Alameda gets 16 hits, rolls over Berkeley -more-

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By Lt. Governor Cruz M. Bustamante -more-

Thursday, May 10

The City Council approved a recommendation Tuesday asking the city manager to develop procedures for issuing permits and licenses to Medical Marijuana cooperatives. -more-

After nearly firing a pick-off attempt into left field and sustaining some heckling from the St. Mary’s bench, Piedmont catcher Drew Olson assured the Panthers that he wouldn’t throw the ball away. -more-

A loss all of us can feel -more-

About 100 Berkeley High School students turned out over the course of Wednesday morning to hear a panel of prosecutors and student representatives discuss the impact of Proposition 21. -more-

Eric and Erica Bachman’s three children seem to represent the indecision of their interfaith marriage. One child had a baptism. One had a bris. And for one child they held no ceremony at all. -more-

Answering an invitation from students, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno delivered the keynote address at UC Berkeley’s 2001 Commencement Convocation Wednesday. -more-

BERKELEY — University of California regents appear ready to withdraw their much-protested, and moot, 1995 vote banning affirmative action. -more-

SAN JOSE — At least 53 people intentionally have killed themselves on Caltrain tracks since 1992, and another man died Tuesday night. Now, the commuter train system hopes to make life along the rails safer by installing more than 400 signs seeking to deter potential suicides. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Flush with a new appreciation for the beauty of Earth and weightless sleep, space tourist Dennis Tito arrived home Wednesday on a flight from Moscow, completing the last leg of his round trip to the international space station. -more-

SACRAMENTO — In the past five years, 28 California hospitals have closed and mounting financial pressure could cause many more to follow suit, according to a study released Wednesday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The state Department of Education has filed a civil suit against a Hispanic immigrants rights group alleging that it failed to account for $7 million in federal funds intended for citizenship and English classes for immigrants. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — California Supreme Court justices peppered the makers of an assault pistol Wednesday, calling the weapon “socially useless” and demanding to know why the gun was fingerprint resistant. -more-

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LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors said Wednesday they will challenge an appeals court order delaying the trial of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson until Sept. 4, but her attorneys argued they can’t proceed because they now face charges. -more-

DAVIS — Federal investigators have been called in to investigate a suspected hate crime directed at a Jewish organization near the University of California, Davis campus. -more-

WASHINGTON — President Bush’s high-priority legislation to improve public schools sailed through a House committee Wednesday as Republicans and Democrats alike backed a plan that includes annual testing for millions of elementary and junior high school students. -more-

BOSTON — A natural bone-building hormone appears to be the most effective treatment ever for osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease that afflicts millions of older Americans. -more-

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WASHINGTON — Federal employees who complain about discrimination or report fraud at their agencies routinely suffer reprisals and continued abuse from their supervisors, the NAACP’s president told lawmakers Wednesday. -more-

WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman is preparing a series of civil rights initiatives for her agency, including mandatory two-day training for 1,600 supervisors and managers nationwide. -more-

WASHINGTON — The cellular phone: The newest terror on the highways, or a minor distraction that has saved lives? -more-

WASHINGTON — President Bush nominated 11 lawyers to federal appeals courts Wednesday, urging the Senate to “rise above the bitterness of the past” and rapidly confirm his diverse, mostly conservative first slate of judicial candidates. -more-

In a surprise reversal, Stephen Goldstone, interim superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the permanent position. -more-

Wednesday, May 9

Israel discriminates -more-

The Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra usually performs mainstream classics, the so-called “workhorses,” the core of the classical music tradition. -more-

The City Council accepted a federal grant for about $50,000 Tuesday that it will turn over to the nonprofit that runs the popular Youth Court in which juvenile offenders are tried by juvenile attorneys and sentenced by juvenile juries. -more-

A Berkeley City Council ordinance says 10 cannabis plants per patient is enough medicine, but some 200 protesters demonstrating outside a City Council meeting Tuesday said it’s not. -more-

