It wasn’t your typical retirement party. Then again, Linda Mengel and James Harris aren’t your typical teachers. -more-
On the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Virginia Street in West Berkeley, a small yellow light flashes, day and night. Beneath it are the words “School,” and “Speed Limit 25 When Children Are Present.” But no one seems to pay much attention to the signs anymore. The City of Franklin Elementary School—which patterned itself after a small metropolis—has been closed for a year and the kids are long gone. -more-
In light of the resignation of our new high school principal, Ms. Patty Christa, we the undersigned community representatives are sending this open letter to our school community to identify what we believe to be an opportunity for us all. We continue to believe that the success or failure of our schools to educate children cannot rest at the feet of any one individual in this district. We are in support of establishing a community approach to education and utilizing the candid assessment made by Ms. Christa as our catalyst for change. -more-
South Berkeley residents fighting to stop the construction of a three-story, mixed-use development on Shattuck Avenue scored a victory Tuesday night. -more-
For more than a year the attention of the American people has been diverted from the deteriorating conditions at home and directed toward terrorism and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. While many are celebrating the “success” abroad, comparatively little attention has been paid to the economic problems brewing at home. -more-
No one who participated in this year’s Senior Streak at Berkeley High School will be punished because the school administration was unable to recognize anyone involved. -more-
If you have been following the city’s budget process, you have been appalled at the bad news. For next year, there will be bureaucratic belt-tightening, programmatic budget cuts, increased parking fines, increased general service fees, increased property-based service fees and a brand new fee for landlords to cover rental housing safety inspections. For subsequent years, the picture is much, much worse—big service cuts, big staff cuts and substantial fee and tax increases. -more-
UC Berkeley administrators and professors welcomed the selection of UC San Diego Chancellor Robert Dynes Wednesday as the 18th president of the University of California. But some students, on the left and right of the political spectrum, raised concerns about Dynes’ position on UC Regent Ward Connerly’s controversial Racial Privacy Initiative. -more-
UC Berkeley paleoanthropologist Tim White and a team of researchers reported this week that the fossils they found in eastern Ethiopia in 1997 are the oldest known remains of near-modern humans. -more-
In the latest chapter of the struggle to define West Berkeley, the Planning Commission held a public workshop on proposed zoning amendments that would restrict office development and protect light industry and arts and crafts studios. -more-
Stopping to chat with an old friend or lingering over coffee after lunch soon could mean a stiffer fine for those parked on Berkeley streets. -more-
The California Arts Council handed out only 26 cash prizes this year to recognize exemplary California artists and the competition was fierce. When the winners were announced last week Berkeley residents Lia Cook, Mildred Howard, Nancy Selvin, Sharon Siskin, and Dean Smith each won a $4,567 fellowship. Christel Dillbohner of Kensington and Karen Kersten of Oakland also won fellowships. -more-
The Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) presents Summer Noon Concerts 2003, a unique series of nine free concerts, Thursdays at noon in June & July, beginning June 5th. From Rhythm & Blues to Brazilian capoeira, these concerts at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (Shattuck Ave. at Center St.) are a showcase of the culturally rich performing arts in Berkeley. This outdoor summer celebration of Berkeley-based musicians & dancers is just a small sampling of the performing arts happening nightly in clubs, cafes, schools, theaters and concert halls in Downtown Berkeley. -more-
The Berkeley Skate Park, quiet for months after toxics were found at the site, filled again with skaters this past weekend. -more-
From the large ceramic sun adorning the façade of her home-studio to the naked sculptures that border the stairs and driveway, to the full-blown sculpture garden and that blossoms in the backyard, it's clear Kit Skeoch is not one to restrain her impulses. -more-
In the latest high-level shake-up at Berkeley High School, newly appointed principal Patricia Christa abruptly resigned Thursday, stunning parents, teachers and administrators. -more-
On April 7, the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) informed local residents of Superintendent Michelle Lawrence’s desire to move the Berkeley Adult School from its University Avenue location to the currently vacant Franklin School. The district wants the School Board to approve the move in July and begin construction in September 2003. -more-
Bus transfers, discount cards and student passes may be eliminated because of AC Transit’s projected budget deficit of $40 million. -more-
