RIDING HIGH: The January numbers are in...

RIDING HIGH: The January numbers are in for Metrolink, the county’s 87-mile commuter rail service that came on board 10 months ago. They show growing rail interest among people who usually take the freeway. Nearly 60,000 Metrolink rides were recorded last month, a 35% increase over its early months. . . . Says Metrolink board chair Sarah L. Catz: “More and more people are re-evaluating their commute choices, and find taking the train a smart decision.”

EVERYONE’S NEWS: If you’ve had trouble lately getting a copy of the Japan Times or the Jerusalem Post, it’s now a little easier. The new, French-owned Eastern Newsstand at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa has 50 daily foreign newspapers available. It’s throwing a VIP grand opening Thursday night--the French ambassador to the United States, Jean Maurice Ripert, will be there. Says spokesman Ken Moore: “We’re adding a lot of out-of-state Sunday papers too; the demand for them here is tremendous.”

JOINT ART: Ballet Pacifica and the Pacific Chorale have never had a chance to perform together. Their joint venture Sunday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, called “Dances of Love and Life,” will mark another first: The ballet troupe has never danced on that stage. . . . Pacific Chorale director John Alexander says he’s delighted with the new collaboration: “There is a natural affinity in combining the art forms of choral music and dance.”

TOO GENEROUS? Newly seated Orange Councilman Dan Slater has rankled a few of his colleagues over an unexpected issue. . . . Slater, who became wealthy in real estate, has turned down the health insurance offered him by the city, a money-saving gesture in light of tough financial days in the county. But others say he’s making them look bad, because they accept it. . . . Mayor Joanne Coontz says that when she took the job, “I never took a vow of poverty.” Says Councilman Fred L. Barrera: “We can’t all be as wealthy as Mr. Slater.”