The Week
News
History
On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France. -more-
Clayton Valley ends ’Jackets’ NCS run
A boatload of errors and a hot Clayton Valley High pitching staff ended the Berkeley Yellowjackets’ season on Wednesday in Concord, as the Eagles scored seven runs in the final two innings to blow open a close game for a 10-1 win in a North Coast Section 3A East Bay semifinal game. -more-
Concerns raised over future of independent study program
Teachers and administrators in the Berkeley Unified School District’s Independent Study program are concerned about proposals to alter its administration and reduce its classroom space, but Superintendent Michele Lawrence says the issues are still unsettled. -more-
BHS principal search delayed
The pool of applicants for the position of principal at Berkeley High School is not strong enough to warrant moving forward with the interview process, according to a selection committee composed of staff and community members. -more-
Pink Man returns to Berkeley in multimedia show
If you’ve lived in the Bay Area for even a short time, you’ve probably encountered Pink Man. He’s hard to miss, wearing a unitard the color of Pepto-Bismol and careening through the streets on a unicycle. Sometimes he sports a fluttering cape, or flaps his arms like a giant bird. -more-
Drugs dominate police review commission forum
Fundraiser teases Brainwash Film Fest
In a place with more than its share of film buffs, aspiring amateurs and famous directors, the Bay Area seems to never tire of film festivals. -more-
Feds join hands with state officials to purchase salt ponds
FREMONT — State and federal officials have joined philanthropic groups in pledging $100 million to buy 16,500 acres of salt ponds ringing San Francisco Bay, launching the largest wetlands restoration project on the West Coast. -more-
Davis professors conduct two-day walkout
DAVIS — A two-day walkout by lecturers shut down some classes Wednesday at the University of California’s Davis campus. -more-
Assembly approves bill to ban Ward Valley from nuclear waste site list
SACRAMENTO — The Assembly approved a bill Wednesday night that could lead to a new low-level nuclear waste site in California. -more-
Video games rely on appeal of movies, sequels
LOS ANGELES – Sequels and movie adaptations — that’s what the coming year promises from the video game industry. -more-
Nortel to cut 3,500 jobs, may sell optical-parts unit
NEW YORK – Telephone-equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp. said Wednesday it will cut another 3,500 jobs, more than expected, and may sell its optical-components business as it revamps its operations to save money. -more-
Openwave agrees to acquire SignalSoft Corp.
REDWOOD CITY – Communications infrastructure software company Openwave Systems Inc. has agreed to acquire SignalSoft Corp. for about $59 million, or $2.26 a share. -more-
Rescue crews battling helplessness and fatigue return to river to recover bodies in Oklahoma
By Jennifer L. Brown -more-
Pakistan must stop militants to avoid war, Indian officials say
NEW DELHI, India — If Pakistan wants peace, it must act urgently to stop Islamic militants from infiltrating Indian territory to carry out terror attacks in the dispute over Kashmir, India’s foreign minister said Wednesday. -more-
Enron exec did not give nod to destroy documents
HOUSTON — Two Arthur Andersen accountants testified Wednesday that they didn’t consider an instruction to comply with the firm’s document policy as an order to shred Enron-related paperwork. -more-
DEA raids Santa Rosa medical marijuana club
SANTA ROSA — Federal agents raided a medical marijuana buyers club here Wednesday and arrested two people. -more-
Another Davis aide resigns during contracts controversy
SACRAMENTO – Another aide to Gov. Gray Davis resigned Wednesday as the administration continued its efforts to put to rest a continuing controversy surrounding a potentially costly computer contract. -more-
L.A. Veterans Chapel dedicated to 99-year-old comedian Bob Hope
LOS ANGELES – When Bob Hope was named an “honorary veteran” in 1997 by an act of Congress and President Clinton’s signature, the comedian remarked: “To be numbered among the men and women I admire most is the greatest honor I have ever received.” -more-
UC Berkeley employee accused of embezzling
UC Berkeley police have arrested an employee and an off-campus accomplice for allegedly stealing $250,000 in BART tickets from a university transportation office and reselling them on the street. -more-
Light needed for crossing Shattuck between Ashby and Alcatraz
To the Editor: -more-
’Jackets facing another ace in North Coast semifinal
