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National News

Immigration agents launch operation in New Orleans 

By Bill Pan Contributing Writer  A new round of immigration enforcement has begun in New Orleans, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.  On Wednesday, the department announced “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” describing it as an

Aimee Bock (C), founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future, arrives at the Minneapolis federal courthouse with her attorney, Ken Udoibok (R) in Minneapolis on March 19, 2025. Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP

How Minnesota’s Somali fraud exploded 

By Janice Hisle Contributing Writer  When 200 federal agents raided dozens of Minnesota homes and businesses on Jan. 20, 2022, policy analyst Bill Glahn took notice. So did a lot of

Press release

Golden Oak Adult School spring registration opens Dec. 8 

News release  Golden Oak Adult School, part of the William S. Hart Union High School District, announced that online registration for the spring 2026 semester begins Dec. 8.   Golden Oak continues its mission to meet the educational

Murder suspect held without bail  

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Pamela T. Usher ordered the suspect to remain held without bail Monday for his trial in the February homicide of a California Institute of the

Signal file photo

Pursuit suspect charged with 2 felonies 

A Palmdale man is due back in court in January for a hearing on felony charges for his alleged involvement in a high-speed pursuit with California Highway Patrol officers that

Burglars hit restaurants over Thanksgiving weekend 

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials confirmed Tuesday there have been no arrests yet in their investigation into a break-in at a family-run Canyon Country restaurant over the holiday weekend.  The

COC board approves website for CEO search  

College of the Canyons board members voted Tuesday to approve a website, set to go live Thursday, that’ll give the public ongoing information about the college’s search for its new

Signal Staff photo

SpaceX rocket launch visible from SCV 

Santa Clarita Valley residents were able to catch a glimpse of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasting off Monday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, carrying 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. According to SpaceX’s

COC lolgo

Registration open for COC winter session 

News release  Students looking to get ahead can now register for College of the Canyons’ winter 2026 session, which features more than 340 class sections offered in a variety of

Supervisor Kathryn Barger holds the gavel at the start of her term as Board of Supervisors chair last year. Photo by Diandra Jay/L.A. County.

Barger reflects on year as chair of Board of Supervisors 

News release  L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Tuesday marked the conclusion of her year as chair of the Board of Supervisors, highlighting a year defined by historic challenges, unprecedented wildfire recovery and

Pirro: National Guard shooting suspect to be charged with 1st-degree murder By Jack Phillips Contributing Writer Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members this week will be upgraded to first-degree murder after one died, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Friday. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were both shot on Wednesday. Beckstrom died a day later, President Donald Trump confirmed during a call with service members on Thanksgiving. Wolfe remains in critical condition as of the publication of this story. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had worked with the CIA during the war in Afghanistan, faces a charge of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, Pirro said. “There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” Pirro told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” program. Officials in the Trump administration, including the president and FBI Director Kash Patel, have described the shooting as a terrorist attack. Attorney General Pam Bondi said this week that federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty in the case. Both Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed to the nation’s capital with the West Virginia National Guard as part of the Trump administration’s mission there, starting earlier this year. Wolfe is still in “very critical condition,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a Friday statement. He confirmed that he ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Beckstrom’s passing. “These two West Virginia heroes were serving our country and protecting our nation’s capital when they were maliciously attacked,” Morrisey’s statement added. “Their courage and commitment to duty represent the very best of our state.” The governor added that he is holding the Guard troops’ friends and families in their prayers. Trump said at an address on Thursday that he believes Lakanwal “went cuckoo” or “nuts” before he shot at the soldiers. The president also said that Beckstrom was an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way.” The president said that he would freeze migration from “Third World countries“ after Beckstrom’s death was confirmed. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions ... and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States,” he said in a post on Truth Social. The Biden administration initiative for Afghans who worked with U.S. forces brought roughly 76,000 people to the country, many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators during the 20-year-long war in the country. It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and others over allegations of gaps in the vetting process. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday that Lakanwal was allowed into the United States under a Biden administration program, Operation Allies Welcome, and confirmed that he had been living in Bellingham, Washington, a city located between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. “This program let in thousands of unvetted Afghan nationals including terrorists into our country,” Homeland Security said in a statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Man charged with shooting 2 National Guard members pleads not guilty 

By Jackson Richman Contributing Writer  WASHINGTON — The man accused of shooting two National Guard members pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.  A lawyer for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the plea during a virtual court appearance. Lakanwal appeared from a

Travelers go through security screening at San Antonio International Airport in San Antonio, Texas, on July 10, 2025. Photo by Madalina Kilroy.

TSA announces $45 fee for passengers without proper ID 

By Jack Phillips Contributing Writer  Passengers who lack a REAL ID, passport, or another equivalent document will have to pay a $45 fee to travel domestically, the Transportation Security Administration announced on Monday.  The