BAD YEAR: 1993 was a year San...
BAD YEAR: 1993 was a year San Fernando Valley businesses want to forget. Foreclosures and bankruptcies soared, exasperated companies fled to friendlier locales and the once-rich aerospace industry was pummeled to its knees by defense budget cuts. A look at the past year and what’s ahead in 1994 is in Valley Business, Page 8.
CHARITY BESET: The woes of the Institute of Equestrian Therapy--a Chatsworth charity that helps disabled people learn horsemanship--multiply left and right (B1). . . . Already beset by financial problems and a bitter dispute between its two founders, the nonprofit corporation is being investigated by state authorities. Officials acknowledge paying salaries with money raised by legal bingo games, which is a violation of state law.
TYRANOSOUNDUS REX: Director Steven Spielberg and Universal Studios are putting their money behind Digital Theater Systems, whose film sound technology got a big break from the dinosaur epic “Jurassic Park.” The tiny Westlake Village firm is racing Dolby Laboratories and Sony for preeminence in movie theater sound systems. See Valley Business, Page 3.
BURBANK POWER: You say you tried dozens of stores in your fruitless Christmas search for those Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? You’re not alone. Merchants can’t get enough of the toys, which are based on a wildly popular TV series. . . . But your problem translates into riches for Saban Entertainment, the Burbank company behind the series. The story is in Valley Business, Page 4.
DAM FACE LIFT: After more than 60 years of questions about its safety, the Littlerock Dam is midway through a $22-million make-over that will help it hold more water and better withstand an earthquake (B1). . . . But the changes are so extensive that the 69-year-old Antelope Valley landmark is losing its status as a nationally historic place.
