The Week

 

News

City Council fighting for park space

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 28, 2000

The city is competing with a Burlingame developer for a prime piece of real estate, which residents want to turn into a “mini Golden Gate Park” and the developer wants to turn into office space. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Staff
Thursday December 28, 2000


Thursday, Dec. 28

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Letters to the Editor

Staff
Thursday December 28, 2000

Project includes more low-income units than city mandates -more-


Cal seniors selected for All-Star game in Florida

Daily Planet Wire Services
Thursday December 28, 2000

Zabala, Pivnik and Stuhlmueller will head to Umbro Tournament -more-


City looking into KBLX land

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 28, 2000

The city is examining the possibility of resurrecting a deal to purchase 4.5 acres belonging to KBLX Radio for an addition to Aquatic Park. -more-


Bears want to continue Haas dominance in Classic

Daily Planet Wire Services
Thursday December 28, 2000

Cal hosts the eighth annual Golden Bear Classic this weekend at Haas Pavilion with Yale, Lafayette and LaSalle coming to Berkeley. -more-


Delays may cost city $2 million

By Dan Greenman Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 28, 2000

After three months of setbacks that could cost the city $2 million, the newly renovated Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center building at 2180 Milvia St. will finally be ready to crack open its doors on Jan. 19. -more-


Animal groups offer online adoptions

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Thursday December 28, 2000

People meet dates on-line, why not pets? -more-


Banks try to make customers more comfortable

By Michael Liedke AP Business Writer
Thursday December 28, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO – As they lounge by a fireplace in cushy leather chairs, Charles Dorato and his daughter look like they could be relaxing in a cozy coffeehouse or a rustic ski lodge. Instead, they are sitting in the lobby of a Wells Fargo Bank branch, waiting their turn to tend to some financial business. -more-


Disabled services program gets partial funding

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday December 27, 2000

The City Council approved Dec. 17, only part of a $50,000 request by Easy Does It, a nonprofit agency which provides emergency services to disabled residents. The balance of the request will be reviewed by the Commission on Disability. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Wednesday December 27, 2000


Wednesday, Dec. 27

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Letters to the Editor

Wednesday December 27, 2000

SAT is biased; time for UC to drop its use -more-


Cal striker Schott named first team All-American

Daily Planet Wire Services
Wednesday December 27, 2000

California sophomore forward Laura Schott and senior defender Tami Pivnick were named 2000 All-Americans by Soccer Buzz on Tuesday. The national collegiate women’s soccer Web site selected Schott to its first team and Pivnick to its third team. -more-


Homeless programs get $11.7 million

Daily Planet Wire Service
Wednesday December 27, 2000

Homeless individuals and families across Alameda County received an early Christmas gift Saturday when congressional representatives notified them that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development had awarded more than $11.7 million to programs serving the 9,000 to 15,000 homeless people who live in Alameda County. -more-


‘Xmas coup’ continues in New York

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday December 27, 2000

In what some are calling the “Christmas coup” at KPFA’s sister station WBAI in New York, an interim station manager was installed and the station’s program director and a producer were fired Saturday. Tuesday, Pacifica added to the list of persona non grata by banning of at least three more people from the Manhattan station. -more-


Housing advocate initial report full of promises

Bay City News Service
Wednesday December 27, 2000

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project in Berkeley released its first progress report on Christmas Day, promising to promote and improve the use of housing vouchers for low-income residents. -more-


Auto theft suspect caught

Daily Planet Staff Reports
Wednesday December 27, 2000

A suspect who crashed a stolen car into a home at Cedar and California streets was locked up in the Berkeley jail Tuesday, according to police. -more-


Bay Briefs

Wednesday December 27, 2000

Teenager killed in Richmond -more-


Farmers’ daughter could be U.S. agriculture head

The Associated Press
Wednesday December 27, 2000

SACRAMENTO – Ann Veneman, an attorney who is the daughter of peach farmers, emphasized foreign trade, food safety and education during her tenure as California’s agriculture director. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Tuesday December 26, 2000


Sunday, Dec. 24

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Pacifica fires staff at WBAI

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday December 26, 2000

The WBAI “insider” stood locked out in the cold in front of the New York listener-sponsored station Saturday afternoon. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday December 26, 2000

Powell may not help ease tensions -more-


Cigarette store, media images raising questions in Berkeley

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday December 26, 2000

The recent opening of a Durant Avenue smoke shop may be in violation of city zoning laws. -more-


Seniors could lose Section 8 housing help

By Helen Wheeler
Tuesday December 26, 2000

“A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.” – Phillip Moffitt. -more-


Boy was carried off by rogue wave, police say

By Ron Harris Associated Press Writer
Tuesday December 26, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO – Authorities now believe a rogue wave, churned up by piling sea swells off the San Francisco coast, crashed ashore and swept away a 13-year-old boy Friday. -more-


State looking for alternative energy sources

By Colleen Valles Associated Press Writer
Tuesday December 26, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO – With the state in the throes of an energy crisis, alternative energy glows like a solar-powered beacon of relief for Californians beset by soaring gas prices and imminent rate hikes. -more-


