Mario Flores can’t imagine Labor Day falling on a worse date. It’s the first of the month this year—the day rent is due. Mario worries this could be the month his check bounces. -more-

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29 -more-

CAMEJO FOR GOVERNOR -more-

I am not a member of a satanic cult and I did not kill Laci Peterson. -more-

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29 -more-

Berkeley Police suspect that a South Berkeley daylight shootout Tuesday and North Oakland murder the night before may be connected to a North Oakland—South Berkeley turf battle officers blame for a flurry of daylight shootings earlier this summer. -more-

As the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington approached, much was made about Martin King’s dream. The dream, which is but four minutes of a 16-minute address, neatly and conveniently overshadows not only the 12 minutes proceeding, but also the reasons for the event. -more-

As in many things, California goes its own way in terms of labor union membership, according to a new study released jointly by UC’s Labor Center and Institute for Labor and Employment. While the rest of the country has seen a further decline in union membership and the higher salaries and health care benefits that go with it since 1997, California’s union work force has actually grown slightly in the same time period. Labor union membership peaked in the U.S. in the 50s at about 35 percent of all workers nationwide. -more-

The upcoming California gubernatorial recall election (the first ever) has been described as a “circus,” a “farce,” “wacky” and “show business.” More reflective observations have described it as a recall qualified by Republican multimillionaires to set up other Republican multimillionaires as candidates to replace the incumbent, Gray Davis. -more-

Though Clarence Arceneaux grew up in Texas and lived much of his adult life in El Cerrito, it was Berkeley, the city where he fed the homeless every month for nearly twenty years, that grieved for him Thursday. -more-

Editors, Daily Planet: -more-

For many school age kids doing math homework—especially without the help of a tutor or parent who knows the material—can be so frustrating that they just give up. Thanks to a new Web site that may be starting to change for Berkeley’s young math-phobes. -more-

BART trains will be running on a normal Sunday schedule on Labor Day. The Richmond/Fremont, Pittsburg/Bay Point-Millbrae and Dublin/Pleasanton-SFO lines will run at 20-minute intervals beginning at 8 a.m. The BART Administrative offices will be closed. -more-

Oakland kicks off the Labor Day weekend with its third annual Art and Soul Festival, headlined this year by music giants Ziggy Marley and Rachelle Ferrell. -more-

For a handful of Berkeley High School freshmen, the first day of school was the worst of all worlds. These were the students who, for one reason or another, had no class schedule in hand and, therefore, had no idea where they were supposed to be. There’s nothing that makes a freshman stand out so much as being lost. -more-

“I’m part of the hot water bottle generation,” announces my friend and student, Pansie. She is sitting at the table in the third seat on the right, where she always sits, every Tuesday morning during our Creative Writing class at the North Oakland Senior Center. -more-

After more than two years of internal debate and intense pressure from industry, the Bush administration is announcing a new rule that will allow thousands of older power plants, oil refineries, and industrial units to make extensive upgrades without having to install new anti-pollution devices. -more-

My East Coast and out-of-country friends have taken to e-mailing me these days with messages like, “Is there a cloud of odd smelling smoke hovering over your home state?” As they cover the gubernatorial recall, the national news seems to think that “crazy” is our state’s title and “circus” its last name. -more-

Talk about recall circuses. The Big Tent went up Tuesday night at UCLA and Governor Gray Davis rolled out his anti-recall campaign by reminding us at least 10 times that he’s coming out fighting—fighting for me! For you! The people! For all of California! Our future! Against the right-wing! -more-

With the recording industry waging a war on downloaders who snag music and films for free off the Internet, UC Berkeley administrators warned students this week that illegal downloading could carry severe consequences. -more-

The Argentine ants that infested my kitchen for the last couple of weeks are gone—for now. But when you’re dealing with Linepithema humile, all victories are temporary. -more-

Call John Muir School in Berkeley sometime and if you’re lucky the woman answering the phone may serenade you with your own personal scat song. No, you haven’t reached the reincarnation of Ella Fiztgerald—just the principal taking a phone call when the school secretary’s too busy. -more-