The Week

 

News

Antennae arguments continue

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Thursday January 25, 2001

The City Council heard arguments from corporate representatives Tuesday who want to place 12 telecommunications antennae on the roof of the Oaks Theater and from neighbors who say the installations are unattractive and pose a health threat. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Staff
Thursday January 25, 2001


Thursday, Jan. 25

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Letters to the Editor

Thursday January 25, 2001

Disabled with service dogs don’t have to reveal disability -more-


Injury-time goal lifts St. Mary’s over surprising St. Joseph’s

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Thursday January 25, 2001

The prevailing wisdom in the BSAL boys’ soccer league is that there are three top teams, and everyone else scraps for wins at the bottom. But that perception is changing with every game St. Joseph’s plays. -more-


Board adopts plan to help failing students

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Thursday January 25, 2001

Both the School Board and City Council embraced a proposal by parents Wednesday night to intervene on behalf of ninth-grade students failing classes their first semester at Berkeley High School. -more-


’Jackets get waterlogged 2-1 win over Richmond

By Tim Haran Daily Planet Correspondent
Thursday January 25, 2001

BHS girls now 6-2 in ACCAL -more-


KPFA activists arrested at law offices

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Thursday January 25, 2001

One month after what KPFA activists are calling the “Christmas Coup” – the firing of several staff members and banning certain volunteers from a sister station in New York City – a group of local activists was arrested Tuesday at the San Francisco law offices of Epstein, Becker & Green. -more-


Shows provide home and safety tips for all

Daily Planet wire services
Thursday January 25, 2001

Project Impact presents an educational series on earthquake and fire hazards prevention through March on Berkeley Community Media's Cable Television Station Channel 25. These are educational, pre-produced videos that come in a variety of formats reaching people of all income brackets, nationalities, and physical abilities. -more-


HIV rate doubles among gay men since 1997

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Paul Torello is upfront about his life. He sells sex on the streets for drug money, and he’s HIV positive. It’s a story he tells all of his male clients before he lets them chose whether to proceed with or without a condom. -more-


Emotions run deep following shooter’s plea

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

LOS ANGELES — The plea bargain that will imprison white supremacist Buford Furrow Jr. but keep him off death row outraged some who knew the victims of his 1999 shooting rampage but brought satisfaction or relief to others Wednesday. -more-


State pleads for power, sees time running out

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

SACRAMENTO — California wrapped up a desperate power auction Wednesday, hoping to find electricity supplies on a long-term basis at a price that won’t break the state. -more-


Water boards leery of state proposal to take hydro plants

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Farmers, conservationists, water districts and some legislators fear a state proposal to take over hydroelectric plants could endanger California’s water supply. -more-


Trade group files suit over ban of MTBE additive

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

WASHINGTON — A trade group filed a federal suit Wednesday seeking to block a California ban on the fuel additive MTBE, which reduces air pollution but is blamed for fouling groundwater across the state. -more-


Hispanic women have highest high school dropout rates

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

WASHINGTON — Hispanic girls have a higher high school dropout rate than girls in any other racial or ethnic group and are the least likely to earn a college degree, according to the American Association of University Women. -more-


AOL Time Warner set to cut jobs

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

NEW YORK — Less than a week after a major revamp at CNN, newly formed media giant AOL Time Warner is making sweeping job cuts that will result in an additional 2,000 positions being lost. -more-


Hard to prove it’s a ‘new economy’

By John Cunniff The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

NEW YORK — The New Economy, not even a teenager yet, is beginning to look frayed and strained, and the most dour of the calamity crowd are claiming it is seriously ill and in need of intensive care. -more-


Market Watch

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

NEW YORK — Investors refrained from making any big commitments on Wall Street Wednesday, leaving stocks little changed as the market tried to discern a trend in earnings and the economy. -more-


Local team helps birds at island oil spill

By Judith Scherr Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday January 24, 2001

A team of bird-rescue experts from Berkeley’s International Bird Rescue Research Center is on its way to the Galapagos Islands, the site of a monstrous oil spill. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Wednesday January 24, 2001


