LeConte kindergartner Matilda Hallowell (top) plays with her new friend Yakelin Echeveste Perez on the playground during the first day of school last week. Photograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.
LeConte kindergartner Matilda Hallowell (top) plays with her new friend Yakelin Echeveste Perez on the playground during the first day of school last week. Photograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.

Extra

Berkeley Continues Suit Against UC Facility Plans

Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 04, 2007

The city will pursue its lawsuit against the University of California. -more-



Page One

Council to Consider City-UC Settlement Behind Closed Doors

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 04, 2007

A closed-door Berkeley City Council session set for 5 p.m. today (Tuesday) could freeze the public out of the process and result in a deficient compromise settlement of the December 2006 City of Berkeley v. University of California lawsuit, Councilmembers Dona Spring and Kriss Worthington say. -more-



Test Scores Carry Mixed Messages for Local Schools

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday September 04, 2007

It was a decidedly mixed message for Oakland and Berkeley schools in the heavily anticipated Academic Performance Index scores released by the California Department of Education at mid-day Friday, with BUSD schools dropping 5 points overall (752 to 747) from 2006 to 2007, and OUSD schools gaining 7 points (651 to 658). -more-



County Overrules BUSD on Six Transfer Students

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Six new out-of-district students will be able to transfer to the Berkeley public schools this school year since the Alameda County Board of Education overturned the Berkeley Unified School District’s (BUSD) decision to deny them the transfers. -more-



Greens Say Kavanagh Should Resign If Not a Berkeley Resident

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Berkeley Rent Board Member Chris Kavanagh should “step down immediately” if he is not a legal resident of Berkeley, said a statement issued Friday by the Berkeley Green Party. -more-



New Port Security Law Bars Ex-Cons, Undocumented

By Viji Sundaram, New America Media
Tuesday September 04, 2007

For nearly six years after he got out of prison in 2000, 40-year-old Ernie Johnson kept coming up empty whenever he applied for a job. Even as he checked the “yes” box on job application forms that asked whether he had ever been convicted of a felony, he knew his chance of landing a job was slim to none. -more-



John Stansfield

By Linda Rosenand Berkeley Historical Society Volunteers
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Volunteer extraordinaire John Stansfield passed away on Aug. 18 at the age of 79 from complications of pneumonia. He was the man to whom visitors and reporters alike would turn for answers at the Berkeley History Center. His enthusiasm about Berkeley’s history was absolutely contagious. -more-



Features

New Director for Education Foundation

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Molly Fraker will join the Berkeley Public Education Foundation today (Tuesday) as its new executive director. -more-


Landmarks Commission Agenda

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday September 04, 2007

The Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will meet Thursday at a new time and with a new secretary. -more-


Assembly Passes Sideshow Bill Renewal

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday September 04, 2007

With support from two key East Bay representatives, State Senate President Don Perata’s SB67 sideshow 30-day car confiscation legislation easily passed the state assembly on a 74-0 vote last week. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday September 04, 2007

MISVIEWING -more-


Commentary: School Board Raises Field Use Fees 300%

By Doug Fielding
Tuesday September 04, 2007

On Wednesday, Aug. 22, the Berkeley School Board voted to charge youth groups “only” $35 per hour to use the new field at East Campus. This is “only” 300 percent higher than what these groups currently pay to use other grass fields in Berkeley. To put this in perspective, if BHS baseball and softball teams were required to pay this same amount for the City of Berkeley fields that they use it would cost about $300-$400 per player per season, just for field costs. This would be on top of the expenses for uniforms, equipment, umpires, coaches, etc. -more-


Commentary: The Cost of Textbooks

By David Kamola
Tuesday September 04, 2007

I am a student at Berkeley City College and am quite distressed at the cost of books, especially the ones sold in the schools own bookstore, and one policy in particular which I feel is totally unfair: the buy-back and return policy. As students, we have seen the results of state budget cuts with fewer classes, the increase in fees and the painfully high cost of our textbooks, no teaching supplies and more, but to be ripped off by our own school is terrible. First, if I buy let’s say a $100 book and return it, still wrapped four days later the bookstore will pay me only $50 for it, then turn around and sell it again for $100 to the next unsuspecting student. That has got to be criminal, but what’s worse is returning your old textbooks. -more-


Commentary: Lies, Oil and Television

By Jack Bragen
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Editorial

Editorial: The People Are Given More Bread, Bigger Circuses

By Becky O’Malley
Friday August 31, 2007

For openers, whining (or whinging, if you’re British). I very seldom try to take a whole week off, and even then I try to fill this space via e-mail if I can. In fact, the last time I tried this, I was in Oxford when the University of California at Berkeley suckered one of its devoted alumni into letting them off the hook on the City of Berkeley’s righteous lawsuit challenging just one of the university’s several mammoth expansion schemes which are proposed over the next 20 years. Planet reporters did a good job of covering the fireworks, but it would have been fun to see them close up. -more-


