Good morning, Santa Clarita.

Valencia resident Juan Lopez, a Marine veteran, received a surprise tribute when his wife Yuli Beatty-Lopez remodeled their cluttered garage with Marine colors, photos, and memorabilia—an effort that took two months with help from local art students.

Around 30 family members, friends, and colleagues gathered on May 24 to celebrate his service and honor his struggles with PTSD, and Lopez expressed heartfelt gratitude for the thoughtful surprise.

The Summer Breeze Festival will take place on June 7 at CalArts in Valencia and will feature rock, pop, and soul performances by Terrell Edwards, three-time Grammy winner Tom Scott + The Voice champion Alisan Porter.

Tickets are available online.

Canyon Theatre Guild opened Paul Slade Smith’s The Angel Next Door this past weekend—with a comedy about Oliver Adams whose novel is being adapted by Broadway playwrights Charlotte and Arthur Sanders—and the production, featuring Margot Bell, will run until June 28 with tickets priced from $15 to $20.

The William S. Hart Union High School District approved Malikah Nu’Man as the new Sequoia coordinator and named Vergine Aiazian and Jose Angel Alonzo Pastor as assistant principals for the 2025/26 school year.

They will begin their roles on July 1 — Nu’Man brings extensive special education experience while Aiazian and Pastor have strong backgrounds in teaching and leadership.

The College of the Canyons has received Candidate for Accreditation status for its Physical Therapist Assistant program and will enroll its first 28 students in a five-semester course that trains them to assist physical therapists.

The program will launch in fall and is accepting applications until noon Friday, May 30 — interested students can attend Zoom sessions starting June 18 to learn more.

On May 22, the College of the Canyons Athletic Department honored six student-athletes with the Academic Excellence Award, naming Owen Crockett, Ryan Curtis, Emily Fairbanks, Alex Freund, Vivian Martinez, and Brooke Petretti for their leadership and high GPAs gained over two seasons of competition. More than 110 Cougars graduating maintained a combined GPA above 3.38 as they prepared to earn their associate degrees or transfer to four-year colleges.

The Santa Clarita City Council debated changes to the MetroWalk plan Tuesday night to allow more design flexibility for market-rate homes while preserving affordable senior housing, and they directed staff to update the plan accordingly.

The council also approved a trash rate increase that will raise fees by $3.74 per month starting July 1 to cover higher disposal costs after the Chiquita Canyon Landfill closure.

Santa Clarita is updating the Green Santa Clarita website with current information on alternative fueling stations for electric and alternative fuel vehicles—locals can quickly find where to charge or refuel.

Jude DeVries from The Master’s University won the men’s 5K at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships on May 23 in Marion, Ind—he closed a gap and fended off a late challenge to beat Frankie Maciel by five meters.