Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb. Photograph by Jill Posener.
Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb. Photograph by Jill Posener.

Extra

Berkeley High Teachers Press BUSD For More Space By Fall

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted 1/17—Brandishing posters, placards and signs at the Berkeley Board of Education meeting Wednesday, more than 30 Berkeley High School teachers urged board members to construct the new classrooms approved for the high school by August. -more-


Sunset San Francisco “Idea House” Opens to the Public This Month

By Steven Finacom
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted 1/16/08—For many years the Bay Area-based Sunset Magazine, self-described “magazine of Western living,” has been sponsoring “idea houses” in partnership with builders and manufacturers. -more-


Council Heads Back To Drawing Board for Alcohol Inspection Fees

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted 1/16/08—Faced with some two dozen upset small business owners, the Berkeley City Council reversed itself Tuesday, backing away from a December decision to charge bars, restaurants and liquor stores $467 each year to inspect for substandard conditions such as graffiti, sidewalk drinking, sales to minors and the like. -more-



Page One

For the Love of the Dog

By Jill Posener, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Between November and April each year, as California newts migrate in large numbers across South Park Drive in Tilden Park, the road is closed to motor vehicles. As if on cue, these small brown and orange amphibians emerge from their summer homes and strut clumsily along the roadway. -more-



Green Corridor Goes to Council

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday January 15, 2008

The corridor that stretches from Oakland to Richmond could become a vibrant, green version of Silicon Valley, attracting venture capital and federal dollars to support green industry and green jobs. -more-



Liquor Inspection Program Worries Business Owners

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Is Berkeley going dry? Dorothee Mitrani-Bell said there’s cause for concern in light of rising city regulatory and financial pressures. -more-



Threatened Lawsuit Targets Lab Runoff Contaminants

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) pollutes San Francisco Bay with illegal levels of metals and nitrogen compounds, charge environmentalists who have filed notice of their intention to sue. -more-



Oakland Hosts Workshop on Mortgage Crisis

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Troubled Oakland homeowners packed the floor and gallery of the Oakland City Council chambers Saturday morning to gather information from city, state, and national officials and private home counseling organizations on how to keep their dwellings from going into foreclosure. -more-



Features

Berkeley Man Slain at San Rafael Club

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 15, 2008

An unidentified gunman shot and killed a young Berkeley man early Saturday as he arrived outside the San Rafael club where a friend was celebrating her birthday. -more-


AC Transit Contract Still in Negotiation, Union Members To Hold Strike Vote

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Bus drivers and mechanics from AC Transit’s Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192 will hold a strike authorization vote on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the first public indication of problems in contract negotiations between the 1,400 member local and the East Bay’s public bus agency. -more-


The Pleasures of Berkeley’s Fourth Street

By Dorothy Snodgrass, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

For women of a certain age, and residents of the Bay Area, “doing Fourth Street” is a favorite activity—almost a monthly ritual. -more-


The Wonders of Oakland’s Lake Merritt

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Snowy egrets and coal-black cormorants roosting in trees—in Oakland? Hansel and Gretel along with the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, brought to life with a Magic Key—in Oakland? A Daimyo Oak Bonsai, in cultivation since Abraham Lincoln’s term as President—in Oakland? Venetian gondolas gliding across sparkling waters under fairy lights—in Oakland? Discover these wonders and more, in Oakland’s Lakeside Park at Lake Merritt. -more-


Walking Every Street in Berkeley

By Jennifer English, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I have always enjoyed walking, so when I moved to Berkeley in 2004, I set out on foot right away to get to know my new home. -more-


Path Wanderers Leave No Carbon Footprint

By Sandra Friedland, Dale Miller and Susan Schwartz, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to start using Berkeley’s extensive network of pedestrian footpaths, ramps and stairways. They connect our hilly neighborhoods to commercial areas, Tilden Park, and public transportation and offer endless opportunities for leisurely hikes, scenic rambles, and fitness walks. -more-


Enjoy a Day of Fun at Alameda’s Crown Memorial Beach

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

How better to celebrate the new year than with a trip to the coast, not all the way to the Pacific, but just a few miles from home in the town of Alameda? With beaches, lawned picnic and playing areas and a scene-setting visitor center, it would be a challenge not to enjoy a day at Crown Memorial State Beach and Crab Cove! -more-


The Joys of Piedmont Avenue

By Joe Kempkes, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

After spending the 1970s in North Beach and the 1980s in Berkeley, I moved into a house overlooking Mountain View Cemetery at the east end of Piedmont Avenue in North Oakland. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday January 15, 2008