The mayor’s Task Force on Permitting and Development has been meeting every two weeks since Feb. 28 to “investigate options for improving and rationalizing the permitting process, while continuing to guarantee appropriate public input.” Although many task force members are much more interested in shortening the process than in “improving” either the process or the resulting developments, and are even contemptuous of “public input,” a persistent audience of citizen observers reminds them that the public cannot be wholly ignored. I am pleased to report that the task force’s early NIMBY-bashing has gradually dissipated, and an excellent discussion of public input occurred, for the first time, on June 6. -more-
City Council may raise most parking fines by 30 percent Tuesday in an effort to offset next year’s $4.7 million budget deficit. -more-
City Councilmember Dona Spring has sponsored a recommendation to name June 17 Charles Betcher Day in honor of the retired hospital administrator’s indefatigable work on city and county commissions and committees. -more-
Despite administrative threats of disciplinary action, an estimated 35 Berkeley High School seniors took part in the annual “Senior Streak” on Monday. -more-
The battle between preservationists and would-be housing developers over the fate of a 19th-century Victorian home at 2526 Durant Ave. is expected to heat up in the next few weeks, as the city puts the final touches on the project’s environmental impact report (EIR) and considers whether to issue a permit allowing developers to replace the historical Ellen Blood house with a 31,000-square-foot, five-story development that will include two retail establishments and 44 units of housing. -more-
About 650 seniors will cross the stage Friday at Berkeley High School’s graduation ceremony. -more-
While Berkeley is noted nationally, even internationally, for its turn-of-the-20th-century architects such as Bernard Maybeck and their creative and innovative residential designs, Berkeley also has a large number of house types that could simply be referred to as common. -more-
My baby, just a mere speck of a thing, a child smaller than most honest housecats, has, in the space of a few brief, non-ambulatory months, managed to acquire enough crap that we’re on the verge of being forced to move our queen-bed onto the balcony. I’m not exactly sure where the stuff comes from, but I do know that it just keeps coming. We’ve got more blankets than an Arctic rescue team, most of them handmade with love. We try to cycle them over the sleeping baby for photo-ops, and we can usually get about 40 good snaps before she wakes up and makes it clear that it’s 90 degrees in her room, she’s already wearing three hand-embroidered onesies and she didn’t want a blanket in the first place. The baby herself could still fit quite comfortably inside my left snowboot, but she’s got an entire steamer chest full of blocks and toys and stuffed animals all eagerly awaiting their call to active duty. -more-
Berkeley High School will soon have its first full public address system. Younger-Wunar, Inc. last month won the contract to install speakers this summer. -more-
For many years, people driving up Rose Street toward the delights of North Shattuck have habitually averted their eyes while passing Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, an unmistakable “old landmark” that looked more like a minimum-security prison than a place of enlightenment for boys and girls. To be sure, some wonderful things were happening behind the dingy facade, a special one being the school’s organic vegetable garden sponsored by the famous restaurateur Alice Waters. But from the street, the dark brown—unbreakable—plastic windows and shabby stucco walls symbolized perfectly a prevailing Dickensian squalor. -more-
The Berkeley Board of Education unanimously approved a plan last Wednesday to shift half of Berkeley High students into small schools by the 2005-2006 school year, but raised questions about whether the school will be able to make the switch amid changes in leadership. -more-
More than 200 Berkeley High School students received certificates of excellence from Mayor Tom Bates Tuesday, June 3, in the seventh annual student recognition ceremony. -more-
A county school board member has charged that someone sent out an email under his name which he didn’t write. -more-
Neighbors of a mixed-use project at 3045 Shattuck Ave. haven’t given up their fight for a public hearing. -more-
Toward the end of April, soon after the fall of Baghdad, I was in Tilden Park on a rare dry Saturday watching hostilities of a different kind. The black-headed grosbeaks were back from their wintering grounds in western Mexico and setting up territories for the nesting season. All the grosbeaks I saw were males; the females might have been due in a second wave, or may just have been staying out of sight. -more-
The Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) presents Summer Noon Concerts 2003, a unique series of nine free concerts, Thursdays at noon in June & July, beginning June 5th. From Rhythm & Blues to Brazilian capoeira, these concerts at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (Shattuck Ave. at Center St.) are a showcase of the culturally rich performing arts in Berkeley. This outdoor summer celebration of Berkeley-based musicians & dancers is just a small sampling of the performing arts happening nightly in clubs, cafes, schools, theaters and concert halls in Downtown Berkeley. -more-
The press secretary for Jerry Brown says that the Mayor is backtracking from his stated goal of replacing the tenants and the resident performing arts companies at the Alice Arts Center with his Oakland School of the Arts. -more-
Gov. Gray Davis’ plan to soften the blow to public schools by $700 million next year will have little effect on the Berkeley Unified School District, the district’s top budget official said last week. -more-
