BHS students teach safer sex to peers
In early October, Keith “Kiki” Bell, a junior at Berkeley High School, found out that two of his friends are HIV positive. The news was devastating. -more-
In early October, Keith “Kiki” Bell, a junior at Berkeley High School, found out that two of his friends are HIV positive. The news was devastating. -more-
In a rematch of last year’s hard-fought Northern California Regional championship game, the Berkeley Yellowjackets used their inside power to beat Oakland, 64-50. -more-
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UC Berkeley student Andy Katz, perhaps the first student ever appointed to the Zoning Adjustments Board, took a seat on one of the city’s most influential governing bodies Monday. -more-
OAKLAND – Tuesday’s pre-trial hearing in federal court for brothers Vijay and Prasad Lakireddy centered on one disputed point: does the defense have the right to subpoena documents that would show how much time a certain translator/ interviewer spent with the witnesses to the Lakireddys’ alleged misdeeds? -more-
The Daily Planet received the following letter to the president. (Spelling has not been edited.) -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — An investment real estate agent accused of bilking more than $20 million from four Bay Area banks has been sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison by a judge in Israel. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A 20-year-old San Bernardino man has been arrested and charged with threatening three people by sending them letters he claimed were laced with anthrax. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Now may be the time to buy for those who have always wanted to own a house in the San Francisco Bay area. The cost of mid-priced homes fell in October to less than a year earlier, marking the first time since 1995, but that trend didn’t hold true in Southern California, a real estate firm reported. -more-
MARTINEZ — A trio accused of killing five people, including the daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, wanted to bring truth to the world through a self-awareness program, prosecutors say. -more-
LOS ANGELES — An attorney for former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson says he was partly to blame for his client pleading guilty to attempting to blow up police cars when she is really innocent. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A breakaway San Fernando Valley city would own nothing except streets and would have to buy parks, libraries and other assets from Los Angeles, according to a legal opinion for the agency overseeing possible secession. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A memorial to California journalists who died while pursuing news stories was given a new home and an 18th name on Tuesday at California State University, Northridge. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis plans to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Mexico City next week in an effort to boost the slumping economies of California and its southern neighbor. -more-
SAN SIMEON— In a dressing room in the remote recesses of Hearst Castle, Diane Marchetti glanced at a mirror, and had to like what she saw. Her evening gown shimmered like silver and sheathed her slender figure like a second skin. She tucked her hair beneath a curly blond wig and checked the mirror again. -more-
FRESNO — State Sen. Jim Costa, a longtime politician who has served 23 years in the Legislature and cannot seek re-election because of term limits, said Tuesday he is leaving public office and will not run for Congress. -more-
MEMPHIS, Tenn.— Harvard molecular biologist Don Wiley was last seen leaving a banquet in Memphis just before midnight on Nov. 15. His rental car was found a few hours later, abandoned on a Mississippi River bridge with the keys in the ignition and the tank full of gas. -more-
NEW YORK — Most major airlines plan to maintain a fuel surcharge of $20 on each one-way ticket even though the price of jet fuel has dropped by half during the past year. -more-
The words came to Ann Travers as she watched her husband sleep that night: “He’s going to make an excellent father.” -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Chronicle announced plans Tuesday to cut 220 jobs, adding Northern California’s largest newspaper to the list of media companies jettisoning workers to offset steep advertising losses. -more-
MONTEBELLO — Once a week, Tim Moynahan makes a half-hour drive from the San Fernando Valley to a small dairy east of Los Angeles. -more-
SAN JOSE — A leading maker of diabetes monitors has agreed to pay $45 million to diabetics across the country to settle a class-action suit that alleged its products were dangerously defective. -more-
The City Council will consider a recommendation at its meeting tonight to monitor Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s cutting, chipping and shipping of eucalyptus trees that a local group says are contaminated with the radioactive material, tritium. -more-
Governor Davis’ cuts from the state budget for 2002 include $150 million gained by postponing the expansion of the Healthy Families health insurance program to cover low income parents as well as their children. -more-
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Tigers, by a long shot, are the most popular animals in the zoo. -more-
At tonight’s meeting, the council will examine its options in light of a successful petition drive to repeal the recently-approved council districts. -more-
OAKLAND — The body of a missing photographer for the San Jose Mercury News was found Sunday outside a cemetery, police said. -more-
SANTA BARBARA — Picture it: a flood roaring down from foothills above this scenic coastal town, carrying room-sized boulders hurtling at 50 mph. -more-
