WHO CARES? It’s an ugly thought, but...

WHO CARES? It’s an ugly thought, but Thousand Oaks’ annual awards for the most beautiful gas station, apartment complex and industrial center may soon fade away because of public apathy. . . . Councilman Frank Schillo thought the city-beautiful awards would encourage general sprucing up of homes or storefronts. But no one has applied in any of the categories this year. “Is anybody interested in this?” asks Schillo, who is running for county supervisor. “If not, I’m not going to spend my time on this. I’ve got a lot of other things I could be doing.”

RAPID FIRE: The same folks criticized for threatening sea lions and dolphins with underwater test explosions now want to test-fire a huge Gatling gun next to elephant seal breeding grounds on San Nicolas Island (B1). . . . The Navy proposes setting up the big gun on the island 60 miles off the coast. Usually mounted on ships, the gun unleashes a torrent of armor-piercing bullets that can knock down an incoming missile. The state Coastal Commission was horrified at first, but now believes the test poses no serious risk to endangered species.

FLOWER STORM: Last year’s wildfires have wiped the hillsides clean for an explosion of springtime wildflowers (Ventura County Life, Page 24). The burn areas in the Santa Monica Mountains boast dozens of varieties normally choked by the thick layer of chaparral. . . . Park rangers also report sightings of the rare chocolate lily. “We don’t see it very often,” Ranger Mark Boehler says. “But it’s coming up in quite a few places.”

PASS THE HAT: The helmets looked innocent enough, patina-on-bronze replicas of headgear worn by Greek Olympians 3,000 years ago. But when Oxnard City Council members opened the helmet boxes and found out each could be worth $3,000, they started a scramble to unload the gifts from a Korean businessman (B1). . . . “We simply can’t accept gifts of that value, so we decided to donate it to the library,” Councilman Michael Plisky said. Actually, public officials can accept gifts, but must declare items worth at least $50.