Walking along a bustling section of Telegraph Avenue, Mayor Tom Bates, clad in beat-up sneakers and a pair of baggy, frayed blue jeans, intently watched the ground from beneath the brim of a cap pulled low over his forehead. -more-
The only question unanswered at the end of “Surface Transit,” Sarah Jones’ one-woman show at Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, is “What’s that title all about?” Simple enough: It refers to the bus rides during which this New Yorker found sources for several of the characters she portrays so brilliantly. -more-
Employees of the East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use voted unanimously to unionize this week, capping a year of turmoil at one of the area’s most storied nonprofit organizations. -more-
With a world-class, world-hopping conductor at its helm in Kent Nagano, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra enjoys a connection to the global music community that is rare for an orchestra of its size. -more-
When the Berkeley Folk Festival takes place in a week or so, much will be made of the accessibility of the venue, a great improvement on the locations of the past. Much will be made of the sign language interpreters assigned to translate the main stage shows. People will marvel, at least privately, at finally having wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and an accessible stage. -more-
The struggle to maintain a delicate balance between arts and crafts, blue collar jobs and office development in West Berkeley has entered another chapter in its 19-year saga. -more-
Almost four weeks after suspending me for participating in an antiwar demonstration, the San Francisco Chronicle this week officially fired me from my job as a technology reporter and columnist. I consider this punishment a violation of my rights as a citizen and as an employee, and I intend to fight it with all the means available to me. -more-
Rumors that Planning Director Carol Barrett has resigned her post swirled around City Hall Thursday. -more-
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Cleveland), one of nine Democratic candidates for president, blasted the Bush Administration over the war in Iraq and insisted that his shoestring candidacy has a chance during a UC Berkeley appearance Wednesday. -more-
Each night, the computer at Berkeley's downtown library erases everything that happened that day on its 50 Internet terminals. Titles of several thousand or so books returned that day disappear from the borrower's record. Once a month, the names of anyone who took out a particular book, whether "Winnie the Pooh" or "Das Capital," vanish as well. -more-
9 p.m. -more-
Back when the war on Iraq was but a gleam in Paul Wolfowitz’s eye, back when the French and Germans stood in solidarity with their American friends, back just days after Sept. 11, I stumbled into Caffe Venezia looking for some kind of sustenance. -more-
Two top-ranking school officials announced this week that they will be leaving the Berkeley Unified School District in the coming months. -more-
ROME — My host in Rome, a retired professor of nearly 80, surprised me by proudly telling me about the peace marches she had recently attended. “I lived through the bombing of Hull during World War II,” she said of her home town in England. “That experience left me very intolerant of the whole notion of bombing people.” -more-
The Berkeley Public Library is facing a budget deficit that could result in reduced hours of service, staffing cuts and outdated library resources. -more-
For those of us who have a less than impressive background in mathematics, Aurora Theater Company’s world premier of Ira Hauptman’s “Partition” may seem a bizarre selection — perhaps even off-putting. Wrong. Very wrong indeed. This is one terrific theater evening. Despite the odd title (it’s a mathematical concept) and a plot based on the true story of a couple of early 20th century mathematical geniuses, it’s a play which grabs you from the beginning and takes you through an often funny, but moving and deeply human experience. -more-
Berkeley ferry service moved one step closer to reality last week when state Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland) released his long-awaited plan to fund a host of local transit projects with a $1 toll hike on seven Bay Area bridges, including the Bay Bridge. -more-
If U.S. leaders wish to avoid making a costly mess of their adventure in Iraq, they should do two things right away: First, ignore the intellectual pay-per-view service from prominent Anglo-American Orientalist scholars, and second, get to know a Middle Eastern port. -more-
The death rate for Alameda County residents is declining, but disparities in health based on race persist, with African-Americans ailing and dying at significantly higher rates than the rest of the population, according to a recently released report discussed Monday by Alameda County health officials and community group representatives. -more-
While our news is flooded with discussion of war, dangerous attacks on our safeguards for clean air, clean water and public lands are under way and receiving unacceptably scarce news coverage. Let it be known that the environment is being threatened by the current administration. We are in a state of orange alert on the environment. -more-
The nearly 20-year battle over the identity of West Berkeley likely will flare up again Wednesday night when the Planning Commission considers setting a public hearing on zoning protections for light manufacturing, artist studios and artisan work shops. -more-
The Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin County will host an open house on Sunday, April 27, from noon to 5 p.m. Susan Parker, writer-in-residence at the center in 2001, offers a preview of the event. -more-
The Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble has earned international recognition over the past few summers touring European music festivals. -more-
For the last two years I’ve been watching the woman across the street plant and replant her garden every couple of months. It’s about 50 feet long and eight feet wide and has gone through so many iterations — from Japanese to xeriscape to tasty herbs — that she now has to truck in fresh soil every time she changes her mind. -more-
The Berkeley Unified School District, in a cost-cutting move, is planning a major overhaul of its Independent Study program next year — shrinking year-long courses to a semester and cutting teacher-student time up to 50 percent. -more-
During the 19th and early 20th centuries public transportation was built by private entrepreneurs with the anticipation of future development and population growth. -more-
