Computer hackers used the Berkeley Unified School District’s network to transmit pornographic images last year, according state and district officials. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Here’s a conundrum for you. When watching local theater productions, do you look past the rough parts that plague most plays and give the company a break? Or do you hope for a higher level of performance that can be found in other small theater productions? -more-

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In a preview of what should be an explosive offense, the Cal women’s soccer team got goals from four different players to win 4-0 against USF in an exhibition game on Thursday. -more-

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl said the state’s fiscal crisis will prevent the university from boosting its wage offer to clerical workers, who are set to strike Monday, -more-

To the Editor: -more-

OAKLAND – BART officials adopted a fare schedule Thursday in preparation of January’s opening of the five-station extension to the San Francisco International Airport. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

What’s in a name? A heck of a lot, according to members of Citizens for an Eastshore State Park, who have worked since 1985 for the preservation of a stretch of coast from the Bay Bridge to Richmond. -more-

The Oakland Police Department says that homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a man on Wednesday night in the city's 71st killing of the year. -more-

The Federal Highway Administration will investigate allegations by two Bay Area construction firms that Caltrans violated federal regulations by not meeting goals for minority-owned business participation during the bidding process of the Bay Bridge's east span replacement project. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Creditors of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. have teamed with California power regulators to promote a plan to settle PG&E’s debts that could require millions of customers to keep paying among the nation’s highest electricity rates for an unknown number of years. -more-

SACRAMENTO — For the second time this year, the Assembly advanced legislation Wednesday that would make California the only state to ban smoking by anyone under age 21. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Gone are the good old days of distracted driving, when motorists merely juggled coffee, shaved, read a map, drove with a pet dog in the lap and lit cigarettes for the miles still ahead. -more-

If you’re like most folks, your home is the single biggest investment that you will make in a lifetime. Therefore, it makes good sense to do everything that you can to take good care of it. -more-

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. — Elizabeth Tashjian has spent most of her 89 years trying to prove that nuts are at the very core of human existence. -more-

CLEVELAND – Sitting on the dugout steps before the game, Oakland manager Art Howe glanced at the threatening clouds above Jacobs Field and worried about a postponement. -more-

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Clerical walkout will coincide
with start of classes Monday -more-

To the Editor -more-

Friday, August 23

Having opened for alt. country rockers Wilco this summer in towns such as St. Louis, Chicago, and Nashville, guitarist Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg has returned home to Berkeley. -more-

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Shantay Legans, Cal’s starting point guard for the past three seasons, may not return to the Golden Bear program for his senior year, his mother said this week. -more-

A popular recycling center has won a four-year lease extension from UC Berkeley, ending a lengthy struggle that involved hundreds of teachers, a host of local politicians and thousands of dollars in legal fees. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

RBs to split carries: Head coach Jeff Tedford said senior Joe Igber will the starter at tailback, but sophomore Terrell Williams will get a share of the carries. Igber missed the last four games of 2001 with a broken collarbone, and Williams was impressive as his replacement, racking up three 100-yard rushing games in Igber’s absence. -more-

Company wins a state award
for program in question -more-

To the Editor: -more-

BHS girls’ volleyball tryouts next week -more-

Boy’s blue hair a celebration -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Today’s Highlight in History: -more-

Police arrest stabbing suspect at BART -more-

SAN LEANDRO – The Alameda County Fire Department reports that about 175 firefighters from numerous agencies have contained a six-alarm grassfire in Anthony Chabot Regional Park Tuesday night. -more-

The Oakland Police Department is now able to receive confidential information about suspected illegal drug activity from tipsters who speak languages other than English. -more-

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A powerful, new version of the rocket that carried John Glenn into orbit blasted off Wednesday on a flight intended to revolutionize — and revitalize — the nation’s launch business. -more-

Former Enron executive pleads guilty
to money laundering, wire fraud -more-

LOS ANGELES — When President Bush arrives in California on Friday, political observers will be watching closely to see how enthusiastically he promotes the candidacy of GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bill Simon. -more-