SAN DIEGO — Despite a brief decline after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Customs Service seized a record 244 tons of narcotics along the U.S.-Mexico border in California over the past year. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Coast Guard unveiled a new port security program Monday that trains reservists to board cruise ships and commercial vessels on the high seas in search of terrorists. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Beleaguered credit card issuer Providian Financial Corp. hired industry veteran Joseph Saunders as its new CEO Monday, ending a six-week search for a new leader to repair the company’s ailing loan portfolio and battered reputation. -more-
NEW YORK — Economists officially declare a recession exists, you might say, months after ordinary folks have sensed it coming, experienced it, and if able to, taken action to deal with it. -more-
SAN JOSE — Two former Cisco Systems Inc. accountants were sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison Monday for illegally transferring $7.9 million in Cisco stock to themselves. -more-
SAN JOSE — A resolution appears unlikely any time soon in the closely watched case of a Russian computer programmer charged with violating copyrights on Adobe Systems Inc. software. -more-
SALEM, Mass. — Once upon a time, there was money, and there were S&H Green Stamps. -more-
SEATTLE — Boeing Co. laid off 2,900 workers Monday as part of the company’s already announced plan to trim as many as 30,000 workers by the end of 2002. -more-
JALALABAD, Afghanistan — The bodies of four journalists were brought out of Afghanistan on Nov. 21, two days after the group was ambushed by gunmen on the road to Kabul. -more-
National Guard major general calls Berkeley his home -more-
St. Mary’s High senior Bridget Duffy captured her second straight CIF Division IV cross country state championship on Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno, running through a heavy rain to take the lead during the race’s second mile and winning with a time of 18:33. -more-
Prior to approving the Draft General Plan, the City Council will begin a fine tuning process Tuesday on some of the document’s housing, transportation and environmental management policies. -more-
Editor: -more-
Cardinal earn spot in NCAA -more-
John Boss said he heard the crack around 8:00 a.m. -more-
The University of California women’s volleyball team defeated Auburn, 3-0 (30-19, 30-21, 30-15), Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. -more-
OAKLAND – An Oakland airport terminal was evacuated Saturday after it was determined that passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight arriving from Seattle had passed through a broken metal detector. -more-
A psychologist from the University of California at Berkeley suggests that the best methods for waging the war against drugs are often overlooked, caught somewhere in the middle of the rhetoric of legalization and “zero-tolerance’’ plans. -more-
Angry airport security screeners at Oakland International Airport today rallied in protest of a clause in the new federal aviation security law that requires that the workers be U.S. citizens. -more-
Public transit extensions, solar power among issues -more-
SACRAMENTO – In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, Don Detrich is on a mission to keep airline travel a little safer. -more-
Accidents abound on highways as harsh weather makes travel difficult -more-
SACRAMENTO — The group that promoted California’s medical marijuana initiative in 1996 wants to set up a showdown with the federal government with a ballot measure that would set up a state-controlled network to distribute the drug to patients. -more-
Company says new equipment will use less power -more-
American flags, firefighters used to attract customers, encourage spending -more-
Toll roads are holding back freeway work -more-
SANTA ANA – A Nebraska man who travels around to gun shows trying to sell his how-to book on germ warfare was banned from an exhibit this weekend at the Orange County Fairgrounds. -more-
Protests come fast and furious from religious and political groups -more-
OXFORD, Conn. – Less than a day after investigators swabbed Immanuel Lutheran Church for any signs of anthrax, about 250 people gathered there Saturday to remember the 94-year-old woman who is the nation’s fifth anthrax victim. -more-
Those who have worked with Dr. Rebecca Wheat would have to say she embodies the title of her new book “The Spirited Principal.” Becky Wheat’s spirit is indomitable. -more-
The Vine Street Pumping Plant is a modest, unobtrusive building, set quietly back from the street. It was built in 1930 by the East Bay Municipal Water District (EBMUD) and is part of a larger story about water rights, the commerce of water, water monopolies, and finally, the creation of the publicly owned East Bay Municipal Utility District in 1923. -more-
Berkeley Rep opened a stylish and visually rich production of William Shakespeare’s dark sex comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” on Tuesday in the company’s new Roda Theater performance space on Addison Street. -more-
21 Grand Nov. 29: 9 p.m., Lemon Lime Lights, Hillside, Moe! Staiano, $6; Nov. 30: 9 p.m., Fred Frith, Damon Smith, Marco Eneidi, Sabu Toyozumi Ensemble, Phillip Greenlief, $10; Dec. 1: 9 p.m., Toychestra, Rosin Coven, Darling Freakhead, $6; All ages. 21 Grand Ave., Oakland. 444-7263 -more-
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — California avoided its first winless season since 1897 and gave outgoing coach Tom Holmoe a going-away present by beating Rutgers 20-10 on Friday. -more-
Shoppers from around the Bay Area made the traditional post-Thanksgiving pilgrimage to the region’s retail outlets on Friday, and more than a few of them chose Berkeley’s Fourth Street shopping district as their primary destination. -more-
