BAD NEWS BEARERS: The SAT scores are...

BAD NEWS BEARERS: The SAT scores are out again and they contain not-so-good news for San Fernando Valley students . . . While the scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test were higher in the Valley than in the rest of the troubled Los Angeles Unified School District, they still lag behind the statewide average. They also trail scores logged in the Conejo and Santa Clarita valleys. The disparity reflects a national trend in which suburban teen-agers consistently outperform their urban counterparts on the college-admissions exam. (B1)

INLAND SEA: The only thing missing from Linda and Steve Erenberg’s back-yard swimming pool is a boat dock . . . The Santa Clarita residents are building a pool that is to the conventional back-yard natatorium what “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” is to a comic book. While it takes 13,000 gallons of water to fill the average pool, the Erenbergs’ lagoon will need a projected 140,000 gallons. Don’t even ask about the heating bill. There is an 18-foot waterfall, an underwater tunnel, a beach, an island, four bridges and a swim-up bar. The only things missing are a champagne-spouting volcano, plus maybe a tropical rain forest to make the whole thing ecologically correct. (B1)

VALIANT EFFORT: It wasn’t a victory but then it wasn’t a blowout either. Cal State Northridge, a heavy underdog, surprisingly held leads of 14-7 and 17-14 in the first half, before being worn down, 34-17, by San Diego State in a nonconference football game Saturday night at San Diego. (C1) . . . The Matadors contained Heisman Trophy candidate Marshall Faulk in the season opener for both teams. Faulk rushed 27 times for 170 yards and scored three touchdowns, coming nowhere close to fulfilling speculation that he might beat the NCAA single-game rushing record of 396 yards.

Vaccine Time

California law requires children entering kindergarten to be immunized against a number of diseases. Required number of vaccine doses for kindergartners:

Most children Minimum need Polio 3 4 DTP/DT/Td* 4 5 Measles, Mumps, Rubella 1 2

* Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis

Source: Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program