SHARP IDEA: Hoping to bring the jail...

SHARP IDEA: Hoping to bring the jail up to maximum security, workers Monday began adding more razor wire to the North Facility fence of the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho in Castaic. But the additional security--in the aftermath of April’s escape of 14 inmates--is not enough for some nearby residents (B6).

VEST BET: What do you give the person who has everything? How about a ride-along in a police car? . . . A police support group will hold an auction Saturday for the Van Nuys station. Offerings include an evening on the job with LAPD Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy or Van Nuys Capt. James McMurray. Bulletproof vests are optional. Said McMurray: “I have a spare one in the trunk.” For information, call (818) 908-3813.

FEE FI FO FUM: Trisha Lane, above, is a bank’s worst nightmare. . . . She writes a ton of checks, uses her ATM card regularly and never pays bank fees. But she’s the exception: Fee income has increased among San Fernando Valley banks during the last decade. Said one bank expert: “It’s really easy for an unaware consumer to be nicked for $100 to $300 a year.” See Valley Business, Page 10

SIZZLE TIME: When this timepiece tells you something is burning, it could be you. . . . Introducing the SunCast Sunwatch UV Monitor, a watch that measures ultraviolet rays and sets off an alarm for overexposed sunbathers. Chatsworth-based Advanced Safety Devices has won the right to distribute the $39 device, which has yet to win over some local dermatologists. See Valley Business, Page 7

TIME’S UP: Geraldo Rivera couldn’t have set it up better: A mysterious box--perhaps a sealed time capsule more than 80 years old--is discovered in what was once a Canoga Park railroad station. With television cameras rolling Monday at a car shop in Reseda, the object was pried open. . . . In true Geraldo style, nothing was there (B4).