Wednesday, Jan. 24

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Letters to the Editor

Wednesday January 24, 2001

A Question of initiative -more-


Defense rests in cop battery case

By Michael Coffino Daily Planet Correspondent
Wednesday January 24, 2001

The defense rested its case Tuesday in the misdemeanor trial of a San Francisco police officer accused of striking his girlfriend in the face at her Berkeley apartment and binding her hands with a nylon strap. -more-


Center retrofitted, renewed

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday January 24, 2001

The $37 million Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center renovation is nearly complete. When city offices are reinstalled in the 60-year-old building, employees will find a sunlit, airy and nearly earthquake-proof workplace. -more-


Resident strives to purify water in home country

by Shirley Dang Special to the Daily Planet
Wednesday January 24, 2001

More than 50 million people from East India and Bangladesh drink and bathe in the arsenic-polluted water from the Bengal Basin. -more-


Glitches in Earth’s wobble help scientists probe core

Daily Planet wire services
Wednesday January 24, 2001

Millimeter deviations from the expected wobble of the Earth's axis are giving geophysicists clues to what happens 1,800 miles underground, at the boundary between the Earth's mantle and its iron core. -more-


Court examines Internet pornography in libraries

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — A conservative group, claiming a 12-year-old boy was traumatized by viewing Internet pornography at Livermore’s main library, asked an appeals court Tuesday to block such access to minors. -more-


White supremacist to plead guilty to hate-crime shootings

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

LOS ANGELES — White supremacist Buford O. Furrow Jr., who admitted to fatally shooting a Filipino-American postman and shooting up a Jewish community center filled with children, has agreed to plead guilty to federal hate-crime charges, a U.S. Attorney spokesman said. -more-


Organic farmers, scientists press for research

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

FRESNO — When Woody Deryckx got out of the U.S. Navy and into organic farming 30 years ago, most conventional farmers dismissed his efforts as an idealistic pipe dream better suited to hippie communes than modern commercial agriculture. -more-


Sate seeks help from Bush as blackouts loom

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

SACRAMENTO — President Bush extended emergency orders Tuesday keeping electricity and natural gas flowing to California as blackouts threatened and state spending on emergency power mounted. -more-


Bill proposes statewide database of organ donors

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

SACRAMENTO — While the national average for organ donations rose in the first half of last year by about 4 percent, organ donations in California dropped by 13 percent, according to national health officials. -more-


Panel urges fingerprint plan for gun buyers

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

LOS ANGELES — People buying guns from Los Angeles dealers would have to be fingerprinted under a measure proposed by a City Council committee. -more-


Fewer Cal State freshmen need remedial math

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

LONG BEACH — The number of California State University freshmen needing help with college math courses has dropped, while the number needing remedial English has remained the same, according to a report released Tuesday. -more-


Group wants police to arrest illegal immigrants

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

ANAHEIM — An immigration reform group wants the Anaheim City Council to allow local police agencies to be the first in the nation to use a little-known federal law to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. -more-


Being wealthy isn’t as easy as it looks

By John Cunniff The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

NEW YORK — So you think your worries will disappear if you become wealthy? -more-


BRIEFS

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

Gateway cuts 140 jobs -more-


Market Watch

The Associated Press
Wednesday January 24, 2001

NEW YORK — Wall Street sent stocks higher Tuesday as investors decided to place some cautious bets on bargain-priced shares instead of punishing companies for lower earnings. -more-


Council set to amend gas heater mandate

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday January 23, 2001

Berkeley became the first California city to adopt into law mandatory inspection of gas heaters in rental units. Tonight it will consider an amendment to charge property owners for the administrative costs of the new ordinance. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Tuesday January 23, 2001


Tuesday, Jan. 23

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Perspective

By Jennifer Rakowski
Tuesday January 23, 2001

In 1975, Judge James Meredith approved a consent decree that attempted to address residence-based racial imbalance in St. Louis schools and to prevent lengthy and angry litigation. That same year my family moved to Brentwood a small suburb of St. Louis. I was five years old. -more-


