1998 Year

Like the moving finger of fate immortalized in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which writes and then irreversibly moves on, film critics have a tendency to abandon what's come before. Just like the audiences and executives we sometimes despair of, critics also flock to what's new and what's hot, leaving yesterday's favorites to wither in the shadow of a newer love. So while "The Truman Show" was a critical darling for a brief moment in time, many reviewers have moved on to more beckoning pastures.

A Valencia man was convicted Tuesday of the murders of two witnesses, but he was spared a possible death penalty when prosecutors withdrew their bid for capital punishment just before the verdict was announced. The dramatic conclusion to the trial of Kenneth Leighton, who now faces life in prison without parole, was the second strange twist in the case. Earlier, there were revelations that a prosecutor had concealed evidence from defense attorneys.

Fullerton Union High 201 E. Chapman Ave. Fullerton 92634 (714) 870-3720 * Enrollment: 1,600 * Established: 1898 * Team name: The Indians * Newspaper: Pleiades * Principal: Greg Franklin * Student president: Jesse Ayala * Famous alumni: Former All-Star baseball catcher Del Crandall; Broadway performer John Raitt; former Pittsburgh Pirate and Brooklyn Dodger Arky Vaughn; Richard M.

Virtually every week a child is killed by a parent or caretaker in Los Angeles County, and the system for preventing these tragedies remains in disarray, according to a report released today. In fact, the report found, in 41% of the 1998 cases in which children were killed, county officials had been warned that the children were in physical peril.

Santa Ana High 520 W. Walnut St.

El Toro High 25255 Toledo Way Lake Forest 92630 (949) 586-6333 * Enrollment: 2,445 * Established: 1973 * Team name: Chargers * Newspaper: Bull-ET-in * Principal: Jack R.

More young children in Los Angeles County were killed by firearms in 1998 than the year before, and one-fourth of them were slain by a parent who then committed suicide, according to a report being issued today by gun-control advocates. The alarming figures cut against the grain of a sharp, overall decline in gun-related deaths in the county and nationwide.

Mission Viejo High 25025 Chrisanta Drive Mission Viejo 92691 (949) 837-7722 * Enrollment: 2,260 * Established: 1967 * Team name: Diablos * Newspaper: Diablo Dispatch * Principal: Marilyn McDowell * Student president: Lucia Mendoza * Famous alumni: Olympic swimmer Brian Goodell; 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara; NBA player Bob Thorton; Columbia Space Shuttle astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria; Olympic soccer player Julie Foudy; Olympic diver Wendy Williams * Winning moments: Southern Section

Saddleback High 2802 S. Flower St. Santa Ana 92707 (714) 513-2900 * Enrollment: 2,800 * Established: 1968 * Landmark: Roadrunner in front of the forum * Team name: Roadrunners * Newspaper: The Roadrunner * Principal: Lyn Maher * Student president: Julieta Moran * Famous alumnus: KPWR-FM (105.

Whittier Christian High 2300 Westworth Ave.

Butterfly populations in the Sacramento Valley and nearby foothills hit a 28-year low in 1999, according to UC Davis entomologist Arthur Shapiro. But the problem is not human intervention, he added. The villain was a freeze during Christmas week of 1998, which reduced the survival of overwintering eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adults, and a cool spring and summer, he said Tuesday. Of the region's 55 resident species, he said, 14 were largely or completely missing during his biweekly surveys.

More young children in Los Angeles County were killed by firearms in 1998 than the year before, and one-fourth of them were slain by a parent who then committed suicide, according to a report being issued today by gun-control advocates. The alarming figures cut against the grain of a sharp, overall decline in gun-related deaths in the county and nationwide.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles raised $62 million during the past year, a 5% increase over the previous year, the organization announced Tuesday. Almost 80% of the total was raised from local companies, employees and organized labor. About 20% was raised from individual donors who commit $1,000 or more to United Way. Bank of America, Southern California, was the single largest corporate contributor, with a donation total of $2.6 million.

Orange County's population rose modestly in 1998, with the strongest growth shown in unincorporated areas, a state Department of Finance report said. The county gained 41,100 new residents last year, a 1.5% increase, according to estimates in the annual report. With an estimated population of 2.8 million on Jan. 1, the county remains third in the state behind Los Angeles and San Diego. The state's population rose 1.6% from a year earlier to about 33.8 million.

The number of roles going to Latino, African American and Native American actors declined in 1998 for the first time in the six years, a Screen Actors Guild study released Monday found. The analysis of casting in film and television indicates that minorities are vastly underrepresented. But Latinos, who constitute 10.7% of the U.S. population, continue to be the most underrepresented ethnic group in both mediums, garnering only 3.5% of the available roles.

U.S. investors will pay a record $40 billion in mutual-fund-related taxes from gains generated by their funds last year, according to estimates from fund companies. That's up 18% from the $34 billion investors paid to cover 1997 fund-related taxes, according to an estimate Monday from Colonial Group Inc. "Taxes on mutual funds keep going up," said James Blakeslee, who oversees tax strategies at Colonial, a unit of Boston-based Liberty Financial Cos.

Capistrano Valley High 26301 Via Escolar Mission Viejo 92692 (949) 364-6100 * Enrollment: 2,850 * Established: 1979 * Landmark: Concrete "CV" on the hillside above school * Team name: Cougars * Newspaper: CVHS Times * Principal: Dan Burch * Student president: Tucker Johnson * Valedictorians: 60 students with a 4.

When Yves Saint Laurent decided to throw a party here last week, guests were invited to dress up as they might have "for the 7 in '77, for the 54 in '78 or for the Palace in '79"--a wink and a nod to the golden clubs in the glory days of disco. Ordinarily, such bits of costumery would have simply underscored the fashion madness of France, where designers have been known to put birds' nests on models' heads and lion tamers on the runways. But not this season.

Venture capital investments in Los Angeles-area companies nearly doubled last year from the previous year, sending a strong signal that businesses here in cutting-edge industries are growing and creating jobs, according to a nationwide survey expected to be released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers. In Orange County, $265.9 million was invested last year, compared with $252.3 million the year before, according to the survey. Over five years, investments fell once, to $172.

Venture capital investments in Los Angeles-area companies nearly doubled last year from the previous year, sending a strong signal that businesses here in cutting-edge industries are growing and creating jobs, according to a nationwide survey expected to be released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers.