Nana Rose loved her carnations. She saw great beauty in all growing things, and kept an enormous garden, filled with stunning shrubs and flowers. But, her carnations were her pride and joy — those and her roses. -more-

FRESNO — The San Joaquin Valley is headed for the dubious distinction of being the only region in the country to voluntarily place itself in the nation’s worst smog pollution category. -more-

SANTA ANA — A Superior Court judge was allowed Thursday to withdraw from a November run-off election in Orange County while fighting child pornography and molestation charges. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Sheriff Lee Baca has released 842 jail inmates in the past week and plans to close two detention facilities because of overcrowding and looming budget cuts, the Sheriff’s Department said Thursday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters struggled Thursday to control a wildfire that had chewed through 1,000 rugged acres in the mountains of eastern San Diego County. -more-

DENVER — U.S. Forest Service employee Terry Barton pleaded innocent Thursday to charges she set the biggest wildfire in Colorado history. -more-

Car Talk -more-

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A federal jury Thursday convicted a Roman Catholic nun and two other protesters of trespassing at the Oak Ridge nuclear weapons plant during a “stop the bombs” demonstration. -more-

MILWAUKEE — A man who was turned in by “Dear Abby” after asking for advice on dealing with his child sex fantasies pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography this week and was given eight years on probation. -more-

ATLANTA — A government advisory panel rejected smallpox vaccinations for the general public Thursday, instead proposing that the shots be given to special teams of people in each state who would be designated the first to respond in case of a bioterrorism attack. -more-

CHICAGO — The American Medical Association this week urged researchers to study whether financial payments would boost the nation’s critical shortage of transplant organs. -more-

CHICAGO — The American Medical Association endorsed a new 80-hour-a-week work limit for medical residents Thursday to try to keep doctors-in-training from becoming so bleary-eyed they hurt themselves or their patients. -more-

NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors closed their investigation Thursday into whether former President Clinton’s grant of clemency to four swindlers was political payback arranged by his wife, now-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. -more-

It’s not all fun and games at the Adeline Youth Service Center, though it appeared that way Wednesday afternoon at a summer barbecue. -more-

Elephant goes to college -more-

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Free Early Music Group -more-

Thursday, June 20

Dan O’Brien’s comeback took a bad turn, when the 1996 Olympic gold medalist pulled out of the 400 meters, the last decathlon event of the first day of the USA Outdoor Combined Event Championships Wednesday at Cal. -more-

The Berkeley Unified School District will not fill the vacant principalship at the high school next year, according to a letter released Wednesday by Superintendent Michele Lawrence. Instead, the district will build on its current co-principal structure, adding a fifth administrator to its present team of four. -more-

On this date: -more-

To the Editor, -more-

PITTSBURGH — The Oakland Athletics have some of the best arms in baseball, and not all belong to their pitching staff. -more-

Within the last month, the deaths of a senior citizen hit by a car in May on Addison Street and a 68-year-old bicyclist struck Monday on Adeline Street have fueled safety debates. Members of the city’s Commission on Aging met Wednesday to present a laundry list of concerns. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Ferociously funny, blatantly bawdy, sharply poignant – that’s “First Love,” playwright Charles Mee’s latest excursion into the troubled territory where human longing breeds thorny tangles of love and hate. East Bay audiences got a double dose of Mee recently. Berkeley Repertory set “Big Love” on a giant pink floor mat, and University of California Dramatic Arts gave us a biting “Orestes.” Those plays were modern versions of Greek myths, set in times of war and pillage, but “First Love,” now at the Magic Theater, examines the oldest war of all, the one between men and women. -more-

Julia Cross believes in the sound of silence. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Three years for any television series is considered a decent run. For one like Showtime’s “Soul Food,” it’s a miracle. -more-

Berkeley is honoring one of the area’s openly gay politicians while declaring June “Pride Month.” -more-

NEW YORK — Nickelodeon is going ahead with a children’s special about same-sex parents, despite receiving so many e-mails that the network had to create a separate address to avoid a computer crash. -more-

