Tracking Contractors: Homeowners looking to hire someone...

Tracking Contractors: Homeowners looking to hire someone to make minor repairs or major work can now use the Internet to see if their contractor is licensed and in good standing with the Contractors State License Board. The site allows users to find out a contractor’s status simply by typing in a worker’s name, a business name or a contractor’s license number. The address is www.cslb.ca.gov/

* GRAVES FOUND: Skeletal remains of eight people believed to have been part of a pioneer family have been discovered at a proposed housing development in Castaic. Artifacts, above, were also found. B1

* LEAF BLOWERS: A Burbank inventor says he has a gizmo that would resolve the great Los Angeles leaf-blower crisis. B1

* PUPPET MASTERS: Cheryl Henson, who heads a foundation in memory of her late husband, Muppets creator Jim Henson, supports efforts to create a center for puppetry at the California Institute of the Arts. Valley Calendar Weekend, Page 38

* HIKING TRAILS: This is a good time of year to hike in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. See the Jaunts column in Valley Calendar Weekend, Page 7