A little Christmas presence

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Saturday December 23, 2000

Cops spread holiday cheer with food boxes -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Saturday December 23, 2000


Saturday, Dec. 23

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Letters to the Editor

Saturday December 23, 2000

Where has all the sewer money gone? -more-


Bears devour Bulldogs in Pete Newell Challenge

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Saturday December 23, 2000

Lampley scores 25, Wethers hits career-high 21 in win -more-


Neighbors seek landmark status for stately hotel

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet staff
Saturday December 23, 2000

“While the merry men pound the nails...the capitalists, who are to own the (Claremont) hotel...are thinking up new ideas that are calculated to put it in the front rank of modern hotels.” -more-


Cal’s Gates goes to the head of the class

Daily Planet Wire Services
Saturday December 23, 2000

After only three years at Cal, Dennis Gates will achieve at the end of the spring semester a feat rarely accomplished by students, not to mention intercollegiate athletes. He will graduate as a junior with a degree in sociology. -more-


West Berkeley to witness ‘murder’ in library

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Saturday December 23, 2000

Nefarious crimes have a natural home in libraries. Book lined shelves have witnessed murders, mayhem, lies and resolutions in hundreds of mystery stories by renowned authors such as Agatha Christie and Anne Perry. -more-


Transit schedules for holidays

Staff Report
Saturday December 23, 2000

On Sunday BART will be following its regular Sunday schedule with service beginning at 8 a.m. and running until midnight on three lines: Richmond-Fremont, Pittsburg Bay Point-Colma, and Dublin/Pleasanton-Daly City. -more-


Affirmative action officer files lawsuit over harassment

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO — A city affirmative action officer says he was discriminated against, demoted and harassed on the job after testifying before a federal grand jury about alleged wrongdoing in the city’s minority contracting program. -more-


One missing in San Francisco waters

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO — Emergency crews searched the waters off Baker Beach late Friday for a 13-year-old boy who was swept off shore. -more-


Censorship suit filed after school pulls gay biographies

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

SANTA ANA — Two students sued the Anaheim Union High School District for removing 10 biographies on homosexuals from their school library in what they contend is a violation of constitutional free-speech rights. -more-


County accuses paint industry of exposing children to danger

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

SAN JOSE — A Santa Clara County superior court judge turned down the paint industry’s request to dismiss a suit filed against it by the county over allegedly dangerous levels of lead in paint. -more-


Comments spark debate over police diversity

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

OCEANSIDE — The political honeymoon lasted only four days for the city’s new mayor who has been fending off demands for an apology after he told a civic group that the Police Department is plagued with “deep-rooted racism and sexism.” -more-


UC offers eligibility to students despite lack of transcripts

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

LOS ANGELES — University of California regents said Friday they will offer eligibility to certain high school students who applied for enrollment next fall but whose schools didn’t forward the necessary transcripts in time. -more-


Man sought in family shooting

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

LOS ANGELES — A man sought in the fatal shooting of his estranged wife and a daughter and the wounding of two other daughters was found dead Friday after an apparent leap from a freeway into the shallow Los Angeles River, police said. -more-


Five burned by blast in West Los Angeles high-rise

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

LOS ANGELES — An explosion and flash fire severely burned five workers after a halogen lamp ignited lacquer fumes on the 23rd floor of a condominium near the UCLA campus. -more-


Electricity rate hikes could begin soon

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

Regulators have voted for rate increases that would affect millions of customers across the state starting next month in an effort to rescue two shaky electric companies tangled in a deepening power crisis. -more-


Power crisis leads to calls for re-regulation

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

LOS ANGELES — California’s energy crisis has some of the state’s most powerful players, including lawmakers, public utilities and consumer watchdog groups, calling for the return of a regulated market. -more-


Family struggles to understand why woman jumped

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

LOS ANGELES — Plagued with financial troubles that nearly led to her eviction, the woman who threw her two young daughters off a downtown courthouse before jumping to her own death appeared to have grown increasingly despondent, family members said. -more-


Bruce Babbit reccomends new monuments

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

As his expedition pushed into the upper reaches of the Missouri River nearly two centuries ago, Meriwether Lewis marveled at the “scenes of visionary enchantment” in the cliffs and promonotories along the shoreline. -more-


Voting machines failed early test at polls

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

MIAMI — A test conducted minutes before the polls opened on Election Day showed that 13 of 20 voting machines were faulty at the two Miami-Dade County precincts with the highest rates of discarded ballots, The Miami Herald reported Friday. -more-


Striking parallels between Bush and Adams families

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

WASHINGTON — Here’s the story line: In a bizarre and hotly contested election, the son of a U.S. president is installed as chief executive, barely edging a Democratic former U.S. senator from Tennessee who won the nation’s popular vote in the general election. -more-


Bush appoints attorney general, EPA head

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

AUSTIN, Texas — President-elect Bush, promising a Justice Department “guided by principle, not by politics,” on Friday nominated Sen. John Ashcroft, a staunch conservative, to be attorney general. In a delicate balance, Bush also tapped moderate New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman as environmental chief. -more-


