News

No need for tears. Joseph Charles wouldn’t have wanted that. He would have wanted you to smile—or wave. And he would have definitely wanted you to cheer. On March 22, members of the Berkeley NAACP Youth & College Division are coming together to celebrate the legacy of Mr. Charles, Berkeley’s “Waving Man.” -more-

Caught between a steady chorus of warnings by local voting rights activists and a looming deadline to begin preparations for the November elections, Alameda County Supervisors voted narrowly this week to begin negotiations with two companies for the poss ible purchase of paper-verified electronic voting machines. But even supervisors who supported the negotiations cautioned that the vote does not necessarily mean that new electronic voting machines will actually be bought. -more-

Diamonds are forever, so the Berkeley Board of Education is starting small. It will build an open field. -more-

People who turn to the Internet for information about Berkeley crimes will get both more and less information than they did before, but much more attractively packaged. -more-

There have been many Betties. -more-

While he has little experience in city government, Zachary RunningWolf, who formally announced his candidacy for mayor on Wednesday, says he knows what Berkeley needs. -more-

By unanimous vote, environmentalist and former Berkeley City Councilmember Nancy Skinner was named Monday to fill a vacant seat on the board of the East Bay Regional Parks District. -more-

UC Berkeley officials, athletes and contractors staged a full-court press at Memorial Stadium Monday, offering soft drinks and cookies along with the reasons they said everyone should support their massive building plans around the aging facility. -more-

Issues of race, poverty and neglect dominated during the next-to-final hand of a high stakes gamble over the future of North Richmond. -more-

-more-

The “backdoor agreement” that outlines pollution management of Pacific Steel Casting must be revoked, environmental groups say. -more-

A vote by Alameda County Supervisors this week to remove a controversial trustee from the board of the Alameda County Medical Center may not necessarily stop pending legal action against the county for her original removal from the board. -more-

They scream obscenities at the teacher during class and show up all smiles to chat after school; they defy curfews and curl up in their mothers’ laps; they’re ready to live on their own and can’t make a sandwich; they sleep with boyfriends and play with Barbies; they live on chips and cry over acne. -more-

Lauralaura is an 18YO SWF (18-year-old single white female, for the uninitiated) from Berkeley who likes Goth parties. -more-

At Wednesday’s regularly scheduled Berkeley Board of Education meeting, directors approved: -more-

Shots fired, two found -more-

On a balmy Saturday morning, a doctor, a lawyer, a software engineer, and a smattering of others gathered in a room in West Berkeley to learn how to install windows, doors, and skylights. -more-

By Riya Bhattacharjee -more-

By J. Douglas -more-

Jim Hynes, assistant to the city manager, has told the Daily Planet that the city is not considering baiting the rats in Willard Park at this moment. “We have an integrated pest control policy according to which we have to look at the least toxic way of getting rid of the rats,” he said. Presently the city is only setting traps to catch the rodents at Willard Park. -more-

By SUZANNE LA BARRE -more-

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) meets this Wednesday at 7 p.m. to examine current land use conditions and policy in downtown Berkeley. -more-

Proponents, opponents and concerned citizens have their last chance Wednesday to speak out on the report the Bureau of Indians Affairs (BIA) will consider when they decide whether or not to allow a casino in North Richmond. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education will consider funneling $800,000 into developing an open East Campus/ Derby Street field tomorrow. -more-

Local anti-war activists, who say government agencies collected data on their meetings, demonstrations and events, filed suit last week to force the Department of Defense to disclose the contents of documents it has on file. -more-

The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District will hold public hearings next Wednesday, March 22, on bus and service changes in North Alameda and West Contra Costa counties. -more-

Strangers saved the lives of Annette Herskovits and her sister in occupied France almost a half-century ago. -more-

A drive to put the four college Peralta Community College District in the forefront of the Bay Area’s environmental movement was kicked off last week with a one-day mini-conference at Laney College in Oakland. -more-

Worried about the impending earthquake in the Berkeley area? There has been a series of lectures at Stanford and at UC Berkeley for the centennial of the 1906 earthquake. Kathleen Tierney spoke March 1 on “Preparedness for catastrophic and near-catastrophic events: Issues and challenges in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.” Professor Tierney is director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, professor of sociology, author of works on hazards and disasters, and a member of many committees on disaster research. Her appearances on NPR and PBS discussing catastrophe planning can be found on the Internet. -more-

Add this to your list of things to worry about: Native California earthworms. Like many native California creatures, they’re not doing well. -more-

Bad week for cooks -more-

More kidnap info -more-

In the past three years Iraqi guerrillas worked with al Qaeda fighters, or Arab Afghans, in attacking U.S. occupation forces and undermining the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. There are now reports in Arab media, however, that al Qaeda fighters are leaving Iraq because the resistance has turned against them. -more-

It starts like any other lo-fi college radio production. -more-