Richard C. Atkinson, president of the University of California system has announced the creation of a lecture series to honor Clark Kerr, who served as UC president from 1958 to 1967. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Eight years after a mentally disturbed man killed eight people in a skyscraper massacre, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday focusing on whether crime victims can sue a gun’s manufacturer. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court has upheld the U.S. Forest Service decision to bar natural gas exploration on the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A disability rights group has sued California’s Education Department for failing to accommodate children with disabilities during the state’s newly implemented high school exit exam. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The rich are getting richer in California – but so too are the poor, and they’re getting there faster. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Mayoral candidates James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa met Tuesday in the first debate of their runoff campaign, arguing over who would be better at fighting crime and boosting morale in the understaffed Police Department. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A self-described advocate for nursing home reform sued a national nursing home chain Tuesday for allegedly providing substandard care at nine facilities in California. -more-

SACRAMENTO — California grid operators cut power to nearly 300,000 customers Tuesday, saying hot temperatures and scarce supplies left the state short of electricity for a second straight day. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Despite dodging Republican opposition to $13.4 billion in bonds for power buys, Democratic lawmakers have opened the potential for a referendum and delays in repaying the state treasury. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Secret power deals Gov. Gray Davis is making with power generators to buy electricity eventually could wind up costing customers more money, a newspaper reported Tuesday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Songwriters Randy Newman, Tom Waits and members of the rock band Heart have filed a $40.5 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Internet music site MP3.com. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A state appeals court on Tuesday ordered another lengthy delay in the attempted-murder trial of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson. -more-

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE — NASA successfully completed the fifth flight test of its unmanned X-40A on Tuesday, dropping the prototype reusable spacecraft from a helicopter in a 75-second fall to Earth. -more-

CHICAGO — A 15-year study of a Head Start-style preschool program for poor children bolsters the idea that early childhood education yields big benefits later in life, reducing crime and dropout rates. -more-

CHICAGO — Summer vacations are just around the corner, and once again soaring gasoline prices are driving some motorists around the bend. -more-

NEW ORLEANS — An explosive new study says some gay people can turn straight if they really want to. -more-

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration’s turn to nuclear power as a long-term energy strategy will necessitate a permanent nuclear waste dump, Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday. -more-

WASHINGTON — The Senate is considering an amendment that would give states enough money to hire 58,000 teachers next year and help schools reduce class sizes. -more-

SAN JOSE — In the latest sign of how the New Economy has faltered, Cisco Systems Inc. on Tuesday posted the first net loss in its history, though its third-quarter results beat analysts’ reduced expectations. -more-

DALLAS — The slumping personal computer business was hit by more bad news as Dell Computer Corp. executives announced another round of layoffs, this time cutting 3,000 to 4,000 jobs. -more-

Skittishness about future earnings sent financial issues lower Tuesday, while technology stocks advanced modestly in subdued trading. -more-

BEIJING — China on Tuesday protested the resumption of U.S. surveillance flights and said it would refuse to let the United States fly out a crippled Navy spy plane. The Bush administration responded by stepping up its drive to get the plane back. -more-

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon charged Tuesday that the Palestinians were knowingly endangering children in their struggle with Israel, as anguished Gazans laid to rest a 4-month-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli fire. -more-

Just after 11 p.m. Saturday Berkeley police received a flurry of calls from witnesses saying they heard a man screaming and a dog howling outside their windows. -more-

The architectural walking tour in and around Live Oak Park on Sunday, orchestrated by the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, was attended with the sort of bright, colorful, Sunday weather no walking tour should be without. -more-

Tuesday, May 8

City should have listened to people -more-

Ron Hansen does not shy away from controversy. -more-

In a surprise reversal, Stephen Goldstone, interim superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the permanent position. -more-

For meeting or exceeding state goals for improved standardized test scores, most Berkeley schools and teachers will divvy up more than half a million dollars in award money in the weeks ahead. -more-

Half a world away from the streets of Shanghai and the Tibetan border, Geling Yan writes about the distant China in her memory and the experience of being an immigrant in the United States. -more-