Once upon a time, long before the San Francisco SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) had the resources it has today, it had a special small fund reserved for the most pathetic of cases. -more-
Recent rains have been a harsh reminder to local public transit users that 125 promised bus shelters are apparently bogged down in the city’s permitting process. It has been nearly a year since the city approved an agreement for their installation. -more-
DALLAS — Video-rental giant Blockbuster Inc. has canceled its annual awards show because it was uncertain how many viewers would watch in the post-Sept. 11 climate. -more-
The East Bay Sanctuary Covenant has been doing its good works for more than two decades – seeking asylum for refugees and planting trees in Haiti are among its projects. -more-
LONDON — Three people have been arrested on suspicion of cheating on the British version of the TV game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” -more-
MINEOLA, N.Y. — Pollio Italian Cheese Co. announced a recall of certain Polly-O ricotta cheese packages and some foodservice ricotta products because of potential contamination from Salmonella bacteria. -more-
LOS ANGELES — O.C. Smith, best known for singing a Grammy Award-winning rendition of “Little Green Apples, died Friday. He was 65. -more-
About 15 years ago, our company offices were located in a building that our grandfather built at the turn of the century. We first rented a small space in the rear and later, as our business grew, we moved to the front where we occupied several offices. -more-
Q. Olivia asks: What can I do to repair a small hole next to my hot water handle in my fiberglass shower? -more-
Here’s a great moneymaking scheme: advertise and sell a solar-powered shredder that is nonpolluting and low maintenance for the cost of a mere $75. This product would surely appeal to every gardener confronted this time of year with masses of old tomato and squash vines, corn stalks, and marigold plants needing to be reduced to a manageable size for composting. -more-
RENO, Nev. — Sierra ski resorts used a little snow and a lot of snowmaking to open a handful of runs in time for the holiday weekend as they anticipated the week’s second storm on Saturday. -more-
WASHINGTON — Unless someone really has to go, most drivers zip past interstate rest areas without a second thought. Why stop if there’s no gas, no burgers, no sweet icy drinks? -more-
ALTURAS, Calif. (AP) — All five people aboard a light plane owned by an East Wenatchee, Wash., aviation company were found dead Friday when the plane’s wreckage was located in the rugged Warner Mountain Range of northeast California. -more-
WOODBURN — An old woman in peasant clothes and a kerchief around her head stands in front of a Russian church that’s topped by gilded cupolas. The scene could be out of a century in the distant past — if it weren’t for a Ford pickup parked nearby and a TV antenna sprouting from a house. -more-
LOS ANGELES — From red, white and blue gift bags at one mall to New York firefighters lighting decorations on Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive, stores made patriotic pitches Friday to jump start what is expected to be a slow holiday shopping season. -more-
SACRAMENTO —They were abandoned buildings in a forlorn part of downtown Santa Ana. Now they’re lively monuments to a shakeup in state investment strategy. -more-
Get this car some coffee! -more-
Parents pitched in Wednesday to serve some 60 Emerson School first graders a Thanksgiving feast. -more-
Many of us will contribute turkeys, canned goods, gift certificates and volunteer time to help prevent hunger among low-income families this Thanksgiving holiday. To achieve an end to hunger for these same families in the weeks and months ahead, we propose a supplement to this traditional menu of charitable giving. In the spirit of strong families, healthy children, and successful communities this holiday season California Food Policy Advocates recommends that the public and state policy makers choose at least one option from the following menu of opportunities to reduce hunger. -more-
It’s a historical drama without period costumes. An underworld crime story with nary a gunfight. A car salesman’s tale without any car chases. It is a tight little civic mystery thriller that’s too polite to raise its voice. -more-
21 Grand Nov. 29: 9 p.m., Lemon Lime Lights, Hillside, Moe! Staiano, $6; Nov. 30: 9 p.m., Fred Frith, Damon Smith, Marco Eneidi, Sabu Toyozumi Ensemble, Phillip Greenlief, $10; Dec. 1: 9 p.m., Toychestra, Rosin Coven, Darling Freakhead, $6; All ages. 21 Grand Ave., Oakland. 444-7263 -more-
The Berkeley High girls’ volleyball team had their season rudely ended on Tuesday night, falling in straight games, 15-11, 15-9, 15-5, to the San Benito (Hollister) Haybalers in the first round of the CIF state tournament. -more-
Ann Fagan Ginger, executive director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute and former member of the city’s Peace and Justice Commission, issued an activist’s impassioned call to arms Tuesday night. -more-
The University of California women’s volleyball program has signed local product Alicia Powers and Texas’ Jenna Brown to a National Letters of Intent, it was announced Wednesday by Golden Bear head coach Rich Feller. -more-
Community outcry and concern from neighboring cities about diminished fire service, has caused the Oakland City Council to rethink tearing down Fire Station No. 8 in north Oakland while a new station is built. -more-
Cal overcame a woeful shooting performance from three-point range and held on to beat Santa Clara, 67-60, Tuesday night in Haas Pavilion. With the win, the Bears are now 3-0 for the first time since 1995. -more-
