The Week

Crews battle the Fourth Street blaze early Tuesday morning.
Crews battle the Fourth Street blaze early Tuesday morning.
 

News

Empty West Berkeley Building Destroyed in Two-Alarm Blaze: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday September 17, 2004

Berkeley firefighters battled a two-alarm fire in a vacant West Berkeley office building after the blaze was first reported at 4:25 a.m. Tuesday. -more-


Neighbor Sues Temple In Dispute Over Construction Problems: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday September 17, 2004

If good fences make good neighbors, Dan McLoughlin doesn’t think the folks who are moving next door look too promising. -more-


Uninsured Patients Charge Sutter With Price-Gouging: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday September 17, 2004

Health care patient advocates have filed two class action lawsuits in Bay Area state courts against hospital conglomerate Sutter Health, asking the court to halt what they call the corporation’s “price-gouging” of uninsured patients and return “unfair” profits back to the public. -more-


‘Car Free’ Day Parade Features Art Cars

Friday September 17, 2004

The ninth-annual How Berkeley Can You Be? Parade and Festival will run in conjunction with the city’s first Car Free Day on Sunday. -more-


Proposed Transfer of School Radio Station Surprises El Cerrito Officials: By JAKOB SCHILLER

Friday September 17, 2004

A proposal to transfer control of the El Cerrito High School educational radio station to a private non-profit has sent shockwaves through the West Contra Costa School District. -more-


Mayor Pushes Tax Hikes To Help Close Budget Deficit: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday September 17, 2004

With a taxpayer revolt mounting, Mayor Tom Bates is trying to shore up voter support for three proposed tax hikes, arguing that Berkeley has been a model of fiscal discipline during its prolonged budget crisis. -more-


UC, Developer Still Talking About Hotel: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday September 17, 2004

Despite rumors to the contrary floating around the city in recent days, UC Berkeley and powerhouse hotelier Carpenter & Co. are continuing to hammer out a deal that would add yet another tower to the tallest intersection in Berkeley. -more-


Police Blotter: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday September 17, 2004

Found: One Bullet Hole -more-


LBL’s Switch to Ethanol Fuels Controversy: By ANNA OBERTHUR

Special to the Planet
Friday September 17, 2004

Growing corn in America’s heartland, distilling it into alcohol and mixing it with gasoline to power vehicles may sound like an ingenious way to be freed from dependency on foreign oil, cut down on air pollution and begin the transition to a renewable energy source. -more-


Scores For Deaf Students Skew John Muir Test Results: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday September 17, 2004

At least three of the 10 fourth-grade students who scored in the “far below basic” category in California Standards Test (CST) taken at Berkeley’s John Muir Elementary School last spring were deaf students who received higher grades on that test, but were placed in the lower category because the test had to be signed to them. -more-


Fire Department Log: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday September 17, 2004

Skateboard Triggers Grass Fire -more-


Landmarks Panel Frustrated With Planning Staff Delays, Omissions: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday September 17, 2004

Frustrated Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) members Monday night blasted city planning staff for failing to forward the commission’s critical comments to Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) members before they voted on a controversial project in a newly created city historic district. -more-


Commission Delays Nexus Vote, Looks at West Berkley Proposal: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday September 17, 2004

Large contingents from the arts community and supporters of the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society turned out for the airing of a proposal to landmark two vintage West Berkeley buildings owned by the humane society and occupied, in part, by the artists. -more-


Maoists Rebels are Winning the War in Nepal: By MIKE McPHATE

Pacific News Service
Friday September 17, 2004

KATHMANDU—While world attention is preoccupied with the Middle East, Nepal is falling apart. -more-


U.S.-Australia Ties Could Be in for a Jolt: By AIDAN DOYLD

Pacific News Service
Friday September 17, 2004

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard told the U.S. Congress, “America has no better friend anywhere in the world than Australia.” This might soon change. -more-


Dems Should be Wary of Adopting GOP Tactics: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

UnderCurrents
Friday September 17, 2004

I write to a friend in Maryland this week, asking her how the presidential election is going there. -more-


The Right of Every Human Not to be Tortured: By ANN FAGAN GINGER

Challenging Rights Violations
Friday September 17, 2004

The people who fought against the king of England and his armies in order to establish the United States of America quickly declared, in writing, that they had rights that must be respected by their new government. They were building on the Magna Charta of 1215 in England and the Petition of Right of the English Parliament in 1628. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday September 17, 2004

