About now is when many gardeners go through their annual ritual of overseeding their lawns, often sprinkling grass seed right on top of snow. The snow does make it easier to see the seed, so you can spread it more evenly. And snow provides moisture. -more-

Now, when enthusiasm for any gardening activity is high, is a good time to approach the problem of weeds. Most gardeners begin their annual attack by turning the soil with a rototiller or garden fork. But think back to last summer: didn’t weeds still eventually get the upper hand, drowning out beets and zinnias in a sea of green? -more-

What the cars say about the man -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The state is increasing efforts to get companies with 50 or more employees to comply with a little-known 1992 law that says if the company pays for parking it must also offer cash to those employees who opt not to drive to work. -more-

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers may issue subpoenas in an effort to force Enron Corp. to disclose the names of investors in its numerous partnerships, a senator involved in Congress’ investigation said Friday. -more-

PALO ALTO — Shares of Hewlett-Packard Co. dropped nearly 2 percent Friday after an internal memo surfaced saying revenue and profit in the company’s services division were “well below plan.” -more-

District budget deficit revised to $5.4 million -more-

Editor: -more-

Berkeley’s adventurous Shotgun Players were scheduled to open their season Saturday in the new 99-seat Allston Street Theater in the Gaia building in downtown Berkeley. -more-

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New scoring system has coaches wondering who they’re running against at league’s first meet -more-

Little leaguers in uniform, soccer dads, windsurfers, dog-lovers and conservationists crowded into the Florence Schwimley Little Theatre Thursday night to tell the planning team for the proposed Eastshore State Park how they want the 1,800 acres to be used. -more-

Editor: -more-

Cal freshman Jamal Sampson announced today that he is declaring himself eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward from Inglewood, Sampson averaged 6.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while blocking 54 shots for the Bears during the 2001-02 season. -more-

Julia Butterfly Hill, who gained international attention with her two-year tree-sit in an ancient redwood in Northern California, gets Katherine Yoshii’s signature for a Heritage Tree Preservation Ballot Initiative outside the Berkeley Bowl Thursday. The initiative, organized by Citizens Campaign for Old Growth and the Sierra Club Bay Chapter, aims to protect trees older than the state of California. -more-

Editor: -more-

LOS ANGELES — Halle Berry hopes this year’s three Academy Award nominations for black actors will be a source of optimism for minorities. Denzel Washington just figures academy voters went for the actors they felt turned in the best performances. -more-

El Cerrito aiming at third straight title -more-

Friday, March 22, is the 81st day of 2002. There are 284 days left in the year. -more-

Two men were repeatedly stabbed by a robber on Acton Street in South Berkeley Monday at around 11:30 p.m., according to the Berkeley Police Department. Both victims are in stable condition at home and at Highland Hospital. -more-

SACRAMENTO — By an overwhelming margin, the state Assembly Thursday approved placing $25.3 billion worth of education bonds before voters this November and in 2004, sending the issue to the state Senate. -more-

SACRAMENTO — With the SAT 9, the High School Exit Exam, Golden State Exams, SAT I and SAT II, California students face too long of a required list of standardized tests, a group of students told the California Teacher’s Association and legislators on Thursday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Five people whose bodies were pulled from a reservoir near Sacramento were Los Angeles area residents who were abducted, blackmailed and killed by Russian mobsters, the U.S. attorney said Thursday. -more-

STOCKTON — Prosecutors charged a Sacramento student with first-degree murder Thursday for her alleged role in helping a woman poison her husband. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Jurors who convicted a San Francisco couple in the dog mauling death of a neighbor said Thursday they did not believe chief defendant Marjorie Knoller and were surprised that she took the witness stand at all. -more-

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel are scheduled to be sentenced May 10 in San Francisco for their convictions in the January 2001 death of Diane Whipple. After the verdicts, the state Supreme Court, acting through the state Bar of California, suspended Knoller and Noel from practicing law. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — All was quiet in front of Diane Whipple’s apartment house Thursday — no flowers, no cards, just a handwritten note taped near the front entrance. -more-

For all the homeowners for whom yearly deck upkeep is a fate worse than taking out the trash, note that composite deck materials are here, and here to stay, according to a deck pro at Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Two friends who bought lottery tickets at a downtown smoke shop came forward Thursday to claim one-third of Wednesday’s $87 million California Lottery jackpot. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Embattled credit card issuer Providian Financial Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by shareholders alleging the company inflated its profits by gouging its customers in the late 1990s. -more-

WASHINGTON — Officials of the bankrupt fiber optics giant Global Crossing denied Thursday that deceptive accounting practices were part of their company’s financial collapse. “Global Crossing is no Enron,” they told skeptical lawmakers. -more-

