HORSE’S TALE: Lady Moonlighter, a blind horse,...

HORSE’S TALE: Lady Moonlighter, a blind horse, was headed for the slaughterhouse before rescuers outbid the meat dealers at a Chino feedlot. Because there was a lot of meat on her bones, the price was steep--$900. For a little more, two horses might have been spared. Still, they saved Lady Moonlighter. “This may sound silly,” said one of the rescuers, “but sometimes it’s sort of the horse picks you.” (B1). . . Now, the blind horse that seemed destined to be served as an entree in a foreign land is set to appear in today’s Chatsworth parade.

BLYTHE STREET: For centuries she has been an image of hope and compassion for the downtrodden and oppressed. It’s only fitting then that the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, will be honored today in an outdoor Mass on Panorama City’s notorious Blythe Street. . . . It’s the second year that her feast day has been celebrated on the street struggling to rid itself of drug-dealing gang members.

STORMY WEATHER: As predicted, the heavy rains came Saturday, pushing water over sidewalks and mud down canyons. But the downpour caused no major damage (B1). . . . In Woodland Hills, Kellie Caplan, 3, (above) ignored the rain and looked for the perfect Christmas tree. . . . In the Santa Monica Mountains, rain made it easier for soil conservationists to show a tour group how brush fires cause erosion (B1).

CAPTURING A CAMPUS: John Broesamle toiled for four years to produce “Suddenly a Giant,” a history of Cal State Northridge (EE1). . . . Although it was a university-sponsored project, it’s a warts-and-all portrait that concludes “the full possibilities remain far short of realization.”

SOKA SHOWDOWN: Soka University in the Santa Monica Mountains is at the center of an ongoing battle (B2). . . . The Japanese-based language institution wants to become a full-blown liberal arts college, a move environmentalists bitterly oppose. A court hearing this week will weigh heavily on its future.