AROUND THE WEB

City Scope: Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas were among the officials on hand for the launch of the Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Committee’s Web site (https://mboc.cityofla.org). The group promotes opportunity among minority- and women-owned businesses, and the site is an extension of the MBOC’s services and resources.

The Votes Are In: The Cool Site of the Day’s first consortium, the Congress, just ended its first session. Former Cool Site of the Day winners gathered to select Cool Site of the Year finalists and their selections are online at https://www.coolsiteoftheday.com. Results of readers’ votes will be announced at the Cool Site of the Year awards this fall.

Public Service: Digital City and America Online have joined with the National Center for Missing Children to enlist AOL subscribers in the search for the nation’s missing and abducted children. Special alert screens with a missing child’s name and picture appear when users enter the Digital City Kids Safe area and an icon will appear on Welcome screens.

Speaking of AOL: The Velvet Rope, a cybercommunity where music industry professionals share views on news and gossip, left America Online on Friday for plushier Web digs. Now at https://www.velvetrope.com, the site will remain a closed forum for industry insiders. But don’t despair--plans to open the site to non-industry surfers are in the works.

Coming Up: Extra! Extra! The National Enquirer is set to make its online debut this month. Promising not to be “your mother’s Enquirer,” the site will include interactive features in addition to its own unique brand of news. The site will be at https://www.nationalenquirer.com

CYBERSPACE

* African American Resources is online with a database of African American newspapers and magazines, including California Voice, Los Angeles Sentinel and Black Enterprise. The site also has a film and video store, “Today in History” trivia and discussion boards. Head to https://www.aarc.net

* Apparently all good kings don’t come to an end. You can now become a part of the “Elvis information superhighway” at https://www.flashtcb.com. The Elv-X Files reports on Elvis Presley sightings. Look at online photo albums to test your knowledge of Elvis trivia. It’s all Elvis, all the time.

* Planet Girl is the cyberhangout for girls of all ages. Site topics include Gorilla World, For Real, Zap and Blah, Blah, Blah. If a girl you know wants a place of her own where she can talk with others like her, have her go to https://www.planetgirl.com. Another all-girls site is A Girl’s World, where “girls rule the place.” Look for party ideas, relationship Q&As;, a bookstore and Geri’s Penpal Place at https://www.agirlsworld.com

* At https://www.theco-op.org, you’ll find a list of automated-teller machines that do not charge additional usage fees as part of the No $urcharge ATM Alliance.

* Initial public offering information is tracked at https://www.ipomaven.com. IPO Maven also has a calendar of the latest offerings and pricing, IPO performances and instant quotes.

* Do you know what the “Way Out West Tent” is? If so, hurry over to https://www.wayoutwest.org. The site is the official home of the Way Out West Tent chapter of the Sons of the Desert. For those of you who aren’t in the know, they’re the international Laurel & Hardy society. The Town Hall is home to a Laurel & Hardy filmography and a list of books and videos you can find in stores. The Saloon has a listing of upcoming meetings and tours as well as contests and trivia. And be sure to stop by the Telegraph Office, where links to other Laurel & Hardy sites are stored.

Site suggestions can be sent to cutting.edge@latimes.com

* If allergies or swimming-related ear infections have got you down, consult with Dr. Murray Grossman at https://www.ent-consult.com. The ear, nose and throat specialist offers medical advice for a wide range of ailments.

* The National Endowment for the Arts has joined the World Wide Web at https://arts.endow.gov. Read articles on the arts, meet a featured artist and get an overview of the federal agency (including how to apply for a grant). Artists also can find directories and resources at https://w3art.com