Jan. 30, 2015 – Daily Brief

By Josh Premako

Alleged Killer Could Have Been Behind Bars: The Newhall man charged with killing his 19-day-old daughter could have still been behind bars were it not for jail realignment as part of AB 109. In 2014 alone, he was arrested, and released shortly thereafter, three times. The Signal
Runner May Face an Easy Race: Unless a dark horse emerges, Sharon Runner is facing an easy race for Steve Knight's 21st District Senate seat, since she's going to be the only candidate on the March 19 ballot. KHTS
Helping Hands: "It’s giving us something positive to focus on in this really dark time. It’s incredible how this community has helped.” The community is coming together to raise support for a Hart High grad whose newborn son is undergoing chemotherapy, with a 50 percent chance of being free of cancer in five years. KHTS
Wendy Gets a Facelift: Motorists may have noticed that the Wendy's at the corner of The Old Road and Magic Mountain Parkway has been reduced to just a shell. That's because it, along with three other local Wendy's, is being renovated. KHTS
Active Shooter Video Aims for Survival: The Sheriff's Department has produced a nine-minute video featuring active shooter scenarios, targeted at helping people survive when danger strikes. ActiveShooter
Stressed-Out Parks: California's park system is hurting because of factors including everything from outdated technology and maintenance backlogs to declining budgets and higher fees. Daily News
'Thursdays' Make a Comeback: The city is gearing up for another year of "Thursdays at Newhall" events on Main Street. SCV News
Water Supply Not (Snow)Packed: "If January is a preview of coming attractions, it (California’s wet season) is not very hopeful." Not a good outlook for the Sierra snowpack that typically supplies about 30 percent of California's water. Daily News
Going With the Flow(chart): Perhaps a bit reductive, but this flowchart answers the question of whether vaccines are a good idea. Flowing Data

Comments (2)

Lori RFriday, January 30th, 2015 at 10:25 am

Surviving Active Shooter scenarios....is this really someone for which we must prepare? Is this the state of affairs outside our little valley? Or do you think that the video was produced because of some kind of public or political pressure? It strikes me as bordering on war zone preparedness. And this is when I dream of the Iceland: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22288564

Lori RFriday, January 30th, 2015 at 7:15 pm

re: the vaxx flow chart This issue is more nuanced than is being recognized by those who are demanding mandated injections, or public shaming, or barely contained outrage towards parents who do not vaccinate. None of these reactions will change minds, nor encourage an anti-vax'er to listen to opposing arguments. I get all the pro-vax arguments -- my kids are fully vaccinated. Even I get my boosters. But a parent who choses not to vax her kids, that is about the safety and well-being of *her* kids. Because, really, to whom are parents first responsible, of not our own charges? Sure, some may still skip the vax because of debunked autism studies (easy enough to gently point out that relatively recent information), but, really, most anti-vaxxers, at least the ones that I know, skip the vaccinations for a laundry list of reasons, none of which have anything to do with Jenny McCarthy, or autism, or any easily derided idea. All I am saying, is don't use a sledgehammer where a compassionate touch will be more effective. Besides, any parent who can be bullied into a major paradigm shift really isn't a parent worth her salt as a responsible authority, nor does a public beating result in a parent with an intact confidence, and don't we desire both for those rearing our youngsters? Frankly, on a daily basis, I am more concerned with actively ill folks, and parents of actively ill children, freely moving about their days, as if exposing my asthmatic kids is a frivolity, not worth the inconvenience of staying home, and keeping germs to oneself.

Lori RFriday, January 30th, 2015 at 10:25 am
Surviving Active Shooter scenarios....is this really someone for which we must prepare? Is this the state of affairs outside our little valley? Or do you think that the video was produced because of some kind of public or political pressure? It strikes me as bordering on war zone preparedness. And this is when I dream of the Iceland: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22288564
Lori RFriday, January 30th, 2015 at 7:15 pm
re: the vaxx flow chart This issue is more nuanced than is being recognized by those who are demanding mandated injections, or public shaming, or barely contained outrage towards parents who do not vaccinate. None of these reactions will change minds, nor encourage an anti-vax'er to listen to opposing arguments. I get all the pro-vax arguments -- my kids are fully vaccinated. Even I get my boosters. But a parent who choses not to vax her kids, that is about the safety and well-being of *her* kids. Because, really, to whom are parents first responsible, of not our own charges? Sure, some may still skip the vax because of debunked autism studies (easy enough to gently point out that relatively recent information), but, really, most anti-vaxxers, at least the ones that I know, skip the vaccinations for a laundry list of reasons, none of which have anything to do with Jenny McCarthy, or autism, or any easily derided idea. All I am saying, is don't use a sledgehammer where a compassionate touch will be more effective. Besides, any parent who can be bullied into a major paradigm shift really isn't a parent worth her salt as a responsible authority, nor does a public beating result in a parent with an intact confidence, and don't we desire both for those rearing our youngsters? Frankly, on a daily basis, I am more concerned with actively ill folks, and parents of actively ill children, freely moving about their days, as if exposing my asthmatic kids is a frivolity, not worth the inconvenience of staying home, and keeping germs to oneself.