NOT JUST A JOB: Valley Army recruiters...

NOT JUST A JOB: Valley Army recruiters say this is their busiest month, the graduation-day harvest of recruits they pitched during the school year. “Believe it or not, infantry is the most popular,” says a sergeant from the Van Nuys office. . . . Isn’t that the most dangerous? “We don’t say that, we call it the most adventurous.” Last year, his office signed up 80 recruits.

UNTO CAESAR: Public gatherings of conservative Christians often feature rhetoric condemning liberals on issues such as abortion and homosexuality. . . . But Santa Clarita’s March for Jesus apparently met its goal of remaining nonpolitical--not easy considering it involved 14 pastors and thousands of marchers, says John Dart in his column on religion in the Valley area (B7).

BULL RING: Charles Barkley, above, was the leading villain for most spectators at the Barrel Sports Bar, hung with Chicago team mementos, in Sherman Oaks. Arguing with a Phoenix backer was Chicago-rooted John Cummings of Woodland Hills. Told that the Bulls are “just a one-man team,” Cummings replied: “Nonsense. They’re the best team since Chicago went three in a row in the ‘60s.” Maybe not. Phoenix won 108-98 (C1).

GOOD DEEDS: Rosemary Delgado, who heads a San Fernando Cub Scout pack, says many parents balk at the $7 initial cost, plus a uniform, or worry that their children speak only Spanish. Like any good Scout, she’s prepared. Thrift shops and yard sales provide used uniforms. She translates into Spanish at pack meetings. . . . Delgado says any effort is worthwhile if it turns youngsters from gangs to good deeds (B2).

NOT IN MY CANYON: Since the 1970s, environmentalists and neighbors fought to keep houses from being built in a 55-acre canyon in Sherman Oaks, calling it a key wildlife corridor. Now, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy wants to buy the land and make it a city park (B1).