Berkeley Mourns Slain Teenager By RIO BAUCE Special to the Planet
Hundreds of people gathered at St. Joseph the Worker Church on Friday to mourn the death of 15-year-old Berkeley High School sophomore Alberto Salvador Villareal-Morales. -more-
Hundreds of people gathered at St. Joseph the Worker Church on Friday to mourn the death of 15-year-old Berkeley High School sophomore Alberto Salvador Villareal-Morales. -more-
A Hayward judge has handed down a mixed victory for Raymond Chamberlin’s lawsuit challenging the reduction of traffic lanes on Marin Avenue. -more-
Amid a flurry of controversy, KPFA-FM General Manager Roy Campanella II has stepped down. -more-
If an Oakland Public Works Agency guided walk around the south end of Lake Merritt was designed to dampen criticism of the city’s plan to remove more than 200 trees, it didn’t exactly work. -more-
AC transit’s plan to “delete” 44 bus stops in Berkeley, Alameda and Oakland next week to provide faster and more reliable service has angered many riders who depend on those stops. -more-
A much-anticipated Board of Trustees presentation on the Peralta Community College District International and Global Education Department has been postponed. -more-
With the approval of state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the lawsuit filed by environmentalists over the sale of Richmond’s Point Molate is history. -more-
Berkeley city councilmembers will hear an appeal Tuesday by the owner of Dwight Way Liquor, who wants to overturn a Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) decision declaring the store a public nuisance. -more-
Density bonuses, West Berkeley zoning changes and creeks are among the land use issues city officials will be considering this week. -more-
Opponents of a plan to build a shopping mall in a Golden Gate Fields parking lot are holding a rally Thursday in the form of an old-fashioned ice cream social. -more-
In an unprecedented crackdown on more than 500,000 absconders—illegal immigrants who have not followed deportation orders—U.S. authorities this year are nearly tripling the number of federal officers assigned to round up such fugitives. -more-
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia—The inauguration of Evo Morales as the first president of Bolivia of indigenous origins marks a watershed in the history of the Americas. The “caras,” whites and mestizos who have dominated Bolivia for centuries, are being replaced by an Indian who represents the country’s true majority. -more-
To view Justin DeFreitas’ latest editorial cartoon, please visit -more-
First of all, I want to say that despite all the turmoil that has occurred since I sold my Honda dealership, I have been pleased at so many positive references to how Jim Doten Honda was viewed by the Berkeley community. That is very important to me. I want to assure all the citizens of Berkeley that I sold the franchise to a group in whom I have the utmost confidence. I believe that they are committed to being good corporate citizens and have the talent, dedication and wherewithal to grow the business to new levels, providing many more jobs and sales tax revenues to the community that I have served for 31 years. -more-
Thank you for this community forum to discuss issues that affect the whole community. I feel compelled to respond to the letter written by Gloria Atherstone, owner of Glass Onion Catering Company, also the tenant who rents the performance space and mezzanine at the Gaia Building. She signs her letter as Gaia Arts Management, Inc. She asserts that the private party-turned-melee on Jan. 7 was “not facilitated in any way by Glass Onion Catering, Gaia Arts Management or Panoramic Interests.” The party was held in a building owned by Panoramic Interests, in a space rented and managed by Ms. Atherstone. Yet no one takes responsibility for this private party that attracted hundreds, kept my customers away and had to be shut down by the police. -more-
The reason that I moved to South Berkeley a few years ago was to become part of a community that shared my vision for an inclusive society that valued diversity and compassion above all other things. While I still feel deeply committed to a world that is centered more on the common good of its citizens than petty economic pursuits, I do feel that there needs to be a little flexibility and open mindedness when it comes to the growing need for high-density housing options here in Berkeley. -more-
Before you read this article, take a five count. Slowly inhale through your nose for five seconds, hold your breath for five seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth counting to five. -more-
Bernie Sanders has been in town this week, and he’s, to coin a phrase, a breath of fresh air. This is a man who seems never to hesitate to say and do exactly what he thinks is right, and it’s only been good for him. He was once the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and for years he’s been the sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives from that small state. His biggest claim to fame is that he’s an independent, not a Democrat, in a state where Democrats and Republicans have traded off in political jobs most of the time. Now he’s running to replace retiring independent (formerly Republican) Senator James Jefferds, against someone he describes as “the richest person in Vermont,” a real Republican candidate who’s expected to spend as much as he wants of his own considerable fortune to beat Bernie. The Sanders camp thinks that they can hold their own, in a state where only about 600,000 souls live with three or four hundred thousand voting, for about $5 million. That’s a big number, but nothing like as big as expenditures in more populous states like California, where the war chest for a senate race is more like $15 million. So Bernie is touring the country unabashedly trying to raise what he needs to win, and judging by the enthusiasm with which he was received at the Berkeley function I attended, he’s well on his way. Turns out a lot of people still admire a person who speaks his mind. -more-
