Charles Ramsey may face an uphill battle for the 14th District Assembly seat — especially in Berkeley, where his opponent Loni Hancock (former Berkeley Mayor) is almost a household name. But no one would have guessed it from the turnout and enthusiasm at the Democratic candidate’s reception on Saturday morning. -more-

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Tuesday, Feb. 5

924 Gilman Feb. 8: Divit, Scissorhands, Rufio, Don’t Look Down, Fenway Park; Feb. 9: Pansy Division, Subincision, The Fadeaways; Feb. 10: Tragedy, Tragetelo, Born/Dead, 5 p.m.; Feb. 15: One Time Angels, Eleventeen, Audiocrush, Counterfit, Bikini Bumps; Feb. 16: Iron Vegan, Nigel Peppercock, Lost Goat, Iron Lung, Depressor; Feb. 22: Oppressed Logic, Deface, Edddie Haskells, Throat Oyster; Feb. 23: From Ashes Arise, Artimus Pyle, Brainoil, Down in Flames, Dystrophy, Scholastic Deth; All shows start a 8 p.m. unless noted; Most are $5; 924 Gilman St. 525-9926.

Two nearly identical resolutions supporting Claremont spa workers in their classic, labor/corporate battle will surface at tonight’s City Council meeting — one by Mayor Shirley Dean and the other by Councilmember Linda Maio. -more-

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The city’s cab drivers, as a result of the new Taxi Ordinance, which went into effect on Jan. 1, are now required to take a course in sensitivity at their own expense. -more-

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Wednesday night, the Board of Education will vote on a controversial shift in district policy that would reduce the number of students it allows into the school system from outside Berkeley on “inter-district permits.” -more-

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2002. There are 329 days left in the year. -more-

With energy issues back in the headlines again, the city’s Energy Office is busy answering questions about energy conservation measures, and helping Berkeley residents and businesses comply with energy conservation regulations. Some questions, however, are of a broader nature and illustrate people’s growing interest and concern for just what all our energy consumption is doing to the planet. -more-

Orange pedestrian flags are being stolen -more-

SAN JOSE — The results are in from the digital video recorder set: Britney Spears beat the men on the field in the Super Bowl instant replay department. -more-

SAN JOSE — Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday that first-quarter earnings will beat current Wall Street forecasts because consumer demand for its computers and printers has been better than expected. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Agreeing that California’s benefits for injured workers are woefully inadequate, the Senate voted Monday to raise those weekly payments by more than $300 over four years. -more-

The City Council will consider asking for a redesign of the new safety tower and a request from the Peace and Justice Commission to not comply with Attorney General John Ashcroft’s request to question individuals. -more-

They were asking the question of the hour, working the crowds on the corner of Shattuck Ave. and Center St. Saturday morning, Mike Dilauro and Anthony Redic made their appeal: “Can you spare some change?” -more-

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Monday, Feb. 4

Lady ’Jackets get an easy win over Reno -more-

Late-model Volvos and at least one limousine clogged up a tiny street in the Berkeley Hills Saturday afternoon, as former Mayor Loni Hancock, a Democratic candidate in the 14th District Assembly race, held her last Berkeley fundraiser before the March 15 primary. -more-

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Cal used a bruising inside game to battle Arizona State for a 67-59 victory at Haas Pavilion on Saturday night. -more-

Tutors at BHS student learning center go unpaid -more-

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Let’s see: Stanford beats Cal 79-52 on Wednesday. Cal heads into Saturday’s rematch with its archrival without its best player. The makings of a Cinderella story? Sorry, afraid not. -more-

On Feb. 4, 1789, electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. -more-

Steenburgen patronizes arts -more-

WASHINGTON — President Bush is sending Congress a $2.12 trillion spending plan Monday that seeks to recognize the “new realities” confronting the nation since Sept. 11. It proposes the biggest jump in defense spending in two decades and a record increase in money devoted to making Americans more secure at home. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Venture capitalists emerged from the dot-com debris to finance more fresh ideas late last year, helping to lift quarterly investments in startups for the first time since the Internet bubble burst, according to a study to be released Monday. -more-

WASHINGTON — Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay pulled out of this week’s scheduled congressional testimony on Sunday, with his lawyer saying that hearings have taken on a “prosecutorial” tone. -more-

Adobe to buy Accelio FOR $72M -more-

A key University of California academic committee recommended this week that the UC system drop the SAT as an admissions requirement, and develop a test more closely aligned with California’s high school curricula. -more-

The name Hearst is probably best known because of the fabulous estate at San Simeon, Hearst Castle, which is a state park. However, the name and family has an important relationship to Berkeley as well. Hearst Castle, which was designed by Julia Morgan, was built by William Randolf Hearst (1863-1951) the only son of George and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. -more-

