LANCASTER - "He was always smiling. He was just a happy young man," Steve McWright said about his son, 16-year-old Brian McWright. The youth was a Junior ROTC cadet at Lancaster, a boxer and a young person with a deeply spiritual side to his life, his father said.   Complete story.

PALMDALE - Do you feel lucky, as Clint Eastwood's character Dirty Harry once asked? Well, do ya? In Thousand Oaks, maybe you would feel lucky. The FBI says Thousand Oaks was the safest city in the nation last year - a lot safer than Palmdale and Lancaster.   Complete story.

BARSTOW - The 54-year-old substitute teacher discovered in a Barstow motel room with a naked 14-year-old student entered a guilty plea Wednesday to two of seven counts filed against him and was immediately sentenced to a mid-term of two years, eight months in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Mari Braun.   Complete story.

PALMDALE - A man with an ax to grind answered a tear-gas invitation from the Sheriff's Department and exited a Palmdale home early Wednesday morning after an hourslong standoff.   Complete story.

LANCASTER - Lancaster Sheriff's Target Oriented Policing unit announced resolving cases against a sex offender and a DVD movie pirate. The first involves a registered sex offender who, when "found to be living under a false name," accepted a plea bargain resulting in "more than seven years in state prison."   Complete story.

CALIFORNIA CITY - With the end of the fiscal year looming on June 30, California City council members postponed a decision on the 2005-06 budget Tuesday night and scheduled another work session with city staff to hammer out the details.   Complete story.

LOS ANGELES - County supervisors are looking to make it easier to build residential housing in commercially zoned areas, as part of the answer to the region's housing crunch.   Complete story.

"Conditions have been tough, but Kevin keeps plugging along," said Joe Garza, crew member for NASA aeronautical engineer Kevin Walsh, who is cycling in the Insight Race Across America.   Complete story.

LOS ANGELES - A shortfall in fines from convicted batterers meant less funds for programs to stop domestic violence throughout California, including the Antelope Valley.   Complete story.

LANCASTER - Members of the Vineland Boyz street gang arrested Tuesday in the Antelope Valley were not just street criminals. They were longtime members with seniority in a gang that trafficked narcotics, fought other gangs and killed two police officers.   Complete story.

PALMDALE - The mysterious U-2 reconnaissance aircraft are no strangers to the Antelope Valley skies, with ties dating to the Cold War-era airplane's inception.   Complete story.

MINNEAPOLIS - It was a pretty good day for Sean Douglass on Wednesday. Hours after being named to the Triple-A All-Star Game, the Detroit Tigers purchased the Antelope Valley High graduate's contract.   Complete story.

SAN JOSE - The first-half champion San Jose Giants didn't have to call on Lancaster's faulty bullpen on Wednesday. All they needed to hand the JetHawks their first sweep of the season was a mediocre start from Jon Castellanos and an effective one from their own Garrett Broshuis.   Complete story.

SAN JOSE - Miguel Montero never hit many homers early in his career as a professional. Then he doubled his season-high last season in low Class-A South Bend and is on the verge of doubling it again with the JetHawks this season - a feat that has landed Lancaster's 21-year-old catcher on the World Team roster at the All-Star Futures Game in Detroit on July 10.   Complete story.

Local sports roundup
The National Park Service will be hosting an open-house session for the public to "review planning issues" related to the proposal by the California Department of Fish and Game and a wide variety of conservation groups to restore 12 historic wells on the Mojave National Preserve.   Complete story.

Read these stories and more in coming editions of the Antelope Valley Press. Buy your copy at local news racks or by using one of our money-saving subscription plans.