The South Berkeley Blues -more-
My New York friends took me to see the musical Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre on 52nd Street in Manhattan. They thought that because I grew up in the Garden State I would identify with, at the very least, the title. And in some ways I did. Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, was familiar because, like almost everyone from the ‘burbs in the early ‘60s, I grew up with their music. -more-
It’s only on my worst, most misanthropic days that I suspect most of my fellow humans of not noticing that the trees around us are more than overdecorated hatracks. We all know they’re alive, right? And we all know, or ought to, that they’re in motion, growing, moving (though at a pace we’re ill-equipped to see), performing, building the massive edifices of themselves with light and carbon and air. -more-
Editorial: Speaking Truth, Getting Power By BECKY O'MALLEY 01-24-2006
Editorial: Give Purple a Chance in Berkeley By BECKY O'MALLEY 01-20-2006
Letters to the Editor 01-24-2006
Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 01-24-2006
Commentary: Pension Fund Problems Behind Berkeley Honda Dispute By JIM DOTEN 01-24-2006
Commentary: Cultural Space Not for Private Parties By ANNA DE LEON 01-24-2006
Commentary: Berkeley Needs More Density on BART Site By Jonathan Stephens 01-24-2006
Commentary: Line Rage By WINSTON BURTON 01-24-2006
Commentary: Sam A. Man By Frank Olivier 01-24-2006
Arts Calendar 01-20-2006
Berkeley Mourns Slain Teenager By RIO BAUCE Special to the Planet 01-24-2006
Legal Setback for Marin Ave. Change By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-24-2006
KPFA Chief Steps Down After Troubled Reign By SUZANNE LA BARRE Special to the Planet 01-24-2006
Lake Merritt Tree Supporters Unmoved By Public Works Tour By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 01-24-2006
AC Transit Plan to Delete Stops Draws Riders’ Ire By DANIEL DeBOLT Special to the Planet 01-24-2006
Peralta District Officials Delay Release of Report By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 01-24-2006
Attorney General Signs Off on Point Molate Settlement By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-24-2006
Liquor Store Appeal, Brower Plaza Lead City Council Agenda By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-24-2006
Density Bonuses, Creeks and Liquor Store on Land Use Meeting Agendas By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-24-2006
Golden Gate Fields Mall Opponents Hold Rally By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-24-2006
Immigration Agents Hunt for 500,000 Absconders From the Filipino Reporter 01-24-2006
Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-24-2006
News Analysis: Evo Morales and the Roots of Revolution By ROGER BURBACH Pacific News Service 01-24-2006
Neighbors Oppose Ashby BART Project By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-20-2006
Panel: What Makes a Great Downtown? By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-20-2006
Housing Authority Director Resigns Under Cloud of Suspicion By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 01-20-2006
Regents Pass Employee Compensation Reform By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 01-20-2006
City, Kennedy Lawyers Discuss Gaia Controversy By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-20-2006
City Attorney Narrowly Avoids State Supreme Court’s Wrath By MIKE McKEE San Francisco Recorder 01-20-2006
Council Rings in New Year With Unfinished BusinessBy SUZANNE LA BARRE Special to the Planet 01-20-2006
Defeating Alito with Cookies and Milk 01-20-2006
Correction 01-20-2006
Elena Fernández Herr 1920-2006 By Richard Herr 01-20-2006
Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 01-20-2006
Column: Dispatches From The Edge: Planning the Next War: White House Targets Iran By Conn Hallinan 01-20-2006
Column: UnderCurrents: Punishing Politicians for Doing the Right Thing By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 01-20-2006
Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS 01-20-2006
Letters to the Editor 01-20-2006
Commentary: Two Halves Needed for a Whole Downtown By ALAN TOBEY 01-20-2006
Commentary Parsing the Derby Street Proposals By MARK McDONALD 01-20-2006
Commentary Exit Exam is Misguided Educational Policy By KEN STANTON 01-20-2006
China, Taiwan Crack Down on Korean Soap Operas By EUGENIA CHIEN Pacific News Service 01-20-2006
Correction 01-20-2006
Barn Owls in Berkeley? Learn How to Keep Them Here By JOE EATON Special to the Planet 01-20-2006
About the House: Yes, You Really Can Learn To Do It Yourself By MATT CANTOR 01-20-2006
Garden Variety No Need to Rush Those Gardening Decisions By RON SULLIVAN 01-20-2006
Column: The View From Here: Where Will the Transit Village Leave South Berkeley? By P.M. Price 01-24-2006
Column: Late December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) By SUSAN PARKER 01-24-2006
Trees Manage Water to the Benefit of the Atmosphere By RON SULLIVAN Special to the Planet 01-24-2006
Arts Calendar 01-24-2006
Arts: Ragged Wing Is a Welcome Addition to Local Theater By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 01-24-2006
Trees Manage Water to the Benefit of the Atmosphere By RON SULLIVAN Special to the Planet 01-24-2006
Berkeley This Week 01-24-2006
Berkeley This Week 01-20-2006