A three-alarm grassfire burned about 20 acres in Walnut Creek Tuesday, and was contained within an hour-and-a-half, said a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District official. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The California Air Resources Board will consider amending the state’s air quality standards for microscopic pollutants to make them the world’s strictest. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The city has sued the Petco Animal Supplies Inc. for allegedly keeping dead or poorly cared for animals on the shelves at two San Francisco locations. -more-

LOS ANGELES — California continues to underperform the national economy, but a respected economic report released Wednesday forecasts that the state’s fortunes will improve in the second half of the year, as long as early signs of recovery in the technology sector continue. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Oil giant BP-ARCO has agreed to pay $45.8 million to settle alleged widespread underground gasoline storage tank violations, including the nation’s largest cash penalty in the enforcement of tank regulations, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Wednesday. -more-

SAN DIEGO — Xenerex Biosciences, a unit of Avanir Pharmaceuticals, expects to receive $75,000 from a consortium to help develop a treatment for anthrax toxins. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Three years ago, Rebecca Crane of Modesto bought a Volkswagen Jetta. One month later, the car started having electrical problems. Then the radio blew up. Then the odometer showed she had driven thousands of miles when she had merely driven to the auto mechanic. -more-

Peace rang throughout Berkeley Tuesday morning. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Wednesday, June 19

Donovan Kilmartin lived up to his billing and Julie Pickler surpassed her star sister after Day 1 of the USA Track and Field Junior Outdoor Combined Event Championships at Cal’s Edwards Stadium.Kilmartin, representing Team Idaho, is the leader after five events of the decathlon championship with 3,949 points. Robert Bates, competing unattached, is second with 3,675 points. -more-

Youth advocates prepare cost-saving rehabilitation plan for county leaders -more-

To the Editor: -more-

YOKOHAMA, Japan — South Korea survived the pressure of the knockout round of the World Cup on Tuesday. Japan, its co-host, didn’t. -more-

Federal report raises new questions about discrimination -more-

To the Editor -more-

BERKELEY - The 2002 USTA Berkeley Futures Tournament begins Tuesday at the Hellman Tennis Courts on the Cal campus. The $15,000 prize money tournament is sure to feature hotly contested battles as budding tennis professionals fight for precious ATP points and money prizes (Collegiate players compete as amateurs and do not accept prize money.). The tournament features eight players ranked inside the world's top 500 in singles. -more-

Community members in south Berkeley have launched a petition-drive in the wake of the death of a 68-year-old Berkeley bicyclist killed Monday around 8:30 a.m. after a car struck him near the corner of Fairview and Adeline Streets. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Amid pressure from four labor unions, Berkeley’s city manager said Tuesday night that he would begin meeting with union leaders today to resolve a contentious contract dispute between city management and more than 1,000 municipal workers. -more-

On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Legal experts were left scratching their heads following an unexpected ruling Monday in the San Francisco dog mauling trial. -more-

WALKER — The air tanker that crashed killing three crew members fighting a Sierra Nevada wildfire had undergone repairs to fix wing cracks, a representative for the plane’s owner said Tuesday. -more-

Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean was voted by her colleagues Tuesday to serve as a member of the Advisory Board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors during their 70th annual meeting in Madison, Wis. The board provides leadership and guidance to the development and implementation of conference policy and programs. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The California Power Authority announced a program Tuesday to pay large industrial power users to cut their electricity use on demand — paying less than they would for actual energy and resulting in less pollution. -more-

It’s a steel version of the plastic Big Wheel -more-

Several hundred people worked at data centers around the world -more-

SAN DIEGO — Peregrine Systems Inc. is axing 1,400 jobs, or nearly its half work force, and closing some of its offices to cut costs amid an investigation by federal securities regulators. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon launched his first television and radio ads of the general election campaign Tuesday — in Spanish. -more-