POLICE DUTIES -more-


Once More into the Quagmire: Vietnam and Iraq: By PHIL McARDLE

COMMENTARY
Friday September 17, 2004

George Santayana, the great Spanish-American philosopher, told us that those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it. This profound observation has been invoked out of context ad nauseam. Nevertheless, its real meaning stays fresh because it was intended for events like the Holocaust and for situations like ours today in Iraq. Many Americans didn’t learn the lessons of Vietnam, and so here we are, trapped in that genuine rarity, a disaster in which history repeats itself. The parallels between the two wars are breathtaking. -more-


An Important Step For California’s Children: By ASSEMBLYMEMBER WILMA CHAN

COMMENTARY
Friday September 17, 2004

Among the legislation sitting on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature is a bill that takes an important step towards the establishment of a system of universal access to preschool in California. -more-


Retelling the Mysterious Death of King Yazdgerd: By KEN BULLOCK

Special to the Planet
Friday September 17, 2004

Darvag, the East Bay theater company now staging Bahram Beyzaie’s Death of Yazdgerd at Ashby Stage through this weekend, has produced plays since 1985, often in Farsi. -more-


Dozens Rally at Murder Sites: By JAKOB SCHILLER

Friday September 17, 2004

As a way to voice their concern about the murders this summer in Berkeley, community members, city officials and several youth organizations turned out to Wednesday evening rallies held at the site of three different killings. -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday September 17, 2004

FRIDAY, SEPT. 17 -more-


Dogs Try to Keep it Down During New Quiet Hours: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Friday September 17, 2004

It’s daybreak at Berkeley’s Ohlone Dog Park and the pressure is on Rebecca Denison. -more-


Corrections

Friday September 17, 2004

An article in Sept. 14-16 edition of the Daily Planet about the Berkeley Bohemia exhibit incorrectly stated the title of Charles Keeler’s collection of poetry. The correct title is “The Simple Home.” -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday September 17, 2004

FRIDAY, SEPT. 17 -more-


ZAB Authorizes Key Document For Seagate Building: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board members authorized a key document last week paving the way for the tallest structure to rise in downtown Berkeley in decades, the nine-story Seagate Building slated to replace four 1920’s era low-rise structures on Center Street. -more-


Public Access To City Info Not Always Available: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Recovering from surgery, Councilmember Dona Spring planned to spend Thursday night in front of her television set watching one of the most important Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB) meetings of the year. -more-


UC Delays Campus Development Plan : By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Facing widespread public opposition, UC Berkeley announced Monday it will postpone submitting its Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) to the UC Board of Regents. -more-


Will She Run? Shirek Takes Out Papers for Race: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Councilmember Maudelle Shirek will mount a write-in campaign to keep her City Council seat, sources close to her said Monday. -more-


Pension Costs Have City Deficits on the Rise: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday September 14, 2004

With Mayor Tom Bates scheduled to unveil a financial recovery plan today, the city’s latest budget projections show Berkeley falling further into the red. -more-


Bands Turn Down Volume After Residents Complain: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday September 14, 2004

A watchful Berkeley Police officer and a crew of beefy private security guards kept a tight reign on revelers gathered Friday night during the second of in a series of “Battle of the Bands” events sponsored by a popular Shattuck Avenue tavern. -more-


Uninsured Patients Claim Sutter Health Overcharged: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Uninsured patients are scheduled to hold a press conference today (Tuesday, September 14) to announce two class action lawsuits against Sutter Health, the corporate conglomerate that owns Alta Bates Summit Medical Center as well as hospitals throughout Northern and Central California and the state of Hawaii. -more-


Thermometer Exchange at UC For Pollution Prevention Week: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Area residents will have the opportunity to pick up a free digital thermometer near the UC campus during an end-of-September promotion for National Pollution Prevention Week. -more-


New Slate Elected to School Site Council, Referendum Held on Academic Choice: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Supporters of Academic Choice, a controversial program at Berkeley High School, packed the Little Theater Thursday and elected four of their own to the School Site Council that had been critical of the program since it began three years ago. -more-


BUSD Integration Lawsuit Dropped When Plaintiff Moves: By MATTHEW ARTZ

Tuesday September 14, 2004

A legal challenge to Berkeley’s school integration plan that made national headlines last spring has died a quiet death. -more-


