County Clubs

A country club in a Buffalo, N.Y., suburb whose members include several Buffalo Sabres players and officials has denied membership to goalie Grant Fuhr, who is black. An official for Transit Valley Country Club would not say why Fuhr was rejected, but said that the decision was not because Fuhr is black. The club does not have any black members, but other minorities belong to the club.

He was a smooth-talking swindler who operated Orange County's most notorious and lucrative strip club, the Mustang Topless Theater. Born James Stockwell, he rebranded himself Jimmy Casino and lived the extravagant lifestyle of a character from an Elmore Leonard novel. Expensive cowboy couture. Luxury cars. Enemies who wanted him dead. After years of staying a step ahead of the law and the people whom he owed money, Casino, 48, was ambushed at his Buena Park condo Jan. 2, 1987.

A list of Orange County's major year-round swim clubs (Master swimmers start at age 18 and can go up to 99): Anaheim Aquatics Assn. 12462 Spinnaker St. Garden Grove Coach: Evelyn Christensen Pools: Katella HS/Canyon HS Current members: 171 (ages 5 to Masters) Cost: $55 flat monthly rate Established: 1985 Information: (714) 630-4966 * Brea Aquatics Assn.

Tough rules imposed three years ago on new teenage drivers in California have sharply reduced the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities among the young motorists and their passengers, according to a study released Friday by the Automobile Club of Southern California. During the first two years the restrictions were in place, the number of teenage passengers killed or injured in crashes involving 16-year-old motorists dropped 40%, the study found.

California's groundbreaking law requiring extra training for teenagers seeking driver's licenses has been so successful that teenage passenger deaths and injuries when 16-year-olds are behind the wheel dropped nearly 34% in Los Angeles County from 1998 to 1999, according to a study that will be released today by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Unlike some private clubs in Los Angeles, Orange County's most exclusive clubs don't have a reputation for discriminating against women and minorities, leaders of Jewish, women's and black groups said this week. Official club policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, creed or sex, said representatives of the Center Club, the Pacific Club and the Santa Ana Country Club. Managers of the Balboa Bay Club were unavailable and those at Big Canyon Country Club refused to comment.

When the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach closed last week, Orange County lost its most significant piece of pop music history. The closing has drawn a wide range of responses from the local musical community, which expressed everything from shock and anger to resignation and even optimism following the demise of the club that featured Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Cream, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Steve Martin, B.B.

When Cajun food started showing up on San Diego restaurant menus about a year ago, it was big news in culinary circles. The arrival here of Cajun music promises to have the same effect on the pop music scene. The simple, emotional folk music of French Louisianians, both white and black, will be introduced to San Diego audiences Sunday night at two North County nightclubs.

The article by Kenneth Garcia (Metro, May 24) is a comprehensive treatment of the proposed sale of the Riviera Country Club, but it does prompt us as the present owners of the property to offer these comments: - As we have said many times, Laaco Ltd. never stated that Riviera was for sale, nor did we ever list the property with a broker for that purpose. However, as we also stated in a response to questions that if anyone put a concrete, formal offer on the table, we would have to consider it, in the best interests of all the (300)

The Mission Valley Blue girls' volleyball club team from South Orange County won the 18-and-under division of the Southern California Volleyball Holiday tournament Tuesday at El Camino College. Mission Valley Blue finished the tournament 12-0 and defeated Westside Volleyball Club of West Los Angeles in the final.

California's groundbreaking law requiring extra training for teenagers seeking driver's licenses has been so successful that teenage passenger deaths and injuries when 16-year-olds are behind the wheel dropped nearly 34% in Los Angeles County from 1998 to 1999, according to a study that will be released today by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Writers, photographers and editors from the Los Angeles Times' Orange County edition received more awards than any other publication Sunday in the 45th annual Orange County Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards in Costa Mesa. Among 36 overall awards won by The Times were double winners Paul Carbo and Diane Pucin. Carbo won two first-place trophies for graphics work, while Pucin won for best daily sports story and the David McQuay Award for best column.

Bowing to complaints from Ventura County officials and environmental groups, the state Public Utilities Commission has agreed to hold a hearing on whether sufficient water supplies are available to serve the massive Newhall Ranch housing development.

If you are short on ideas, just talk to Joel Saltzman--author, comedian, speaker and former speech writer for Fortune 500 executives. The Thousand Oaks resident will speak to the Ventura County Writers Club at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Borders in Thousands Oaks on the topic "Shake That Brain." It's all about taking ordinary problems and finding extraordinary solutions, he said.

Not so fast Elena Ferrero. Anna Russell has another season left at Harvard-Westlake High and intends to make the most of it. Based on her recent performance at a national softball tournament, Russell won't be relinquishing her starting position any time soon. Russell led the Valley Breeze to a runner-up finish last month in the Amateur Softball Assn.'s 18-and-under national championships in Sioux Falls, S.D., allowing 10 hits and no runs in 55 2/3 innings.

When Orange County concert-goers first made acquaintance with Tori Amos six years ago, they met an exacting artist who wouldn't brook any breaches of what she saw as the proper etiquette for a performance.

After Don Chew emigrated to Orange County from Thailand in 1972, he wanted to play badminton but found few playing facilities and very little interest among his new countrymen. Today, Chew begins hosting some of the best badminton players in the world during the U.S. Badminton Open Championships at his Orange County Badminton Club in Orange. The finals are Saturday. The $3-million club has hosted the annual tournament since 1996.

A list of Orange County's major year-round swim clubs (Master swimmers start at age 18 and can go up to 99): Anaheim Aquatics Assn. 12462 Spinnaker St. Garden Grove Coach: Evelyn Christensen Pools: Katella HS/Canyon HS Current members: 171 (ages 5 to Masters) Cost: $55 flat monthly rate Established: 1985 Information: (714) 630-4966 * Brea Aquatics Assn.