A group of property owners is suing the city claiming the landmarking of the West Berkeley Shellmound was “arbitrary and capricious.” -more-
All season, the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team has been able to overcome its shortcomings: lack of height and little inside game. Among the Yellowjackets’ victories this season were an opponent with a 6-foot-11 center and a 6-foot-9 center. But Friday against powerful Oakland Tech, a bigger team finally solved the Berkeley defensive system. -more-
Hepatitis threatens to become the next major epidemic in the United States. This dire warning comes from a source quite close to home, the 1999 Berkeley Health Status Report, authored by the city’s Health Department. -more-
It wasn’t easy, but California overcame a halftime deficit to beat Yale 76-62 in the first round of the Golden Bear Classic Friday night in Haas Pavilion. -more-
Esau Baxter got lucky this holiday period. His sister picked him up and took him to spend Christmas in Vallejo. For New Year’s luck has found him again – he’ll be spending Monday at the men’s shelter at the Veteran’s Memorial Building. -more-
Police officers and firefighters try to get to the bottom of a hit and run car accident at the notorious intersection of University Ave. and Shattuck Ave. The car pictured, a red 1988 Nissan DX, and the other car involved, described by police as an older model grey Ford Mustang, collided head-on in the intersection. The Mustang’s driver pulled over momentarily, then sped away from the scene. -more-
Berkeley’s Meals on Wheels representatives are thanking Bay Area volunteers for their help over the holidays, and reminding them that the elderly are in need of help all year. -more-
EL CENTRO – A veteran agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration has been sentenced to a year in jail for attempting to hire one of his informants to run over his wife with a car. -more-
SACRAMENTO – A 26-year-old Roseville woman accused of abandoning a newborn daughter in November also faces charges that she abandoned a newborn son nearly two years ago, officials said. -more-
SACRAMENTO – If it weren’t for Mrs. Rutherford and the sheep, Kerry Mazzoni probably wouldn’t be advising the governor of California about education. -more-
Utilities could exercise power of eminent domain, regulator says -more-
Utility companies shut down power for first time in years -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – California’s ban barring certain inmates from conjugal visits will stick, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. -more-
DUI cases thrown out, but prosecutors are still concerned -more-
Environmentalists worry as Norton proposes increased business access -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – Arizona’s ban on fetal tissue research was ruled unconstitutional Friday by a federal appeals court, wiping out the nation’s last surviving ban on such practices. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – Coming home for the holidays can mean high stress for college students, who often discover that their families won’t accept the new identities they’ve forged at school. -more-
LOS ANGELES – Hot Topic’s counterculture approach is evident at the industrial complex just east of Los Angeles where three stone gargoyles guard the entrance to the teen retailer’s headquarters. -more-
CLEVELAND – Troubled steel producer LTV Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection Friday but reached a stopgap financing deal that averted an outright shutdown. -more-
Three years in a row, the Washington (Fremont) boys’ soccer team has come to Berkeley with a perfect record. Three years in a row, they have gone home losers. -more-
Members of the AC Transit Alliance and the Bus Riders Union support and advocate for funding for AC Transit. They are also the bus system’s most severe critics. -more-
An independent lawyer has weighed in on a dispute between the city attorney and four members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Now it appears the case may be going to court. -more-
A state Department of Health Services report that touts Berkeley’s high rate of pre-natal care is being greeted with cautious optimism by the city’s public health officials. -more-
Kwanzaa, a celebration of African American culture and community, will be observed at a storytelling event at the Berkeley Public Library’s south branch on Saturday. -more-
If you’re like many homeowners, the backyard deck is the focal point for warm-weather activities. But as with most parts of your home, a certain amount of routine maintenance is required to keep your deck structurally sound, safe and looking its best. -more-
Keep your lawn healthy and it will resist bugs and unwanted plant life on its own -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – Acting on an anonymous tip, police early Thursday recovered two female koalas which had been stolen from their enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo. -more-
SACRAMENTO – Owners of assault weapons have only through Sunday to register their firearms. However, gun groups plan to sue to block a deadline they say is confusing and was poorly publicized. -more-
NAPA – A mental hospital patient is accused of beating and strangling a fellow patient during a late-night argument over tobacco, police said. -more-
CHICAGO – Montgomery Ward Inc., the department store chain that helped pioneer American retailing, said Thursday that it is shutting down after more than 125 years in business and will file for bankruptcy. -more-
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-
Project includes more low-income units than city mandates -more-
Zabala, Pivnik and Stuhlmueller will head to Umbro Tournament -more-
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-
Cal hosts the eighth annual Golden Bear Classic this weekend at Haas Pavilion with Yale, Lafayette and LaSalle coming to Berkeley. -more-
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-
People meet dates on-line, why not pets? -more-
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-
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-
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 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-
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-
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-
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-
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-
The WBAI “insider” stood locked out in the cold in front of the New York listener-sponsored station Saturday afternoon. -more-
The recent opening of a Durant Avenue smoke shop may be in violation of city zoning laws. -more-
“A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.” – Phillip Moffitt. -more-
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-
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-
DENVER – A 25-year-old California man has died of head injuries sustained while snowboarding this week at Breckenridge Ski Resort. -more-
Joe L. Wallace will fight for bus money. The new director on the AC Transit Board said he wants to keep people who are transit dependent in the forefront of his mind, which, he said, means more money for bus services, the transportation that low-income urban residents depend on. -more-
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-
