FLU ARRIVES: As if the fires were...

FLU ARRIVES: As if the fires were not enough, here comes the annual flu season--and this could be a bad year for the malady (B3) . . . The first Valley case of a particularly virulent strain--known as influenza A--has been recorded in Woodland Hills. Doctors say it’s highly contagious and especially dangerous for those over 60. What’s next? Frogs?

*

WHO’S CRYING NOW?: A city water adviser who supposedly called Valley residents “crybabies” for protesting recent water rate hikes should be immediately fired by the mayor, says City Councilman Hal Bernson. . . . The matter will probably be seen as a test of Mayor Richard Riordan’s commitment to Valley voters, who were crucial to his election victory (B3).

*

ELSA FINDS HOME: With eight lives left to go, fire survivor Elsa the Siamese cat has been adopted by a close friend of the man who died in the Calabasas/Malibu fire from injuries suffered while trying to save the animal (B3) . . . Named for the lion in the film “Born Free,” the spunky Elsa was found by a sheriff’s deputy in the ruins of a guest house where the late Duncan Gibbins lived.

*

FUNERAL PRECEDENT: The state board that oversees the funeral industry is looking into a complaint against a Lancaster mortuary that refuses to take the bodies of those who died from complications due to AIDS. (B1) . . . The head of the board said a decision on the matter could set a precedent for all funeral homes in California. The owner of the funeral home says he fears he could contract the virus associated with the disease.

*

BOULEVARD BLUES: Score one for Ventura Boulevard property owners. A new study says the fees they will be charged under a city plan to renovate the street are too high (B5) . . . Property owners, who paid for the study, will present it to a City Council committee next week. The study calls on developers to pay a higher percentage of the costs of the improvements.