SCHOOL’S OUT? Ending months of speculation, a...

SCHOOL’S OUT? Ending months of speculation, a Simi Valley panel has recommended that Sycamore Elementary School be closed to cut costs (B1). . . . But stunned parents won’t allow it. “We are not going to go down without a fight, that is for sure,” parent Gary Murphy said.

PLAY IT SAFE: Now that the skies are sunny and streets are dry, it’s hard to believe it was only last week that this area looked as if it was in the South Seas . . . For those who suffered property damage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a couple of suggestions. One, if you have flood insurance, immediately contact your agent to report damage. And if you don’t have insurance, get it--either from a company or the National Flood Insurance Program, which makes it available in communities that adopt and enforce ordinances to reduce flood damage.

LOOKING FOR GREEN: May the wind always be at your back. How Are Things in Glocca Mora? And Go Irish. Yes, it’s St. Patrick’s Day and what would the grandest of all such holidays be without the jig, the reel, the hornpipe and other dances? (B4) . . . Speaking of dances, keep your eyes--Irish or otherwise--on Kelly Sullivan and Denise Barry, two teen-agers performing areawide to raise money for a trip to Ireland and the world championships of Claddagh dancing.

END OF THE ROAD: You say you can’t find time to fix up the old clunker? And that if you had the money, you’d rather spend it on a vacation than to repair the heap? Especially after the rain rusted what was left of the chrome? Is that what’s plaguing you, pal? . . . Well, why not call Recycle for Gold, which will tow the car for free and scrap it with the proceeds going to charity? A joint venture of the California Special Olympics and Best Buddies, Recycle for Gold was just the answer for James Hammond, a Moorpark engineer who turned in his ’64 El Camino rather than try to sell it when it didn’t run. “It was taking up space in my garage,” he said. For information, call (800) 590-1600.