After an exhausting 12-inning loss to rival Alameda the night before, the Encinal baseball team could have been easy pickings for the ACCAL-leading Berkeley Yellowjackets on Thursday. But the Jets depleted pitching staff wasn’t a factor, as starter Jason Rivera threw a complete game for the 5-2 victory. -more-

About 100 homeless advocates rallied outside the county courthouse on Martin Luther King Jr. Way Thursday, calling for the City Council to halt enforcement of a state law that makes it a misdemeanor to sleep outside. -more-

Friday, April 13

Close the Tritium Labeling Facility -more-

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Elite Filipino marines rescued Carol Schilling’s son from rebels Thursday. -more-

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Cal’s Jocelyn Forest and Veronica Nelson have been selected by the Amateur Softball Association as two of the 51 of the nation’s finest women’s fast pitch softball players to participate in the USA Softball Women’s National Team Camp, May 30–June 3 at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. USA Softball will select two 16-player teams to represent the U.S. in international competitions during the 2001 season. -more-

About 50 people, from bus riders to business people, weighed in for and against the parking policy recommendations in a Draft General Plan for the city Wednesday. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Kaiser Permanente settled a lawsuit Thursday accusing it of providing inferior care to disabled patients. -more-

SAN JOSE — A bizarre road rage incident, in which a fluffy little dog was yanked from its owner’s car and thrown into oncoming traffic, has led to the indictment of a man already being held in jail on unrelated charges. -more-

The newest star in Barbra Streisand’s garden is not any second-hand rose. This star is a brand new hybrid tea rose named Barbra Streisand that was selected by the singer herself. -more-

PASADENA — NASA will add a giant dish to the worldwide network of antennas it uses to communicate with interplanetary spacecraft to accommodate an anticipated spike in traffic that threatens to tax the array’s capability. -more-

FOLSOM— State officials are negotiating with federal pollution regulators to keep some power plants online this summer during power emergencies even though they may exceed air emission limits. -more-

More than three-fourths of public school ninth-graders took the new state high school graduation test last month, education officials said Thursday. -more-

More than three-fourths of public school ninth-graders took the new state high school graduation test last month, education officials said Thursday. -more-

WASHINGTON — Health care workers who handle needles will have more say about the safety of the devices they use under a new federal law that takes effect next week. -more-

WASHINGTON — Frugal consumers made for anemic retail sales in March, and jobless claims hit a 5-year high, spurring new talk of recession. Wholesale prices fell for the first time in seven months. -more-

Federal prosecutors honed in Tuesday on the two remaining defendants in the criminal case filed last year against Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy and four family members, alleging for the first time that Reddy’s two adult sons raped seven teenage girls from India between 1992 and 1999, and that Reddy’s older son later tried to dissuade one of the alleged victims from communicating with police. -more-

Wednesday, April 11

Time for nay-sayers to accept Beth El project -more-

Producing new plays is a gamble that most theater companies shy away from. At best, established theaters stage only the occasional world premiere. -more-

Stephen Goldstone, interim superintendent of the Berkeley School district since Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he has applied to become the district’s permanent superintendent. -more-

City officials have decided to expand a Harrison Field air study, originally planned to measure particulate matter from auto emissions on Interstate 80, to include chrome 6 testing. -more-

Figurative painter Wendy Sussman, a professor of art practice at the University of California, Berkeley, died of cancer on March 29 near her home in Oakland. She was 51. -more-

A demonstration will be held Thursday on the steps of the Berkeley courthouse asking city officials not to enforce a California law that makes it a crime to sleep outdoors. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — For nearly 30 years, Rhett Jackson owned one of the small, independent bookstores now embroiled in a lawsuit with Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc. -more-

SAN DIEGO — Neurosurgeons have injected genetically modified cells into the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient in a pioneering procedure that holds the hope of halting or reversing brain cell loss caused by the disease. -more-

A federal judge appeared to take a dim view of efforts to amplify Napster Inc.’s legal troubles, but didn’t immediately rule Tuesday on requests to allow thousands of music publishers, songwriters and other artists to join the case. -more-

SACRAMENTO — California and federal energy regulators took turns blaming each other for the state’s power crisis Tuesday during the first of three days of a House subcommittee’s hearings. -more-

