What does a renter do when the toilet doesn’t work, the roof leaks and the landlord refuses to return the security deposit? -more-
In an unexpected development in a criminal investigation that began last fall with the death of an Indian immigrant, prosecutors say Berkeley’s wealthiest landlord and four family members will plead guilty next week to federal charges arising from their alleged importation of teenage girls from India for sex and cheap labor. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — An Internet startup backed by six major airlines launched a cheap-seat service Tuesday that promises to undercut the prices of other online discounters who helped put the concept on the map. -more-
CHP officials reported today that a Berkeley woman was killed Monday afternoon when her car collided head-on with another vehicle on U.S. Highway 101 in southern Mendocino County. -more-
PETALUMA — Trey Atkin was an active, gregarious 11-year-old, just the kind of boy you’d expect to spend a buddy’s birthday party leading the charge through the nearby bushes. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A 20-year former FBI agent settled her sex discrimination claims against the government Tuesday in a case setting new precedent. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Richard and Millie Hoagland had a “very sick truck,” a smoke-belching big rig they knew would not pass a smog inspection. -more-
LOS ANGELES — These are real Star-bucks. -more-
A 440-square-mile sweep of jagged mountains and desert in Southern California became the country’s latest national monument under a law President Clinton signed Tuesday to protect the land from encroaching development. -more-
SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento man charged with a 1994 rape might be the first person in the nation arrested using a DNA warrant, prosecutors say. -more-
SACRAMENTO — A California ballot measure that would put thousands of drug offenders into treatment rather than behind bars wouldn’t solve the state’s prison crowding problem, Corrections Director Cal Terhune said Tuesday. -more-
FRESNO — To the golden trout of the Sierra Nevada: This Bud’s for you. -more-
The City Council tonight will again broach the touchy topic of city employee parking near Civic Center. -more-
The City Council will consider an ordinance tonight that would ban stores from displaying tobacco products in a manner that encourages minors to attempt to purchase or steal cigarettes. -more-
Ben Weintraub and Michael Liu became poster guys for the Measure Y campaign Monday afternoon. -more-
A yellow school bus that carried those who will defy the United States embargo against Cuba stopped Sunday at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. -more-
SAN DIEGO — A coalition of environmental groups have settled a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management after the agency agreed to limit the amount of land that could be used by off-road vehicle owners in an Imperial County wilderness area. -more-
MIDDLETOWN — Firefighters who worked through the night proclaimed victory over a Lake County fire that had charred nearly 4,000 acres, but said it would take until Thursday to fully extinguish the blaze. -more-
SACRAMENTO — California’s minimum wage will rise $1 an hour to $6.75, one of the highest in the nation, under a decision Monday by the state Industrial Welfare Commission. -more-
SANTA CRUZ — The fervently liberal seaside city hopes to set an example Tuesday night by passing the nation’s highest “living wage” – $11 an hour, or $12 without benefits. -more-
There were speeches, cheers and a symbolic breaking of ground in an area of Berkeley often neglected by city officialdom – the 3200 block of Adeline Street. -more-
OAKLAND – When Ralph Nadar took the stage Saturday night at Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, the more than 7,000 people who filled the seats and sat in the aisles jumped to their feet. -more-
LOS ANGELES — For decades, Los Angeles’ bus drivers and riders have looked at each other across the fare box with suspicion and distrust. -more-
After a first half characterized by dropped passes and sloppy tackling, the tenacious play of unheralded St. Mary’s senior fullback Danny Wheeler sparked the Panthers to a 34-0 rout of Albany High (1-4) Saturday afternoon. -more-
Underground youth activist Jia Ching Chen has rappelled off buildings, been tear-gassed, and led throngs of multiracial youth in the first “hip-hop sit-in” at the San Francisco Hilton. -more-
Daily Planet Wire Services -more-
Ever since Martyn Smith, professor of toxicology at UC Berkeley and graduate student Christine F. Skibola, published their findings in the “Free Radical Biology and Medicine” journal, they’ve been inundated with phone calls and e-mails from very worried people. -more-
Sabo, Mueller score as Cal gets third straight shutout -more-
California scored six unanswered goals to top Davidson, 6-1, on Sunday at Kleeberger Field to finish the conference schedule undefeated at 5-0. -more-
