Price GulpWas it just coincidence that on...

Price Gulp

Was it just coincidence that on one of the hottest days of the year, the price of a Super Big Gulp jumped 30 cents? That’s what happened Saturday. As the mercury climbed into the triple digits, the cost of 7-Eleven’s bladder-challenging 48-ounce soda hopped from 69 cents to 99 cents. . . . Spokeswoman Karen Raskopf said the Valley’s recent heat wave just happened to coincide with the long-planned end of a promotional price cut.

Sizzle to Fizzle

The Encino Sizzler is among the 130 restaurants the steakhouse chain is closing as part of its bankruptcy restructuring. A manager at the Ventura Boulevard eatery confirmed that the restaurant will close but did not know what would happen to its 30 or so employees. . . . Other Valley Sizzlers will remain open.

Ay, Caramba!

Spikey-haired troublemaker Bart Simpson, above, may make good after all. Film Roman, the North Hollywood animation company that produces “The Simpsons,” is planning a public stock offering this summer. (D1) . . . Analysts said the offering faces a tough sell against big firms, but one called it “a good, solid, hot-list ranking.”

Parks Fight

Sometimes it’s easy to understand the appeal of the Valley divorcing L.A. Case in point: the hearing at 10 this morning in City Hall at which angry Valley homeowners are expected in force. . . . Their gripe: a possible parks assessment of about $18 per year per home that city officials apparently forgot to tell the parks department about. The result: mass confusion as angry homeowners called parks officials and got shrugs instead of answers to their questions. In the end, voters will decide whether to tax themselves for the parks.