VALLEY IRISH: A lot of eyes must...

VALLEY IRISH: A lot of eyes must be smiling in Burbank today. It’s St. Paddy’s Day, of course, and Burbank carries the largest contingent--3.6%--of Valley folks with heavy Irish ancestry (above). . . . In all, according to the 1990 U. S. Census, 49,124 residents (2.6%) identified Irish as their main lineage.

SHUTTLE CHECK: Certainly, if you’re going to fly into space, it’s probably a good idea to check out your vehicle ahead of time. Which is exactly what happened Wednesday when the six-member crew that will fly on the modified Atlantis shuttle visited Palmdale. . . . The timing was perfect. NASA said Tuesday that major shuttle adjustments will continue to be done by Rockwell International in Palmdale. (B18)

VERSATILE TEEN: Sure, maybe he’s no Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders, but Harvard-Westlake High senior Matt Sebree is a pretty impressive player in two sports--football and volleyball. . . . Already, Notre Dame, Penn State and USC have shown interest in his kicking skills while the top volleyball schools want him too. (C12)

EARLY AMBITION: Speaking of talented teens, check out UCLA freshman Josh Arce, 18. Arce, a Democrat, hopes this fall to dethrone Republican Paula Boland in the 38th Assembly District, covering the northwestern Valley. . . . So what if his campaign budget is only $150? So what if his own grandmother, a staunch Republican, wouldn’t lend him money? “You can’t win the game if you don’t step out on the field,” he said. (B5)

LOCAL HEROES: March Madness gets under way this week, and you can bet the Valley will have a say in the outcome of the college basketball tournaments. . . . For the men, the Valley alumni include UCLA’s Marquis Burns, New Mexico State’s D. J. Jackson and Pepperdine’s Dana Jones. The women come from Hart High in Newhall--Oregon State’s Anjanette Dionne and Oregon’s Sara Wilson.

Where the Irish Are

Only 2.6% of Valley residents claim Irish as their main ancestry. Communities with the largest percentage of Irish residents: Burbank: 3.6% Sherman Oaks-Studio City*: 3.4% Sunland-Tujunga: 3.0% Chatsworth-Porter Ranch: 2.8% Reseda-West Van Nuys: 2.8% * Includes Toluca Lake

Source: U.S. Census