LOS ANGELES — The Enron debacle is increasingly center stage in the race for California governor, with the candidates accusing each other of ties to the bankrupt company while distancing themselves from the mess. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court nullified part of California’s three strikes law Thursday, ruling it is cruel and unusual punishment to sentence people to life in prison for shoplifting. -more-

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Wall framing -more-

Yew finds its way into fine cabinetry, and Robin Hood allegedly used a branch of yew to make his longbow. -more-

KARACHI, Pakistan — Police have recovered e-mails linked to the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl from the computer hard drive of a suspect in the case, officials said Thursday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — More than 100 prospective jurors were chosen Thursday for the trial of a San Francisco couple accused in a fatal mauling of a neighbor involving their two large dogs. -more-

SAN JOSE — The colossal slump in the fiber-optic network market — highlighted by the bankruptcy filing of Global Crossing Ltd. and other carriers’ woes — would seem all about too much supply for too little demand. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Online search engine provider Ask Jeeves Inc. reported a narrower fourth-quarter loss than expected Thursday but warned of a wider loss in the current quarter. -more-

Neighbors of an abandoned home in the Berkeley Hills scored a major victory on Friday, as a small-claims judge awarded them around $31,000 for “pain and suffering” resulting from the owner’s failure to clean up the property. -more-

Jeff Tedford wanted athleticism and speed and got both in his first recruiting class as Cal’s head football coach. -more-

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A group of local politicians were gridlocked Wednesday in talks with UC Berkeley officials about what is being called a traffic “crisis” at the university. -more-

Two St. Mary’s High football players signed letters of intent to play football in college this fall. Running back Trestin George signed with San Jose State after considering schools including Washington and USC, and wide receiver Courtney Brown signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Brown may also run track for the Mustangs. -more-

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A group of local politicians were gridlocked Wednesday in talks with UC Berkeley officials about what is being called a traffic “crisis” at the university. -more-

The young Cal pitching staff went through some serious growing pains on Wednesday as the Bears used four hurlers, including three freshmen, during a seven-run sixth inning by San Jose State that handed the Bears a 10-6 loss in their home opener. -more-

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Today is Thursday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2002. There are 327 days left in the year. -more-

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A NASA satellite designed and built by scientists at UC Berkeley was placed into orbit Tuesday to study how solar flares are produced in the Sun's atmosphere. -more-

The City Council took a series of votes Tuesday related to the on-site disposal of approximately five liters of radioactive mixed waste at the recently closed National Tritium Labeling Facility. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Enron stood up a panel of state senators Wednesday who had subpoenaed the energy giant to testify about destruction of documents, and now could face contempt charges by the California Senate. -more-

Oakland accepts foreign ID cards legally -more-

SAN DIEGO — Three months ago, Teresa Montemayor became one of thousands of workers in the tourism industry to lose her job. Soon, she faced losing her home. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Restaurant owners around Northern California are taking Chilean sea bass off their menus as part of an effort to save the fish from overfishing and eventual extinction. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Former President Ronald Reagan, the longest-living U.S. president, turned 91 Wednesday with a low-key celebration that included his favorite chocolate cake at his Bel-Air home. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Southern Californians want to look good, spending more on clothes and cars than the rest of the country but less on cigarettes and alcohol, according to a national survey. -more-

SAN JOSE — San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales called for a crackdown on litter and touted a new initiative to improve child care in his annual state of the city address Wednesday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The battle over conditions at Nike Inc.’s overseas factories moved to the California Supreme Court on Wednesday, with the justices considering a lawsuit accusing the apparel maker of a consumer whitewash violating California’s false advertising laws. -more-

SAN JOSE — Cisco Systems Inc. reported higher-than-expected profits and sales Wednesday for its fiscal second quarter, suggesting the networking giant may be slowly recovering from the economic downturn. -more-

Surrounded by a handful of friends, singer/songwriter Melissa Crabtree launched the Bio-diesel Van Tour at the Berkeley Recycling Center Tuesday afternoon. -more-

After last Friday night’s huge win over Pinole Valley, one could have expected the Berkeley High boys’ basketball team to have a bit of a letdown against Alameda on Tuesday, and it happened. But the ’Jackets managed to slog through a lackluster effort to get the win anyway, 68-57. -more-

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Wednesday, Feb. 6

Music

After committing a blunder that left about 4,500 Berkeley residents uncounted in the last census, the U.S. Census Bureau issued another set of numbers Friday, which city officials say adds up to more of the same thing. -more-

Maura Fitzgerald scored her second hat trick in a week as the Berkeley Yellowjackets romped over Pinole Valley, 7-0, on Tuesday in Berkeley. -more-

Viewpoint: The Choice of Harrison -more-

A $6 billion dollar statewide effort to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade may not be having any effect on student achievement, according to a report issued Monday by the Class Size Reduction Research Consortium. -more-

The city’s inclusionary housing policy requiring developers to set aside new apartment units for low-income tenants is safe – for the time being. -more-

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2002. There are 328 days left in the year. -more-

Anyone registered to vote in Alameda County can now drop into the City Clerk Department and cast an early ballot for the March 5 election. . -more-

Police responded to reports of a shooting in the 3000 block of Tremont Street Tuesday at about 11:45 a.m. A resident had been shot in the thigh by an aquaintance who had left the scene. -more-

OAKLAND — A couple accused of sexually assaulting and killing a college student in their morbid minivan full of torture devices modeled their crime after another murderous couple, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday in opening statements. -more-

WASHINGTON — California Rep. Nancy Pelosi chose to talk to abortion rights advocates in her first public speech as the new No. 2 House Democrat. -more-

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh on 10 charges Tuesday, alleging he was trained by Osama bin Laden’s network and then conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans. -more-

Man beat up by three robbers on Channing -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal authorities on Tuesday accused two former Critical Path Inc. executives of fabricating sales in 2000, an accounting scandal that nearly ruined the once high-flying e-mail provider. -more-

SAN JOSE— Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. will ask shareholders to approve their historic and controversial $23 billion merger on consecutive days next month. -more-

LAS VEGAS — Despite the national recession and a local unemployment rate hovering about 6 percent, Las Vegas continues to experience a retail boom. -more-

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-

The Berkeley Police Department is offering a $30,000 reward to anyone who can help solve a Jan. 22 South Berkeley double murder. -more-

The Berkeley Police Department announced Wednesday it has solved a months-old Berkeley rape case, with help from the California Department of Justice’s criminal DNA database. -more-

Kitty come home! -more-

The groundhog’s shadow -more-

Pizza delivery -more-