Robert Picard

If you want to know the news of your neighbors, you might have to wait a while longer and look harder for it. Small, hometown daily papers are becoming extinct, squeezed by larger dailies. On Aug. 5, Freedom Newspapers will convert its Anaheim and La Habra dailies into weeklies. What happened?

If you want to know the news of your neighbors, you might have to wait a while longer and look harder for it. Small, hometown daily papers are becoming extinct, squeezed by larger dailies. On Aug. 5, Freedom Newspapers will convert its Anaheim and La Habra dailies into weeklies. What happened?

Prosecutors filed robbery charges Thursday against a West Hills man accused of holding up two groups of teen-agers at gunpoint this week. James Robert Picard was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of the Monday night robberies, which victimized west San Fernando Valley teen-agers at or near drive-through restaurants. A total of about $180 and several McDonald's hamburgers were taken from the two carloads of youths, said Los Angeles Police Detective Robert Johansen.

Cal State Fullerton's mass communications graduate program in public relations has been rated among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The magazine has ranked the top 15 graduate schools in various fields for the last seven years. This year, graduate schools of journalism and mass communication were added to the listings, and Cal State Fullerton's was listed as No. 11 for its public relations program.

About 200 people were evacuated from City Hall, the Police Department and a Cablesystems office when a cloud of noxious-smelling gas believed to have come from a nearby oil well drifted over the Civic Center area Wednesday afternoon. Fire Chief Robert Picard said that the gas was probably hydrogen sulfide, which is sometimes released when wells are "steamed" in a secondary oil-extraction process.

Cal State Fullerton officials said they have been alerted that magazine salespeople in the area have been posing as communications students at the university. "It's a scam that is tarnishing the image of the department," said Robert G. Picard, chairman of the university's School of Communications.

Paul Coffey scored two goals and had three assists Saturday night to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, giving the defending Stanley Cup champions a 2-0 lead in the final of the best-of-seven Smythe Division series. The series shifts to Winnipeg for Games 3 and 4 Tuesday and Thursday nights. Coffey has 10 points in five playoff games to tie him with Ken Linseman of Boston and Peter Stastny of Quebec for the lead in playoff scoring.

The Washington Capitals were so intent on trying to get a goal for Alan Haworth, they almost lost the game to the Vancouver Canucks Friday night at Landover, Md. The Capitals, 9-3-2 in their last 14 games, built a 5-0 lead, then gave up three goals in the last period, but won, 5-3. Haworth had scored goals in nine consecutive games, but managed only an assist, although his teammates kept trying to set him up in the third period.

Laurie Boschman, Robert Picard and Doug Smail scored two goals apiece as Winnipeg set a team scoring record with a 12-5 National Hockey League rout of the New York Rangers Monday night at New York. Picard knocked in a rebound with 1:26 remaining for Winnipeg's 11th goal, surpassing the 10 scored against Toronto in 1982 and Los Angeles in 1983.