BEAR MUNCHIES: The black bear that roamed...

BEAR MUNCHIES: The black bear that roamed across half of Ventura on Sunday probably started his day hungry (B1). . . . Bears emerge from hibernation one-third skinnier, ready to forage for berries, carrion, acorns--even grass shoots. Says Larry Sitton, a state biologist: “They graze quite a bit on emerging grasses. You see it afterward, and you might think a cow’s gone through there.”

STOCK SHOCK: Norman and Roselyn Reiffman sold 400 shares of Amgen Inc. stock for a modest profit in 1993. Too modest for their taste--the couple sued the Thousand Oaks firm for making overly rosy stock forecasts (Valley Business, Page 10). . . . They dropped the suit after their attorney admitted that they had no case--but not before Amgen spent nearly $1 million defending itself. Said Norman Reiffman: “I just felt their hand should be slapped.” Replied Amgen’s attorney: “Optimism is not illegal.”

CLASS ACT: Just days after an FBI raid, Iade American Schools shut its doors last month, leaving hundreds of Ventura County students in the lurch--all but Qazi Uddin’s English class (B1). . . . The dozen Latino students scrambled to rent a new classroom and recruit their old teacher so they could keep their dreams of U. S. citizenship alive. . . . Said Jose Carmen Garcia: “I would like to become a citizen of this country, and I need to know English.”

FAMILY TIES: This week, an Oxnard father and daughter face cancer surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center after doctors found a genetic warning sign in their family. . . . Steven Schroeder, 37, will have his cancerous thyroid gland removed Wednesday. And Chelsea Schroeder, 2 1/2, will have her healthy thyroid removed Thursday as a preventive measure. . . . Dr. Ruth Decker, who found a link between thyroid cancer and a rare bowel disorder that killed Chelsea’s sister in 1992 at age 20 months, will perform both surgeries.