Skate park back on track and on a roll
A detoxified and newly designed Harrison Street Skate Park project may soon be rolling again after the discovery of contaminated groundwater halted construction last November. -more-
A detoxified and newly designed Harrison Street Skate Park project may soon be rolling again after the discovery of contaminated groundwater halted construction last November. -more-
There is a widespread sense in the Arab world that this is an important transition period – based in part on the view that the West, especially America, has messed up in the Middle East. -more-
Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org -more-
The first time the Berkeley boys’ basketball team faced Pinole Valley this season, they slipped away with a 59-54 win in a tough game that could have gone either way. But thanks to a depleted Pinole Valley squad, the rematch wasn’t nearly as exciting. -more-
Master gardener, speech therapist, nurse, photojournalist, radio programmer, a friend who knew how to listen, a religious, spiritual and fun-loving person – Leona Jacobs-White was all of these, according to her friends and family. -more-
As well intentioned as they are, high school video productions are marked by a level of discipline given to home movies crossed with the enthusiasm of a term paper. Something only a mother could love, and she could be jiving, too. -more-
St. Mary’s started sluggishly for the second week in a row, but another dominant second half sealed the Panthers’ 91-70 victory over St. Elizabeth’s (Oakland) on Friday night. -more-
Like most cities, the City of Franklin school is growing. -more-
The Cal baseball team evened its series versus Brigham Young on Friday, defeating the Cougars 5-3 at Evans Diamond. The Bears, who fell to BYU 2-1 on Thursday, improve to 4-1 on the season, while the Cougars go to 5-4 overall. -more-
The picture above is a 1930s post card of Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley’s “main street” looking north from Dwight Way. -more-
Progressive Caucus Vice Chair Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined her caucus colleagues in unveiling a10-year, $900 billion tax cut that benefits all Americans equally. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles and San Francisco have been damaged at least six times by major earthquakes in the past 200 years but the mighty San Andreas Fault has been relatively quiet in recent decades, according to a new map of historical temblors. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Investigators have searched the apartment of the owners of the dogs that fatally attacked their neighbor, Diane Whipple, outside her apartment two weeks ago. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
LOS ANGELES — The convicted killer of Bill Cosby’s son has withdrawn his appeal and confessed that he murdered Ennis Cosby, an act which he called “great wickedness” in a letter to authorities that was released Friday. -more-
While legislators continue to debate plans to help the state’s debt-ridden utilities avoid bankruptcy, a federal court judge could take the matter into his own hands Monday and order an increase of nearly 50 percent in electricity rates. -more-
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers in Northern and Central California could face natural gas shortages by next month – or as soon as next week if a cold front hits – the power company warned. -more-
FRESNO — Mariposa court officials are reviewing a policy requiring criminal background checks for reporters covering the case of Yosemite killer Cary Stayner. -more-
WASHINGTON — To win the centerpiece of his energy plan, President Bush will have to change some minds among seven Republican senators who staunchly oppose oil drilling in Alaska’s pristine Arctic wildlife refuge. -more-
SAN JOSE — The small Silicon Valley company developing a personal flying machine has gotten an important boost in its effort to make the sci-fi dream a reality: a $5 million grant from the military. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The federal appeals panel considering Napster Inc.’s fate will issue its ruling Monday in the high profile music-sharing lawsuit, the court announced Friday. -more-
WASHINGTON — From credit cards to installment plans, the Internal Revenue Service offers taxpayers several options if they can’t pay their tax bills in full. -more-
NEW YORK — News that Motorola plans to cut up to 4,000 additional jobs sent the stock market down sharply Friday as investors grew more pessimistic about the prospects of a quick turnaround for the economy and company earnings. -more-
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sean Lampley scored a career-high 32 points and hit the game winning 3-pointer with under a second left to give California a 72-69 overtime victory over Oregon State. -more-
Perhaps labor martyr Joe Hill’s not dead after all. -more-
The first half belonged to Felicia Ragland. The second half belonged to Kenya Corley. Luckily for the Cal women’s basketball team, Corley had some help, while Ragland did not. -more-
Environmental studies of proposed developments frequently consider things like traffic, noise and pollution. But at least one Landmarks Preservation commissioner would like to add a new category – spirituality. -more-
Looking to end the season on a high note, the Berkeley boys’ soccer team dominated El Cerrito, winning 3-0. But by the time the game ended, the stakes got a lot higher. -more-