District budget deficit revised to $5.4 million -more-

Editor: -more-

Berkeley’s adventurous Shotgun Players were scheduled to open their season Saturday in the new 99-seat Allston Street Theater in the Gaia building in downtown Berkeley. -more-

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New scoring system has coaches wondering who they’re running against at league’s first meet -more-

Little leaguers in uniform, soccer dads, windsurfers, dog-lovers and conservationists crowded into the Florence Schwimley Little Theatre Thursday night to tell the planning team for the proposed Eastshore State Park how they want the 1,800 acres to be used. -more-

Editor: -more-

LOS ANGELES — The wrinkly, crinkly munchkin from outer space is coming back to Earth, his fairy-tale journey a bit longer and more benign than when he first landed in theaters 20 years ago. -more-

Cal freshman Jamal Sampson announced today that he is declaring himself eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward from Inglewood, Sampson averaged 6.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while blocking 54 shots for the Bears during the 2001-02 season. -more-

El Cerrito aiming at third straight title -more-

Julia Butterfly Hill, who gained international attention with her two-year tree-sit in an ancient redwood in Northern California, gets Katherine Yoshii’s signature for a Heritage Tree Preservation Ballot Initiative outside the Berkeley Bowl Thursday. The initiative, organized by Citizens Campaign for Old Growth and the Sierra Club Bay Chapter, aims to protect trees older than the state of California. -more-

Editor: -more-

LOS ANGELES — Halle Berry hopes this year’s three Academy Award nominations for black actors will be a source of optimism for minorities. Denzel Washington just figures academy voters went for the actors they felt turned in the best performances. -more-

Friday, March 22, is the 81st day of 2002. There are 284 days left in the year. -more-

Two men were repeatedly stabbed by a robber on Acton Street in South Berkeley Monday at around 11:30 p.m., according to the Berkeley Police Department. Both victims are in stable condition at home and at Highland Hospital. -more-

SACRAMENTO — By an overwhelming margin, the state Assembly Thursday approved placing $25.3 billion worth of education bonds before voters this November and in 2004, sending the issue to the state Senate. -more-

SACRAMENTO — With the SAT 9, the High School Exit Exam, Golden State Exams, SAT I and SAT II, California students face too long of a required list of standardized tests, a group of students told the California Teacher’s Association and legislators on Thursday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Five people whose bodies were pulled from a reservoir near Sacramento were Los Angeles area residents who were abducted, blackmailed and killed by Russian mobsters, the U.S. attorney said Thursday. -more-

STOCKTON — Prosecutors charged a Sacramento student with first-degree murder Thursday for her alleged role in helping a woman poison her husband. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Jurors who convicted a San Francisco couple in the dog mauling death of a neighbor said Thursday they did not believe chief defendant Marjorie Knoller and were surprised that she took the witness stand at all. -more-

Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel are scheduled to be sentenced May 10 in San Francisco for their convictions in the January 2001 death of Diane Whipple. After the verdicts, the state Supreme Court, acting through the state Bar of California, suspended Knoller and Noel from practicing law. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — All was quiet in front of Diane Whipple’s apartment house Thursday — no flowers, no cards, just a handwritten note taped near the front entrance. -more-

For all the homeowners for whom yearly deck upkeep is a fate worse than taking out the trash, note that composite deck materials are here, and here to stay, according to a deck pro at Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Two friends who bought lottery tickets at a downtown smoke shop came forward Thursday to claim one-third of Wednesday’s $87 million California Lottery jackpot. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Embattled credit card issuer Providian Financial Corp. has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by shareholders alleging the company inflated its profits by gouging its customers in the late 1990s. -more-

WASHINGTON — Officials of the bankrupt fiber optics giant Global Crossing denied Thursday that deceptive accounting practices were part of their company’s financial collapse. “Global Crossing is no Enron,” they told skeptical lawmakers. -more-

It’s been a struggle, but they’re finding peace. -more-

After winning their first four games by scores like 17-1 and 15-0, the Berkeley High boys’ lacrosse team may have felt invincible until Tuesday. But a tough game with University High (San Francisco) that ended in a last-minute loss may have brought the Yellowjackets back to earth. -more-

Editor: -more-

Wednesday, Mar. 20

At a meeting in which residents were unclear about what they could talk about, whether city officials could respond to their letters and how they could add items to the agenda, Tuesday night’s City Council meeting was all about fair process. -more-

Editor: -more-

Wednesday, March 20 is the 79th day of 2002. There are 286 days left in the year. Spring arrives in the northern hemisphere at 2:16 p.m. Eastern time. -more-