Edward Treuting sat inside Point Richmond’s Hidden City Cafe, dipping a homemade sausage patty into his over-easy eggs and talked about his vision for the Emeryville stretch of San Pablo Avenue. -more-
Councilmember Spring, you were so very quick to “condemn” the actions of the Untied States government after the terrorist attacks that murdered 5,000 innocent civilians during the normal conduct of their daily lives. -more-
A mid-day fire at 2721 Garber St. on Tuesday caused about $75,000 in property damage, according to Deputy Fire Chief Debra Pryor. -more-
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District Wednesday adopted amendments that would reduce the number of smog-forming particles that are emitted by industrial paints. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco schools chief Arlene Ackerman said she plans job cuts in response to findings that voter-approved school repair and modernization funds were misspent and mismanaged. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Pity the Thanksgiving turkey, selectively bred so fat for so long that simply walking can be a problem and sex is no longer possible. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Dungeness crab season should be in full swing along the California coast, but most fishermen’s boats are docked as they protest the prices they have been offered for their catches. -more-
The Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department announced today that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $12 million in grants to county programs that help the homeless. -more-
BERKELEY – Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley say they are working to patent a design for aircraft wings that could dramatically cut the strength of wake turbulence. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A six-month state probe of San Francisco’s November 2000 election has found “very unusual” ballot-counting discrepancies in a limited sample that could suggest a problem “large enough to affect the results of several contests,” Secretary of State Bill Jones said Wednesday. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Before computer whiz Steven E. Brenner accepted his tenure-track research post at the University of California-Berkeley last year, he demanded that the school’s intellectual property police leave him alone. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A judge denied a request to reduce bail for the man who kept two dogs that mauled a San Francisco woman to death, saying Wednesday he considers Robert Noel a flight risk based on alleged connections with the Aryan Brotherhood gang. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Security screeners at San Francisco International airport are unhappy about the new airport security law, and they’re thinking of walking off the job during the year’s busiest travel weekend. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal prosecutors considered Wednesday whether to appeal a federal judge’s ruling dismissing insider trading charges against a former chief executive of now-defunct Granny Goose Foods, Inc. -more-
SACRAMENTO — In a flash this fall, California’s power woes fizzled and a budget crunch took hold as the new crisis — and with that change came a new political challenge for Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Filming bans at four city-owned airports since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are causing entertainment industry job losses that some in Hollywood fear could lead to more runaway production. -more-
Turkeys, cranberry sauce and automatic weapons. -more-
LOS ANGELES — If it weren’t for the intervention of local sheriff’s deputies, Tim Moore figures Indian security officers would have kicked him out of his Colorado River home years ago. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Ralph Burns, who won Academy Awards, an Emmy and a Tony as a music arranger after making a name for himself in jazz as a piano player in the Woody Herman band, died Wednesday. He was 79. -more-
NEW YORK — A California company partly funded by the CIA has discontinued a free service that allowed Internet users to bypass Web censorship by governments and corporations. -more-
HELENA, Mont. — The Christmas tree harvest at the Hardy Plantation near Creston is over for the season, and Janet Hardy figures there won’t be many more. -more-
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Gas & Electric Co. can raise electricity rates to recoup the $2 million cost of upgrading lines to Mexico, federal regulators said Wednesday. -more-
RIALTO — Jealousy may have prompted two Siberian huskies to maul an infant girl to death in her bassinet, authorities speculated. -more-
Californians frequently spend more than 30 percent of their incomes for home mortgages or rent. The following is a look at Census Bureau estimates of California cities with a population over 250,000 people. The first column is the city; the second column is the percentage of city residents with a home mortgage who spend more than 30 percent of their take-home income on the mortgage; the third column is the percentage of renters in the city who pay more than 30 percent of their take-home income on rent. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Some of the nation’s biggest car rental companies are selling wrecked vehicles without making the proper disclosures, endangering the public and harming consumers, according to lawsuits filed in California in recent months. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A man who was believed to be unhappy with his seat assignment was taken into custody Wednesday for kicking an airliner’s emergency exit door during a flight from South Korea to Los Angeles, authorities said. -more-