In the wake of last week’s rough launch of Rebound, a program to support ninth-graders who are not meeting class standards, the school board and community continue to question the development of the intervention plan. -more-
DAVIS — About 300 Asian-American students and their supporters peacefully marched at the University of California, Davis, Thursday, protesting recent confrontations with white students. -more-
FRESNO — When Yosemite killer Cary Stayner returns to court on charges of murdering three park tourists, he won’t be the only one in the room whose criminal background was examined. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Watching street races would be illegal under an ordinance approved by the City Council and sent to the mayor for approval. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Getting a jump on new campaign contribution limits, California legislators raised $7.3 million between the November election and the end of 2000 in donations of up to $250,000. -more-
YUBA CITY— Citing an energy crisis of “catastrophic proportions,” a federal judge Thursday ordered three major suppliers to sell electricity to California despite their worry two cash-strapped utilities won’t pay for it. -more-
WASHINGTON — President Bush dispatched his proposed $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax cut on what should be a tortuous journey through Congress on Thursday, urging action because “a warning light is flashing on the dashboard of our economy.” -more-
Q: About two years ago, the submersible pump broke in our 185- foot deep well. We had the pump rebuilt, but our well water took on an oily smell and began leaving a film in the toilet. We thought the condition would eventually clear up but it hasn’t. The pump rebuilder claims that oil from the broken pump contaminated our water, and can offer no solutions to the problem. Is there anything we can do short of drilling a new well to get clean water? -more-
Buying the right energy-efficient windows for your own particular needs goes beyond considering just the R value of the glazing system. -more-
It shouldn’t be necessary to turn off the water to the entire house just to fix a leaky faucet, but that’s exactly what many homeowners must do. Why? Because they don’t have individual shutoff valves installed under every sink. -more-
WASHINGTON — A business approach to managing the environment that uses terms “performance-based” and “market-driven” won the backing Thursday of two senior Republicans and a Democrat who help steer natural resources policy. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The governor may proceed with a suit against 18 school districts in a bid to force them to fix shoddy classrooms, issue textbooks and hire credentialed teachers as required under state law, a judge ruled Thursday. -more-
Two weeks ago, the St. Mary’s soccer team beat St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 2-1. At the time, the Panthers were at the top of their game, looking forward to a run at first place, and the Pilots were scuffling along at 1-4 in BSAL play, just hoping to eke out a spot in the playoffs. -more-
Berkeley resident Linda Levitsky has recently been recognized as the Alameda County’s Outstanding Woman of the Year in the category of environment for 2001. -more-
Black History Month has turned into a mundane, meaningless and commercialized farce. -more-
The Cal football program got its yearly infusion of talent on Wednesday, as 17 high schoolers and three junior college players signed letters of intent to play for the Bears. Headlined by a local star who head coach Tom Holmoe caught on the rebound, the class is considered to be Cal’s strongest in several years. -more-
Cal goalkeeper Maite Zabala and defender Tami Pivnik were selected in the Women’s United Soccer Association supplemental college draft this week, and will both play in the fledgling league’s inaugural season beginning in April. -more-
First the Berkeley Housing Authority Board heard how the troubled agency has failed property owners and Section 8 tenants Tuesday night. Then it listened to a plan to save the agency from -more-
Whether your heart belongs to anyone this Valentine's Day may depend on what happened the first time you fell in love. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — At least one other person may have witnessed the fatal mauling of a college lacrosse coach, and the victim’s partner says it wasn’t the first attack. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Nuclear energy has a daunting list of negatives – economics, fears about safety and waste disposal, and the potential to fuel the creation of nuclear weapons. -more-
SAN DIEGO — An appeals court Wednesday struck down a key provision of Proposition 21 which, with strong support from voters last year, allowed prosecutors to charge youths as adults for certain serious crimes. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
LOS ANGELES — A federal appeals court has ruled that environmental and preservation groups can sue the U.S. Navy over demolition of the Long Beach Naval Station that was home to bird habitats and historic buildings. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Dale Evans, the singer-actress who teamed with husband Roy Rogers in popular Westerns and wrote their theme song, “Happy Trails to You,” died Wednesday at 88. -more-
WASHINGTON — In its quest to persuade more taxpayers to file returns electronically, the Internal Revenue Service this year is making 23 more forms available in e-format and scrapping the requirement that taxpayers mail in a separate paper signature form. -more-
