A Changed City
When one door shuts another opens, they say. -more-
When one door shuts another opens, they say. -more-
The anniversary of Sept. 11 is upon us. The day we remember was dramatically significant in the life and soul of our America. Ground Zero is now sacred ground consecrated by our tears, our grief, our tremendous pain and suffering. It is the place where we became we and us and stopped being the almighty American ego. We, finally, as a culture, grew up. -more-
Despite an encouraging start to the season, the Cal football team played to a tiny crowd of 24,619 fans at Memorial Stadium on Saturday against New Mexico State, a fact that surprised several Bears players. -more-
City Council voted Tuesday to clamp down on brothels that masquerade as massage parlors. -more-
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Hundreds of cheering supporters gathered at St. Joseph’s the Worker Church this morning to bid farewell to Father William O’Donnell as he left to begin a six month sentence at Atwater Federal Prison in Merced County. -more-
SACRAMENTO — The nation was placed on its second highest terror alert level for the first time Tuesday, and Gov. Gray Davis ordered extra security at state buildings and memorial events. -more-
Sept. 11, 2001 Berkeley residents awoke to find that the country they believed impenetrable had been attacked. Mayor Shirley Dean was among those who stared in shock and disbelief as the TV news played and replayed the brutal assault on the twin towers and the Pentagon. The vision of planes crashing into buildings and people hurling themselves from windows high above Manhattan seemed unreal, more like a made-for-TV drama. “At first you don’t believe it,” Dean said. -more-
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By Chris Nichols -more-
Residents of Berkeley’s UA Homes left stranded by the Aug. 26 fire at 1040 University are on the move again. -more-
The Greeks are parched. But relief is on the way. -more-
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BERKELEY — Northern California’s Tibetan community cautiously welcomed a visit to China’s capital by a special envoy of Tibet’s spiritual Leader, the Dalai Lama. -more-
KATMANDU, Nepal — Royal Nepalese Army soldiers launched a counterattack Monday after Maoist guerrillas killed at least 57 soldiers and policemen in a mountainous area overnight, a government minister said. -more-
OAKLAND – An Alameda County prosecutor said Monday that a one-time distinguished Fremont teacher has pleaded guilty to a single felony count of possessing child pornography. -more-
Scientists at Lawrence National Laboratory in Berkeley recently completed a millennium-long simulation of global climate changes, further closing the accuracy gap in weather prediction. -more-
With the need for more housing and economic growth in apparent conflict with the need to protect the environment, Berkeley has developed a new program for commercial and multi-family building projects that promotes sustainability and energy conservation that will also help meet the housing and commercial needs of Berkeley residents. -more-
SAN JOSE — Using molecules as building blocks, Hewlett-Packard Co. researchers have created memory circuits 10 times more dense than today’s silicon chips under a process that could be faster and cheaper than current technology. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — California museums are commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with photography exhibits, film screenings and in Silicon Valley, a huge American flag made of red, white and blue CDs. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Warner Bros. has become the latest studio to offer some of its films for a limited time for download over the Internet. -more-
Berkeley may become the first California city to protect consumers from financial companies that sell personal information. -more-
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With an opportunistic offense and a bend-but-don’t-break defense, the Cal Bears improved to 2-0 with a 34-13 win over New Mexico State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. -more-
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The only goal of Sunday’s Cal-Texas A&M women’s soccer game came off of an Aggie foot, but the Bears got the 1-0 victory at Edwards Stadium. -more-
At Civic Center Park, which appropriately sits above Berkeley’s underground waterway Strawberry Creek, poets and activists celebrated the importance of watersheds at Saturday’s seventh annual Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival. -more-
OAKLAND – Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan had an impressive debut Sunday. -more-
CAMP DAVID, Md. – President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saturday the world must act against Saddam Hussein, arguing that the Iraqi leader has defied the United Nations and reneged on promises to destroy weapons of mass destruction. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – Californians say a lot of good and bad changes have occurred in the United States since Sept. 11, and many believe more terrorist attacks are imminent with California as a likely target, according to a Field Poll released Sunday. -more-
One of Cal head coach Jeff Tedford’s main points of emphasis has been positive reinforcement for his players. He put that into practice twice on Saturday when wide receivers LaShaun Ward and Geoff McArthur committed drops. -more-
OAKLAND — The police department and the FBI have asked a judge to set aside the $4.4 million a jury awarded to two Earth First activists earlier this year. -more-
