Regionalism

Heavy rains fell in mountains east of Tehran over the past several days, and the ensuing floods caused heavy damage and many casualties, Iranian Television reported Friday.

Water regulators have voted to require pollution permits for coastal fireworks displays in southern Orange County and San Diego County, in what they said was the first such regulation in the nation. Operators of seaside fireworks shows from Laguna Beach to the U.S.-Mexico border will have to pay a $1,500 annual fee, minimize the discharge of pollutants into the water and clean up shells, cardboard, fuses and other debris under the rules approved Wednesday by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Public schools are often failing to train American youth to enter labor markets, which explains in part why Encino-based United Education & Software was able to generate a 300% return to its shareholders in the past 16 months through its business of trade and vocational schools. The average teen-age girl in the United States buys five pairs of athletic shoes every year--one reason why L.A.

In California, melons are a highlight of the summer breakfast table. In Central Asia, they are a cultural obsession. And that has made for some interesting cross-pollination. In Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and China's Xinjiang region, hundreds of varieties ripen to perfection in the region's hot, dry summers, producing ultra-sweet, luscious fruits with unexpected flavors such as gardenia and vanilla. Melons overflow the bazaars and are piled by the roadsides. They are celebrated with special holidays; consumed for their medicinal properties; cooked, dried and even stored for the winter in special melon houses.

In celebration of Chinese New Year, the Hammer Museum    published Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold 's picks for the best regional Chinese food in Los Angeles. It's your map to the San Gabriel Valley by regional cuisine. Beijing style: Beijing Pie House , 846 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park. Try the lamb pie and pan-fried meat cake. Chengdu style: Lucky Noodle King , 534 E. Valley Blvd., #10, San Gabriel, (626) 573-5668, www.luckynoodleking.com.

San Gabriel Valley residents who want to safely dispose of household hazardous wastes will have three opportunities in the coming months. The Los Angeles County Sanitation District will collect materials such as paints, used motor oil, pesticides, solvents, automobile batteries and garden products. There is no charge for the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. collections: * Saturday at the parking lot southwest of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Southern California schools have been shut out of a high-profile federal grant competition, according to results announced Tuesday. The one regional finalist for the latest round of Race to the Top grants was a charter school organization, Green Dot Public Schools, that could have received $30 million. But its bid fell just short. The charter's proposal included expanding student wellness centers to provide social, physical and mental health services in support of academics; purchasing new technology, including tablet computers; and instituting a system to track and support high school graduates in college.

When electric-car company Tesla Motors Inc. started selling its flagship Model S luxury hatchback earlier this year, it eschewed the traditional dealership network to open its own stores. But that's not sitting well with U.S. auto dealers, who have controlled new-vehicle sales for nearly a century. The nation's roughly 18,000 new-car dealers got a cut of every one of the 12.8 million new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. last year, from the biggest domestic sport-utility vehicle to the tiniest Japanese import.

On a recent trip to the Alsace-Lorraine area in northeast France, I was hoping to stop at the new Musée Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder, 28 miles outside Strasbourg and half a mile from the main Lalique factory. The museum, created from a former glassworks built in 1715, will be the first in Europe dedicated to the work of glass and crystal designer René Lalique. Unfortunately, the museum had pushed its opening date to July 2. The crystal lining? I discovered an entire world of renowned French glass.

It was fun while it lasted, but Eastern Michigan's short run in the NCAA tournament came to an abrupt end Friday night at the Meadowlands, where the 12th-seeded Hurons were crunched by top-seeded North Carolina, 93-67, in the semifinals of the East Regional. North Carolina, making its 11th consecutive appearance in the tournament's round of 16 but trying to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1982, blew open a close game midway through the second half.