CHICAGO — People who catch HIV are increasingly likely to encounter mutant forms of the virus that are able to resist some of the drugs commonly used to treat the infection. -more-
NEW DELHI, India — In a challenge to big drug manufacturers, an Indian company is offering to supply AIDS drugs to a medical relief agency at 3.5 percent of the cost charged in Western countries, as long as they are distributed for free. -more-
A new report analyzing the risk of radiation exposure during a fire at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says there is a much greater risk than reported in a similar 1996 analysis prepared by the laboratory. -more-
With the sounds of Latin jazz pulsating from amplifiers set up near by, Berkeley High School students forked over $4 and were treated to extraordinary noontime fare – tacos from Chez Panisse, Burritos from Cancuns’, chow mien from the Long Life Veggie House and pizza from the Cheese Board. It was a -more-
It’s a stretch, a long one perhaps, to compare the banning of a number of commissioners from their volunteer duties on quasi-official bodies to the witch hunts of the 1950s. -more-
Adding an alleged violation of press freedoms to an already complex criminal prosecution, lawyers for the San Francisco Chronicle have asked a federal judge presiding over the case against Berkeley real estate tycoon Lakireddy Bali Reddy to unseal dozens of documents in the case on First Amendment grounds. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals panel questioned Tuesday whether a man who had a piece of his brain the size of an apple removed years before murdering a police officer should remain on California’s death row. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — CNET Networks, Inc. announced Tuesday it will cut its global work force by ten percent. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — In 1987, the first stitches of the AIDS Memorial Quilt were sewn in the Castro District to remember a best friend. Since then, 44,000 panels have been added to the San Francisco fixture that soon will be leaving for Atlanta. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Silicon Valley millionaires, school teachers and anti-tax groups topped contributors who pumped more than $116 million into campaign battles over three school-related initiatives last year, according to spending reports. -more-
SACRAMENTO — A record number of rape suspects were identified in one day last week when genetic crime evidence matched convicted felons’ DNA in a state database, Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Tuesday. -more-
SAN DIEGO — A Superior Court judge has dismissed hate-crime charges against four San Diego County men who were accused of beating an Orange County man because they thought he was Mexican. -more-
SAN BERNARDINO — The father of a 7-year-old girl with AIDS starved and neglected the child before leaving her to die alone on his living room floor, a prosecutor claimed. A defense attorney contended the girl refused to eat. -more-
IRVINE — A $2 million grant will build the first facility nationwide dedicated to carbon research on global warming, the University of California, Irvine announced. -more-
SACRAMENTO — A judge Tuesday evening ordered a major electricity supplier to keep selling to California despite the expiration of a Bush administration order requiring it to do so. -more-
WASHINGTON — Sen. Dianne Feinstein thinks California should consider full deregulation of the state’s electricity market, including lifting the current cap on consumer electric rates. -more-
The Queer Parent’s Primer, New Harbinger Publications, isn’t so much about navigating the straight world, as it is about navigating queer parenting – with some excellent advice on the legal, spiritual and social implications of becoming a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender primary parent, co-parent, or extended family member. -more-
WASHINGTON — As mutual funds increase in popularity and more employees are compensated with stock options, taxpayers must beware of some pitfalls that can mean a big tax bill from the Internal Revenue Service. -more-
Cisco Systems misses earning expectations by a penny -more-
NEW YORK — Wall Street reversed direction Tuesday when investors resumed buying riskier tech stocks and cashed in recent gains from safe-haven blue chips. -more-
A government campaign intended to “break the back” of the AIDS epidemic will try to cut the number of new infections in half by 2005, largely by identifying Americans who carry HIV but do not know it. -more-
In a bid to encourage more landlords to rent to the poor, the Berkeley Housing Authority will consider guaranteeing security deposits for Section 8 tenants. -more-
After a three hour teach-in on the California energy crisis Sunday community members endorsed a resolution to pursue public ownership of utilities, and to refuse to pay the 9 percent rate hike if it becomes permanent. -more-
While UC profs are proffering manifestoes to solve California’s energy crisis and Berkeley radicals are rallying for a state takeover of the gas and electric industries, a few locals, calling themselves Public Utility Kinship Exhibition (PUKE) decided to take matters into their own hands Monday. -more-
SAN JOSE — Driven by the expansion of the Internet and demand for communications equipment, worldwide sales of semiconductors topped $200 billion in 2000, an industry group said Monday. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
