HORSE SET: Mickey Rooney, a guest of...

HORSE SET: Mickey Rooney, a guest of honor at the opening of a new off-track betting facility at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, has a long affiliation with horses (B2). . . . The former horse owner starred with Elizabeth Taylor in “National Velvet” more than 50 years ago and appeared in a film version of “The Black Stallion” in 1979. . . . These days, the 74-year-old star is touting a proposal for an all-horse-racing cable TV channel.

THE SHADOW KNOWS: It’s Groundhog Day, the one day of the year when good weather may be bad news for rain-weary Californians eager for spring. . . . With this week’s bright, cloudless skies, the chances seem pretty good that any creature venturing out of hibernation and into the Ventura County sunshine would spot its shadow. And more winter could mean more rain. . . . While the long-term forecast is guesswork, meteorologist Curtis Brack of WeatherData Inc., which forecasts for The Times, sees mostly blue skies ahead--at least through the weekend.

REAL DRAMA: The contrasts are there, and so are the similarities between the fictionalized world of TV emergency-room shows and the real-life emergency room at the county hospital (Ventura County Life, Page 8). . . . While television dramas hype up the action--and the romance--among doctors and nurses, at the Ventura County Medical Center such life-and-death moments are fewer and further between. Still, busy nights are often chaotic. . . . Said Dr. Nat Baumer: “This is the toughest and most gratifying ER in the county.”

DOTTED LINE: Billy Miller of Westlake High School has signed to play football with USC (C8). . . . Miller, an All-American receiver and The Times’ Ventura County player of the year, kept his cards close to the vest until his announcement that he has signed a letter of intent with USC. . . . “I’ve given it so much thought that I don’t want to think about it anymore,” Miller said. “I just want to strap on the pads and play.”