Antennae appeal at meeting forefront

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday January 23, 2001

At tonight’s City Council meeting, a public hearing will be held on the appeal of neighbors who say the permit to place 12 wireless communications antennae on the roof of the Oaks Theater will create health risks. -more-


Landlord plans appeal of ZAB decision

Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday January 23, 2001

A city board’s determination that five units in a building on Piedmont Avenue are illegal will be refuted by the property owner at tonight’s City Council meeting. -more-


Active, artistic teen mourned

Daily Planet Staff
Tuesday January 23, 2001

Berkeley High School freshmen Everton Luis Santini died Saturday at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. -more-


Representative pleased with UC lab extensions

Daily Planet wire services
Tuesday January 23, 2001

The Department of Energy and the University of California have agreed to extend the school system's contract to manage the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National laboratories through 2005. -more-


No relief from power woes at work week start

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Transmission problems aggravated California’s power crisis on Monday, as authorities warned that homes and businesses in the north of the state might go dark again Tuesday morning. -more-


Security concerns keep utilities from notifying customers in advance

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

When computers, cash registers and traffic lights go dark, it’s more than just an inconvenience. It’s a public safety issue. -more-


Bush nominee for energy commission a free-market advocate

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

WASHINGTON — President Bush will nominate Curt Hebert, who has argued against federal involvement in the California electricity crisis, as chairman of the agency that regulates wholesale power markets. -more-


Phone pricing issues go to court

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to rule on a case that could affect how quickly American consumers see greater choice for local phone service — and perhaps lower prices – in a national market still dominated by the offspring of the old Bell system. -more-


BRIEFS

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

Economic activity gauge plunges in December -more-


Market Watch

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

NEW YORK — Profit-taking sent stocks modestly lower Monday as Wall Street rested after three weeks of healthy gains in the high-tech sector. An earnings warning from Dell Computer had little effect on the markets. -more-


Berkeley psychotherapist evicted

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Monday January 22, 2001

Psychotherapist Karen Rose was served an eviction notice several months ago to move out of her office of 12 years. Her deadline to vacate is today, but Rose has not yet packed. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Monday January 22, 2001


Monday, Jan. 22

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Letters to the Editor

Monday January 22, 2001

City government should give back utility tax -more-


Ruggers open with domination of Gaels

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Monday January 22, 2001

After the Cal-St. Mary’s rugby match on Saturday, Cal head coach Jack Clark said he wasn’t happy with his team’s performance, and “at least now we know what it is we have to work on.” -more-


Cragmont Elem. teachers eligible for $25K bonus

By Jon Mays Daily Planet Staff
Monday January 22, 2001

Berkeley schools and staff may also receive cash awards -more-


Bears fall to struggling Cardinal

By Ralph J. Gaston Daily Planet Correspondent
Monday January 22, 2001

Stanford win streak now at 15 -more-


Activists protest Bush inauguration

By Erika Fricke Daily Planet Staff
Monday January 22, 2001

A powder-caked woman, dressed in lemon-yellow skirts and covered in shiny sequins marched down San Francisco’s Grove Street on stilts Saturday, like a lemon-meringue pie making a stiff debut. -more-


Bears shake the blues with win over Bulls

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Monday January 22, 2001

It was ugly, but it was a win. -more-


Michael Milken legacy in dispute, pardon or not

By Gary Gentile AP Business Writer
Monday January 22, 2001

LOS ANGELES – President Clinton may have heeded federal prosecutors’ pleas to deny Michael Milken a pardon, but the financier’s case is unlikely to fade completely. The man who built Wall Street’s junk bond market continues to spend much of his wealth on cancer research and other charitable causes. -more-


High school rivalry blamed for trouble

By John Geluardi and Jon MaysDaily Planet Staff
Saturday January 20, 2001

About three dozen police officers swarmed into the downtown area Friday afternoon when a high school rivalry involving about 150 students nearly turned into a riot. -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Saturday January 20, 2001