The Berkeley High baseball team has faced a lot of challenges this season, and so far the Yellowjackets have passed each with flying colors. They beat top-ranked California High and its ace, Adam Brisentine. They dealt Pinole Valley’s Kurt Koehler his first loss in three seasons. They won the ACCAL title and beat Antioch and De La Salle to reach the North Coast Section semifinals. -more-
Embattled housing project approved
In a neighborhood battle that pitted the small-town values of south Berkeley against the city’s needs for affordable housing, city leaders carried the housing developers to victory. -more-
City needs zero tolerance on traffic issues
To the Editor: -more-
Baker, Jackson make All Pac-10
WALNUT CREEK – The Cal baseball team had two players, junior catcher John Baker and sophomore first baseman Conor Jackson, selected to the 2002 All-Pac-10 Baseball Team, Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen announced Tuesday. -more-
Berkeley Police Chief to retire
Berkeley Police Chief Dash Butler has endured a lot in his 31 years of service to the community— riots, numerous protests, a growing department and community and a prolific citizenry. As of July 13, Butler will retire, and the community must learn to endure without him. -more-
Hanging corpse found in Claremont Canyon
An early morning hiker in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve was shaken Tuesday when he stumbled upon a human body hanging lifeless from the branch of a tree, according to East Bay Regional Park officials. -more-
Center for developmentally disabled celebrates 30 years
Amy Chun, who has Down syndrome, often feels isolated at Albany Middle School. -more-
Jury nears Earth First! verdict
OAKLAND — Jurors may have reached a partial verdict in the federal case against police and FBI agents accused of framing two Earth First! activists. -more-
Father of teen accused of killing four in Isla Vista testifies
SANTA BARBARA — The father of a former college student on trial for running down four people with his car testified Tuesday that he couldn’t accept repeated diagnoses that his son was mentally ill. -more-
CBS Television City employees evacuated after gunman enters complex
LOS ANGELES — Employees at the CBS television complex were safely evacuated Tuesday as police negotiated with a gunman threatening suicide. -more-
Riders jury selection begins
OAKLAND — Defense attorneys and Alameda County prosecutors today are scheduled to begin their search for a jury that will sit in what is believed to be the largest case of alleged criminal police misconduct in Oakland's history. -more-
SF considers $3.6 billion to fix area water system
xSAN FRANCISCO — City utility officials approved a proposal Tuesday that could put a $3.6 billion bond measure to upgrade the aging Hetch Hetchy water system on the November ballot. -more-
Assembly votes to force schools to reduce backpack weight
SACRAMENTO — Concerned that students who lug heavy backpacks will develop spinal problems, the state Assembly approved a bill Tuesday that would force school boards to figure out ways to reduce excess backpack weight. -more-
Lawmakers to fill $1 billion budget gap
SACRAMENTO — A preliminary budget plan that restores some health care cuts proposed by Gov. Gray Davis but still leaves lawmakers the chore of filling a $1 billion gap stalled at least briefly Tuesday in the Senate. -more-
Panel chairman unhappy with Davis’ reply
SACRAMENTO — Despite its claims of full compliance, the governor’s office apparently didn’t completely respond to a request for information from a committee investigating a potentially costly state contract, the panel’s chairman said Tuesday. -more-
Existing home sales, prices hit new records
LOS ANGELES — Existing single family homes sold at a sizzling pace and at record prices in April, according to the California Association of Realtors. -more-
Andersen exec defends Andersen lawyer maligned by prosecutors
HOUSTON – After prosecutors spent three weeks quizzing a witness list packed with Arthur Andersen LLP employees as the government tried to prove obstruction of justice against the accounting firm, the defense has fired back with one of its own. -more-
Excite@Home to auction off its remains
SAN FRANCISCO — Bankrupt Excite@Home will auction off the last pieces of its defunct high-speed Internet access service Wednesday, putting the finishing touches on a fire sale that has extracted about $60 million from a business valued at $28 billion three years ago. -more-
Chandra Levy’s death a homicide, but little evidence exists
WASHINGTON — Someone killed Chandra Levy, but there’s too little evidence to say how or who might have left her body on a rugged park hillside a year ago, Washington’s medical examiner said Tuesday. -more-
Texas inmate executed by injection for murder he committed at age 17 years old