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People have a lot of ways to change their lives when discontent settles upon them. They might get a new job or a new haircut, upgrade their Palm pilots or switch to chai latte. After sitting through a triptych of documentaries being presented at the Fine Arts Cinema as “Designs For Living” a viewer might be tempted to live off the power grid, or become a political anarchist, or grow potatoes on a communal farm in Russia. -more-

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Burns leads way with 25 points and 14 boards -more-

The latest round in the city’s redistricting battle came to a head on Friday, as five “citizens proposals” for new City Council districts were submitted for the council’s consideration. -more-

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Parris Vega scored a hat trick as the St. Mary’s Panthers claimed an easy 6-1 victory over St. Patrick on Friday. -more-

Diversify, whatever you do. That’s the quick lesson from Enron’s collapse. Company employees, whose 401K relied entirely upon the success of Enron earnings, lost everything when the stock suddenly crashed last fall. More than $1 billion disappeared from the company’s 401K. -more-

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Enter Paltrow, stage left -more-

The project we are about to detail is so simple you might decide to go into business for yourself. -more-

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Go ahead, make your truck’s bed a sandbox -more-

SACRAMENTO — California has opened a new front in the battle between automakers and environmental coalitions, becoming first in the nation to target auto emissions to combat global warming. -more-

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NEW YORK — Enron’s collapse added a smacking insult to the injury of the stock market’s decline over the last two years. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Amgen Inc., the world’s largest biotechnology firm, said Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its latest immunity-boosting drug for cancer patients, Neulasta. -more-

Last weeks’ murders of two Oakland residents in south Berkeley have left the residents of the area calling for the city to clean up what they say is a chronic problem with crime in their neighborhood. -more-

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David Miller, who was a clean cut, Irish-American, ex-college football player from Syracuse, N.Y., did not fit the 1960s-era American cultural stereotype of an anti-Vietnam War protester. But today, David Miller is known as the “first” person to burn his draft card, which the San Francisco resident did in New York City in 1965, in front of a large crowd. A photo of Miller’s card burning is still on display in the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. -more-

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Friday, Feb. 1

After playing tough for the first 30 minutes of the game, the Cal Bears went ice-cold with the game on the line Thursday night against Arizona to take their first home loss of the season, 68-58. -more-

During Tuesday night’s crime summit, the Berkeley Police Department gave its most complete account to date of the murders of Rammar Johnson and Noel Turner, Jr. -more-

Allegations made in Tuesday’s, 01/29/02 edition entitled “South Berkeley resident speaks out on Copwatch” contained several provocative opinions about the group that were unsubstantiated by the editorial staff of this newspaper. We continue to stand behind our resolve to provide this space as a vehicle for the first amendment and went to a reasonable length to try to trace down the truths in her allegations but were unsuccessful. At this time, we have no reason to believe that despite the allegations made in Tuesday’s letter that anyone involved in Copwatch has been picked up by the Berkeley Police Department for a heroin overdose. -more-

LOS ANGELES — MGM has a license to kill the title of the new “Austin Powers” sequel “Goldmember.” -more-

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California Secretary of State Bill Jones, Republican candidate for governor, attacked his rivals and touted a statewide voter registration drive during an appearance at UC Berkeley Wednesday. -more-

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LOS ANGELES — A background actor from last summer’s “Planet of the Apes” movie accused the filmmakers of harming him and hundreds of others with dust used in a climactic desert fight scene. -more-

The Jan. 18 death of Irma Augusta, the last of the “Freedom Home sisters,” gave birth to the idea of creating a historical district honoring a group of homes on Stanton Street, which served as a springboard for impoverished Southern African-Americans to start a new life. -more-

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LOS ANGELES — “Bloody Sunday,” a dramatization of the police massacre of 13 Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland in 1972, has been acquired by Paramount Classics. -more-

Students ‘won’t eat if it smells like feet’ -more-

Citing a “primary” African-American female anchor at a local television station as evidence of newsroom diversity, a KPIX company attorney Thursday dismissed as baseless a racial discrimination lawsuit filed Monday by three employees. -more-

The 7,000-pound Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite, built and operated by UC Berkeley, fell from orbit Wednesday night and scattered debris across portions of Egypt and the Persian Gulf. -more-

SAN DIEGO — The energetic 60-year-old woman with cropped white hair and seagreen eyes wouldn’t fit the usual profile of a drug pusher. But inside her cozy condominium, there’s trouble cooking. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Billboards designed to restore the image of Islam are going up along Southern California roads and freeways. -more-

Mike Gettler knows a thing or two about tomatoes. -more-

Native plants, though unpopular, rarely get shocked by changes in the weather -more-

LOS ANGELES — “South Park” leads the pack of basic cable shows bringing a new level of raunchiness and violence to television, according to a watchdog group’s new study. -more-

