andrea Vibe and Rhona Jukes are the six women being honored at the gala on Feb. 8 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia on Valencia Boulevard.

Above: DaAnne Smith, Dante Acosta and Lisa Odom recognize last year’s awardees at SMO’s gala.

Right: Hundreds support SMO each year by attending the Empowering HeArts Gala. SIGNAL FILE PHOTOS.

From left, Empowering HeArts honoree Kiya Ramsey, past honoree Martha Aguilera and Kiya’s husband, Tom Ramsey, look at the artwork created for last year’s event. SIGNAL FILE PHOTO

“The gala is a very moving event,” Porter said. “It’s one-of-a-kind.”

The event is carried out through

the art created to tell the stories of each nominee.

Six artists were chosen out of many who submitted their portfolio, Porter said. “Each artist is paired with an honoree and creates an art piece based on the honoree.”

Artists Kirby Lanier, Nancy Schier, Zony Gordon, Aazam Irilian, Cecilia Kikalo and Chloe DeJong will create a piece of art commissioned to go along with the stories of the mothers, and

then submitted for further recognition.

“There are two awards, the Dottie award and People’s Choice award,” Porter said.

Porter has been involved with the organization for about a half-dozen years, and being a single mother herself for almost 18 years, she is very passionate about the organization and event, she said. “We say we give a hand up, not a hand out. We help the moms with their single-mother journey, by giving them the help that they need to create an environment for themselves and their children.”

The event raises money to fund programs and services offered at Single Mothers Outreach, which have been around in the Santa Clarita Valley since 1995.

“When you strengthen a family, you strengthen the community; when you strengthen the community, you strengthen the nation,” according to the organization’s webpage.

The Empowering HeArts gala is scheduled from 6-11 p.m. with a sit down dinner, dancing and a silent auction. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to singlemothers outreach.org/empoweringhearts. 

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 39

SCV Author Gordon Lore: A half-century documenting UFO sightings

By Jim Holt Signal Staff Writer

F

inding author Gordon Lore living, working and writing in the Santa Clarita Valley proved to be a treasure and a thrill this week, having discovered the very grounded writer of “Flying Saucers From Beyond The Earth: A UFO researcher’s Odyssey.”

Thrilling, for a journalist, was to meet one of the pioneers of UFO research who, for more than a half-century, has remained dogged and undeterred in the Herculean task of documenting that event about which millions around the world demand evidence.

His latest book, published by BearManor Media, is the journey of a lifelong commitment, researching the reports of people who encountered something they could not explain, diligently checking facts and pulling on the often tenuous thread of claims that lead to places few writers want to confront.

Interview Outside the lobby doors of the three-story senior living complex on Bouquet Canyon Road, two whitehaired women sit quietly on a shaded bench.

Lore’s voice on the cell phone is soft but sure, perfect for radio.

“Come up to the third floor, I’ll come get you,” he said. “I’ll buzz you in.”

When the elevator doors open on the 3rd floor, there’s an easy smile waiting there accompanied by an old school handshake — the kind that comes with eye contact.

His hand is big and pillowy, the grip firm and powerful as if it was padding for a powerful device.

As we enter his apartment, he leaves the apartment door open. Seniors go by it, some call in casually as they pass by: “Hello, Gordon.”

Lore has written a half-dozen books. On the day of the interview, he had them lined up on the floor, propped up against the furniture.

A copy of his first book, “Mysteries

of the Skies: UFO’s in Perspective” published in 1968, sits spine-to-spine with his latest book.

So, I’ve got to know, I told him.

Every country In all that time between the two books, a half-century of cultural growing up, surely the book-reading public of the 1960s, when many rolled their eyes and scoffed at the mention of flying saucers, has developed into a tolerant, understanding and welcoming public.

“I think there has been improvement, definitely,” Lore said. “(People claiming UFO sightings) just keeps going on and on, in every country in the world. The sights just keep coming in. It’s incredible.”

When asked if he thought people were more willing to believe in UFO sightings now than they were a half-century ago, he said: “That’s a fair assessment.”

“The investigation continues,” he said. “There is more going on now than there ever has been.”

And when Gordon Lore looks back on “what has been,” he looks back on more than 50 years of documented research.

UFO in water Lore began his work researching UFO sightings the way he begins his latest book — by describing his own three UFO sightings.

His first sighting happened in the summer of 1955 in his hometown of Solomons Island, Maryland, which he describes as “a pleasant little seafaring hamlet tucked into the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.” Lore writes having been on a pier, watching a fast-moving light move towards him, which he said dropped suddenly into the water, emerging after 20 seconds, drenching him in water dripping from the craft.

