Church arsons
Reward offered
ANTELOPE VALLEY - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is offering a $20,000 reward in hopes of tracking down whoever firebombed two churches in the Antelope Valley.
On Aug. 25, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Palmdale and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lancaster were both the target of arson fires.
The Palmdale church at 18512 E. Avenue Q was completely destroyed, at a loss of $50,000, according to Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who proposed the reward.
The Mormon church, located about five miles away at 41535 170th St., sustained $30,000 in damage in two separate blazes.
Sheriff's arson investigators said all three blazes were started with Molotov cocktails.
Anyone with information about the arson fires is asked to call Sheriff's Sgts. Derek Yoshino or Ray Walker at (323) 881-7500.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors went behind closed doors today to discuss funding for investigations into Section 8 housing fraud in Lancaster and Palmdale amid allegations of racial discrimination.
The county stopped funding for the probes in June, instituting a 90-day moratorium when allegations of racism were raised.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—An Antelope Valley community group sued Lancaster and Palmdale officials today, alleging the cities engaged in practices meant to drive out Black and Latino residents.
The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of the Community Action League, the California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and two unidentified residents who allegedly faced racial discrimination.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will hold a Social Service Transportation Advisory Council meeting and a Transportation Development Act Article 8 Hearing Board meeting in Palmdale to review oral and written comments previously made in the North County and the city of Avalon public hearings. These meetings will follow up on the Article 8 Unmet Needs Public Hearings held in April.
PALMDALE, Calif.—“Waiting for Superman,” a riveting new documentary on the state of learning in America, is being screened in theaters all across the country. The film’s impactful message about hope, poverty, and education recently caught the attention of Antelope Valley residents, including parents and teachers.
On Tuesday (March 29) night at the Palmdale Learning Plaza, the League of Women Voters of the Antelope Valley hosted a screening and a subsequent discussion of the controversial film.
LANCASTER, Calif.—The Antelope Valley has experienced what some people would call community-shifting happenings, including the shooting death of two young people within a week of each other and two church arsons that have been speculated about as possible hate crimes.
