CYCLE SMUG: Drivers complaining of pump pains...

CYCLE SMUG: Drivers complaining of pump pains due to rising gasoline prices (A1) get no sympathy from Reseda resident Kevin Casey, who has ridden a bicycle to work for 25 years. . . . “Back in the ‘70s during the oil embargo, I felt very smug when I rode by all the gas lines,” he said. The owner of Encino Cyclery thinks the recent price hikes will spur more bicycle commuters.

LOST SOUL: Nearly three weeks after the body of a newborn girl was found tucked between some bushes in Tarzana, police pleaded for help Friday in finding the abandoned baby’s mother. A city worker discovered the dead infant, who looked to be slightly premature and less than a day old, in a vacant lot in the 18200 block of Oxnard Street on April 1. “This act dehumanizes this baby, and what we’re concerned about is trying to humanize her,” said LAPD Juvenile Division Det. Mike Houchen.

HEAVEN SCENT: Lilacs, those deliriously fragrant flowers with the short shelf life, sure stir people up. Customers at the Wild Flower florist in Northridge “get so angry, the poor dears” when they miss the chance to buy a bunch that designer Marty Lavitt put a sign in front of the shop last Saturday advising them to hurry in. “Out of all the flowers we sell, people get the most emotional over lilacs,” Lavitt said. “I’ve seen people with tears in their eyes asking, ‘Are the lilacs in yet?’ ” Yes, but only for a few more weeks.