SAN CLEMENTE — State officials plan to give potassium iodide tablets to more than 400,000 people living within 10 miles of two nuclear power plants that could protect the public if they are exposed to radiation. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Sonoma County will pay $1 million to the family of a woman killed by her estranged husband even though she had a restraining order against him and repeatedly appealed for sheriff’s deputies to enforce it. -more-

SACRAMENTO — California’s brightest students might be allowed to skip from elementary school directly to college, missing high school altogether, under legislation recently approved by the state Assembly. -more-

SAN DIEGO — A female assistant principal was demoted for lifting girls’ skirts to make sure they weren’t wearing thongs to a high school dance. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The world’s two largest telescope makers are locked in a battle that amateur astronomers and federal regulators alike fear could monopolize the market for a popular type of stargazing equipment. -more-

NEW YORK — Annie Hubbard was three sips into a glass of wine when her night out turned into a nightmare. -more-

Four unions representing more than 60 percent of the city’s workforce united Monday in unprecedented fashion to leverage frustrations about six months of contract negotiations without a resolution. -more-

Spinsterhood in Maine a woolly way of life -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Tuesday, June 18

Cal is hosting the USA Combined Event Championships and the Junior National Combined Events Championships June 18-20 at its track stadium, where fans can see some of the nation's top decathletes and heptathletes. Action begins at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and10:00 a.m. Thursday. -more-

The Berkeley Unified School District has reinstated 24 of the 91 temporary teachers who received layoff notices in March. -more-

On June 18, 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, “This was their finest hour.” -more-

To the Editor -more-

OAKLAND — The Oakland Athletics are about to find out whether the progress they’ve made in the past two weeks will stand up to the grind of their longest road trip of the season. -more-

Selling certain types of coffee could soon be illegal in Berkeley. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

NEW YORK — Can a nation debate the merits of cloning when fewer than half its adults can give a decent definition of DNA? -more-

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Mexico had tradition and the crowd on its side, and for much of the match it had the ball. But the United States got the goals — and a place in the World Cup quarterfinals, its best showing since 1930. -more-

Malcolm X fourth-graders got to dig into a science assignment this year when they recycled cafeteria waste using live worms as composting agents. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

OAKLAND — Two newspapers filed a motion Monday to lift a gag order imposed on jurors in the federal lawsuit two Earth First! activists brought against the FBI and Oakland police. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

In a sweet deal for shareholders, Nestle SA agreed Monday to take majority stake in Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. as part a $2.4 billion transaction that would allow the Swiss conglomerate to eventually swallow all of California-based Dreyer’s. -more-

SAN JOSE — Photo industry rivals are teaming up on an initiative to establish what they hope will become the ATM-equivalent of a global digital photo printing network. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — In another sign of the high-tech industry’s humbling times, Web browser pioneer Marc Andreessen abandoned his ambition to build a Web services giant Monday and agreed to sell most of his latest brainchild, Loudcloud Inc., to computer systems consultant Electronic Data Systems. -more-

FRESNO — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction delaying enforcement of California’s electric-car mandate in its current form for two years. -more-

SAN BERNARDINO — Fire raging through Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains overran two fire engine crews Monday and shut down Interstate 15, the main route used by travelers between Southern California and Las Vegas. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis has asked the committee scraping to fill a $23.6 billion budget hole to find $1 billion more — with cuts or tax increases — to boost emergency reserves and protect California’s credit. -more-

Sierra Club sponsors forum on idea of building up, not out -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Tuesday, June 18

SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Zito pitched into the seventh inning for his eighth straight victory, and Adam Piatt drove in the go-ahead run as the Oakland Athletics won the Bay Bridge series, beating the San Francisco Giants 2-1 Sunday. -more-

City should provide easier access to information, critics say -more-

To the Editor: -more-

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billionaire backers poised to build a downtown stadium to lure a professional football team back to Los Angeles abruptly abandoned their plans, according to published reports. -more-

Thousands of residents from the Bay Area gathered in south Berkeley Sunday for the Juneteenth Festival, celebrating African American history, culture and the end of slavery. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