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Napoleon Beazley, whose death sentence for a murder committed at 17 stirred national debate over capital punishment for youths, was executed Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to spare his life. -more-
Crew members said they heard no alarm before barge crashed into bridge; toll rises to 13
WEBBERS FALLS, Okla. — Rescuers hoisted two vehicles with four bodies inside from the murky Arkansas River on Tuesday, bringing the death toll from the collapse of an interstate bridge to 13. -more-
Talks between India, Pakistan unlikely after rhetoric
NEW DELHI, India — India sharply criticized a speech by Pakistan’s military leader as “disappointing and dangerous” on Tuesday and asserted that al-Qaida terrorists now are in disputed Kashmir. -more-
Infiltrator kills three Israelis at Orthodox Jewish high school
JERUSALEM — A gunman sneaked onto the grounds of an Orthodox Jewish high school in the West Bank late Tuesday and killed three teen-agers, even as Israeli troops continued their daily raids into Palestinian towns. -more-
Bush expresses concern to pope about priest scandal in America
ROME — President Bush, in a one-on-one meeting inside the Vatican, told Pope John Paul II he is concerned about the Roman Catholic church’s standing in America where the church has been rocked by sex-abuse scandal. -more-
Libya offers $10 million per family in Pan Am bombing
WASHINGTON — Libya has offered to pay $10 million per family as compensation for the deaths of 270 people in the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing, lawyers representing the family said Tuesday. -more-
Russia becomes limited partner in NATO in historic accord
ROME — NATO declared Russia a limited partner in the Western alliance Tuesday, embracing its former Cold War enemy as an ally in the battle against modern-day threats like terrorism. -more-
Bill to stop use of American Indian mascot names thwarted
SACRAMENTO — Public schools will be allowed to keep American Indian team names and mascots after the Assembly defeated a bill Tuesday that would have forced schools to give up the names. -more-
Senate approves bill to curb suburban sprawl
SACRAMENTO — A bill that could give state government significant new power over how and where its cities grow has cleared the Senate. -more-
Senate votes to move state primary from March to August
SACRAMENTO — Agreeing that California’s primary election is too early to attract many voters, the Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would move the primary for state and congressional candidates from March to August. -more-
Minority groups demand hate crime policies
Minority activists of numerous descents took to heart the idiom “strength in numbers” Monday and joined together on the steps of Old City Hall to speak out against the rising incidence of hate crime. -more-
Softball squad captures first-ever NCAA title with 6-0 victory over Pac-10 rival, defending champion Arizona
Wednesday, May 29
Memorial Day is not entirely ignored in city of Berkeley
There is no Memorial Day parade through downtown Berkeley, but one local resident made sure people remembered there was a holiday to commemorate. -more-
Castroneves victory is upheld
INDIANAPOLIS — Preening and playing to the cameras, Helio Castroneves enjoyed the spoils of winning the Indy 500. -more-
Chopping up the UC Theatre would be a mistake — repeated
To the Editor: -more-
Council may send truckers packing
Don Nunes didn’t know where he was going to sleep last night. As a truck driver making a stop in the Bay Area, his choices are severely limited. -more-
Bryant sees hard work behind Lakers’ lucky break
SACRAMENTO — No matter what the Sacramento Kings believe, Kobe Bryant knows it’s more than luck keeping the Los Angeles Lakers on track for their third straight championship. -more-
Israel has no right to make arrest in Bethlehem
To the Editor: -more-
UC students in Church of Nativity siege deported from Israel
RIVERSIDE — A University of California, Riverside student, who had been detained by Israel after trying to provide humanitarian aid to armed Palestinians during a church siege in Bethlehem, was back in the United States on Monday, his father said. -more-
Cal pleased with summer enrollment numbers
BERKELEY — Officials at the University of California at Berkeley say they are -more-
Colorful traditions rolls on in Humboldt County on Memorial Day
ARCATA — Eric Striedieck’s team was making good time in the race when disaster struck — the 10-foot, human-powered sculpture they were piloting over Humboldt Bay sank, and they were overtaken by a 14-foot iguana. -more-
Workers’ comp bill shows Davis’ way with campaign money
