Loser’s Loot: Winning isn’t everything. Sherman Oaks...

Loser’s Loot: Winning isn’t everything. Sherman Oaks trivia whiz Lucien Schmit was aced out of the championship finals Friday on TV’s “Jeopardy!” But he still found a way to put his prizes to good use. The Los Angeles attorney, a bachelor, donated a washer and dryer to the Crippled Children’s Society camp at Wrightwood. Toddlers’ clothes and jellybeans will make dandy Christmas gifts, he said. . . . He’s sharing the $37,982 in cash with Uncle Sam.

Safe Havens: Money magazine’s survey of crime rates in large cities found Santa Clarita, Glendale and Burbank among the safest in the nation, ranked as Nos. 12, 23 and 30, respectively. . . . Neighboring Ventura County did it again, with Thousand Oaks scoring second in the U.S. and Simi Valley fourth.

Prolonged Life: Inmate Alfred Fink, above, is among state prisoners in Lancaster who restored a 1937 Chevrolet military fire engine for display at the Edwards Air Force Base museum. Workers said the project brought out hidden talents. . . . See today’s Valley Gallery (B12).

Final Recount: In the end, a CSUN campaign didn’t help much. The Matadors ended the football season at 7-4 and fell out of the Division I-AA top 25 ranking. After a flurry of faxes to voters, the team--in only its fourth year in the division--managed to better its ranking from 28th . . . drum roll, please . . . to 26th.