The world’s oldest profession has San Pablo Avenue merchants flagging down police officers. Again. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Wednesday, August 21 -more-

Last fall, Bob Foster was sitting at home, retired after 36 years of coaching college football. But when new Cal head coach Jeff Tedford came calling, Foster jumped at the chance to get back on the field. -more-

When UC Berkeley student Brad Evans died last year because the smoke detector in his Oakland apartment failed to detect a fire – the second fire-related student death during that school year – Berkeley officials decided to take action. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

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A new study by UC Berkeley economist David Romer urges football coaches to strive for a first down or touchdown on fourth down rather than punt or kick a field goal. But don’t expect Cal football coach Jeff Tedford to embrace this more aggressive strategy. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

A small, independent Berkeley lab has made it to the big time. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

The Oakland Police Department reports that a male suspect who dragged an officer behind his car and then led police on a high speed chase has been arrested after crashing his car in Tracy Tuesday morning. -more-

Fake bomb prompted morning evacuation in Burlingame -more-

SAN JOSE — City officials and developers of the fire-ravaged Santana Row development promised Tuesday that their $500 million project, conceived at the height of the dot-com boom, will rise as planned and help lead Silicon Valley out of the dot-com bust. -more-

Scores dipped for the high school class of 2002 on the ACT college entrance exam, breaking a five-year streak during which results remained unchanged, the test maker said Wednesday. -more-

HALF MOON BAY — California fishermen are bringing home a huge haul of king salmon this season — but it’s been a mixed blessing. -more-

LOS ANGELES — NASA has found a missing $159 million spacecraft, thanks to a half-dozen telescope images that confirm the silent probe is in orbit around the sun but possibly broken in pieces. -more-

NEW YORK — The names of the World Trade Center victims will be etched into portions of a viewing wall that will encircle ground zero during its redevelopment, officials said Tuesday. -more-

NEW YORK— CNN and CBS both paid for videotapes that depict al-Qaida poison gas experiments, but insisted Tuesday — without naming their sources — that the money didn’t go to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A proposal to place authority for California water projects under a governor-controlled board is drawing criticism from the state’s largest water district because it could complicate efforts to meet a deadline to reduce consumption of Colorado River water. -more-

Few surprises await them -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Tuesday, August 20

A's on the way -more-

Berkeley counts record number
of hate crimes since Sept. 11 -more-

To the Editor: -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A hip injury forced Jay Williams to sit out practice for a second straight day Monday, leaving him contemplating whether to withdraw from the U.S. national team. -more-

Union says the administration wrongly laid off teachers -more-

LOS ANGELES — Skipper Torben Grael and crew member Marcelo Ferreira from Brazil won the second race in the Star Class world championships Monday to take the overall lead. -more-

The 13 houseboat residents at the city-owned marina are hoping a compromise struck with the Waterfront Commission will end years of monthly fees that they say were as unpredictable as the bay winds. -more-

It’s alive -more-

A woman was choked and robbed early Sunday evening on the 500 block of Gilman Street by a homeless man she had hired to help her move, police said. -more-

Foggy weather but no sharks -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area officials are looking closely, yet skeptically, at a Los Angeles County program that provides free preschool using proceeds from state cigarette taxes. -more-

SAN JOSE — A six-alarm fire gutted a six-acre section of Santana Row, an expansive $500 million retail, commercial and residential development designed to become an upscale destination for people from all over Silicon Valley. -more-

The proposed legislation
would curb speed shows
and reckless driving -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – A lawyer for an environmental advocacy group said today that she expects a judge to uphold their legal challenge to a Richmond refinery pollution permit as he did a similar one against a Martinez facility. -more-

SAN JOSE — Testimony concluded Monday in the first phase of Yosemite killer Cary Stayner’s triple-murder trial, setting the stage for closing arguments and jury deliberations. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A measure that would require utilities to have 20 percent of their electricity produced from renewable sources passed a key legislative committee Monday. -more-

