POWER GRAB: The $300,000, off-the-books electric bill...

POWER GRAB: The $300,000, off-the-books electric bill allegedly racked up by former east county trash executive Manuel Asadurian Sr. is “unusual, but not unheard of,” said John Vitali of Southern California Edison (B4). . . . The worst offenders tap into the power lines for illegal reasons, such as to run methamphetamine labs or grow-lights for marijuana crops. “Source providers” make a black-market living by selling their grid-grabbing skills, Vitali said. . . . If you suspect someone of pocketing power, call the company’s Energy Theft Hotline at (800) 227-3901.

HUD DEADLINE: Good news for more than 400 county households depending on federal earthquake aid: The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will extend by several months all 18-month housing vouchers issued after the Northridge quake of Jan. 17, 1994. . . . The vouchers, issued to 11,000 families in the region, provide rent subsidies to the needy and displaced. . . . They will now expire Dec. 31, instead of in July. . . . Many of Ventura County’s recipients are elderly or disabled and have been unable to find affordable housing.

DOG STAR: Moxie the wounded wiener / watchdog went home to much fanfare (B1). . . . Veterinarian Nino Garrolini, who treated the hero hound for free, kept a scrapbook of letters and news clippings from as far away as San Jose and even Milwaukee. A letter to Garrolini from Carol Sacks of Camarillo captured the tone of most of the missives: “Thank you for helping that poor little dachshund who was only trying to do his duty and be a good watchdog.”

RUNNING MAN: He was a standout runner at Oak Park High School and now, at UC San Diego, J. J. Castner is . . . Athlete of the Year. Castner is a master runner in both cross country and track; he’s won All-America honors for both sports. . . . In May, Castner won the 5,000-meter NCAA Track and Field Division III championship in a driving wind and rain.