LANGUAGE CLASS: As immigration grows, so does...

LANGUAGE CLASS: As immigration grows, so does the number of languages spoken by children in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Nearly half the district’s 640,000 students--some 279,899--are not proficient in English. Almost all those speak Spanish (above), with Armenian a distant runner-up. See Valley Briefing (B5).

LURKING BY THE DOOR: Police think they’ve nabbed the “follow-home” robbers who specialized in elderly victims, hitting about 120 throughout the city and at least 30 in the Valley (B1). The robbers apparently followed victims, learning their travel habits and observing their jewelry, then hid in dark areas near their front doors, robbed them at gunpoint . . . and threatened to kill them or blow up their houses if they reported the crimes to police.

HOT STOCK: Investors are hot for multimedia. Example: Iwerks Entertainment of Burbank, which builds entertainment centers using the new interactive and virtual reality technologies. The company went public Monday at $18 a share. . . . And the stock soared to $37 Tuesday (D1).

NO REFUGE: In West Hills, musician Scott Freeman keeps recalling the night his good friend was killed in a freeway crash, allegedly by a drunk driver. He remembers the rending metal, the shattered glass and his friend’s body on the pavement. But nothing can be done to a driver who fled to Mexico, right? . . . Wrong. Maybe the driver can be prosecuted there, as the Street Beat Valley crime column explains (B2).

RUNNER RECHARGE: Apparently all cross-country runner Kay Nekota of Agoura High needed was a change. After a star sophomore year, including second place in the state Division I championships, she finished fifth last year. . . . But a stint on the JV basketball team revived her and she’s running better than ever now (C8).

Top 2nd Languages

Most frequently spoken languages by LAUSD students who are not proficient in English in 1992-1993: Spanish: 252,931 Armenian: 5,910 Korean: 4,513 Cantonese: 2,585 Philipino: 2,318 Source: Los Angeles Unified School District