Once the reader gets through the details of Lore’s other two sightings, getting into the meat of the book and into the similar UFO reports of average Americans, arriving at the end of See UFO, next page

Santa Clarita author Gordon Lore holds up two of his books on UFOs. PHOTOS BY CORY RUBIN / THE SIGNAL

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N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Teacher’s new book aimed at action, accessibility

By Matt Fernandez Signal Staff Writer

R

eading is an essential part of school, work and everyday life, but for those who struggle with reading, it may be discouraging or impossible to get help or find appropriate reading material.

Enter Ron Fulleman.

Fulleman, an author and substitute teacher with the William S. Hart Union High School District, writes stories for students who have a high interest in reading but are at a low reading level, or Hi/Lo. He was first inspired to write for struggling readers after hearing stories from his wife, who works as a teacher librarian with the Hart district, Fulleman said.

“My wife would tell me that she has students who really want to read, but all that’s available in their reading level is ‘Make Way for Ducklings,’ which, of course, they don’t want to be seen with,” Fulleman said. “There are companies that make action-packed, racy or edgy fake book covers for people who struggle with reading but behind that cover is the same ‘Ducklings.’

Why not make content that matches the excitement of the cover for people with lower reading levels?”

UFO

Continued from previous page

the book comes quickly.

It was soon after he acted on the courage to come forward and share his own experiences, writing about them and sending them off the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, that Lore was hired by Dick Hall to begin work there in Washington, DC.

NICAP It was there that Lore met his mentor, one of the first men to try publicly to convince the federal government to begin devoting time, money and attention to the increasing and persistent reports of UFO sightings — NICAP Director Major Donald E. Keyhoe.

“He was my mentor,” Lore said.

Lore ended up working five years at

He had only done technical writing for previous jobs with telephone companies and had never written creatively, but Fulleman sought to solve his wife’s predicament by writing and self-publishing his three-book “Ron and Bob” series, which is inspired by his real-life experiences with his twin brother.

In order to ensure his writing is at the target reading level, Fulleman runs his manuscripts through multiple reading-level software.

“The reception has been really positive to these books, especially among teachers who work with English language learners and in special education,” Fulleman said. “The teachers can hand the student a book and give them something more age appropriate to read.”

His fourth and most recent book, “Faces in the Flames: A Ghost Story,” was published through Putnam &

Smith in August and is based on the real-life WWII oil tanker USS Mississinewa, which was the first ship to be sunk by Japanese suicide submarines and on which Fulleman’s father served.

The two-part book contains a fictional story about a boy who steals a piece from the sunken Mississinewa while diving and is visited by the ghost of a dead sailor in addition to a nonfiction book about the sinking of the Mississinewa and stories from the survivors.

“Growing up, I never heard about my dad’s ship in the news or read about it in books until I saw it on the internet and became involved in maintaining its history back in 1998,” said Fulleman, who maintains a website dedicated to the history of the ship and hosted two reunions for survivors of the sinking. “Then I met a book salesman who said that he was looking for lower level books for high

school students, who are particularly interested in mystery and horror. I decided to take him up on that.”

Fulleman says he considers reading the closest thing to a time machine that exists. He appreciates how historical documents and written material allow people to get inside the heads of those who lived through important events and time periods. Though Fulleman said he would love to write for audiences with higher reading levels, he does not think he would transition to writing books for them.

“There are so few companies and authors out there writing for kids who don’t have as much,” he said, “so we need to have more authors catering to kids who need more encouragement.”

“Faces in the Flames” and Fulleman’s work can be found on his website, lorronco.com.

He said he plans to embark on a multicity book tour for “Faces in the Flames,” which will include stops in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Fulleman is currently working on another book inspired by his Romanian ancestry and a trip he took to Castle Bran, largely regarded as Dracula’s castle. 

NICAP with Keyhoe and Hall. “It was one of the rewarding and, at times, most frustrating experiences in my life,” Lore wrote in his book’s introduction.

Keyhoe, who cofounded NICAP, wrote several books about UFOs, including “The Flying Saucers Are Real,” published in 1950, sold more than half a million copies.

He and Lore, through their efforts, saw NICAP become one of the largest — if not the largest — civilian research groups researching UFOs in America.

“But, he kept them from public view because he was trying to get Congress to hold hearings. And, he figured if he came out with occupant reports, Congress would just laugh at him.

