NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH STUDENT TO VIE FOR SCHOLARSHIP.

Byline: TRACY VALERI

Diana Hong, a senior at North Hollywood High School, has a shot at winning the Lions Club International annual speech contest - and a total of $18,500 in college scholarship money.

The contest is 66 years old and includes students from California and Nevada, and begins in local high schools.

The North Hollywood Lions Club is sponsoring Hong in the student-speaker contest this year. She has won the regional level of the contest, which includes the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

On Saturday, she will advance to the district level, which includes the High Sierras and Antelope Valley - and $4,000 in prize money.

If Hong becomes the final winner, she says, she will attend Stanford University.

The topic of this year's contest is ``Cyberspace: Rights vs. Control.''

The Lions Club is the largest service organization in the world. The North Hollywood club was charted in 1938.

The California State University, Northridge, Armenian Student Association will observe the 83rd commemoration of the Armenian genocide with a candlelight vigil Thursday.

The Armenian Student Association's CSUN vigil will memorialize the Armenians they say were killed by the Turkish government during the first two decades of the 20th century.

The Young Turks, a political group that had control of Turkey's government, feared the Armenians living in Turkish Armenia would aid their Russians enemies.

Armenians were deported into the deserts of what is now Syria and more than 1 million died from lack of water and starvation, or were killed by tribes along the route.

Many special guests will be on hand, including former Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian and genocide survivor Samuel Kadorian.

The commemoration will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday on the CSUN Sierra Quad, in front of the Science 2 building.

On Friday, Armenian-Americans will gather at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles at 11 a.m. for a protest rally against what they claim is the Turkish government's denial of the genocide.

The rally, organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, is expected to attract more than 5,000 people.

Chevron, the largest oil company in California, has donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross.

The money is to be used for El Nino disaster relief in the Southland.

Chevron's manager of public affairs, Rod Spackman, has presented a check to the Red Cross Los Angeles Chapter's CEO, Jim Haigwood.

Chevron also donated $25,000 to flood victims in Northern California and $25,000 to tornado victims in Florida.