The City Council laid the groundwork at last Tuesday night’s meeting for an austerity budget certain to dent city services and maybe taxpayer wallets as well. To do so, however, they had to run a gamut of senior citizens protesting proposed cuts to the city’s senior programs. -more-

After hearing from a substantial group of community members opposed to the use of police dogs by the Berkeley Police department, the Berkeley Police Review Commission (PRC) voted 6-3 Wednesday night to reject a plan to put two German shepherds on the force. -more-

No one denies that Dominique Reed is getting bullied. The question is, why is she getting punished for it? -more-

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 -more-

Robin Kibby hasn’t forgotten the day last July when she walked into her first Berkeley planning meeting and spoke out against a proposed five-story apartment complex on University Avenue that would tower over the home she had recently bought. -more-

The battle over development on University Avenue heated up Wednesday night when city planners presented proposed new zoning rules for the avenue at a public hearing of the Planning Commission. -more-

Residents living in towns along the river were ordered to evacuate by the National Guard. -more-

He’s the popular Democratic governor of a southwestern state, with the unlikely advantage of being an experienced international diplomat. He was born in California, but spent his childhood in Mexico City. He speaks real Spanish—not the spanglish kind—and has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s a political moderate with charisma and charm. -more-

Two black men were sitting in the dark on the brick wall across from our house the other night. It was late, in the middle of that odd, late-winter heat spell of a few weeks ago. A police officer rolled around the corner in his car, saw the men, was immediately suspicious. Normally there’s nothing going on down our street that causes a police presence late at night, but lately the police have been hot-spottin’ out here, checking through the area to make sure nothing’s going on. The cop slowed down to a stop in front of the two men. One of the men turned and said in a low voice to the other, “Watch him shine his light over here.” And so the cop did, pointing his piercing spotlight into the two black men’s eyes, blinding them. They squirmed and squinted, ducking their heads a little and putting up their hands against the glare. They knew better than to look away. You want to really arouse a cop’s suspicion? Try to get out of the way when he’s shining a light in your eyes. That’s a quick trip to the back of the police car. -more-

In our March 19 story on the death of Berkeley music teacher Anne Crowden, the Daily Planet reported a March 28 musical reverie in her honor to be held at the Crowden School. Sallie Arens, Crowden School Board chair, has informed the Planet that the perf ormance, which is intended to create a DVD, is closed to the public. -more-

JOHN KERRY -more-

When Tom Bates was running for mayor, he never said that, if elected, he would ensure that Shirley Dean’s supporters would take over the Planning Commission. But that’s exactly what just happened. -more-

The University Avenue Association (UAA) applauds the City Council and the Planning Commission for doing the zoning overlay for the University -more-

At 29, Iowa housewife Denese Becker went to Guatemalan to re-discover her past. She knew she was returning to dig up the roots of a horrific story that left both her parents dead, making her an orphan at the age of 9. What she didn’t know was that her trip would spark a movement to expose the perpetrators of one of the bloodiest events in Guatemalan history, and to help bring them to justice. -more-

Traditional country music is played on acoustic instruments like mandolins, not wailing pedal steel guitars. That fact alone puts its practitioners so far outside the genre’s mainstream Nashville stronghold that they might as well live in, well, the Bay Area. That’s just fine with Berkeley’s very own home grown country music legend Laurie Lewis—she’s been an outsider most of her life. “Even though I’ve grown up in a city, I’m a country girl,” says Lewis. “Farms in Berkeley? You bet!” -more-

Most home buyers know they should get a mortgage pre-approval letter from a lender before they begin seriously shopping for a home. But the reasons for this advice aren’t always clear, and buyers sometimes are dismayed by the amount of paperwork involved. Here is some of the reasoning behind the advice: -more-

Pour one or more tablespoons of olive oil into a microwavable glass bowl. Peel and slice several garlic cloves into the bowl, cover with a plate, and microwave until soft, two or three minutes. Meanwhile, toast thick slices of sourdough bread. Spread the toast with the garlic-oil mixture. Top with slices of ripe and juicy beefsteak tomatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and start the day feeling very well pleased with life.  -more-

One can get away with planting garlic in early spring in Berkeley if one has no desire for any part of it besides green tips, not a bad idea at all. Green tips are speedily grown in March, just when we crave spring greens, and make a pleasant change from green onions, adding sparkle to salads and sauces with less strength than the mature bulb. Simply separate a bulb into cloves and set a dozen of them into a one-gallon pot of potting soil. Because the bulbs will not mature, little space is needed. Water if the earth becomes dry. In a week green shoots will appear, and harvesting can begin soon after. -more-

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 -more-

“Here comes the big scream,” said Kate Obenour. Just outside the garden at Arts Magnet, Rupert Lopez, the reading teacher, stood on one side of the fence holding a long hose. On the other side was a large crowd of students, almost everyone in the yard. Mr. Lopez flipped the nozzle and a fan of water sprayed over the kids. The scream rose. “Yesterday, I heard that scream three blocks away while I was home for lunch,” said Kate. The kids were now waving their arms, and jumping up and down, begging for more. “Are we having fun or what?” asked Kate. -more-