GOD STAYS: Valley Boy Scout leaders are...

GOD STAYS: Valley Boy Scout leaders are delighted to hear that Scouts can still be required to be reverent along with being brave, thrifty, clean, etc. The U. S. Supreme Court decision allowing Scouts to exclude atheist or agnostic boys (A20) “sustains the basic values that parents have come to expect from Scouting,” said one high-ranking official. . . . About 80% of the thousands of Scouts in the area (above) belong to church-related groups.

MOLESTER SUSPECTS: Police tensed for the Valley serial molester picked up a man Monday near Van Nuys Elementary School, saying he “halfway matched” the molester’s description, but quickly released him. . . . Authorities must decide today whether to bring charges against an Encino man held for questioning since Friday (B6).

COTTAGE INDUSTRY: Between technology’s advances and the economy’s decline, more and more people work at home--which is usually illegal in L. A. But trying to bring the law into step creates massive headaches, city officials say (B1). . . . Other cities regularize home businesses, however, glad to get their license fees.

DEFENDING THE BASIN: Is Sepulveda Basin--the Valley’s answer to Central Park--endangered? Need environmentalists rally to its defense? . . . The president of the Coalition to Save Sepulveda Basin explains why “yes” is the answer to all of the above in a Valley Q-and-A (B5).

TRADITION FOILED: The Easton company of Van Nuys profits handsomely from flouting sporting tradition. Following the smash success of aluminum arrows, it outraged baseball traditionalists with the aluminum bat, then riled hockey purists with the lightweight metal stick. . . . Wayne Gretzky uses one, but the metal baseball bat has yet to swing in the major leagues, despite its popularity everywhere else. See Valley Business, Page 10

Scouting in the Valley

Registered youth and adult Boy Scouts in the San Fernando Valley:

Youth Adult San Fernando Valley 10,400 1,800 Antelope Valley 3,450 750 Santa Clarita Valley 2,420 550

Source: Boy Scouts of America, Western Los Angeles County Council