Known as one of the Bay Area's biggest and best block parties, Sunday’s Solano Stroll is expected to draw 150,000 strollers to Albany for a day of food, fun and wholehearted fulfillment. -more-
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Without public transportation in the form of trains and streetcars the fast paced urban development of the Bay Area, 1863 to 1915, would not have been possible. The first railroad in the Bay Area opened in 1863 and ran from San Francisco to San Jose. The transcontinental railroad opened in 1869, and soon there were rail lines around the state. The railroads made development possible and created a network of towns and cities. -more-
Gina Rose Halpern’s paintings are colorful, often exuberant works that incorporate references to many spiritual traditions, from Christianity to Buddhism to the nature religions of the world’s indigenous people. For Halpern, her work is not simply decorative or expressive but a form of healing. The 51-year-old El Cerrito artist has a career as vibrant and colorful as her paintings. She is an interfaith minister, teacher, and therapist who believes in the literal healing power of art. -more-
A depleted Cal women’s soccer team fell to 10th-ranked Texas, 2-1, Friday afternoon at Edwards Stadium. The Texas win avenged a 2-1 loss to Cal in Austin last year. -more-
Michael Israel had been living in subsidized housing at 1040 University Ave. for only a week when fire swept through his building and put him out of a home. Like many of the 69 residents who were ousted by the Aug. 26 blaze at UA Homes, Israel had been a drifter, living in the streets of the East Bay, before rooting himself with the help of social service workers in the now scorched west Berkeley residential hotel. -more-
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The Cal men’s soccer team got its first win of the season in dramatic fashion against Portland on Friday, tying the game with three minutes left in regulation before scoring a golden goal in overtime for a 2-1 victory. -more-
With the ink still drying on the state’s 2002-2003 budget, Berkeley Unified School District officials say the impact on the local school system is far from clear. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – As a judge framed it Friday, the lawsuit over who owns Barry Bonds’ record-setting 73rd home run ball boils down to simple definitions: “A catch is a catch – if it’s a catch.” -more-
Mayoral candidate Tom Bates and Councilmember Donna Spring were the big winners at Wednesday’s Berkeley Green Party nomination event. Both candidates won overwhelming support in preliminary votes and are now all but assured the official endorsements, to be named Sunday. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County woman has tested positive for West Nile virus in what is believed to be the first case of a person contracting the illness in the western United States, health officials said Friday. -more-
A dispute over a leaky roof has made finding authentic south-of-the border cuisine considerably more difficult for west Berkeley residents and has roused the mayor while forcing at least one single mother to lose her livelihood. -more-
OAKLAND – Alameda County officials announced Thursday that the contractor working on the new critical care building at the Highland Hospital campus has been pulled off of the job. -more-
SANTA CRUZ — Medical marijuana advocates outraged by a raid at a local prescription pot supplier protested at federal offices in several cities in Northern California and across the country Friday. -more-
SANTA ROSA — As the insurance industry tries to offset rising costs and poor investment returns, leading providers are raising rates and denying renewals to people who’ve filed claims. -more-
NEW YORK — The smoke hangs thick at Pete’s Tavern, swirling through the 138-year-old pub as the lunch-hour conversation turns to the mayor’s plan to ban smoking in thousands of bars and restaurants across the city. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — As many as 76 million people — mostly children — could die from water-related diseases by 2020 if changes aren’t made worldwide in the way communities develop their water systems and policies, according to a California think tank. -more-
NEW YORK — It makes an eye-opening story: knives, razors and pepper spray easily passing through supposedly beefed-up airport security. But it also raises troubling ethical questions: In particular, are journalists justified in breaking a law to expose weaknesses in enforcing it? -more-
SACRAMENTO — A survey of California students released Friday found that more than 10 percent of high school students have tried the drug Ecstasy, prompting the state to create a media campaign to target use of the drug. -more-
Student activists criticized UC Berkeley’s admission practices and launched a campaign to boost minority student enrollment, at a press conference Thursday. -more-
The 20-somethings in slacks breeze into a café on University Avenue, hardly taking notice of a woman sitting hunched with her back to the sunlit doorway. They don’t know that she lived for 12 years in a cave smaller than the café’s restroom or that she has come here to help them along the path to enlightenment and happiness. -more-
There is a full slate of college soccer this weekend in Berkeley, with Cal’s men and women’s teams both playing two games against nationally-ranked teams. -more-
