SETTING A DATE: After months of pushing,...

SETTING A DATE: After months of pushing, Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) and other GOP lawmakers finally know when their immigration bill will be heard. . . . Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), who controls the House voting schedule, opposes major portions of the bill, especially a toll-free number that allows employers to check on the legal status of workers. . . . But Armey has said the issue will be heard March 19. Anxious for a vote, Gallegly called the pending immigration measure “the most revolutionary immigration reform in recent history.”

HELP LINE: In Los Angeles, 911 operators field millions of calls a year--everything from hang ups to Nicole Simpson’s cries for help (E1). . . . There are fewer calls in Ventura County, but adrenaline is generated just the same. “The people who work here can leave every day knowing they’ve done something to help the community,” said Karen Portlock, coordinator of the county’s 911 system. . . . Portlock said 911 technology is constantly evolving. Within five years, she expects to be able to get locations on cellular phone calls.

ROOTS: Ventura County is only about 2% African American, so blacks often have to go out of their way to learn about their history and culture (B1). . . . One of those helping in the effort is Oni Adams, director of the Inner Quest Youth Group, a cultural club for local children. “These kids are embracing their heritage, and I am enthralled,” Adams says. . . . To mark Black History Month, the group is mounting a show on local black history at the Oxnard Public Library.

CLOSURES R US: Faced with stiff competition from discount chains like Wal-Mart and K mart, Toys R Us will close 25 Toys R Us and Kids R Us stores and reduce inventory at others (D2). . . . The manager of the Ventura Kids R Us outlet declined to say whether his store was on the hit list, but an official at Toys R Us in Thousand Oaks said both his store and the Ventura outlet were safe.