Saturday, Jan. 20

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Letters to the Editor

Saturday January 20, 2001

Other cities should pay for Berkeley’s homeless -more-


’Jackets recover from loss, blow out Alameda 98-40

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Saturday January 20, 2001

Coming off of what Berkeley head coach Gene Nakamura called the most severe defeat of his career, the Lady ’Jackets rebounded nicely, thrashing the Alameda Hornets and nearly breaking triple digits on the scoreboard. -more-


Berkeley schools rank well in state

By Jon Mays Daily Planet staff
Saturday January 20, 2001

School officials are expressing delight in the state’s recent publication of the Academic Performance Index in which the majority of Berkeley schools showed improvement over last year. -more-


Bakery closes so workers can attend rally

By Jon Mays Daily Planet staff
Saturday January 20, 2001

A Berkeley bakery collective is closing its doors early today so its workers can go to the San Francisco protest of President George W. Bush’s inauguration. -more-


New system could reduce commute times

Daily Planet wire report
Saturday January 20, 2001

Drivers who rely on radio traffic reports may soon have an easier way to navigate the dreaded freeway commute. -more-


Driver agitated before slamming into Capitol

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

SACRAMENTO — The driver of a big rig that rammed the state Capitol told acquaintances and family members he was upset over his new wife and his new job, investigators said Friday. -more-


Willie Brown expecting child with aide

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Willie Brown says he’s going to be a dad again. -more-


Cash-strapped utilities ordered to stay in business

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

SACRAMENTO — Saying insolvency was no excuse, state regulators slapped California’s two largest utilities with an order Friday barring them from cutting off power to the 25 million people they serve. -more-


Group gave money to mother of Jesse Jackson’s child

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

CHICAGO — The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow-PUSH Coalition said Friday it paid $35,000 in “severance pay” to the woman he had a child with in an extramarital affair. -more-


Closed-circuit TV considered for McVeigh

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

OKLAHOMA CITY — Federal officials are considering a closed-circuit telecast of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s execution because of the large number of victims and relatives who might want to watch him die. -more-


Bush says he is ready for presidential post

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

WASHINGTON — George W. Bush proclaimed himself ready on Friday to accept “with pride” and “with honor” the job of commander in chief. He also made plans to quickly begin pushing his agenda once he takes the oath as the nation’s 43rd president. -more-


Couple design homes with unique approach

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

EUGENE, Ore.— Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley build from the ground up – from the ground itself, in fact. -more-


Utility crisis has plenty of winners, losers

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

NEW YORK — California’s energy crisis has created some clear winners and losers on Wall Street. -more-


Market Watch

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

NEW YORK — Investors, more cautious than relieved after a week of earnings news that turned out better than expected, took profits Friday and sent stocks mostly lower. -more-


No pads and no helmet? No problem for Paga

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Friday January 19, 2001

By the time this summer rolls around, Shaun Paga should know every blade of grass on Witter Field like the back of his hand. -more-



Friday January 19, 2001

AC Transit does indeed ignore riders needs -more-


Calendar of Events & Activities

Friday January 19, 2001


Friday, Jan. 19

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Bayside grocer hangs up her apron

By Chason Wainwright Daily Planet Correspondent
Friday January 19, 2001

Helen Low doesn’t seem too concerned that her grocery store, Bayside Foods, closed its doors Saturday after nearly 37 years of business. -more-


Parents urge action on achievement gap

By Jon Mays Daily Planet Staff
Friday January 19, 2001

Parents concerned with the high failure rate of Berkeley High School freshman packed the school district board meeting Thursday night to urge passage of a nearly $500,000 plan they feel is crucial to the success of their children. -more-


Berkeley ponders creek definition

By John Geluardi Daily Planet Staff
Friday January 19, 2001

A proposal by the city attorney to amend the definition of what a creek is has caught the attention of creek preservationists who say the amendment is confusing and appeared suddenly without notice. -more-