PGP Corp. acquires encryption product lines from Network Associates -more-

LUSBY, Md.— On the shore of one of the country’s most bountiful waterways, the Chesapeake Bay, two reactors have produced electricity for nearly a quarter century — and accumulated 950 tons of radioactive waste. -more-

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.— Indiana University was crowned the nation’s No. 1 “party school” Monday in an annual Princeton Review survey that school leaders and medical experts derided as irresponsible and unscientific. -more-

SANTA ANA — A reputed gang member jailed on an attempted murder charge was bailed out when someone posted $500,000 in counterfeit cashier’s checks, sheriff’s officials said Monday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The nation’s largest pension fund adopted procedures Monday designed to root out conflicts of interest among its money managers and investment bankers. -more-

Khaled Almaghafi came to the United States from Yemen in 1986 and studied business administration at UC Davis. He now uses his business acumen to run an international honey exporting firm from his south Berkeley home near the Ashby BART station. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Monday, August 19 -more-

OAKLAND – Terrence Long kept to his usual routine, and for one day it worked. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Commuters in the San Francisco Bay area are spending less time sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, according to a state Department of Transportation study. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

CHASKA, Minn. – Playing as if he had nothing to lose, Rich Beem buried Tiger Woods and captured a PGA Championship even though he thought he had no business winning. -more-

Daily Planet Staff -more-

To the Editor: -more-

LOS ANGELES — A group of California legislators urged the Bush administration Friday to stay out of stalled negotiations between shippers and West Coast dockworkers. -more-

Pesky raccoons in your neighborhood? City Councilmember Linda Maio may have a solution: sterilization. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Alta Bates, Julia Morgan and Anna Head are among the remarkable women who lived in the Bay Area during the late 19th and early 20th century. Alta Bates was a nurse who founded a hospital, Julia Morgan an architect who designed Hearst Castle, and Anna Head was a teacher, founded a school. -more-

The Berkeley Art Museum is showing the photography of longtime Berkeley resident Richard Misrach, an artist perhaps best known for his images of bomb testing sites in deserts in the American West. The BAM show includes only some of those sometimes gruesome pictures of irradiated livestock corpses – via open books under tabletop glass – while emphasizing the chronological ends of Misrach’s career. -more-

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Saturday, August 17 -more-

NEW YORK — Baseball’s union set an Aug. 30 strike date Friday, moving the sport closer to its ninth work stoppage in three decades and angering fans sick of money squabbles between players and team owners. -more-

A small claims court judge has ruled against activist Barbara George in her $5,000 personal injury lawsuit against City Council candidate Gordon Wozniak, according to court documents. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

OAKLAND— Everything about the Oakland Athletics’ 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox was quick — except for one ill-fated changeup by Mark Buehrle. -more-

East Bay travelers heading to San Francisco International Airport on the new BART extension may be pleased with the cost of the trip. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

With two political veterans vying for mayor this November, it will take something special to compete with front-runners Mayor Shirley Dean and Tom Bates. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

OAKLAND— A Sacramento judge has upheld an East Bay water agency’s three-decade battle to draw extra water from Delta tributaries. -more-

SAN JOSE – The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced today that a former employee of Adobe Systems has been arrested for allegedly embezzling more than $150,000 from the software company. -more-

Computers, like people, last longer with some care and common sense. Some tips: -more-

Seven minor injuries in -more-

SALT LAKE CITY — An American Airlines flight bound for San Francisco from Chicago was diverted to Salt Lake City after a passenger tried to recharge a battery with a cigarette lighter. -more-

SACRAMENTO – Thousands of college students throughout California began classes this week without the financial help they had been promised by the state, and one South Bay legislator has seized on the issue. -more-

Today’s Highlight in History: -more-

SACRAMENTO — Each bill cleared one house of the Legislature, then triggered searing soul-searching sessions about how to house struggling lower-wage workers and ease financial disparities between older cities and newer suburbs. -more-