Columns

Column: Dispatches from the Edge: Iraq and Vietnam

By Bob Burnett
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Since the invasion of Iraq, in March of 2003, George W. Bush’s rationale for the occupation has continually shifted. On Aug. 22, the White House once again changed its criterion for success. As disturbing as this is, what’s more disturbing is the new justification: keep Iraq from becoming another Vietnam. -more-


Wild Neighbors: Reptilian Diet Secrets: Starving Snakes for Science

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Although you wouldn’t expect a book about metabolic ecology to be a page-turner, I found John Whitfield’s recent In the Beat of a Heart: Life, Energy, and the Unity of Nature engrossing. Whitfield, a British science journalist, explains how metabolism relates to size, volume, and surface area. Along the way, he looks at why bats outlive mice, whether humans are allotted a fixed number of heartbeats in their lifetime (astronaut Neil Armstrong said that if that was true, he was damned if he was going to waste any of his jogging), and the tragic fate of Tusko the elephant. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Tuesday September 04, 2007

Cajun, Zydeco Band Returns for Another Stroll

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 04, 2007

‘The Shadow Box’ at Masquers Playhouse in Pt. Richmond

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 04, 2007

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday September 04, 2007

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: The People Are Given More Bread, Bigger Circuses 08-31-2007

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 09-04-2007

Commentary: School Board Raises Field Use Fees 300% By Doug Fielding 09-04-2007

Commentary: The Cost of Textbooks By David Kamola 09-04-2007

Commentary: Lies, Oil and Television By Jack Bragen 09-04-2007

Letters to the Editor 08-31-2007

Commentary: Kitchen Democracy: The Great Pretender By Steve Martinot 08-31-2007

Commentary: Berkeley’s Misplaced Planning Priorities By Paul Glusman 08-31-2007

News

Berkeley Continues Suit Against UC Facility Plans Judith Scherr 09-04-2007

Council to Consider City-UC Settlement Behind Closed Doors By Judith Scherr 09-04-2007

Test Scores Carry Mixed Messages for Local Schools By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-04-2007

County Overrules BUSD on Six Transfer Students By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-04-2007

Greens Say Kavanagh Should Resign If Not a Berkeley Resident By Judith Scherr 09-04-2007

New Port Security Law Bars Ex-Cons, Undocumented By Viji Sundaram, New America Media 09-04-2007

John Stansfield By Linda Rosenand Berkeley Historical Society Volunteers 09-04-2007

New Director for Education Foundation By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-04-2007

Landmarks Commission Agenda By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-04-2007

Assembly Passes Sideshow Bill Renewal By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-04-2007

UC Stadium Oak Grove Fence Prompts Violent Clash By Riya Bhattacharjee 08-31-2007

Judge Rules Fence Can Stay At Oak Grove By Riya Bhattacharjee 08-31-2007

First-Day Jitters for Berkeley Students By Riya Bhattacharjee 08-31-2007

Oakland Schools Announce $3 Million Deficit Increase By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 08-31-2007

UC to Present Agenda for City’s New Downtown Plan By Richard Brenneman 08-31-2007

DAPAC-Landmarks Move to Finish Downtown Report By Riya Bhattacharjee 08-31-2007

Oakland School Bill Passes By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 08-31-2007

Cal Bears Kick Off Football Season on Saturday By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet 08-31-2007

Columns

Column: Dispatches from the Edge: Iraq and Vietnam By Bob Burnett 09-04-2007

Wild Neighbors: Reptilian Diet Secrets: Starving Snakes for Science By Joe Eaton 09-04-2007

Column: Dispatches from the Edge: Indonesia and the United States: A Shameful Record By Conn Hallinan 08-31-2007

Column: Undercurrents: A Few Words on Republican Senator Larry Craig By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 08-31-2007

Open House in Focus: Elmwood Townhouse in Cluster on View This Sunday By Steven Finacom 08-31-2007

Garden Variety: More Container Planting: Material Differences By Ron Sullivan 08-31-2007

About the House: Time to Consider an On-Demand Water Heater By Matt Cantor 08-31-2007

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 09-04-2007

Cajun, Zydeco Band Returns for Another Stroll By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 09-04-2007

‘The Shadow Box’ at Masquers Playhouse in Pt. Richmond By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 09-04-2007

Wild Neighbors: Reptilian Diet Secrets: Starving Snakes for Science By Joe Eaton 09-04-2007

Berkeley This Week 09-04-2007

Arts Calendar 08-31-2007

The Theater: ‘Viaticum: The Carnal Table’ — A Theatrical Feast By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 08-31-2007

Action and Exuberance on Display at SFMOMA By Justin DeFreitas 04-26-2010

Open House in Focus: Elmwood Townhouse in Cluster on View This Sunday By Steven Finacom 08-31-2007

Garden Variety: More Container Planting: Material Differences By Ron Sullivan 08-31-2007

About the House: Time to Consider an On-Demand Water Heater By Matt Cantor 08-31-2007

Berkeley This Week 08-31-2007