PALM SPRINGS — Along an unremarkable stretch of desert on the outskirts of town, just off a road named for singing cowboy Gene Autry and tucked amid heaps of garbage raked by winds strong enough to polish granite, Jim Cornett thinks he’s found the world’s oldest living thing. -more-

LAS VEGAS — The largest operator of Las Vegas Strip hotel-casinos reported Thursday that fourth-quarter earnings dropped 65 percent. -more-

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European regulators on Thursday cleared the $23.7 billion merger of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp., saying the planned marriage of rival U.S. computer makers does not raise competition concerns in Europe. -more-

PHOENIX — America West Airlines posted a wider loss for the fourth quarter, reflecting the continued impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on air travel, the company reported Thursday. -more-

RIVERSIDE — Bill Jones stands at a podium on the stoop of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, outlining his economic platform. -more-

NAME: Bill Jones -more-

Gov. Gray Davis officially launched construction of the new eastern span of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Bridge Tuesday, saying the project's primary goal was safety, and its secondary goal was to relieve congestion. -more-

Even before the start of Wednesday’s boys’ basketball game between St. Mary’s and Albany, it was pretty obvious that the Panthers weren’t taking their closest geographical BSAL opponent very seriously. After all, St. Mary’s head coach Jose Caraballo didn’t even bother to show up, choosing instead to scout his team’s next opponent, Salesian. -more-

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Thursday, Jan. 31

A fledgling political movement that is aiming to shake up Berkeley city politics held its third meeting at the Shattuck Hotel Tuesday night. -more-

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The Berkeley High Lady Yellowjackets basketball team steamrolled the visiting Richmond Oilers Wednesday night, 82-15. -more-

The Berkeley Police Department presented the City Council with a crime status report Tuesday, which showed the city’s crime rates are at a 30-year low, despite three recent homicides and a general perception of higher crime. -more-

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The trial of Lazarus Ortega, the 21-year-old man who stands accused of killing his adoptive mother, was again delayed on Wednesday. -more-

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Women decieved by the church awarded by jury -more-

OAKLAND – Thousands of Bay Area commuters now have a new card to carry in their wallets or purses – the TransLink universal transit-fare card. On Friday, Feb.1, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and a half-dozen transit operators will kick off Phase One of a six-month pilot program of the TransLink electronic fare payment system. -more-

The Bay Area housing market, in decline for months, will not rebound until late 2002 or 2003, according to a new study conducted by UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Widening concerns about shoddy accounting practices are casting a spotlight on the gray areas that allow companies to keep debt off their books and dress up their earnings for the stock market. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A Global Crossing vice president questioned his superiors about aggressive accounting practices less than six months before the telecommunications provider filed for bankruptcy, the company confirmed Wednesday. -more-

Former President Bill Clinton urged the United States to invest in health care, education and economic development in the Third World as an antidote to terrorism during his speech before a packed house of 2,000 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall Tuesday afternoon. -more-

Kamani Hill scored his sixth hat trick of league play as the Berkeley High boys’ soccer team beat a game De Anza squad, 5-0, on Tuesday in Berkeley. -more-

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Wednesday, Jan. 30

Half a block of the south side of University Avenue, between Milvia Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, was evacuated Tuesday following a bomb scare at the California Department of Corrections office. -more-

Thanks to their “competitive anomaly” status, the Berkeley High girls’ basketball team will face each of their ACCAL opponents only once this season. But for the De Anza Dons, one game against the Lady ’Jackets was more than enough. -more-

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Four Claremont Resort & Spa workers, who are currently involved in union contract negotiations, were indefinitely suspended Monday for apparently handing out union leaflets at the entrance way of the exclusive hotel. -more-

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You can decide M&M’s new color -more-

BOSTON — Jack Welch, the former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., has donated $1 million for scholarships to help students at his alma mater. -more-

OAKLAND — The most recent economic forecast for the Bay Area from the Association of Bay Area Governments suggests reasons for the region to be somewhat optimistic about an economic recovery. -more-

Methadone stolen from addiction treatment center deliveryman -more-

SAN QUENTIN— Stephen Wayne Anderson, described by his defenders as the poet laureate of the condemned and by prosecutors as a stone-cold killer, was executed early Tuesday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Electricity deregulation could be “dead in the water” for a few years due to bad publicity from Enron’s bankruptcy, an energy market researcher said Tuesday. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The newly combined ChevronTexaco Corp. stumbled to a fourth-quarter loss of $2.5 billion as the company paid for the aftershocks of its merger and revised its outlook in the depressed energy market. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Hilton Hotels Corp. said Tuesday that profit fell 93.5 percent during the fourth quarter from a year earlier, citing a severe slowdown in travel after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. -more-

The groundhog’s shadow -more-

Pizza delivery -more-