DISNEY MAJOR: A lot of people take...

DISNEY MAJOR: A lot of people take Mickey Mouse courses in college, and pay for it later. Robin Allan did, and got his Ph.D. . . . Allan got the honor from the University of Exeter in England for his thesis on “Walt Disney & Europe.” He studied the role of European illustrators in Disney’s early films. Exeter wasn’t his first choice. Other schools, he says, “didn’t think it was high art.”

POTHOLES: War was declared Monday on some Valley streets. The Department of Public Works will use extra workers to fix thousands of potholes. During “Operation Pothole,” workers in 12 two-man teams will be sent out each day this week to work on square-block areas in each of L.A.’s 15 council districts. Call (818) 760-2259 to report a pothole near you (B2).

SWEET GIFT: What do you give to the couple that has everything? Try candy. And so that’s what Frank Sheftel (above), a candy-maker in Sherman Village, was asked to do for Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley (B1). . . . The chocolate bars are being sent to Jackson’s estate in Encino, his Westwood production company, Elvis’ Graceland mansion, and the Trump Tower in New York.

DEJA VU: Higher sales, lower prices--the Valley real estate market sounds like a recording. In July, single-family house sales went up 22% from a year ago, with prices down 9%. The lower prices, realtors say, have a lot to do with quake-damaged properties for sale. . . . And don’t expect things to change. There are tons of potential bargain hunters, and interest rates remain low. See Valley Business, Page 4.

WHAT RECESSION? What’s wrong with Woodbury University in Burbank? It acts as if this recession business is no big deal. In fact, enrollment is growing. . . . Woodbury is not alone. Other private universities, colleges and trade schools do quite well by specializing. “I think we are distinctive,” says Paul Sago of Woodbury, which turns out architects and fashion designers. See Valley Business, Page 10.