Fred Lupke, a fighter for Berkeley’s disabled population, remained in a coma Tuesday at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley where he was hospitalized after a car struck his motorized wheelchair Thursday evening. -more-

TUESDAY, SEPT. 23 -more-

A few years ago I saw a terrific production of “The Wiz” at Berkeley High. One of the best characters in this update of “The Wizard of Oz” is the Wicked Witch of the West, Evillene. Her signature refrain is: “Don’t nobody bring me no bad news!” -more-

Ron Kaell, a lead actor in “The Old Neighborhood,” Aurora Theatre’s regional premier of one of David Mamet’s most recent plays, probably said it best, the play’s “about going home, but you can’t go home again.” -more-

TUESDAY, SEPT. 23 -more-

Neighbors of the defunct Franklin Elementary School filed suit against the Berkeley Unified School District Monday, jeopardizing the BUSD’s plan to shift the Adult School to the Franklin campus. -more-

FOR PROP. 54 -more-

The Daily Californian and the student government board that holds its lease have set a last-ditch meeting Tuesday to decide if the independent paper will remain on campus. -more-

Californians appear condemned to repeat history because they refuse to learn from it. I shake my head as the Berkeley recall of 30 years ago repeats itself on a statewide level. -more-

The firing of a veteran Berkeley Bowl produce department worker and pro-union activist sparked a brief walkout Sunday, effectively shutting down the store for fifteen minutes. -more-

Sadly, both Council and school board missed a rare and unprecedented opportunity to work together to achieve a better community. I am referring to the recent school board decision to move the Adult School from University Avenue to the Franklin School site, and while one or two Councilmembers have signaled their disapproval, Council itself has been silent. At this week’s Joint City/School “2x2” meeting, City representatives indicated that since the School Board had made their decision, let’s talk about how to deal with the resultant traffic problems. This is not leadership. This is not expressing a vision for the future. Besides ignoring environmental impact report regulations concerning the Franklin decision, this position doesn’t even recognize the core issue of the need for good planning. Any action regarding the use of precious public school sites affects every resident, no matter what neighborhood we live in. -more-

The first small step towards election-day voter registration in California now rests on the desk of Gov. Gray Davis. -more-

Editors, Daily Planet: -more-

Last week I got a “same-day” appointment at Kaiser. -more-

Spanish music fans are in for a treat this Thursday when Julieta Venegas, the rising Mexican rock en español music star stops to perform at Berkeley’s La Peña cultural center as part of a nationwide tour. -more-

Zucchini can be considered the terrorist of the garden. -more-

After months of dry weather and as fall approaches, the temperature in the Bay Area rises, often accompanied by dry hot winds from the east. California is no stranger to the threat of huge fires; they have occurred from the coast to the high Sierra and in the north and south. -more-