SACRAMENTO — After vetoing workers’ compensation reforms for three years, Gov. Gray Davis this year declared the legislation long overdue and signed the labor-friendly bill into law. -more-
AIDS caregiver limits GlaxoSmithKline activities to protest pricing policies
LOS ANGELES — AIDS Healthcare Foundation, one of the largest providers of specialized care for HIV patients in the United States, said it will bar GlaxoSmithKline from marketing drugs at its outpatient sites to protest the company’s pricing policies. -more-
Biotech industry squeezed by lack of ‘breweries’
Mom was right, broccoli is good for you, say cancer researchers
WASHINGTON — Broccoli and broccoli sprouts contain a chemical that kills the bacteria responsible for most stomach cancer, say researchers, confirming the dietary advice that moms have been handing out for years. -more-
Disabled climbers break ground on Mount Shasta
REDDING — After five hours traveling at night, four paraplegic climbers have gained 1,200 feet on Mount Shasta by using special handcranked machines. -more-
Breakthrough on UC nurses contract dispute
The University of California has offered to curtail mandatory overtime for its nurses and shift from a merit pay system to one based on seniority, marking a major shift in the contract squabble between the two sides. -more-
Pedestrian death was not isolated event
To the Editor: -more-
Elvis shows us the origins of his obsession
xIf you think Elvis Costello, the once kingpin of Punk and New Wave angst, has stifled his sharp tongue and rocking sensibilities in favor of just collaborating with the likes of Burt Bachrach and Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter only, think again. Costello proved beyond a doubt where his musical roots lay at a recent show at the Berkeley Community Theater. He showed the crowd that though his musical styles have expanded beyond the fast-paced, witty lyrics of his early career, his origins of being a great rock 'n' roll songwriter and a captivating performer are still perfectly intact. -more-
Schools may carry deficit into next year
The Berkeley Unified School District revealed new budget figures and Superintendent Michele Lawrence warned that the district may carry a deficit into next year at the Board of Education meeting Wednesday night. -more-
Solano Avenue is a treat for the senses this weekend
Solano Avenue sidewalks will explode with chocolate and colorful chalk artwork for three days during the Memorial Day holiday weekend at the Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival running May 25- 27. -more-
University to 86 area food vendors
City Council considers new regulations as well -more-
Midnight marks witching hour ‘Harry Potter’
LOS ANGELES — If you want to be among the first to own “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” you need to get to the store at an appropriate hour: midnight. -more-
Airports gear up for busiest weekend since Sept. 11th
All three Bay Area airports are expecting an especially heavy flow of travelers to pass through their terminals this Memorial Day weekend, perhaps the highest numbers since the Sept. 11 attacks traumatized American air travel. -more-
Electronic Music amps up in Motor City
DETROIT — The Detroit Electronic Music Festival drew more than 1 million people in each of its first two years. -more-
Clear sky in the East; Cold front moves into the Central Plains
A high pressure system along the mid-Atlantic coast brought sunny skies to much of the East on Thursday afternoon. -more-
Stand-up comedienne takes on the big ‘C’
Female genital mutilation is not usually the subject of stand-up comedy. But for African-born Sia Amma, humor has proved powerful and healing. Subjected to a clitorodectomy in her native Liberia when she was just nine years old, Amma has made the problem of female circumcision the central subject of a one-woman show. -more-
News of the Weird
FBI agent allegedly switched allegiance to gangsters -more-
Stayner pleads innocent by reason of insanity
xSAN JOSE — Attorneys for former motel handyman Cary Stayner, who has admitted in grotesque detail how he killed three Yosemite National Park tourists in 1999, will try to save his life by arguing to a jury he is mentally ill. -more-
Judge rules that parole board should give more guidance to former Manson family inmate
xSAN BERNARDINO — A judge said Thursday that a board that has repeatedly denied Leslie Van Houten parole in two Manson Family murders has failed to give her any guidance on what she could do to make herself suitable for release. -more-
Rubber bullets found to maim and sometimes kill
LONDON — Some types of rubber bullets used by police to restrain unruly protesters kill and maim too often to be considered a safe method of crowd control, new research concludes. -more-
Netflix gets thumbs up in stock market debut
