HIGHER DAMAGE: 20th Century Industries in Woodland...

HIGHER DAMAGE: 20th Century Industries in Woodland Hills saw its stock plunge and its insurance ratings drop Thursday after raising its estimate of Northridge earthquake losses by a stunning $130 million--to $815 million (D1). . . . One observer said he felt “burned and surprised” by the new loss estimate, which the company attributed mainly to quake damage that hadn’t been visible in earlier inspections at insured homes.

STATUS QUO: Canyon High has changed football coaches. How can you tell? Training sessions were just as tough as they were under ex-coach Harry Welch. The new taskmaster is Larry Mohr who players, at first, didn’t take too seriously. . . . They do now. Canyon opens the season tonight against Righetti (C8).

MAKING WAVES: The Valley may be no Paris, but it’s no longer on the outskirts of the fashion scene. Designers here include Woodland Hills’ Ricky Schaffer, who has been outfitting surfers with the Hardwear look (above), which he calls “ ‘90s function gear with ‘60s styling.” It features heavy-duty zippers, buttons, rivets and repairman-style logos. See Valley Life! Page 10.

NEW ERA: Speaking of fashion, uniforms are now in vogue at the new La Mesa Junior High in Santa Clarita (B9). . . . High schools in the area have a different new policy--closed campuses at lunchtime for ninth- and 10th-graders. But it could be worse, says Canyon High junior Kevin Kilker: “At least we don’t have to wear uniforms.”

BRAINY BAND: Rock ‘n’ rollers aren’t always thought of as intellectuals. But Black Watch, which plays tonight in North Hollywood (Valley Life! Page 5), has an academic connection. Founding member John Andrew Fredrick was teaching literature when he discovered a better way to express himself. . . . “I realized I could write three songs in the same amount of time it took to write one page of prose,” he says.