Election and Elian were top stories of 2000

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

America’s protracted election, the tug-of-war over Elian Gonzalez and the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole ranked as the top news stories of 2000, according to The Associated Press annual survey of its members. -more-


Court throws out conviction of famed prison journalist

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court on Friday threw out the murder conviction of Wilbert Rideau, saying the celebrated prison journalist was the victim of racially biased selection of the grand jury that indicted him in 1961. -more-


Yahoo! asks to block Nazi auction ruling

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

SAN JOSE — In a case provoking tough questions over who controls the Internet, Yahoo! Inc. is asking a federal judge to block a French court’s order that the popular Web portal keep computer users in France from accessing auctions of Nazi paraphernalia. -more-


Online retailer Egghead.com hacked

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO — A hacker broke into the computer systems of Egghead.com, forcing the online retailer to alert credit card companies and 3.5 million customers to the security breach and the possibility that their financial information was accessed. -more-


Market In Brief

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

NEW YORK — Santa Claus finally arrived on Wall Street on Friday, giving the beleaguered Nasdaq composite index its strongest performance in more than a week and its fifth-biggest percentage gain ever. -more-


’Jackets slaughter shorthanded Encinal 12-1

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Friday December 22, 2000

calandar

Friday December 22, 2000

Letters to the Editor

Friday December 22, 2000

Developer is not for affordable housing -more-


Sun calendar dream coming true

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Friday December 22, 2000

Santiago Casal has been dreaming of a sun calendar memorial for over 20 years, and he’s willing to wait as long as it takes to bring the project to fruition. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Friday December 22, 2000


Friday, Dec. 22

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Restaurant boycott ‘premature’

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Friday December 22, 2000

Resident petitions Bush win

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Friday December 22, 2000

It seems Nick Slater has hit a nerve with a petition drive claiming that a George W. Bush presidency would be illegitimate. -more-


Governor releases proposal to expand families’ program

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

Air Quality board sets new standards

Staff
Friday December 22, 2000

The Associated Press -more-


Four indicted in bogus blood tests

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

LOS ANGELES — In what prosecutors call the largest case ever involving fraudulent medical bills submitted by a California laboratory, a federal grand jury has indicted four people on charges of billing the Medi-Cal program for nearly $20 million worth of bogus blood tests. -more-


Woman throws daughters, self off of roof after facing eviction

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

LOS ANGELES — Every few minutes Thursday, someone would lean over the ninth floor courthouse balcony, standing on tiptoes to peer over the wall. -more-


A wreath brings joy in winter

By Lee Reich The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

Here we are in the 21st century, and still infusing life into our winters with cut evergreen boughs, just as did the ancient Egyptians, Persians, Jews, Christians, and Druids. -more-


Winterberries brighten landscape

By Lee Reich The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

Along fields and in the woods over much of North America, your eye could catch some bright color even this time of year. -more-


Redwood house has mildew problem

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

National organic standards released

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

Organic food could become cheaper and more widely available now that uniform federal organic standards, a decade in the making, have finally become law. The standards are expected to draw big growers into the small but growing market. -more-


Hughes buys DSL provider for $180 million

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

Religious groups exempt from preservation laws

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutionality of a state law that exempts religious organizations from local preservation laws and lets them raze and replace historic church buildings. -more-


PUC backs utilities on consumer rate hikes

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO — In the strongest sign yet that millions of Californians will soon be paying sharply higher electric bills, state utility regulators Thursday said consumers should pay more to keep the state’s largest electric companies from going bankrupt. -more-


Stocks rise as investors abandon their fears

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

NEW YORK — Investors sought bargains on Wall Street Thursday, sending blue chips soaring while leaving the Nasdaq in positive territory for the first time in eight sessions. -more-


UPS bears the last-minute brunt

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

HODGKINS, Ill. — Not counting Santa’s workshop, or maybe Macy’s on Christmas Eve, it would be tough to find a busier place during the holidays than UPS’s mammoth package-processing plant outside Chicago. If the slowing economy has put a chill on holiday shopping, no such evidence was visible at the frenzied facility Tuesday on “Peak Day,” the busiest shipping day of the year. -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Gov. Davis urges power conservation, wants deregulation

The Associated Press
Wednesday December 27, 2000

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gray Davis urged Californians Tuesday to save electricity and called for the construction of new power plants. But he said he wouldn’t offer his plan to deal with the state’s electricity crisis until Jan. 8 – four days after state regulators decide how much to boost ratepayers’ bills. -more-


Bay briefs

Staff
Tuesday December 26, 2000

First Bay Area Chinese teacher dies at 95 -more-


Former foster mother’s conviction overturned

The Associated Press
Saturday December 23, 2000

MARTINEZ — A former foster mother convicted in 1996 of abusing two babies will get a new trial after a judge found the woman’s lawyer erred in his defense. -more-


Lawyers say homeless claims not fully evaluated

The Associated Press
Friday December 22, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal and state agencies systematically deny benefits to California’s homeless and disabled by failing to evaluate their claims fully, a group of attorneys from the San Francisco Bay area claim. -more-