Bombers Away

In the past decade, 876 Orange County firms worked on the B-2 bomber. Irvine’s Parker Bertea Aerospace, having weaned itself like many from defense work, figures to be unscathed by the White House decision to end production. Politically, the president may not be so lucky.

* BUSINESS, D1

Bird Wars

Federal and state officials two months ago hailed a new truce over the gnatcatcher wars. However, they weren’t thinking about 120 pairs of the rare songbird that live in Upper Chiquita Canyon. Now, fears that golfers will overrun the canyon--and the birds--threatens that truce.

* METRO, B1

Cancer Warning

This year, 1,820 women in Orange County will be told they have breast cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates. Among those strongly urging regular exams is Supervisor Marian Bergeson, who just underwent surgery for breast cancer. Bergeson is expected to recover completely, but 335 victims in the county are likely to die this year. “Don’t wait as long as I did,” Bergeson advises.

* METRO, B1

Strong Finish

We all know Orange County is quake country, so why did they cover all those houses with crack-prone stucco? Nowadays you can have quake-resistant stucco, if you can afford the the latest: plastic stucco. Laguna Beach plasterer Gary Simpson says it’s ultra-smooth and prettier too.

* HOME DESIGN, N1