SOUP’S ON: Rabbi Jim Kaufman blessed a...

SOUP’S ON: Rabbi Jim Kaufman blessed a new mezuza at the door of Art’s Deli on Monday, a sure sign that the earthquake-destroyed Studio City restaurant is about to reopen. An entertainment-industry hangout for 37 years, the deli will resume serving its corned-beef-and-onion omelets on Wednesday.

DOWN AND DIRTY: Homeowners in a hurry to have their quake-damaged chimneys ready for St. Nick’s visit in two months are finding that the black soot is leaving them in the red. Repairs delayed since the January temblor cost as much as $8,000. But before you hire a contractor, read the Property Values column in Valley Business, Page 3. It offers tips on asking questions of insurers and bricklayers.

GRAY MATTER: Teaching is old hat to many of the instructors in Los Angeles’ community colleges. Too old, apparently, for college district leaders. Officials may soon offer early retirement to the district’s 700 eldest instructors--contending they need to reinvigorate the curriculum. (B1) . . . More than a quarter of the full-time instructors are over 60; the oldest is Richard Wright, 82, above.

THE JET SET: The Cold War might be over, but experts say Lockheed Corp. can always count on acrimony between Greece and Turkey. The two foreign countries are among 17 that have bought F-16 fighter jets since 1978, and overseas sales now account for most of the Calabasas company’s sales of the airplane. The U.S. already has 2,000 and will order no more after this year. See Valley Business, Page 12.

FASHION: Click, click go the cameras in Paris as French designers show their 1995 collections (E1) . . . But if Valley shoppers want haute couture , their high heels will also have to go click, click--because the clothes are scarce here. “We have things inspired by the runway pieces, but not those actual pieces” says Ann Delmuro, manager of Studio City’s Jona boutique. But where to go? Beverly Hills or South Coast Plaza, say the experts.