The City Council will likely make a decision on the use permit appeal of a controversial proposal for a mixed-use building at 2700 San Pablo Ave. at its meeting tonight. -more-

The West Berkeley Market, an outdoor mercado designed to spark a community and economic renaissance in west Berkeley, has announced an opening day after three years of planning. -more-

Medical marijuana patients and their advocates say Berkeley, usually ahead of the pack when it comes to social issues, has passed one of the worst medical marijuana ordinances in the state. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Two lawyers defending former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson were notified Monday that they have been criminally charged with involvement in releasing addresses and phone numbers of police witnesses. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Record temperatures in California – and the increased air conditioning they create – led power grid operators to order statewide rolling blackouts Monday, cutting enough power for about 225,000 homes. -more-

SACRAMENTO— Calling it “the only way for the state to stay afloat,” Democratic lawmakers dodged Republican opposition Monday and authorized up to $13.4 billion in revenue bonds for state power buys. -more-

Drivers in Los Angeles spend an average of 56 hours a year – more than a work week – stuck in traffic and two other California cities also rank among the nation’s top 10 cities with the heaviest traffic, a report says. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A city ordinance taking effect Tuesday closes a loophole in a state campaign finance law that allowed political parties, unions and other groups to spend unlimited amounts in the April mayoral primary without immediate disclosure. -more-

WASHINGTON — President Bush has no “magic wand” to wave away soaring gasoline prices, the White House said Monday, ruling out price controls and offering little hope of a reduction in the federal gas tax. -more-

NEW YORK — Stocks edged lower Monday as some investors locked in gains from last week’s rally while others took a cautious stance ahead of some key reports and next week’s Federal Reserve meeting. -more-

SANTA CLARA — Beleaguered network equipment maker 3Com Corp. plans to cut another 3,000 jobs, or nearly a third of its work force, in its quest to return to profitability, the company said Monday. -more-

Long before fire ravaged its maze of dead-end hallways, Berkeley High School’s B Building was wildly unpopular with teachers and students alike. -more-

Monday, May 7

2-way immersion story on target -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. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins, and become little “dump” workers. $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. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org -more-

Three homers power Cal past Bruins, probably into postseason -more-

The Latino community came together under sunny skies Sunday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, celebrating its traditions and culture with prayer, song, dance, good things to eat and, organizers proudly pointed out, no alcohol. -more-

California put everything it had out on the field in Sunday’s Western Women’s Lacrosse League Division I Championship Final but found itself coming up just a few goals short of the title, dropping a close and hard fought battle to Stanford, 11-6, inside Memorial Stadium. The Bears finish the 2001 season second in the WWLL’s Division I standings. -more-

In response to neighborhood and patient concerns, the City Council will likely ask the city manager to develop operational and permitting guidelines for medical marijuana cooperatives. -more-

Virginia Beach, Va. – Cal claimed its 11th consecutive national rugby championship on Sunday, overwhelming Penn State 86-11 Sunday. -more-

There may not have been any battening down of the hatches, but plenty of jibing and tacking took place off the shores of the Berkeley Marina on Saturday. Bay area land lovers and sea farers alike gathered to take advantage of the free sailboat rides offered by the Cal Sailing Club during the first full weekend of each month. -more-

Relay squad sets school record, ties state best -more-

Political contributions from industry goes to both parties through many channels -more-

SACRAMENTO – Democrat state lawmakers said Saturday they will sue federal energy regulators for refusing to cap the spiraling cost of electricity in the midst of California’s power crunch. -more-

Cops suspect foul play in disappearance -more-

LOS ANGELES – Sherry Flores grew up in East Los Angeles, the daughter of Mexican immigrants who scraped by in factory jobs and struggled to learn English. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – A blustery wind whips across the newly restored marsh and dunes on Crissy Field, previously a concrete-covered airfield built on a filled-in wetland. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – A member of MTV’s “Real World” cast got a taste of the real world behind bars early Saturday after he bungee jumped 150 feet from the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge. -more-