Black Media Warns Of Sequel to 2000 Florida Fiasco: By DANIELLE WORTHY

Pacific News Service
Tuesday September 14, 2004

On Election Day 2004, everyone’s attention will turn toward Florida—the quintessential battleground state which marred the reputation of the electoral system for many voters, especially blacks. But months before the actual casting of ballots, the black m edia have been reporting that Florida already is embroiled in an electoral controversy rooted in discrimination. -more-


Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Environmental Crossroads: By AMANDA GRISCOM

AlterNet, NEWS ANALYSIS
Tuesday September 14, 2004

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s exuberant speech at the Republican National Convention suggested that the Governator may be less the moderate Republican than advertised. Hailed by some during the convention as the Obama of the right, the California governor came across as a devout, rock-ribbed Bush lover. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday September 14, 2004

CORPORATION YARD -more-


Oy! Going to Oz On a Wild Onager: By SUSAN PARKER

Tuesday September 14, 2004

“Are you getting enough sleep?” asked Pearl, peering into my eyes over the Scrabble board. -more-


Police Blotter: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Strong-Arm Artist Gets Cash -more-


Fire Department Log: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday September 14, 2004

Elevated House Takes Tumble -more-


The Right of Every Human Not to be Killed: By ANN FAGAN GINGER

Challenging Rights Violations
Tuesday September 14, 2004

As a result of the actions by the U.S. Government after 9/11, what is the reality in the “war against terrorism” three years later? -more-


Magna Plans Imperil Eastshore Park: By JILL POSENER

COMMENTARY
Tuesday September 14, 2004

It seems everyone—politicians, voters, letter writers and editorial columnists—expressed surprise—shock even—at the process by which a small San Pablo card room could morph into a super-size slot machine mecca. -more-


ZAB Caves in on Seagate EIR: By RICHARD SCHWARTZR

COMMENTARY
Tuesday September 14, 2004

Campaign 2004: Bush’s Bounce: By B`OB BURNETT

COMMENTARY
Tuesday September 14, 2004

When the Democratic National convention ended, on July 30, John Kerry had a slight lead in the presidential polls and George Bush had a negative approval rating. By the time the Republican National Convention ended, on Sept. 2, Bush had taken a lead in the polls and had gained a positive approval rating. What happened during the month of August that explains this reversal? -more-


Bohemians Flourished in Berkeley’s Early Years: By STEVEN FINACOM

Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 14, 2004

The roots of what might be called Berkeley’s counter-culture reputation go back long before the 1960s. -more-


Talking About Belief in ‘The Faith Project’: By KEN BULLOCK

Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 14, 2004

There have been plenty of docudramas based on interviews or on confessional monologues, even a glut in recent years, but The Faith Project (playing Tuesday and Wednesday at the Ashby Stage) stands alone on this familiar ground. -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday September 14, 2004

TUESDAY, SEPT. 14 -more-


Sycamores Show Virtue of Having Trees in Cities: By RON SULLIVAN

Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 14, 2004

Sycamores are among the West’s most biologically useful trees. They line creek-cut canyons in the desert, extending a green and gracious welcome to the human traveler and to whole plant and animal communities with their shade and shelter and, not least of all, the holes in their trunks. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday September 14, 2004

TUESDAY, SEPT. 14 -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Down At the Alligator’s Ball: By BECKY O'MALLEY

EDITORIAL
Friday September 17, 2004

A week or so ago the Planet received an invitation to a fundraiser for realtor Laurie Capitelli, who’s running for Berkeley City Council in District 5. It had been re-sealed and re-addressed to us, which seemed odd, and when we opened it a little slip of paper fell out with an anonymous typed note: “The Developers’ Ball? They are urging a vote for their pro-development candidate. Interesting cast of endorsers.” -more-


Readers Tell Us Off: By BECKY O'MALLEY

EDITORIAL
Tuesday September 14, 2004

Sunday’s Solano Stroll was a typically festive Berkeley event. It started out cold and windy, but eventually the fog burned off and citizens came out to stroll in more than respectable numbers. The Planet was lucky—because we’d contributed space to the S olano merchants’ association for advertising the event, we got space across from Andronico’s to set up a table and chairs with a sunshade, where we could sit with our grandchildren and enjoy the passing throng. -more-