FLYING HIGH: A six-propeller airplane named Pathfinder...

FLYING HIGH: A six-propeller airplane named Pathfinder set a new altitude record for solar-powered aircraft Monday when it reached 50,500 feet above Edwards Air Force Base near Lancaster. . . . Built by AeroVironment in Monrovia, the plane is designed to collect atmospheric data. Future versions are expected to store enough solar energy to stay up all day--and all night. Said flight director Bob Curtin: “The idea is that we can make an airplane that can stay up continuously for months.”

COMMUNITY REPAIR: Cal State Northridge has received a $90,000 grant to rebuild a sense of community at the quake-battered campus. . . . The funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will focus on studying and resolving conflicts among diverse groups (B3).

RAPID HIRE?: City Councilwoman Laura Chick, above, wants to apply the brakes to the city’s goal to hire nearly 3,000 new police officers. . . . On Monday Chick expressed fears that the hiring goal will detract from other Police Department goals to eliminate bias and improve community relations (B1). Chick will ask the council today to postpone approval of $750,000 for police recruitment.

BLENDED BETTY: Talk about your composite photos. . . . To mark the 75th anniversary of its Betty Crocker products, General Mills is holding a nationwide contest to find 75 women whose photos will be blended to create a new Betty Crocker. General Mills is looking for more than just another pretty face: Each entry must include an essay on what Betty means to you (D2).

HOLDING PATTERN: Here’s something to do the next time you are put on hold. . . . Valley columnist Scott Harris shares readers’ letters from the dark side of customer service (B1). Be warned. It’s not a pretty place. One Castaic woman crusaded seven months in an effort to have someone repair her sofa. . . . She ended up with a refund.