It’s the first Wednesday of the month and the Youth Speaks open mike poetry slam is in full swing at South Berkeley’s La Peña Cafe. -more-

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Saturday, April 7

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Turning terrible 2 today -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-

Berkeley will play host to Northern California’s top prep track & field event on Saturday, as the Oakland Invitational takes place at Edwards Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. Both Berkeley high schools, Berkeley High and St. Mary’s College Prep, will have athletes competing. -more-

A mother, still grieving over her son’s death in a residential fire, urged the Housing Advisory Commission to require stiffer fire safety regulations for rental property. -more-

Prep of the week -more-

While the hospital workers’ union has signed contracts with some 30 medical centers in Northern California, agreement is yet to be reached with Sutter Health, including Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. -more-

Cal freshman swimming standout Natalie Coughlin notched another accolade for her outstanding 2000-01 season as she was named both the Pacific-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year and Swimmer of the Year. It was the first time in Pac-10 history someone has been named to both awards. Coughlin is also the third consecutive Cal swimmer to earn Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year honors (Marylyn Chiang in 1999, Haley Cope in 2000) under head coach Teri McKeever. -more-

Bacon Hall was built in the 1880s. When the campus opened in 1873, there were only two buildings ready for occupancy: North Hall, where the Bancroft Library now stands, and South Hall. Bacon Hall was built a few years later and housed the University Collections and the library. Behind Bacon Hall is the Mechanical Arts Building, which is also no longer standing. -more-

Senior forward Sean Lampley, the 2001 Pac-10 Player of the Year who led the conference in scoring with 19.5 points per game, was named Cal’s Most Valuable Player at the team’s annual banquet Thursday night at Haas Pavilion. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric, California’s largest utility, voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection Friday despite months of efforts by state officials to bail out the cash-starved company. -more-

SACRAMENTO — In a move that could raise the state’s power costs, federal regulators ruled Friday that electricity suppliers cannot be forced to sell to the California grid if the utilities getting the emergency power can’t afford to pay for it. -more-