News

Chinese Principals Visit BHS

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 29, 2006

“Berkeley schools are big but schools in China are bigger,” was the observation made by the delegation of 17 school principals from the TangGu district of Tianjin in China, who were visiting Berkeley High School on Wednesday. -more-


UC Hires Architect for Downtown Museums

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 29, 2006

They came, they watched, they listened, they noshed, and for the most part, they liked. -more-


City Prepares To Sue UC Over Stadium Expansion

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 29, 2006

In an 8-1 vote, Berkeley city councilmembers voted Tuesday to hire a lawyer to prepare for legal action challenging UC Berkeley’s massive stadium area expansion plans. -more-


Wozniak, Overman Face Off in District 8 Race

By Judith Scherr
Friday September 29, 2006

Upstart UC Berkeley student Jason Overman, 21, catapulted late into the District 8 race by announcing his decision to run only last month. Campaigning with the vigor of a youthful attack dog, the Washington, D.C., transplant has picked up a fistful of endorsements. -more-


Council Sends UC Storage Issues Back to ZAB

By Judith Scherr
Friday September 29, 2006

Ward Street neighbors flocked to the City Council meeting Tuesday night to oppose plans for 18 antennas atop the UC Storage building at Ward and Shattuck Avenue. -more-


Voting Isn’t Just for Election Day Anymore

By Judith Scherr
Friday September 29, 2006

Traditionally, on the first Tuesday in November on even-numbered years, voters head to the polls. -more-


Judy Walters Named Head Of Berkeley City College

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday September 29, 2006

The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees confirmed Judy Walters as the first head of Berkeley City College Tuesday night, but not without some contention and controversy. -more-


Ashby BART Task Force Back in Planning Mode

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 29, 2006

The revitalized Ashby BART Task Force, charged with planning development on the transit station’s western parking lot, meets Tuesday night to draft a statement for an application to seek state funding. -more-


Creeks Ordinance Deadline Nears

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 29, 2006

As the long-running battle over the future of Berkeley’s Creeks Ordinance nears a climax, tensions remain high—evidenced by Wednesday night’s Planning Commission meeting. -more-


Cop Stops Rape in Progress, Suspect Arrested After Hunt

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 29, 2006

An alert Berkeley Police officer caught a rapist in the act Wednesday afternoon, leading to a chase and manhunt that ended with the suspect’s arrest. -more-


Berkeley Hills Fire Causes $1.3 Million In Damage

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 29, 2006

A blaze triggered by a faulty water heater demolished a $1.3 million home in the Berkeley Hills early Tuesday morning, reports Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth. -more-


P.E. Practices in Berkeley Elementary Schools Questioned

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 29, 2006

At least two elementary schools in Berkeley have stopped hiring physical education teachers through their discretionary funds and are using the money for other programs, leading some parents to question whether their children are receiving adequate exercise. -more-


Committee Formed to Fight Pacific Steel Fumes

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 29, 2006

East Bay Area neighborhood watchdog groups, environmentalists and community members got together on Wednesday to form the first Pacific Steel Protest Committee to heat up efforts to stop the west Berkeley-based steel foundry from emitting noxious fumes. -more-


Free ‘Museum Day’ Debuts This Saturday

By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet
Friday September 29, 2006

Local museum enthusiasts—particularly the impoverished, the penurious, or the simply thrifty—have a welcome opportunity this Saturday to visit several local scientific and cultural venues without paying regular admission. -more-


Flash: Million-dollar Blaze Torches Hills Home

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 26, 2006

A blaze triggered by a faulty water heater demolished a $1.3 million home in the Berkeley Hills early Tuesday morning, reports Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth. -more-


Major West Berkeley Development Project Unveiled

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 26, 2006

A developer unveiled Friday plans for a 5.5-acre, two-block corporate, retail, condo and artists’ development for West Berkeley. -more-


City, University Set for Another Legal Showdown

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Berkeley officials are planning another lawsuit against UC Berkeley’s development plans—this time challenging the quarter-billion-dollar complex planned for the Memorial Stadium area. -more-


Oakland Council Candidates on Familiar Ground With Third Race In Just a Year

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Aimee Allison is hoping that the third time is the charm. Pat Kernighan is hoping that history keeps repeating itself. -more-


Berkeley Citizens Action Endorses Its Own

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 26, 2006

There were no surprises at the Berkeley Citizens Action Endorsement convention Sunday afternoon, with the 30-year-old group that once was Berkeley’s progressive electoral powerhouse endorsing longtime members Mayor Tom Bates, and City Councilmembers Dona Spring, Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio. -more-


Third Lawsuit Filed Against Oak-to-Ninth Project

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Oakland’s massive Oak-to-Ninth development project entered familiar territory this week with another citizen lawsuit filed in Superior Court against the controversial project. -more-


City Council to Review Antennas, Demolition of Historic Building

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 26, 2006

For neighbors of UC Storage at Ward Street and Shattuck Avenue, approval of placing 18 antennas atop the four-story building is the last straw. -more-


Creeks and Telegraph Top Planning Agenda

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Planning commissioners face two action items on the agenda Wednesday. -more-


UC Ready to Hire Museums Architect

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Creation of a major new UC Berkeley museum complex on Center Street inched a step closer Monday with the close of applications for the position of project architect. -more-


2 Men Convicted In Murder of Homeless Woman

By Bay City News
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Two 19-year-old men were convicted today of second-degree murder for beating and kicking a 100-pound homeless woman to death in Berkeley last year. -more-


Berkeley Landmarks in the Running for Grant Funding

By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 26, 2006

Berkeley’s City Club and the First Church of Christ, Scientist are among 25 Bay Area architectural and historic treasures competing this fall for one million dollars in grant funding from the American Express Foundation through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. -more-