OAKLAND — A woman who impersonated her sister in public after stuffing her dismembered body in a freezer was sentenced Monday to life without parole, and barred from profiting from the crime. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Blame Canada. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A dozen years after leaving the White House and looking forward to sunset years chopping wood and riding horses, Ronald Reagan celebrates his 90th birthday as a recluse battling old age with Alzheimer’s disease and a broken hip. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Seeking to stabilize California’s wild energy market, the governor Monday pursued the first of $10 billion in state power-buying agreements and seized millions of dollars in utility electricity contracts. -more-
WASHINGTON — Standing by his word, President Bush will allow a federal order to expire Tuesday that required wholesale electricity companies to sell to California’s cash-strapped utilities, Bush’s spokesman said. -more-
Walt Disney meets Franz Kafka – sort of – in Michael McClure’s 1979 play “Josephine the Mouse Singer,” which Berkeley’s Last Planet Theater revived Saturday at SomArts in San Francisco, in an unusual musical production that contains a powerful original score by world-renown Bay Area composer Terry Riley. -more-
WASHINGTON — The unbridled joy of children extends into to the federal tax code, where parents can qualify for breaks for education expenses and student loans, adoption costs and even for simply having a child at all. -more-
A group of Berkeley residents and students at UC Berkeley took advantage of yesterday’s warm weather and played a series of pick-up basketball games at People’s Park. Although people across the Bay Area broke out shirt-sleeves and shorts this weekend, the National Weather Service promises cooler weather for the next few days, beginning this afternoon. Winds should pick up to 15 mph by 4:00 p.m. and temperatures are predicted to the -more-
Jeff Trepagnier’s return to Southern California’s lineup has given the Trojans’ offense a big lift. But it was his defense that made the difference against California. -more-
Utility Allowance may jump to between 25 and 40 percent for Section 8 recipients -more-
Cal women beat UCLA to end SoCal road trip -more-
Dr. Davida Coady lives in the home her family bought, in 1965, high in the Berkeley hills. A lemon tree laden with fruit graces the front window, birds cruise a painted bird house and a piano stands ready. It is a place full of light and calm where one could escape the world. Instead the visitor is led straight into the heart of what matters. -more-
Shaking off a rough third inning and a clutch home run by their opponent, the Cal baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Santa Clara in the Bears’ home opener at Evans Diamond on Saturday. -more-
Researchers from one of the world's most technologically-advanced countries, Finland, and researchers at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) and the University of California, Berkeley, will launch a collaboration to spark new discoveries in computer science, e-commerce, intellectual property rights and the sociology of theinformation society. -more-
The Bears cruised to a 51-19 victory over Davis Saturday. The victory part was good. The cruising part was not. -more-
Dr. James A. Donahue a scholar, ethicist and administrator at Georgetown University has accepted the leadership role of president of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. -more-
Environment-friendly policies don’t always get results; SUVs and huge homes eat up power, contribute to current power shortage -more-
Californians looking to save power and money; products flying off store shelves -more-
DNA evidence proves that skull found in Santa Cruz Mountains is hers; search for kidnappers still ongoing -more-
UNION CITY – Inside the modest home of Cora Lorenzo, where she claims mysterious oils appear on small religious statues and crucifixes, the real miracle may be that she can squeeze in all the visitors. -more-
Former schools superintendent gave his girlfriend district contract -more-
Cellphones can connect users to lots of information -more-
Senior citizens can have complex tax issues, but also different rules -more-
WASHINGTON – The number of taxpayers likely to be entangled in the complex alternative minimum tax is projected to reach 1.5 million this year, twice as many as three years ago. Increasingly, unsuspecting middle-class people are being affected. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Nearly 7 million Californians lack health insurance despite the state’s economic growth, according to a university study released Thursday. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Caltrans officials admit they made some mistakes when they rolled out the FasTrak electronic toll system on Bay Area bridges and have discussed several plans to alleviate continuing traffic backups. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A judge on Tuesday set the stage for California’s next execution, ordering San Francisco murderer Robert Massie to die March 27 in San Quentin. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Business owners say a proposed ban to keep truck deliveries out of the city’s financial district could wreak havoc on their bottom lines by preventing them from receiving necessary supplies. -more-
Usually jammed with cars, Telegraph Avenue was shut down for nearly an hour Sunday afternoon while police questioned a young man allegedly involved in a burglary, according to a police officer at the scene. -more-