“But, he managed to get those hearings in 66 and 68,” Lore said. “I was at the hearings in 68.”

Occupant reports are reports of beings claimed to have been seen.

Having picked up the UFO mantle for Major Keyhoe more than a half century ago, Gordon Lore has demonstrated convincingly with this book that he carries that mantle high today, after more than half a century.

In dedicating his latest book, Lore writes: “I also honor the memory of the spirits of my departed friends and UFO colleagues Major Donald E. Keyhoe, Richard H. Hall, and Dr. James E . McDonald. They have made lasting contributions to the ongoing

scientific investigation of ‘Unidentified Flying Objects.’”

And, now, so has Gordon Lore.

Lore’s latest book can be purchased through Amazon, $39.95 for hardcover, $29.95 for paperback or at Barnes & Noble. 

Congressional hearings In the mid-60s, Keyhoe and Lore attended Congressional hearings in Washington, urging for a scientific independent probe of UFOs. At that time, Keyhoe “was for the first time willing to publish some of the reports,” Lore said this past week.

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

Give your mind a workout with these brainy exercises!

BRAINGAMES

Relax

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 41

42 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

CROSSWORD TIME

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

THE VILLAGE IDIOT

90 days to a worse you!

By Jim Mullen Signal Contributing Writer

I

’ve always dreamed of writing a million-copy-selling self-help book, but since I’m not very good at anything, I thought it was just another pipe dream.

Then I realized: I’m good at being a failure! And I could help other people become failures! Instead of taking years to become a bitter, dismal, self-hating loser, I can teach you how to do it in months – days, even!

Here are some quick and easy-to-follow lessons from what may be a publishing first: a self-hurt book. These tips are all from the chapter entitled “The Workplace: Failure On the Clock.”

Drink on the job.

It sends the message that you’re so talented, you don’t even have to be sober to do this stinking job for which you’re overqualified, anyway.

You don’t have a problem – THEY’VE got the problem. They don’t pay you enough to tell you what to do on your own time. Especially lunch. What do they think, that you’re going to hang around here until somebody dies just to get the promotion you should have been given two years ago? Harris only got it because you were out with gout.

He doesn’t have alimony and child support to pay, and yet he’s making all the money, the creepy little toady.

If you’re unhappy, make sure everyone’s unhappy.

Some people are afraid to show their feelings. Not you. If you’re having a bad day, let people know it by making sure they have a bad day, too.

Let them know who should be the boss.

You SHOULD be the senior assistant to the associate manager of eastside office supply distribution, but all the women in the head office told Harris that you made them uncomfortable, when really you were just being friendly. Harris told them you were drinking in the broom closet. It’s like they’re all out to get you.

Realize that it’s always someone else’s fault.

Remember, none of your problems are caused by you. You’re not the rea-

son you’re late for work; the cop who pulled you over for speeding is the one to blame. And you wouldn’t have been speeding, except you got up late because you were out drinking until the bars closed, because Bob said “let’s go get a drink.” So if anyone’s to blame, it’s Bob. Tell co-workers what they’re doing wrong.

This is an especially effective way of derailing your career path. It works even better if you’re not doing your own job particularly well. Most people are too polite to say, “Hey, jerk, how come you’ve got time to tell me how to do my job, but yours isn’t even halfway done?” At least they’re too polite the first two times. The third time, they’ll let loose.

Talk about office politics all the time.

That’s why you had to take diversity training, twice. Office politics. That’s why you got a bad review. Office politics. That’s why you flunked the random drug test. Office politics, yet again.

Don’t be a butt-kisser.

All those people who get their work done right and on time just to make the boss happy make you sick, don’t they? The little suck-ups will do anything to get ahead: show up on time, work hard, keep their noses to the grindstone. Well, they can’t buy you, can they? Do stuff whenever you feel like it, not when it’s convenient for the strivers. Like Harris.

Let the boss know you’re doing her a favor by even showing up.

This single step can speed up the whole process of your goal of becoming a lifelong loser. Make sure everyone in the company knows you’re just here until something better comes along. It practically guarantees you’ll be laid off in the next round of “right-sizing,” leading to your long, steady spiral into a bottomless pit of remorse and recrimination. Which is what Harris probably had planned for you all along, the backstabbing, credit-grabbing butt-kisser.

Remember, only you have the power to royally screw up your life. I can only tell you how; it’s up to YOU to act on these surefire steps to absolute failure. Good luck!  Contact Jim Mullen at mullen.jim@ gmail.com

N O V E M B E R 11, 2018

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 43

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