SNEAK PREVIEW: Notice something odd about the...

SNEAK PREVIEW: Notice something odd about the weather Friday? Those were the strange winds from the east, the Santa Anas. They’re baaaaak. . . . but only for a few days. According to WeatherData Inc., a forecasting service, the Santa Anas should be gone by Tuesday. . . . The winds make people do strange things. Wrote author Joan Didion: “It is the season of suicide and divorce and prickly dread, whenever the wind blows.”

WRONG SHOW: People offer all kinds of excuses when stopped by the cops. But one Newhall motorist, chased by the CHP on Friday for reckless driving, picked a doozy. . . . After officers followed him from Santa Barbara to near Magic Mountain, the driver explained he had seen a TV truck on the road, and assumed he was on “Candid Camera.” Nice try, but next time, pick a show that is still on the air.

OVERPOWERING: Running back John McPherson (above) helped Van Nuys High bowl over Grant in a Valley Pac-8 Conference football game Friday afternoon at Grant (C12). . . . McPherson scored twice and teammate Larry Reed added three touchdowns as part of a 52-25 victory for the Wolves. For complete high school football results, see Valley Sports.

HAPPY TOGETHER: Palmdale should be packed today as folks gather for the two-day fall festival. More than 35,000 people are expected to show up for the event, which includes concert performances by two rock ‘n’ roll legends--the Turtles and America (B11). . . . Don’t worry about the sun. Organizers are putting up 35,000 square feet of tents to keep people in the shade.

NEW STATUS: The Jewish Spectator, a quarterly based in Chatsworth, is shedding its longtime independence. It has become linked to the University of Judaism in the Sepulveda Pass (B13). . . . In the new issue, Rabbi William Kramer of Burbank’s Temple Beth Emet writes Jews are in denial about spousal abuse: “In the past 18 months, I’ve talked to at least one family a month with this problem.”