Editor: -more-

Brooklyn on a diet -more-

One of the defining moments for Wanusa Pereira Dos Santos was when a heavily armed police force rushed a settlement of 300 families, chased them up a hill and then set fire to their homes. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The dog-mauling trial that began with a defense attorney crawling on the courtroom floor during her opening statement neared its end with a judge threatening to lock her up if she didn’t sit down and keep quiet. -more-

MONTERREY, Mexico — Days after the United States promised a 50 percent increase in foreign aid, the Bush administration is coming under fire for not doing enough — and not doing it right. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A bound, strangled body pulled from a Sierra foothill lake last fall was identified Tuesday as that of a Los Angeles-area real estate developer. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — For decades, the Musee Mecanique, a beloved collection of mechanical games once played in saloons, carnivals and boardwalk arcades, has been one of the most authentic and bizarre tourist attractions on the West Coast. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A woman suspected of animal cruelty for hoarding cats in Petaluma is now under scrutiny in Sausalito, where police are investigating a batch of 50 felines living in squalid conditions. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The federal government fined an Oakland metal finishing company $385,000 and sentenced the owner to six months house arrest Tuesday for diverting wastewater directly into the sewer. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Authorities shut down two BART stations and stopped all trains into and out of the city for about an hour Tuesday after white powder was found in one of the cars. -more-

CUPERTINO — Hewlett-Packard Co. chief Carly Fiorina claimed victory Tuesday in the nasty proxy fight over the $20 billion purchase of Compaq Computer Corp., saying shareholders narrowly approved what would be the computer industry’s biggest merger. -more-

SALT LAKE CITY — Software company Siebel Systems will expand its business in Utah by building a data center and hiring about 600 employees by 2005, the company said Tuesday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Senators criticized Department of Health Services officials Tuesday for their recent regulation that allows the dumping of radioactive debris in regular landfills. -more-

Peace should not be a pie in the sky, but a goal to strive for, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who spoke at UC Berkeley Monday. -more-

A track meet is a circus it can be hard to find someone if you happen to be looking. And it doesn’t get any easier when all four teams at the meet (St. Mary’s is hosting Kennedy, Holy Names, and Albany on this particular spring afternoon) conspire to wear the same color. (Crimson, scarlet, cardinal? Right - red.) -more-

Editor: -more-

Tuesday, March 19

About 100 Berkeley High School students conducted anti-violence workshops on campus Monday, kicking off a pupil-led effort to stem the violence at BHS. -more-

Editor: -more-

Superintendent Michele Lawrence will recommend that the Board of Education close City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School next year at the board’s Wednesday night meeting. -more-

Editor: -more-

Carol Russo, conciliation specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice, has held a series of meetings with city and school officials in recent weeks focused on violence at Berkeley High School, according to a spokesperson in Mayor Shirley Dean’s office. -more-

Editor: -more-

March 19 is the 78th day of 2002. There are 287 days left in the year. This is the date the swallows traditionally return to the San Juan Capistrano Mission in California. -more-

Berkeley could soon join cities like San Francisco that regularly set aside a car-free area, if a project presented last week to the city’s Transportation Commission is given the green light. -more-

OSAKA, Japan — Berkeley activists have no idea. Sure, we realize our efforts at building a more just, barrier-free, environmentally sound community have made a difference in the lives of people living in our town. We may even realize that some other U.S. communities have adopted a few of our better ideas. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Against a backdrop of bloody autopsy pictures, a prosecutor implored jurors Monday to convict two San Francisco dog owners in the mauling death of a neighbor, calling the animals “time bombs.” -more-

DALY CITY — A woman and her two young sons died Monday when they were overcome by thick smoke while trying to escape an apartment fire, officials said. -more-

SAN JOSE — Hoping to gain a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing Internet markets, online auctioneer eBay Inc. has bought a 33 percent stake in Chinese auction site EachNet. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Bank of America offered more apologies than explanations Monday for a computer failure that temporarily blocked electronic deposits to customers in California, Nevada and Arizona during the weekend. -more-

CUPERTINO — The five-month fight over the computer industry’s biggest merger neared its conclusion Monday with Hewlett-Packard Co., Compaq Computer Corp. and dissident HP director Walter Hewlett making last-minute bids for investor support. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Environmentalists are suing the federal government to have it re-protect the habitat of a songbird found in the Southwest that has been reduced to about 500 pairs. -more-

BERKELEY — Those outspoken Berkeley residents are at it again. The problem this time? Nasty used coffee-cup sleeves. -more-

BERKELEY — Those outspoken Berkeley residents are at it again. The problem this time? Nasty used coffee-cup sleeves. -more-

OAKLAND — The city and port have hired a private security guard to block Caltrans contractors from the planned staging site for the first section of the long-awaited new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. -more-

One hot dog, but I won’t hold anything -more-