Dot-com crash leads web sites to charge customers -more-

In advance of a communitywide meeting on May 19 to consider a major overhaul in the way Berkeley High School delivers its academic programs, small groups of high school staff and parents have met weekly to ponder the question. -more-

Saturday, May 5

Four stories on San Pablo good for community -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. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins, and become little “dump” workers. $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. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org -more-

Kopmar hurt in 3-0 loss; ACCAL title up for grabs -more-

Public power advocates spoke out Thursday evening at a forum hosted by Assemblymember Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley. -more-

Call it glorified batting practice. -more-

In anticipation of a major earthquake that could isolate Berkeley for up to seven days, the City Council and the Board of Education are holding a joint meeting Tuesday to discuss a preparedness plan. -more-

Berkeley Observed -more-

At age 4 Stephanie Huff’s parents were told she could possibly live until 11. -more-

In the 1970s, energy conservation was Jimmy Carter in a cardigan telling people to bundle up and turn down the heat. Today, it’s about using energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs, computerized thermostats and motion sensors. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Baja California was wrenched from mainland Mexico 6 million years ago by a series of earthquakes, starting in earnest the peninsula’s 160-mile push to the northwest, a study says. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Attorneys who argued against the state’s vehicle smog fees are unlikely to receive an $88 million fee an arbitration board once awarded them, a judge ruled Friday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A federal attorney is suing the Immigration and Naturalization Service over the case of an illegal immigrant whom the agency has said it might sedate before deporting to China. -more-

MONTEREY — Despite months of seeking solutions to the energy crisis, state officials are still preparing for blackouts this summer, Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg said Friday. -more-

HUNTINGTON BEACH — State tax officials have raided the home and office of an Orange County business owner who has refused to withhold taxes from employee paychecks. -more-

CORCORAN— A federal judge has ruled that the government must pay farmers in the arid Central Valley for depriving them of irrigation water to protect endangered fish. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The number of California voters shunning political parties has nearly doubled in 10 years, but Democratic and Republican officials say they aren’t worried. -more-

The man found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl has had a lot to say to media representatives in the day following his conviction. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors filed a potential death penalty murder case Friday against a man who allegedly shot a man and tried to get away by hijacking a bus that sped through downtown until a violent collision that killed a minivan driver. -more-

SPENCER, Ind. — In a fluorescent-lit barn 40 miles from a federal penitentiary, Glenda Breeden applies paint to 14-foot-tall papier-mache puppets of Uncle Sam and Jesus. -more-

WASHINGTON — The ejection of the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Commission has infuriated lawmakers, and some are calling for withholding $650 million in payments to the United Nations. -more-

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration will allow a ban on road-building in much of the nation’s federal forest lands to take effect next week but will propose changes to it in June, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Friday. -more-

WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate jumped to 4.5 percent in April, reviving fears of recession as companies shed the largest number of jobs in a decade. The White House stoked that concern, suggesting that economic growth in the first quarter might be less than originally reported. -more-

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Six months after Florida plunged the presidential race into chaos, lawmakers approved a sweeping election overhaul Friday that will banish the hanging chads and butterfly ballots that made the state a laughingstock. -more-

WASHINGTON — Food companies reeling from recalls of biotech corn products say the government shouldn’t let genetically engineered crops go to market unless there are tests to tell those crops apart from conventional varieties. -more-

ATHENS, Greece — Pope John Paul II arrived in Greece on Friday for a personal pilgrimage with much wider implications: trying to heal nearly 1,000 years of discord between the Vatican and Orthodox churches. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Computer chip designer Rambus Inc. has lost a crucial round in its legal fight to enforce patent claims that could generate $1 billion in royalties. -more-

Popular assumptions can create vast misimpressions, such as the one that the typical American household has become a daring investor in stocks, devouring market data and trading aggressively. -more-

NEW YORK — Stocks moved higher Friday as more dismal economic news raised hopes that the Federal Reserve will aggressively cut interest rates. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Tracking growth of the nation’s Hispanic population, the Cinco de Mayo holiday has become a bull’s-eye for businesses targeting a largely untapped market. -more-

