Dozens of residents in south Berkeley are burning mad about two vacant buildings on the bustling 3000 block of Telegraph Avenue. Gutted by fire earlier this year, the structures have since become a haven for graffiti and the homeless. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

In 1902 the Berkeley Development Company purchased approximately 2000 acres of land in north Berkeley that would become the Northbrae and Thousand Oaks residential subdivisions. -more-

For Raymond Nat Turner and Zigi Lowenberg, it’s all about finding a blend and balance between art and commerce, music and language, social justice and entertainment, Jewish New York and African-American Los Angeles and the personal and public personas that they project through Upsurge!, their jazz-poetry ensemble. The Oakland couple, who has lived together and collaborated for more than a decade, addresses these issues in their newest CD “Chromatology,” which hits the streets in October. -more-

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NEW YORK – With a pivotal week of talks upcoming, baseball players hope there’s enough progress in negotiations to make setting a strike deadline unnecessary. -more-

New questions are surfacing about the November 2000 departure of a high-ranking Berkeley Unified School District employee and an $800,000 consulting contract that followed. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

EAST TROY, Wis. – They came with Garcia-esque beards. Tie-dyed T-shirts. Tattoos. -more-

OAKLAND – Mark Redman outpitched Barry Zito at the Coliseum, where the Oakland ace hadn’t lost a regular-season game in 14 months, as the Detroit Tigers beat the Athletics 3-1 Friday night to snap a five-game losing streak. -more-

“Berkeley should be consulted about possible impacts,” she said. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

JERUSALEM – A day after a bombing that killed seven people, including five Americans, many U.S. students opened a new semester at Hebrew University saying they wouldn’t be driven away by the attack. But some were shaken enough to consider leaving. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – An unregulated division of PG&E Corp. engaged in potentially deceptive energy-trading practices during the California power crisis that drove the company’s utility into bankruptcy, according to documents filed Friday. -more-

It is said, “good fences make for good neighbors.” And good fences provide a margin of safety and security, as well. -more-