Antelope Valley Press
Upgrades are coming to soccer center
LANCASTER — Rep. George Whitesides said his own children played in AYSO at the Lancaster National Soccer Center. Whitesides returned to the soccer center Aug. 27 after ensuring more children and residents will have a chance to play soccer on the many...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
School receives new place to compete
LANCASTER — The finishing touches were being put on the night before the opening of the new gymnasium at Palmdale Academy Charter School, with an elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 27. The occasion was marked with music, dancing and speeches by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Brent steadies on shi!ing Middle East supply
Brent held steady amid shifting concerns about Middle East supply, with Saudi Arabia pausing some sales to Europe though traders and analysts say buffers still hold for now. The global benchmark hovered near $105 a barrel after losing more than 3%...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lancaster lifeguards take part in inaugural competition
LANCASTER — Thirty Lancaster lifeguards put their lifesaving skills to the test during the city’s inaugural lifeguard competition Aug. 1 at Eastside Pool, giving family and friends an opportunity to see firsthand what it takes to keep swimmers...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Opening day for iLEAD Flex
LANCASTER — Dozens of kids and parents gathered around the parking lot Aug. 6 for the ribbon-cutting and official opening of the iLEAD Flex public charter school. Later, the parents and incoming students were able to tour the campus of their new...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Emotional 9/11 ceremony
LANCASTER — Emotions were still strong Friday morning as veterans, members of the community and employees and students at Antelope Valley College commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The handful of speakers...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Remember 25 years later
LANCASTER — Antelope Valley College will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Friday with a Patriot Day ceremony and, for the first time, an evening candlelight vigil. The morning ceremony will be from 8:30 to 9:30...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Meet new 412th commander
EDWARDS AFB — The passing of a guidon signifies a formal shift in military command, but the arrival of a new commander also brings a new neighbor, friend and human behind the rank. For Col. David Aparicio, who took command of the 412th Electronic...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Into the back-to school routine
ROSAMOND — Hundreds of Rosamond residents and their children lined up in the blazing heat on Aug. 3 for the Southern Kern Unified School District Back to School Kickoff and Backpack Giveaway at The Parent and Community Center. Although the event...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Putting youth in driver’s seat
LANCASTER — Young people learned how to change a tire, jump-start a battery, explore the inner workings of an engine and use automotive tools during Boys Garage Day on Aug. 22, but organizers also wanted them to leave with lessons that could carry them...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lancaster adds to police force
LANCASTER — Chief of Police Rodrick Armalin swore in 17 new officers to the Lancaster Police Department at last week’s Lancaster City Council meeting. The 17 officers are law enforcement veterans with at least one year of experience in departments...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Youngblood: ‘I was getting there’
BAKERSFIELD — He’s led the Kern County Sheriff’s office and the Kern County Coroner’s Office for nearly two decades, and served some 30 years previously as a sheriff’s deputy. In those 50 years, Donny Youngblood has celebrated success, navigated...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bringing art, wellness straight to families
Last of three parts. A paintbrush, a journal or a package of markers may seem simple, but Ohana Center AV sees those tools as potential starting points for something larger. The organization is using visual arts to help children and families create,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
City OKs another cannabis store
LANCASTER — The Lancaster Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to a new cannabis retail store on Columbia Way (Avenue M) during a meeting Aug. 17. The commission approved, by a 4-1 vote with commissioner Cynthia Hernandez the lone no...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
City rejects Candy Cane Lane expansion
LANCASTER — The Lancaster Planning Commission denied the expansion of a six-bed treatment facility on Clark Court, also known as Candy Cane Lane, during a meeting on Monday afternoon. Resilient Recovery Treatment Center, which opened in February of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tent revival set this weekend
LANCASTER — Hundreds of people and dozens of churches will gather at the northeast corner of Deputy Pierre W. Bain Park for three days of “Unwavering Faith” for the ninth annual Unity Tent Revival. The three-day free event starts at 11 a.m. Friday and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Festival time in the mountains
Equestrians ride the parade route (above) during the 63rd annual Tehachapi Mountain Festival on Saturday morning. Its theme was “American Pies and Small Town Ties.” The festival featured many vendors (right) at Phillip Marx Central Park and included a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Council recognizes live-saving hero
LANCASTER — A Lancaster man who responded to three people who had overdosed while he was at a bank was recognized at the Lancaster City Council meeting on Tuesday. Juakin Arciniega, a community healthcare worker at Antelope Valley Partners for Health,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Helping young adults find path
LANCASTER — Young adults unsure about their next steps can explore career and college options while learning how to use artificial intelligence through a series of free workshops offered by Project Joy. The workshops are geared toward young adults...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Young Marine eyes new heights