Online company’s shares skyrocket by almost 12 percent after initial IPO -more-
Agency sets up ’Enron link’ for reporting suspicious activities
WASHINGTON – A federal agency set up an “Enron Information Link” for people to report suspicious activities involving Enron or other companies that may have affected West Coast energy prices. -more-
Orbitz and Gay.com team up to offer gay vacation packages
SAN FRANCISCO – Online travel service Orbitz will target footloose gays and lesbians under a marketing partnership announced Wednesday with Web portal Gay.com. -more-
Budget negotiators to consider boosting logging fees
SACRAMENTO – Budget negotiators will consider boosting logging fees to help trim the state’s projected $23.6 billion budget shortfall, lawmakers decided Wednesday evening. -more-
Yahoo! withdraws some of its European auctions
SAN JOSE — Yahoo! Inc. said Thursday it plans to pull most of its online auction initiatives in Europe and instead promote eBay’s market-leading auction site there. -more-
Hundreds evacuate as New Mexico wildfire grows to 6,000 acres
TRUCHAS, N.M. — Hundreds of people left their homes Thursday as a fast-moving 6,000-acre wildfire threatened a small northern New Mexico town. -more-
Landmark tobacco cases come to fruition
xLandmark cases brought by individual smokers against the tobacco industry, listing date, location, award, parties and status: -more-
Two convicted in Tennessee ‘love connection’ bank heist cas
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two men who forced a bank manager to rob her own bank while they held her family hostage were convicted Thursday of armed bank robbery by extortion. -more-
Mayor, ex-mayor join campaign against Los Angeles breakup
Hahn, Riordan speak out against plan to separate San Fernando Valley from second-biggest U.S. city -more-
Report: More than a third of state’s single women in poverty
SACRAMENTO – More than a third of California’s single women live in poverty, according to a report released Wednesday by the San Francisco-based Women’s Foundation. -more-
Immigrants fear proposal to allow local police to enforce federal laws
Justice Department considering giving cops power to enforce immigration laws; Florida the first state to agree to idea -more-
Walker Lindh pleaded ‘Please don’t kill me,’ defense motion says
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – John Walker Lindh pleaded “please don’t kill me” as U.S. troops took the captured Taliban soldier to a U.S. military camp in Afghanistan, his defense lawyers said Thursday. -more-
Walker Lindh pleaded ‘Please don’t kill me,’ defense motion says
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – John Walker Lindh pleaded “please don’t kill me” as U.S. troops took the captured Taliban soldier to a U.S. military camp in Afghanistan, his defense lawyers said Thursday. -more-
Senate OKs sales of hypodermic needles without prescriptions
SACRAMENTO – Pharmacies could sell hypodermic needles to adults without a doctor’s prescription under a bill approved Thursday by the state Senate. -more-
Police chief: Condit may be questioned again
WASHINGTON – Police and forensic experts worked Thursday to solve the mystery of how Chandra Levy died, with investigators saying most evidence points to murder. -more-
Suspect in Montana child slaying gets 130 years for separate assaults
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, the man accused of butchering a 10-year-old boy here and feeding his remains to unsuspecting neighbors, was sentenced Thursday to 130 years in prison without parole for assaults on two other boys. -more-
Committee approves altered textbook bill
Provisions to give teachers power over book and curriculum selection dropped -more-
Lesbian teacher settles discrimination lawsuit
Oceanside Unified School District to pay more than $140,000 -more-
Court: Inmate can’t mail sperm from prison
SAN FRANCISCO – A California inmate has no right to mail his sperm from prison to impregnate his wife, a divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday. -more-
Opinion
Editorials
Grand jury says SF should tackle homeless problem
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco's Civil Grand Jury yesterday released a detailed report on the city's response to homelessness, finding a serious lack of leadership and coordination as the problem has worsened over the years. -more-
Lady Bird Johnson goes home
AUSTIN, Texas — Lady Bird Johnson was released from an Austin hospital Thursday, three weeks after suffering a mild stroke. -more-
Columns
Ex-Davis aide didn’t expect Oracle donation
SACRAMENTO – A former aide to Gov. Gray Davis says he was surprised when a computer company lobbyist gave him a $25,000 campaign contribution for the governor at a Sacramento bar. -more-