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — Saying there will be no let up in a military operation, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday told Muslim rebels who are holding a pair of hostages to surrender or die. -more-

To the mother of one Navy specialist held in China, a U.S. apology – even an insincere one – is worth making if it gets the 24 Americans home. To the father of another, nothing that happened merits an apology. -more-

NEW YORK — A rebound in technology stocks set off another big rally on Wall Street Tuesday, lifting the Dow Jones industrials more than 250 points to their first close above 10,000 in nearly a month. -more-

It’s just past 11 a.m. on Friday, March 30, when Balinda Floyd, secretary to Berkeley High School Principal Frank Lynch, announces to the people clustered around her desk that there’s been yet another school shooting — this time in Gary, Indiana. -more-

Monday, April 9

Army’s campus visit was enlightening -more-

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Panthers win boys, girls titles; ’Jackets stung by injuries -more-

Once Californians see their whopping utility bill increase as soon as next month, consumer activists say more people will get involved in the struggle to take over Pacific Gas and Electric through eminent domain. -more-

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Six national champions were crowned Saturday night in the individual event finals of the 2001 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio, including one competitor from Cal. -more-

The Housing Advisory Commission considered loan requests Thursday for two housing projects that would increase the affordable housing stock by 43 units. -more-

University of California at Berkeley researchers have created the world's smallest-of-its-kind engine, which they say could one day be used as an efficient power source for mobile electronics. -more-

There will be closures on Interstate 80 tonight due to work on a bicycle/pedestrian bridge set to connect the city with the marina. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – As a reward for “staying the course” the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. awarded about 6,000 bonuses and raises to midlevel managers and other employees hours before the utility filed for bankruptcy, a newspaper reported. -more-

Small cryptographers’ meeting turns into a huge affair in S.F. -more-

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-

Saturday, April 7

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-

MARTINEZ — Three friends accused of killing a retired Concord couple and 22-year-old Selina Bishop, daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, appeared in court to schedule a preliminary hearing. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County residents are less healthy than other people in California and the rest of the country, a survey released Thursday concludes. -more-

GLENDALE — As much as $4 million will be spent for a study to determine if chromium 6 causes cancer when it is ingested in drinking water, federal officials announced Friday. -more-

MALIBU — The Illinois governor who ordered a moratorium on executions told California law students Thursday that his state isn’t the only one that should re-examine the way it uses the death penalty. -more-

LOS ANGELES — An Algerian man was convicted Friday of terrorism for bringing a car loaded with explosives from Canada to the United States in what authorities said was a global plan to bomb buildings at the time of millennium celebrations. -more-

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. — Some gardeners snub forsythia as too common, but its golden effulgence in early spring taunts them. It seems to be saying, “What else is there around?” -more-

If your lawn has bare patches, early spring is a good time to fix them. Seed that is planted early gets established before hotter, possibly drier weather arrives and before crabgrass and other weeds can get the upper hand. -more-

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has decided against giving the Justice Department control of a benefit program for sick nuclear workers, a senator who represents some of the ailing workers said Friday. -more-

Joint commission could resolve dispute as both sides still refuse to budge -more-

Efforts to find hostage from Oakland unsuccessful after delay of beheading -more-

Chicago touts its cosmopolitan lifestyle and Lake Michigan. Dallas boasts of no state corporate or income tax and lots of political clout. Denver points out its breathtaking mountain vistas and highly educated workforce. -more-

WASHINGTON — Drivers could face a new round of surging prices at the gas pump this summer, the government says, citing tight supplies through the year’s heaviest driving season. Last year price spikes reached $2 a gallon. -more-

NEW YORK — One of the greatest fears on Wall Street is that the past few weeks of earnings warnings and triple-digit declines have just been a rehearsal — and that the market is likely to endure more turmoil this month when companies actually issue their first-quarter reports. -more-

NEW YORK — For the purposes of raising or lowering the price of a stock, a rumor is often as good as a fact. And the makeup of the current market makes it a setup for rumors and so-called informed opinions. -more-

Although garden plants hail from all corners of the world, they have surprisingly similar soil requirements. Before planting, make sure the soil is well-supplied with air, water, and nutrients. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Dashboard dining is distracting drivers, San Francisco Department of Public Health officials warn. -more-

Davis became fall guy, insider says -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-