Quartz Hill High School student Kierra Pierre wanted to push herself at the Young Marines National Leadership Academy Senior Leadership School in Fort Dix, NJ, in June. Pierre, 15, wanted to know what she could accomplish and to grow. Pierre had a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Exhibit of artists young and old
PALMDALE — For a young artist, seeing a painting move from a bedroom wall or family home to a public exhibition can change the way they look at their own creativity. It can be an opportunity to discover that other people connect with their work, learn...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bringing women’s stories to life
LANCASTER — For photographer Amber Beaugard, receiving funding to bring her latest artistic vision to life represents more than financial support — it is validation after more than 15 years behind the camera. Beaugard is creating “A Woman’s Worth: A...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Palmdale Regional opens family clinic
PALMDALE — The Palmdale Regional Medical Center opened a new independent, primary care family medical clinic, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 13. The clinic, the Palmdale Regional Medical Group, an Independent Physician Management group of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EUSD’s host !rst Summer Family Fest
LANCASTER — Eastside Union School District and its community partners helped families prepare for the new school year during the district’s first Summer Family Fest, held July 24 at Tierra Bonita Park. During one visit, families could receive help...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Construction mishap victim remembered
PALMDALE — Luis Medrano wants to honor the legacy of his father, Palmdale resident Rodrigo Mancilla. Medrano urges younger people to reach out to their parents and family more, because you don’t know how much time you have left with them. Mancilla...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charter school petitions to AVUHSD
LANCASTER — The Antelope Valley Union High School District heard a petition presentation by a proposed charter school at the board meeting on Thursday. The Prism School of Arts and Technology Charter School applied to the district on June 8. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Discussing women vets’ issues
LANCASTER — Generations of veterans gathered at the Lancaster VFW Post 3000 on the morning of June 26, but it was a different group of veterans than will normally meet. The VFW post Women’s Veteran hosted the Resource and Wellness Fair organized by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Activists cause Good Trouble
PALMDALE — A few dozen protesters took to the intersection of 10th Street West and Rancho Vista Boulevard (Avenue P) on Friday night to speak out in the name of late Rep. John Lewis. The protest, organized by Indivisible Antelope Valley, was part of a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
T-7A moving closer to operational use
EDWARDS AFB — The 412th Test Wing and the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5 flew the first joint sortie in a T-7A Red Hawk at Edwards Air Force Base. This flight positions the Airpower Foundations Combined Test Force to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Palmdale poetry immortalized
PALMDALE — The words written by a local high school student were immortalized in the pavement at Poncitlán Square on July 7 as the winning poem in the City of Palmdale’s Walk on Words: America 250. Dariana Arreola, of Palmdale Academy Charter School,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
County launches cannabis academy
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County officials are taking an education-first approach to cannabis entrepreneurship, launching a new six-week academy designed to help aspiring business owners understand the industry’s challenges before commercial licenses...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taking flight at Space Camp
Social Studies teacher Cindy Sawyer had NBA all-star Paul George in her first class at Knight High School in 2005, and 21 years later The Paul George Foundation supported a field trip with Sawyer as a chaperone to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. Sawyer...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Illegal cannabis targeted in Southland
LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The state’s crackdown on illegal cannabis has resulted in the seizure of more than 63,000 pounds of illicit pot over three months in Los Angeles County, including the Antelope Valley, and elsewhere, officials announced...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Food distribution program is refined
PALMDALE — The Palmdale School District has fine-tuned its food distribution program, as a hub of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The District’s Innovations Academy had approximately 500 cars go through its parking lot on June 12, the fourth of 10...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
United in celebrating country’s 250th
People from all over the Antelope Valley lined 50th Street West on Saturday morning to celebrate the Fourth of July and the 250th anniversary of the United States. The cities of Lancaster, Quartz Hill and Palmdale came together for the first time for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Training to become paramedics
LANCASTER — Antelope Valley College welcomed its first students into its Paramedic Training program classroom on June 15. It was a slow process for the program, beginning more than two years ago, and now filling a need not just in the Antelope Valley,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Walk road of healing together’
Wreaths are placed beneath portraits of the eight men — the crew of Torch 11 — who died in the B-52 Stratofortress crash on June 15 at Edwards Air Force Base. The crash happened during a test flight.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Free life-saving CPR lessons
Nurses, firemen and emergency medical technicians were stationed outside the entrance to two hospitals in the Antelope Valley on June 2 as part of National CPR and AED Awareness Week. Free CPR training was available to the public. Antelope Valley...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Over 800 pounds of meth found
