Local regulators have cited West Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Casting for releasing foul smelling air from its factories, plant General Manager Joe Emmerichs confirmed Thursday. -more-

Tupper & Reed Music—downtown Berkeley’s oldest business—is closing its doors after 99 years. -more-

When it came down to whether or not Terri Schiavo should live or die, many in Berkeley’s famously left-wing disabled community found themselves in lock step with the Christian Right. -more-

The task force charged with rewriting Berkeley’s contentious creeks law is scheduled to approve a plan Monday that will ask the city to grant it up to $200,000. -more-

The Berkeley Historical Society announced the winning photographers for its Life Magazine-Style Photo Essay Competition this week. -more-

City-mandated upgrades to Berkeley Iceland will be delayed by six months, according to rink owners, after city officials rejected the rink’s initial proposal to upgrade its facility. -more-

Despite the recent city decision to landmark one of the buildings he plans to demolish, developer Dan Deibel is pushing ahead with plans for a major residential and commercial block in West Berkeley. -more-

Click here to view the latest work by Planet cartoonist Justin DeFreitas9 -more-

SPECIAL ELECTION -more-

In this small, sad space where the overwhelming emotions seem to have temporarily waned with the death of Terri Schiavo, and before we have forgotten this issue entirely and moved onto other things, it seems appropriate to take some time to talk calmly and quietly about the issues that have been raised. This is an issue which ought to rise above partisan politics. -more-

The defining moment for me in the O.J. Simpson trial was not Simpson’s acquittal and the firestorm that it ignited nationally. It was a note I got from an associate in Johnnie Cochran’s law firm. He said that Johnnie wanted me to know that he admired my comments about the case. I was one of the legion of talking heads during the trial, and like many of the other analysts, I was critical of some of Cochran’s legal maneuvers. -more-

Cellular Intimidation -more-

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—After a 19-year-old man of Moroccan descent was run down and killed in January by a Dutch woman driver trying to recover her stolen purse, mourners blamed Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk for the death. -more-

American culture is driven by consumerism. As a result, from time to time our favorite brands get new packaging: the Coca-Cola can features a new paint job; the New York Times gets a facelift; Cadillac introduces an SUV. This process has even affected that venerable institution, Christianity. -more-

In the March 25-28 Daily Planet, Heath Maddox, a city staffer and union member, replies to my query—given that the city’s current contracts with unionized employees grant salary increases of 28.5 percent or (for fire and police) 31.5 percent over six yea rs, how is budgeting zero raises for two years after the current contracts expire asking city workers, in the words of a Planet reporter, “to sacrifice”? -more-

I hope you assign some of your reporters to follow up on the statements summarized below made in a letter by SEIU union member Heath Maddox published in your March 25-28 issue. In his letter, Mr. Maddox lists a number of “sacrifices” city employees have made to reduce city expenses. -more-

The commentary by Bill Hamilton (“Disarming Violence: Three Choices,” March 29-31) presents a nice convenient package for commenting, but fails to accurately portray important aspects of the situation. It is but the latest from among the people who pontificate between lattes, cop-bashing, and massage appointments. Far from being illuminating, it muddles the controversy by framing incongruous circumstances as the same. It also shows a bit too much of the self-righteousness hypocrisy the Bay Area is renowned for. Much like other cases of officious largesse, the choices proffered don’t fit the actual situation. I’m getting used to people who, by age alone, should know better. More than one professional writer, among them inappropriately anointed and self-appointed spokespersons for the Black community, have wrongly referred to my act of self-defense as vigilantism, in spite of the fact that the word choice is obviously incorrect and that I have publicly criticized vigilante acts. -more-

If you’d like a preview of the university’s expanded future—the big dog that already wags the tail that is Berkeley, drive or walk up to Channing Way and Bowditch, stand on the end of the grand old Anna Head site, and take in the dramatic transformation from a sea of boring temporaries to gleaming, state-of-the-art architecture. -more-

“From the Hills to the Bay” might have been an appropriate theme for the Berkeley Historical Society’s spring series of history walking tours starting this weekend. -more-

To attend the 10 a.m. tour this Saturday morning, gather at Founder’s Rock—Gayley Road and Hearst Avenue—and purchase tickets then. Wear good climbing shoes for the steep hike. -more-

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 -more-

Warm spring days beckon us out of our homes like monarchs emerging from their cocoons. Time to brighten our views and feel the touch of the sun. Time to renew our dreams of travel to destinations far and away. -more-

FRIDAY, APRIL 1 -more-

A page 2 headline in the March 29-31 issue for an article on a hazardous waste pickup contained errors. The program is not free, but requires a $10 copay. Also, it is a door-to-door program, not a curbside program. -more-