Summer Studies: Come July, some Valley youths...

Summer Studies: Come July, some Valley youths will be spending a big chunk of their time in summer school. About 60,000 students enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District will be in class from July 8 to August 16. The free, optional sessions are attended both by students with low grades and those who excel, said Doris Dillard, who coordinates the summer session for LAUSD. . . . Local schools have more information.

BBQ Buff: Bummed by the same old burgers and beer? Some local markets now feature ground buffalo meat to spice up summer barbecues. Advocates swear bison meat is tasty and healthy. “Many consider bison to be the gourmet meat of the future,” said Karen Sekich of the National Bison Assn. . . . And, no, it doesn’t taste like chicken. It tastes like beef, now at its lowest price in years: Hamburger is $1.40 a pound.

Brain Trust: Watch for the guys on Luther Burbank Middle School’s Odyssey of the Mind team to make big news someday. The seven overachievers beat 200 teams to win a place at this week’s international competition testing ingenuity and creativity. (B1) . . . Among their challenges will be transporting some elaborate homemade props, including a giant beanie, to the contest in Iowa.

Power Selling: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is spending $1.6 million of its customers’ money on an advertising campaign aimed at keeping them as customers. . . . The DWP is looking ahead to 1998, when the electric power industry will be deregulated.