PALMDALE (CNS) — A complaint about illegal dumping on a vacant property in Palmdale led to the city’s largest drug bust in recent history, Mayor Eric Ohlsen said Friday. In addition to over 800 pounds of methamphetamine found by Code Enforcement...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Longtime AVTA exec honored
LANCASTER — Family, co-workers and elected officials honored Antelope Valley Transportation Authority CEO/Executive Directory Martin Tompkins before the board meeting on Tuesday morning for 40 years in the transportation industry. Tompkins started as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Joyous Juneteenth celebration
PALMDALE — The atmosphere was joyous Friday at Poncitlán Square as the City of Palmdale and members of the community celebrated Juneteenth. Music filled the air, as did the smell of food and the sounds of children playing. There was also a sense of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Winners of AV Press’ Father’s Day art contest
Here are the four winners of the Antelope Valley Press Draw Your Dad contest along with other entries worth featuring. The 2026 contest drew many entries in the four age categories of 3 to 7 and 8 to 11, 12 to 17 and 18 and older. All the aspiring...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Victims of B-52 crash are identified
EDWARDS AFB (CNS) — The names of all eight people who died in the crash of a B-52 bomber at Edwards Air Force Base were released Wednesday. According to the Air Force, the B-52 Stratofortress was on a routine test mission when it crashed shortly after...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
8 dead in Stratofortress crash
EDWARDS AFB (CNS) — Eight people died Monday after a B-52 bomber crashed and burned at Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force said the B-52 Stratofortress was on a routine test mission when it crashed shortly after takeoff at about 11:20 a.m....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rehabbing animals in need
MOJAVE — Tina Mari Lythgoe has been rehabilitating animals since she was a teenager, but when she got her first cleft palate puppy, something clicked. Lythgoe named her nonprofit rescue after the puppy, Josh and His Critters, 13 years ago and has been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Valley 17-year-old beats the odds
LANCASTER — After a devastating car accident, 17-year-old Vanessa Rodriguez arrived at Antelope Valley Medical Center with life-threatening injuries including multiple fractures, spinal trauma, and a brain injury. Her survival was uncertain. What...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Feasting on the fare at festival
Aubree Weilbacher (above) delivers a winning performance in the cherry pie eating contest Saturday at the 53rd annual Cherry Parade and Festival for Leona Valley. Among those in the parade were James Royal on his donkey Bull (left, foreground) and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Good times for aerospace firm
PALMDALE — Aerospace company Machfinish is thriving and growing seven years after opening during one of the toughest periods for small businesses, the COVID pandemic. Machfinish CEO Randall Briley struggled when he first opened his small aerospace...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AV Boys & Girls Club gets new home
LANCASTER — The Boys & Girls Club of the Antelope Valley didn’t go far to find its new home, but the move was a big one for the organization. The Boys and Girls Club of the Antelope Valley moved into the building next door, at 45356 Division St., but...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Celebrating British literature Knight High class performs scenes from Shakespeare plays
PALMDALE — Knight High School English teacher Jane Thomas continued her long tradition of bringing British literature to life in her classroom in the final days of her teaching career. Thomas, who teaches expository reading and writing at Knight, had...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Future leaders program celebrates 25
PALMDALE — Twenty-five of the Antelope Valley’s most promising students were recognized for their achievements during the annual Future Leaders ceremony held May 15 at the Palmdale Playhouse. The event celebrated the distinguished group of 25 high...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tying the knot 54 years later
LANCASTER — Chris Czuzak and Dianne Shanley have known each other far longer than the 54 years they have been a couple, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that he proposed to his roommate at The Havens at Antelope Valley. Chris and Dianne, or Lady Di...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Vets honored in Memorial Day event
PALMDALE — Veterans from Palmdale and around the Antelope Valley were honored and recognized Monday morning at the City of Palmdale Memorial Day Ceremony at Poncitlán Square. The ceremony also honored and remembered those who died serving or are no...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Students learn about auto repair
LANCASTER — The Auto Pros Academy offers two classes to middle school students, at Hillview Middle School in Palmdale and the Lancaster Community Center, to learn the basics of automotive repair. The first year program aims to ultimately offer a path...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Available resources for seniors
PALMDALE — Legacy Commons for Active Seniors hosted approximately 50 vendors and 200 seniors for its annual Senior Resource Fair on the morning of April 22. Vendors, with tables throughout the center for active adults 55 and older, ranged from...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Honoring Asian Pacific heritage
PALMDALE — The cultures and legacy of Asian Americans, Native-born Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders got a spectacular showcase this week, starting at the Legacy Commons for Active Seniors and moving to Lancaster on Wednesday. The acronym is difficult...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Westside hosts annual YOUth Festival
QUARTZ HILL — The Westside Union School District hosted the 10th annual Empowering YOUth Family Festival, a free day of health, wellness, fun activities, games and community services offered by local vendors, on May 2, at Joe Waker Middle...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Nonprofit secures $1M county grant