OAKLAND — Green Party Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader rejected calls from a dozen of his longtime fellow activists that he rethink his campaign because he could cost Democrat Al Gore the election. -more-
OAKLAND – Oakland Fire Department Chief Gerald Simon credited hard lessons learned in the 1991 East Bay hills wild fire for today's quick and effective response to new fire threats. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Researchers say they’ve discovered what’s draining 10 percent of the electricity in homes in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world. -more-
Trees around school playgrounds do more than shade kids after a fast-round of keep-away. If enough playgrounds and parking lots are shaded, the whole city will stay cooler. -more-
OAKLAND — Oakland police have arrested an administrator with the city’s Office of Parks and Recreation on suspicion of embezzling more than $12,000 to pay for school supplies and a trip to the Virgin Islands. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Southern California’s booming economy has pushed rents up so high that most apartments are far out of reach for lower-income families. -more-
Carl’s Jr. and Shell Oil team up to develop complex in area where few services are available -more-
Striker scores two more goals, leads Pac-10 -more-
Berkeley High is both a microcosm of, and a model for, America. It is through this one simple sentence that Meredith Maran explains the premise of her book “Class Dismissed: A Year in the Life of an American High School, a Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation,” recently released by St. Martin’s Press. -more-
Home is where the wins are for the Cal men’s soccer team this season. Playing at Edwards Stadium for the first time in more than a month, the struggling Bears upset No. 7 UCLA 1-0 Friday. -more-
Nearly 200 students, health care activists and professionals lit candles Thursday evening at Sproul Plaza on the university campus and spoke out against the widespread lack of health insurance . -more-
Bone crushing tackles? Check. Bruising runs? Check. Showstopping plays? Check, check, check. When the dust had settled on Berkeley High’s 40-14 domination of the Richmond Oilers, the Yellowjackets ran off more checks than Bill Gates on a shopping spree. Berkeley won its third straight game to remain undefeated league play (3-4, 3-0 ACCAL) before a showdown next week with Pinole Valley that will, according to senior running back Ramone Reed, “test how really good we are.” -more-
SANTA ROSA – Correctional officers who responded when an inmate became ill at the Sonoma County Jail last month are not talking to Santa Rosa police investigating the man’s subsequent death. -more-
Prosecution, defense agree that Peter Bradley had a rare reaction to encephalitis, are working on settlement -more-
Proposal could help avoid price spikes seen in San Diego following industry deregulation -more-
Former provost announces billion-dollar fundraising campaign for undergrads -more-
PHOENIX – Arizona legislators, meeting in a one-day special session Friday, imposed an immediate one-year moratorium on the state’s runaway subsidy program for vehicles burning alternative clean fuels, a program now projected to cost at least 140 times what was first expected. -more-
OAKLAND – Saturday marks the nine-year anniversary of the 1991 fire storm that swept through the Oakland hills, caused almost $1.7 billion in damage and killed nearly two dozen people. -more-
Company will hold graffiti contest despite mayor’s protest -more-
LOS ANGELES – The inside story of the 1974 Symbionese Liberation Army shootout is not relevant to the defense of former SLA fugitive Sara Jane Olson, a judge ruled Friday in denying her access to 25-year-old files. -more-
‘West Wing’ actor Martin Sheen speaks out against California’s Proposition 36 -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The Hearst Corp. and the union representing press operators at the San Francisco Examiner have agreed to settle their dispute through arbitration, the Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday. -more-
San Francisco nonprofit organizations are not alone in their quest for reasonable rents and adequate space to run their programs – and creative arts such as dance, music and theater are not the only ones in danger of extinction as a result of the booming economy and subsequent rent hikes and evictions. -more-
Using several bench players throughout the match, the Berkeley High girls’ volleyball team dominated the De Anza Dons Thursday, winning 15-2, 15-2, 15-4. -more-
Early one morning in May, Leo Stegman, an AmeriCorps volunteer, was resting on a bench in Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Park. He was waiting for a nearby agency that serves low income and homeless people to open up so that he could distribute fliers about a job training program. -more-
After 20 years packaging chocolates at See’s Candies Ltd. in South San Francisco, Maria Teresa Rubio wants a pension she can live on and a guarantee that she won’t have to work more than 40 hours a week. -more-