LAS VEGAS — The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association approved a number of changes aimed at attracting more fans and contestants. -more-

Northern California man held -more-

Today is Monday, June 17 , the 168th day of 2002. There are 197 days left in the year. -more-

SAN BERNADINO— A fast-moving wildfire burned 3,500 acres of rugged forest land Sunday and caused the temporary closure of Interstate 15 in San Bernadino, fire officials said. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A suicide note left by a teen-age girl who fatally shot herself in January has led to the arrest of a neighbor, charged with molesting her and another neighborhood girl. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Students at the CHESS/SUCCESS Academy, an elementary school for at-risk kids, will get a big surprise when they return to school in the fall. -more-

SACRAMENTO — After 100 hours of contradictory testimony, blame shifting and a couple of balky witnesses, the committee investigating a potentially costly state computer contract is about to wrap up its work — maybe. -more-

MILL VALLEY — With its quaint shops and leafy residential roads, it’s easy to mistake Mill Valley for simply a quiet, upscale bedroom community across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Fewer Californians were looking for work last month and that pushed down the unemployment rate, not an increase in jobs, according to state employment officials. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — After his colleagues on the San Francisco’s liberal Board of Supervisors frowned on his plan to cut homeless welfare checks, Gavin Newsom is taking his plan to city residents. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Just as voters soon will decide who runs California, the thousands of creditors owed money by bankrupt Pacific Gas and Electric Co. are getting their chance to help determine the shape of California’s largest utility when it emerges from Chapter 11. -more-

LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire that destroyed five homes and forced evacuations of 200 people in this community northeast of Bakersfield was at least 50 percent contained Sunday. -more-

Experts: Nuclear terror would kill few, but harm the American psyche -more-

National security adviser gives commencement speech -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of family, friends and political leaders gathered at a memorial service Saturday held to honor an openly gay police officer who died when his patrol car crashed. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A federal judge has ordered a new trial for two undocumented Mexican immigrants convicted of growing more than 1,000 marijuana plants in northern California. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoping to attract more mass appeal for an online search engine with a cult following, AlltheWeb.com on Monday declared that it indexes more Internet information than longtime pacesetter Google. -more-

SAN JOSE — During eBay’s rapid rise to Internet commerce powerhouse, the company nurtured a quaint tale of its origins, saying founder Pierre Omidyar created the site in 1995 so his fiancee could trade PEZ candy dispensers with other collectors. -more-

Boy wins trip to ‘Harry Potter’ set -more-

The building at 1809 University Ave., the current home of Youth Radio, was busting at the seams Friday night as the nonprofit held an informal graduation ceremony. -more-

Although Berkeley's early settlers were mostly farmers, west Berkeley's location on the shore of San Francisco Bay made it ideal for commerce and industry. Before the incorporation of the town of Berkeley in 1878, the area was called Ocean View because the ocean was visible directly through the Golden Gate. The first industry, the Pioneer Starch and Grist Mill, was founded in 1855, and the second was a lumber mill established by Zimri Brewer Heywood and Captain James Jacobs in 1856. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Saturday, June 15

Berkeley’s serious film buffs are counting the days until the Fine Arts Cinema closes its door at the end of the month. With scant few double bills left before the theater closes. -more-

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The late-night hours soccer fans in the US have been keeping lately might seem suspect, but do not call them hooligans. They have been very well-behaved during the 2002 World Cup Tournament and the strange hours are not their fault. -more-

In November Berkeley’s “body politic” will likely answer a question nearly as old and at least twice as essential to the future of the city as the mortar in the foundation of City Hall — to what extent the will the design, development and planning of the city “accommodate more growth” or to what extent will it begin to “discourage sprawl.” -more-

To the Editor: -more-

YOKOHAMA, Japan — South Korea ended nearly a half-century of frustration at the World Cup, finally reaching the second round. It was kind enough to help the United States advance, too. -more-

Twenty-five years ago, after receiving a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago, Berkeley resident Joe Stein went to live in Israel for a year. But he didn’t see any Palestinians. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