NEW YORK — Wall Street has no doubt that the stock market and the economy will eventually regain the kind of strength they enjoyed for much of the last decade. -more-

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MUSEUMS: -more-

Rally speakers preached hate -more-

Friday, May 4

A group of UC Berkeley sociology students donned traditional blues garb and took up instruments to mock a congressional agreement approving President George W. Bush’s $1.25 trillion tax cut: -more-

The Berkeley High boys’ volleyball team has had a tough year. A collection of underclassmen, some of whom never played organized volleyball before this year, the ’Jackets have yet to win a match. Thursday, ACCAL leaders El Cerrito came calling, and the outcome was fairly predictable, as the Gauchos ran off an easy 15-2, 15-12, 15-2 win. -more-

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After months of discussion and hand-wringing, the Board of Education cut more than $4 million from the district’s 2001-2002 budget Wednesday. -more-

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OAKLAND — A six-alarm fire whipped by 45 mph winds destroyed a four-story building under construction and damaged or destroyed 11 homes early Thursday, fire officials said. -more-

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Internet auction giant eBay Inc. is banning the sale of artifacts from Nazi Germany, the Ku Klux Klan and notorious criminals, in hopes of avoiding legal problems in other countries. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Federal agents broke up a ring that smuggled hundreds of people from the Ukraine into the United States through Mexico and forced some into prostitution, authorities said Thursday. -more-

The Berkeley High Jazz Ensemble -more-

POUND RIDGE, N.Y.— Lilacs bring mixed emotions, linked in poetry to love but also death. Prized by gardeners in many lands, the flowers’ beauty and fragrance, aside from promptings of joy or sadness, proclaim Spring has fully arrived. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Dining-room chairs and statues concealed more than 200 pounds of ivory in the nation’s biggest seizure of elephant tusks since laws banning their import took effect. -more-

SCARSDALE, N.Y. — Nearly 200 eighth-graders boycotted a state science exam with their parents’ blessing Thursday in this well-to-do community of doctors, corporate executives and other high-achievers. -more-

TRENTON, N.J. — The Senate approved a resolution Thursday urging Supreme Court Justice Peter G. Verniero to resign because he allegedly lied about racial profiling by state police. -more-

WASHINGTON — Federal workers in power-strapped California could be taking the stairs and sweating out the summer under an energy conservation directive signed by President Bush Thursday. -more-

GENEVA — Despite perceptions that it’s healthier, there is little difference between bottled water and tap water – apart from cost – a conservation group said Thursday. -more-

UNITED NATIONS — The United States lost its seat Thursday on the top U.N. human rights body for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947. -more-

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NEWARK, N.J. — Two Lucent Technologies scientists and another man – all three of them Chinese-born – were arrested by the FBI on Thursday and accused of stealing Lucent software and sharing it with a company largely run by the Chinese government. -more-

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ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines pilots will soon begin voting on a new contract now that their union’s leadership has endorsed a tentative agreement that could end the threat of a strike at the nation’s third-largest carrier. -more-

Funeral services will be held Friday for Nandi Phelps, the 9 year old Oxford School student who was stricken by bacterial meningitis and died last week. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Millions of dollars in missing grant money, shoddy bookkeeping and poor management are at the center of an FBI investigation into San Francisco schools focusing on the mishandling of federal grants and bond funds. -more-

SAN JOSE — The NAACP asked San Jose police Monday to put video cameras in squad cars and increase sensitivity training for officers after the president of the group’s Silicon Valley chapter said he was treated rudely while being questioned. -more-

Power plants to work overtime this summer -more-

BERKELEY — Six years after capturing the national spotlight by dropping affirmative action admissions, University of California regents are poised to revisit the contentious topic. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — About 1.5 million California seniors covered by Medicare-contracted HMOs got a legal boost Thursday from the state’s highest court, which ruled they can sue their health maintenance organizations for damages. -more-