PALMDALE — The Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency awarded a $1 million grant to Palmdale nonprofit Salva on Tuesday morning at Poncitlán Square. The funding was presented through the agency’s Renter Protection and Homelessness...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Luxury home complex opens
LANCASTER — Developers and Lancaster city officials participated in a ribboncutting ceremony April 16 at Desert Meadows, a westside luxury apartment and townhouse complex. The project features 324 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes and 96...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Celebrating creativity in AV
PEARBLOSSOM — Artists, families and community members are expected to gather today for the SunShine Arts Festival 26 in Pearblossom, an annual celebration of creativity, local artists and community connection. Hosted by Rural Artists of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Spending comes under scrutiny
PALMDALE — Members of the Palmdale City Council addressed concerns from the public about high taxes and spending, during a council meeting on Tuesday night. The meeting was preceded by a press conference by community members and activists in front of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No obstacle too big to overcome
Lancaster (above) won the overall trophy April 30 at the eighth annual Overcoming Obstacles Track Meet at Antelope Valley High School, for having the most first-place finishes in the meet for special needs athletes. Below, athletes compete in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SpaceX gets launches going a"er setting rocket
SpaceX began the month of May with a launch of its workhorse rocket from Cape Canaveral with, just days after its bigger brother, the Falcon Heavy, helped set a record for different types of rockets flown in one month on Florida’s Space Coast. A...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hands-on Earth Day learning at farm
PALMDALE — The WOW Flower Project hosted Earth Day at the Farm, bringing families out Saturday to a local Palmdale farm for a full day of hands-on activities celebrating the environment and sustainable living. More than 80 participants registered for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Backpacks, books for students
PALMDALE — The Palmdale School District’s new Library Bus stopped by Tamarisk Elementary School on the morning of April 8 as part of a free backpack and book giveaway for students. Students were given free backpacks with their names on them that they...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Items stolen from storage sites recovered
PALMDALE — The Palmdale Sheriff’s Station recovered approximately $40,000 worth of stolen property on Wednesday from a burglary of a Palmdale storage facility in late March. L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Det. Jose Munguia said during their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
World championship-bound
LANCASTER — The Joe Walker Middle School Robotics Team will compete in its 11th World Championship, starting Saturday in St. Louis at the VEX World Championships. The robotics team is approximately in its 15th year and qualified for the World...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Families flock to Poppy Festival
LANCASTER — The warmth of spring mixed with the familiar Antelope Valley winds this weekend as thousands of visitors gathered at the AV Fair and Event Center for the 33rd annual California Poppy Festival. Held Friday through Sunday, the three-day...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wheels for vets to get around
LANCASTER — Wheels 4 Warriors was started a little over 10 months ago to help one man get an electric wheelchair. The effort to help the one man led to the contribution of 10 wheelchairs and a mission by veterans to provide electric wheelchairs to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Events ordinance worries Acton leaders
ACTON — Acton Town Council members are raising concerns about a proposed Los Angeles County Events Ordinance, warning it could increase noise, traffic and enforcement challenges in rural communities. The ordinance, under environmental review, aims to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Voters select councilmembers today
LANCASTER — Today is municipal Election Day for the two fouryear City Council seats in an all-mail ballot election. There are seven candidates, including one incumbent, running for the two seats. Current councilmember Raj Malhi is joined on the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
JD Vance warns Iran not to ‘play’ America
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance on Friday warned Iran not to “play” the US as he headed overseas for negotiations aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump has tasked the member of his inner circle who has seemed to be the most reluctant...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Driving home anti-DUI message
PALMDALE — The Palmdale Aerospace Academy participated in a two-day presentation of the Every 15 Minutes Program by the California Highway Patrol on April 2 and Friday. The CHP and other first responders helped stage a mock car crash next to the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Extending chances for learning
PALMDALE — The Palmdale School District broke ground Friday morning for its Extended Learning Opportunities Program Center on a large vacant lot on the northeast corner of 40th Street East and Avenue Q. District officials and employees, members of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Council hopefuls state cases
LANCASTER — Five of the seven candidates for the Lancaster City Council election participated in a candidate forum Wednesday night at the Antelope Valley College Performing Arts Theater, sponsored by the Lancaster Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
100 reasons to celebrate twice
LANCASTER — Longtime Valley resident Phyllis Given was honored with two celebrations last week: a large party at the Aurora Village II Senior Living apartment building on Friday and a lunch with her family on her 100th birthday on Saturday. Given, who...
Read Full Story (Page 1)