LOS ANGELES — Its title smacks of a hastily produced, ripped-from-the-headlines tale of sex abuse by priests. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — In 1998, Arizona manager Buck Showalter considered Barry Bonds such a threat that he had him intentionally walked with the bases loaded. -more-

Neil Smith, the widely-respected principal of Martin Luther King Middle School, has been named director of curriculum, instruction and staff development for the district, effective July 1. -more-

Hardluck boat -more-

Many Bay Area job seekers a bit more interested in improving the world than fattening their wallets may have attended Thursday’s Non-Profit Fair in Oakland. -more-

Many Bay Area job seekers a bit more interested in improving the world than fattening their wallets may have attended Thursday’s Non-Profit Fair in Oakland. -more-

SAN JOSE — Twelve eBay users from around the country have been invited to company headquarters to give the Internet auction site’s executives pieces of their minds: Customer service is lousy. The search engine is weak. Pop-up ads are deplorable. -more-

LOS ANGELES — California’s unemployment rate decreased slightly in May, even as the state economy lost 9,000 jobs, officials said Friday. -more-

You don’t think natural resources saved by your major appliances is a big deal? -more-

Bright innovations, including a resource center and lots of built-ins, lend functionality to this home, Plan K-22, by the Homestore Plans and Publications Designers Network. Its floor plan has 1,616 square feet of living space. -more-

Windows and skylights cover your home’s perimeter, each room sports a high ceiling, the walls and floor coverings are all pleasingly light-colored — yet you’re still wondering how you can work more natural light into your home. -more-

OAKLAND — Akira “Ike” Nakamura took 60 years to graduate from Castlemont High School. And when he did, he got two diplomas: one for 2002, one for 1944. -more-

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Winona Ryder pleaded innocent Friday to shoplifting and drug charges, and her lawyer said he’d try to disqualify the District Attorney’s office from trying the case. -more-

Visitors can take a Spam exam or can some ‘Spam’ -more-

BURBANK— To boost ratings at its flagging ABC network, The Walt Disney Co. is marshaling its vast resources to promote its new fall shows everywhere from Disneyland to the big screen and even in its sports restaurants. -more-

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the original 1776 copies of the nation’s Declaration of Independence will be in Louisville for a public viewing this fall. -more-

Industry professionals pick American Film Institute’s annual favorites list -more-

NEW YORK — Author David Baldacci has settled a legal dispute with a publisher after complaining that his name was featured too prominently on the cover of an anthology of mystery stories. -more-

Boy walks on to Potter set -more-

TORONTO — It’s hard to avoid biblical references when discussing Patrick Moore, a Greenpeace co-founder who now gets paid by the biotech industry and other foes of the environmental organization. -more-

SACRAMENTO — After months of haggling, arguing and occasional screaming about California’s toughest housing dilemma, a bill to make more room for low-income apartments is moving again. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Rejected once already, Gov. Gray Davis and California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein repeated a call Friday for President Bush to buy 36 undeveloped oil leases off California’s coast. -more-

Letters threatening anthrax contained Victoria’s Secret talcum powder -more-

People allergic to antibiotics are at risk -more-

The milk products being voluntarily recalled by Berkeley Farms were sold under the brand names Berkeley Farms, Dairy Dawn, Ralph’s, Mountain Dairy, Sysco/Wholesale Farms, Smart & Final, Albertsons, Good Day, and Best Yet. -more-

WASHINGTON — The last time Juventino Ortiz tried to collect the rest of his pay for picking fruit in Northern California, a government official chased him out of his office. -more-

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Forensic investigators said Friday that the body of a California man killed in southern El Salvador was so badly decomposed that they were unable to determine a cause of death. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Excavation of an ancient seaport on Egypt’s Red Sea found spices, gems and other exotic cargo showing that sea trade linking the Roman Empire and India 2,000 years ago rivaled the legendary Silk Road at times, archaeologists say. -more-

On this date: -more-