Some 1,000 high school students from 38 cities in Northern California today attended a youth empowerment forum, making their voices heard on the issues of the day. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Then-Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush abused his discretion and may have broken the law in his handling of several settlements with insurers, a state audit released Thursday says. -more-
When it’s time for some interior decorating in your period home, think paint. Not only is interior painting an easy way to make a room look clean and fresh, it’s relatively inexpensive too. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of airliners headed to or from the Southwest were grounded Thursday because of repeated failures of air traffic control radar, leaving airports gridlocked and thousands of passengers stranded or delayed. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Federal and state environmental officials announced a settlement that could generate more than $800 million in new cleanup money for the Iron Mountain Mine Superfund site near Redding, home to what scientists say is the world’s worst water. -more-
GLENDALE — Many of the men dressed in suits and hunched over backgammon boards at the Victory senior center were not registered to vote a month ago. Neither were the women chatting in Armenian. Most are now. -more-
HELENA, Mont. — A golden eagle that was kept in a small cage for 41 years, and frequently beaten, has died of a lung ailment it apparently developed during captivity. -more-
Tempers flared Tuesday night when 20 off-duty Berkeley police officers attended the City Council meeting to complain about what they said is woeful lack of parking for police department employees. -more-
Safety problems not fixed nine years after hills fire -more-
Sandwiching two lackluster efforts around a stellar second game, the St. Mary’s girls’ volleyball team lost to the visiting Albany Cougars, 15-8, 16-14, 15-6, on Wednesday afternoon. -more-
After listening to 35 people speak in favor of landmarking the West Berkeley Shellmound, the City Council unanimously voted to grant the site historic landmark status at Tuesday night’s council meeting. -more-
In a game usually filled with trash-talking and boisterous personalities, Nnamdi Asomugha stands out. Not for his woofing or his antics, because he doesn’t do much of that. Asomugha is known for his quiet leadership, big hits and dependable play from his safety position for the Cal football team. -more-
Religious protesters waved banners and sang songs outside the Berkeley Marina Radisson Hotel at a candlelight vigil Tuesday night. East Bay labor activists and members of religious groups organized the event to show support for the hotel workers’ new union. The union chapter, recognized in June, is now negotiating its first contract. -more-
Cal head coach Tom Holmoe announced Wednesday that Marcus Fields would not play the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury and has elected to apply for medical redshirt status and return for the 2001 campaign. -more-
Alleging that Citibank is “the world’s most destructive bank,” members of the Rainforest Action Network led a protest outside the bank’s Shattuck Avenue branch Tuesday. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — In a move that may lead to an expansion of vehicle seizure laws around the state, the California Supreme Court declined Wednesday to review a ruling that local governments can seize the vehicles of people suspected of dealing drugs or soliciting prostitutes from a car. -more-
TRACY — About 1,600 workers at a massive warehouse supplying Safeway supermarkets in three states went on strike Wednesday and blocked trucks from entering. Warehouse officials responded by bringing in replacement workers. -more-
ST. LOUIS — Al Gore and George W. Bush traded parting debate shots, the vice president calling the governor an ally of big business, the Republican nominee retorting that Gore stands for more federal spending and Washington power. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Outgoing flights were delayed at several Northern California and Nevada airports Monday because of a software malfunction in processing data from radar. -more-
CATHEDRAL CITY— A 10-year-old boy abducted by a grandfather who wanted him to be involved in baseball rather than ballet has been returned to the gay couple who raised him since infancy, his uncle said. -more-
A five-acre blaze in Tilden Park Sunday was extinguished in a little over an hour, fire officials said. -more-
YREKA – A man accused of luring two girls into his home with gifts and ice cream and then sexually assaulting them a decade ago pulled a gun in the courthouse during his trial Friday and shot one of his victims and her husband. He then killed himself. -more-
In what sounds like something out of “Jurassic Park,” bacteria that lived before the dinosaurs and survived Earth’s biggest mass extinction have been reawakened after a 250-million-year sleep in a salt crystal, scientists say. -more-
