News

Emerson, Jefferson Schools Turn 100

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday May 11, 2007
A celebration of smiles will be held at Emerson and Jefferson Elementary Schools this weekend. -more-

Public Commons Plan Draws Fire, Praise

By Judith Scherr
Friday May 11, 2007
A weary mayor and seven councilmembers—with Councilmember Betty Olds having gone home—and more than two dozen members of the public waited in the council chambers past midnight Tuesday to address the mayor’s controversial Public Commons for Everyone initia-tive, a proposal aimed at curbing inappropriate behavior in shopping areas by intensifying law enforcement in an initial phase and adding social services later as funding will allow. -more-

Dellums Outlines Tight Budget Vision

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday May 11, 2007
With the release last week by Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums of a budget that proposes to spend $1.1 billion per year over the next two fiscal years, the focus of Oakland’s budget discussion now shifts to the Oakland City Council. -more-

Co-op Resident Hospitalized After Beating

By Richard Brenneman
Friday May 11, 2007
Two operations and five days after he was beaten outside a Berkeley student co-op, a San Francisco State student remains under medical care at Summit Alta Bates Hospital. -more-

Appeal on South Shattuck Antennas Comes to Council

By Judith Scherr
Friday May 11, 2007
Nextel and Verizon representatives at Tuesday’s council meeting squared off with irate neighbors of UC Storage at 2721 Shattuck Ave., with the communications companies getting what they wanted—the promise of a public hearing to review a zoning board decision which denied the powerful companies permits to install their antennas atop the Shattuck Avenue building. -more-

Two-Year Berkeley City Budget Unveiled

By Judith Scherr
Friday May 11, 2007

Planners Reject Ban on Fast Food Chains on Telegraph

By Richard Brenneman
Friday May 11, 2007

District Seeks New Home for Independent Study

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday May 11, 2007

BHS Graduate Killed in Alabama

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday May 11, 2007

Emerson students at the playground a half-century ago. Contributed Photo.
Emerson students at the playground a half-century ago. Contributed Photo.

Editorials

Editorial: Another Foggy Night on the Public Commons

By Becky O’Malley
Friday May 11, 2007
It’s been almost 40 years since I gave up smoking, but watching Tuesday’s City Council meeting made me feel for the first time in years that I’d really like a cigarette. Why? Well, watching the City Council stumble and stutter their way through an agenda which came with a 1,400-page packet which they clearly hadn’t bothered to read was a nerve-racking experience. It culminated in a pathetic charade which purported to address the mayor’s heartfelt interest in “improving the quality of life of public commons in the city.” -more-

Reader Commentaries

Letters to the Editor

Friday May 11, 2007



Commentary: Iraq Defeat Looms

By Karl Davis
Friday May 11, 2007

Commentary: War: State Hate Crime

By Frank Scott
Friday May 11, 2007

Commentary: Planning and Caring for Aging Loved Ones

By Keith Carson
Friday May 11, 2007

Columnists


Column: Undercurrents: The Question of Criticizing Oakland Mayor Dellums

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday May 11, 2007



Arts & Entertainment

Arts Calendar

Friday May 11, 2007


‘The Hip Hop Project: Rap Goes New Age

By Gar Smith, Special to the Planet
Friday May 11, 2007

Young, Salas and Lockett: Poetry at City College

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday May 11, 2007

Events Calendar

Berkeley This Week

Friday May 11, 2007