Winona LaDuke has used nearly every form of writing to tell the story of Native Americans through their eyes. Via essays, speeches, poetry and fiction, she’s been telling the tale of a wounded culture trying to restore ancient patterns of life, and how 19th and 20th century consumerism and militarism undermine those efforts. An overview of her oeuvre, The Winona LaDuke Reader, was published by Voyageur Press this year and will be discussed by the author at Black Oak Books on Sunday evening. -more-
n Freshman surprise: Redshirt freshman Chris Mandarino got his first start at fullback last week and made a good impression with three catches for 41 yards, including a great catch on an 18-yard touchdown reception. -more-
UC Berkeley again found itself in the hot seat Wednesday when plans to stop the distribution of red, white and blue ribbons on campus Sept.11 were blasted as un-American. -more-
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Two Berkeley High School students were injured during a brawl involving roughly 50 students Wednesday afternoon at Civic Center Park. -more-
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With a ballot initiative vote to improve pedestrian safety still two months away, the Berkeley Police Department Wednesday got a jump on dangerous drivers. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis signed a $98.9 billion hard-times state budget Thursday that makes $9 billion in cuts, trims the state payroll by 7,000 jobs and leaves Capitol budget players open to criticism they did too little too late to prevent worse cuts next year. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Crime in California increased 3.7 percent last year over 2000, the state attorney general said Thursday, though violent crime dropped 0.8 percent over the same period. Total property crime was up 6 percent. -more-
SANTA CRUZ — Federal agents raided a marijuana farm Thursday and arrested the owners, who grow the pot for a medical users club, surprising community members and local law enforcement. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors announced a 36-count grand jury indictment Thursday against four executives charged with defrauding investors in a public technology company of $140 million in a “cook the books” scheme. -more-
LOS ANGELES — EBay Inc. said Thursday it is considering legal action against a parody Web site called E-Gray that lampoons Gov. Gray Davis and is produced by his opponent’s campaign. -more-
LOS ANGELES— A police officer arrested last week for alleged drunken driving was charged Thursday with manufacturing the “date-rape” drug GHB, prosecutors said. -more-
Ten Berkeley police officers assembled outside headquarters in the dark, early hours Wednesday. -more-
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Mekons front man John Langford did not expect his band to last 25 days let alone a quarter of a century when he started the Mekons along with Tom Greenhaigh in the late ’70s. But low and behold the band that hails from England is on the first leg of its 25th anniversary tour. The Mekons will bring their signature brand of English country rock to the The Starry Plough Pub tonight. -more-
The Mersey Hot Shots, a Berkeley club soccer team, recently made the journey to Europe to take part in two of the world’s biggest soccer tournaments. The players kept a diary of their travels and experiences. The conclusion of the diary: -more-
California’s majestic coast redwood and Douglas fir trees are susceptible to a pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death, UC researchers have confirmed. -more-
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An independent arbitrator ruled in favor of the local teachers’ union in a contract squabble with the Berkeley Unified School District over the new six-period class schedule at Berkeley High School. -more-
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Berkeley police closed off traffic through the intersection of Ashby and Telegraph avenues for nearly two hours while they investigated a suspicious suitcase that turned out only to contain a sweater. -more-
The state Department of Fair Employment and Housing announced Tuesday that it has finalized a conciliation agreement with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory after an investigation based on a complaint filed in 1999 by nine Asian-American workers. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis said Wednesday he will eliminate another 1,000 government jobs on top of the 6,000 already slated to be cut so that the “size of government reflects the revenues that are coming in.” -more-
LOS ANGELES — Bill Gates introduced Microsoft’s newest multimedia software in Hollywood on Wednesday, promoting his company’s bid to make its technology central to tomorrow’s digital home entertainment center. -more-
SACRAMENTO — California teachers and health insurance companies are teaming up to get more kids enrolled in the state’s public insurance programs. -more-
OAKLAND – The Oakland Fire Department reports that a large brush fire in the hilly Oak Knoll neighborhood was contained Tuesday afternoon after burning 10 to 15 acres. -more-
In anticipation of the opening of its new service to San Francisco International Airport early next year, BART is adjusting train schedules effective today. -more-
UC Berkeley is offering its first course taught entirely over the Internet this year. -more-
A Berkeley-based nonprofit group announced the availability this week of a second edition of its free guide that provides information to disabled people trying to navigate sites around San Francisco. -more-
WALNUT CREEK — The chief nursing home and hospital inspector in Contra Costa and Alameda counties was fired for what the state Department of Health Services called an “inexcusable neglect of duty,” the Contra Costa Times reported. -more-