TOUGH LESSON: In a surprise move, Los...

TOUGH LESSON: In a surprise move, Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Sid Thompson pledged Wednesday to help those wishing to dismantle his district if their plans would improve student achievement (B1). . . . Said Thompson: “I am not opposed philosophically to a different order for this school system.”

AIR-TIGHTENED: Burbank Airport joined the nation’s airports Wednesday in beefing up security, as ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration. . . . The FAA has “intelligence that makes a higher status of alert a prudent action,” said Burbank Airport spokesman Victor Gill. The result: Expect to see more security patrols in the terminals. And cars left unattended at curbside will be towed immediately.

NEW SPIN: When teen-ager Tiffany Chin, formerly of Burbank, lost her national figure-skating title in 1987, she said she would never encourage her children to skate. But now Chin is bringing a new attitude to a new generation of Valley skaters, like Lindsey Jacobs of Northridge, above (C10). . . . “This sport is not a monster,” Chin said. “It’s what you give to it and take from it that matters.”

MICKEY MAKE-OVER: Disney animators in Burbank have gone back to the drawing board to create the first Mickey Mouse theatrical short in 42 years. . . . Calling on 1940s-era drawings, animator Andreas Deja dumped Mickey’s eyebrows and potbelly for a leaner mouse. “We just thought over the years he’s been messed up,” Deja said. Mickey’s flick, “Runaway Brain,” opens tomorrow with Disney’s “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.”

HEAD TRIP: The death of Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia (A1) drew some strange reactions from Valley deadheads (B1). . . . At Ben & Jerry’s in Sherman Oaks, several customers left in a huff upon discovering that the store was out of “Cherry Garcia,” a yogurt named after the musician. Said store employee Nina Harlow: “Maybe people were just moody today.”