DISCONNECTED? KOCE-TV, the public service station in...

DISCONNECTED? KOCE-TV, the public service station in Huntington Beach (Channel 50), couldn’t have been more pleased with its pledges last week: The phones were ringing and ringing. . . . And then the county dropped its bombshell about its financial troubles. The phones went dead. “It was a chilling effect,” says KOCE president William A. Furnice. “For three days the calls leveled off.” . . . But even with that setback, KOCE raised $193,569, up 25 grand from last year’s effort.

LONE CHEER: It was supposed to be a cheery Christmas at John Wayne Airport, with holiday song and dance all the way up to Christmas Eve. But the county’s bond crisis has forced cancellation of its annual Holiday Festival. . . . One bright note, though: Golden West Carolers (from the Huntington Beach college) said they wanted to come despite cancellation of any fees. They’ll entertain airport employees and travelers Monday at 4 p.m.

HAPPY TRAILING: Rusty Richards of Modjeska Canyon raises and trains horses plus does “about anything you can do under a cowboy hat,” he says. But recently he was honored, along with other alumni, for his span of 21 years with one of the most famous Western singing groups, the Sons of the Pioneers. . . . They’re known mainly for their work with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The famous couple appeared for the ceremony, in Tucson, Ariz. Says Richards: “It doesn’t get any better than working with Roy and Dale.”

MONARCH ILLUSTRATED: It is rare to find much on high school sports in Sports Illustrated. But Mater Dei High School’s undefeated exploits on the football field got the national magazine’s attention this week. . . . It gushes about the Monarchs’ offensive front line--257-pound average--and notes the team had “blown away” previous No. 1, Bishop Amat of La Puente. They quote Monarch defensive coordinator Eric Johnson who noted: “Since they don’t play football in Russia, we’re No. 1 in the world.”