Foes of the proposed upscale mall planned at Albany’s Golden Gate Fields handed in nearly three times the needed signatures needed to qualify a November ballot initiative measure that would stop the proposal. -more-

The largest new commercial project in Berkeley in decades won city approval Thursday—though Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB) members fear West Berkeley will be bowled over by the traffic. -more-

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is refusing to excuse the absences of teachers who joined nationwide rallies May 1, and is subsequently docking pay. -more-

An Oakland-based environmental nonprofit is threatening to sue Pacific Steel Casting in federal court. -more-

Although former Berkeley Police Sgt. Cary Kent, who pleaded guilty in April to felony charges of grand theft and possession of heroin and methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to one year in county jail, he’ll do no time behind bars. -more-

The California Superintendent for Public Instruction is close to a decision concerning the disposal of 9.47 acres of midtown properties owned by the Oakland Unified School District. -more-

The Berkeley Daily Planet is going daily again! Yes, you read that right. After three years, readers will now be able to get news flashes every day, as they happen—on the Internet at www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. The Tuesday and Friday print issues will remain the same—“All The News That Fits, We’ll Print” as one wag around here puts it. But we’ll be able to fit even more intriguing information into the Internet edition. -more-

Few recent events have prompted more letters to the Planet than last week’s announcement by Andy Ross that he plans to close the Telegraph Avenue Cody’s bookstore. Many of them can be found in this issue. Correspondents have a wide variety of reactions and theories about why this decision was made, and there’s probably some truth in all of them. -more-