Hospitals under fire for care

Staff
Friday January 19, 2001

By David Olson -more-


Teen pleads guilty in school sex case

From staff and wire reports
Friday January 19, 2001

A Berkeley teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of oral copulation with a 12-year-old girl and will testify against fellow classmates facing similar charges. -more-


After 30 years, tankers safer but spills still a threat

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

State files suit over award for smog fees

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

SACRAMENTO — A state tax board member filed suit Thursday to reduce an arbitration panel’s decision to give $88.5 million to five law firms that fought the state over smog impact fees. -more-


Regents approve extended contracts to manage labs

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

The University of California, which had seemed in danger of being ousted from its historic role as manager of the nation’s nuclear labs, signed an agreement Thursday extending its contract to 2005. -more-


State says adults did the altering on school’s tests

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

PASADENA — The state Department of Education has determined that adults apparently altered students’ standardized test results in two third-grade classes at an elementary school here to improve the scores. -more-


California struck by second day of blackouts

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

SACRAMENTO — The lights went out in nearly 2 million California homes and businesses Thursday in a second straight day of blackouts as state lawmakers struggled to find a way out of the deepening crisis. -more-


Silicon Valley businesses discuss electricity crisis, warn state lawmakers

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

SANTA CLARA — California’s energy crisis has not yet caused a mass departure of businesses but a group of Silicon Valley leaders warned state lawmakers Thursday that having reliable power is crucial to their future plans. -more-


Babbitt kills California gold mine proposal

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

Indian cultural and religious sites on the edge of Arizona would be irreparably harmed by putting an open-pit gold mine near them, said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt in announcing he was killing the project. -more-


Proper sanding is important

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

Sanding is one of the most common construction and repair tasks you have to do around your home. It is the final step that determines the final appearance of your work. Done right, it makes your paint job perfect. Done badly, it shows through the most skillfully applied finish. Sanding is also one of the easiest jobs to do right, if you select the correct abrasives. Use them properly and it’s almost impossible to do a bad job. However, the wrong abrasives can make it almost impossible to get good results no matter how hard you work with them. -more-


This houseplant is a philodendron alias

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

A tropical plant that bears a most delectable fruit has been parading as a mere houseplant. Its a common houseplant, and you may even be growing it. Perhaps you grow it under the unassuming name of split-leaf philodendron, or the more descriptive name of Swiss-cheese plant. The plant is really a philodendron look-alike with the botanical name Monstera deliciosa. -more-


Clearance is necessary for metal chimney

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

Q: My home has a heating system with a metal chimney that runs up through the attic and terminates above the roof. Since the temperature of the chimney in the attic is not high enough to ignite wood, why is it necessary to have a 2-inch clearance between the chimney and the wood framing in the attic? -more-


EBay beats Wall Street expectations

The Associated Press
Friday January 19, 2001

SAN JOSE — Fourth-quarter profits at eBay Inc. beat Wall Street expectations Thursday, as the mammoth Internet auction site said it had added a record 3.5 million users in the last three months of 2000. -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Welfare recipients benefit from tight labor market

The Associated Press
Thursday January 25, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO — Employers are increasingly hiring welfare recipients into positions paying above minimum wage and providing health benefits, apparently because of the current tight labor market, a new study reports. -more-


New head for Boalt Hall public policy law clinic

Daily Planet wire services
Wednesday January 24, 2001

Deirdre Mulligan, an attorney and leading advocate for free speech and individual privacy rights on the Internet, is the new director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). -more-


Study: Immigrant poverty on the decline in California

The Associated Press
Tuesday January 23, 2001

The assumption that immigrants are a burden to California’s economy is challenged by a study that found poverty levels have declined among long-term foreign-born residents, researchers said Monday. -more-


Agency picks route for dam bridge

The Associated Press
Saturday January 20, 2001

The Federal Highway Administration on Friday picked a site for a bypass bridge to lift heavy traffic from the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. -more-


Berkeley High food court concept still off in distance

By Jon Mays Daily Planet staff
Friday January 19, 2001

A group of parents are brainstorming ways to keep more Berkeley High School students on campus for lunch by providing hot lunches and places to sit and eat. -more-