In its last meeting of the year, the City Council will consider a request by Easy Does It Emergency Services Programs to increase its annual contract by $50,000. -more-

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Tuesday, Dec. 19

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In conceding defeat, Al Gore made a gracious and humorous speech. But it was what he didn’t say that pinpointed the limitations of his leadership and the frustration of his followers. -more-

The homeless mentally ill are often the most critically in need of basic services such as housing and medical treatment. But, in what social workers call a cruel twist, they are also the hardest to reach. -more-

It’s 12:51 a.m. Thursday morning, Dec. 14 and I’m angry and I can’t sleep. My stomach roils when I imagine that on Jan. 20, I will be the citizen of a country whose president is George W. Bush. Oh my God! Oh my God! -more-

Run-off elections are costly, voters stay away from the polls in droves, and they don’t serve third-party candidates well. -more-

Carolyn Haydu, a recent graduate from UC Berkeley’s art program, shows off a section of her art piece that will be embedded in the sidewalk in front of the new Berkeley Repertory Theater on Addison Street. The final project will be approximately 84 square feet and will give pedestrians the sensation of walking on air, she said. Haydu who plans to attend graduate school after she completes the project said: “This almost like a graduate project but in the real world.” -more-

Aimee Fisher got pregnant her senior year of high school, and the Christian day care she worked for fired her when she wouldn’t marry her baby’s father. -more-

In response to recent published reports, a University of California provost has denied that California's flagship system for higher education is considering scrapping the Scholastic Aptitude Test. -more-