MANTRA -more-


Commentary: Implement Area-Wide Traffic Calming in 2008

By Michael Jerrett
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Two tragic pedestrian deaths in the past month emphasize how urgently the City of Berkeley needs a new approach to pedestrian safety. This new approach would rely on area-wide traffic calming, paid for by financial charges to drivers. Councilmember Capitelli’s appeal to the moral side of drivers is not enough to improve pedestrian safety in Berkeley. -more-


Commentary: Bus Rapid Transit Means More Convenience, Less Global Warming

By Roy Nakadegawa
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Opponents of Bus Rapid Transit complain about parking and traffic problems, but they ignore the fact that parking and traffic problems will increase whether BRT is built or not. They also ignore an issue that Berkeleyans overwhelmingly agree that we need to address: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. -more-


Commentary: How to Make Berkeley Pure Green

By Fred E. Foldvary
Tuesday January 15, 2008

To make Berkeley the first pure green city in the planet, the City Council has to make all polluters compensate society for the damage caused by their pollution. The promotion of cleaner city vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, and “spare the air” days are very nice, but there is no good substitute for a comprehensive policy if we are to be serious about minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: So You’d Like to Hear More About BRT?

By Becky O’Malley
Tuesday January 15, 2008

“Last fall, Wolfgang Homburger wrote an opinion piece in the Berkeley Daily Planet attacking Bus Rapid Transit. Friends of BRT researched his claims and found that many of them were inaccurate. Unfortunately, the Berkeley Daily Planet failed to publish our response to Wolfgang Homburger, though it was much better researched than most of their opinion pieces—perhaps as a result of their bias against BRT.” -more-


Columns

Column: No Butts, Said the Pregnant Lady

By Susan Parker
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I’ve spent the last two months campaigning against Measure A. That’s the $300 million parcel tax on the Feb. 5 ballot which calls for Alameda County property owners to subsidize construction of a 12-story high-rise for Children’s Hospital Oakland, a private medical center serving northern California. -more-


Wild Neighbors: Squirrels Vs. Snakes: The Snakeskin Treatment

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I was interested to note that Kathleen Wong, who was (briefly) my editor at the late California Wild, has an article in the current Bay Nature about the California ground squirrel. It’s a nice summary of several decades’ work of research by Donald Owings and Richard Coss at UC Davis, who have discovered remarkable things about the relationship between ground squirrels and rattlesnakes. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Tuesday January 15, 2008

The New Year of East Bay Theater

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

‘Love, Grandma’ — Letters in Print

By Dorothy Bryant, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

East Bay Symphony Unveils ‘Sounds of China’ Program

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday January 15, 2008

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: So You’d Like to Hear More About BRT? 01-15-2008

Handicapping the Front-Runners 01-11-2008

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 01-15-2008

Commentary: Implement Area-Wide Traffic Calming in 2008 By Michael Jerrett 01-15-2008

Commentary: Bus Rapid Transit Means More Convenience, Less Global Warming By Roy Nakadegawa 01-15-2008

Commentary: How to Make Berkeley Pure Green By Fred E. Foldvary 01-15-2008

News

Berkeley High Teachers Press BUSD For More Space By Fall By Riya Bhattacharjee 01-15-2008

Sunset San Francisco “Idea House” Opens to the Public This Month By Steven Finacom 01-15-2008

Council Heads Back To Drawing Board for Alcohol Inspection Fees By Judith Scherr 01-15-2008

For the Love of the Dog By Jill Posener, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

Green Corridor Goes to Council By Judith Scherr 01-15-2008

Liquor Inspection Program Worries Business Owners By Richard Brenneman 01-15-2008

Threatened Lawsuit Targets Lab Runoff Contaminants By Richard Brenneman 01-15-2008

Oakland Hosts Workshop on Mortgage Crisis By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 01-15-2008

Berkeley Man Slain at San Rafael Club By Richard Brenneman 01-15-2008

AC Transit Contract Still in Negotiation, Union Members To Hold Strike Vote By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 01-15-2008

The Pleasures of Berkeley’s Fourth Street By Dorothy Snodgrass, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

The Wonders of Oakland’s Lake Merritt By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

Walking Every Street in Berkeley By Jennifer English, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

Path Wanderers Leave No Carbon Footprint By Sandra Friedland, Dale Miller and Susan Schwartz, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

Enjoy a Day of Fun at Alameda’s Crown Memorial Beach By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

The Joys of Piedmont Avenue By Joe Kempkes, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

Pacific Steel Health Hearing Packs Center By Richard Brenneman 01-11-2008

Crucial State Propositions Fill February Ballot By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 01-11-2008

Four Ballot Issues Comprise Referendum On Native American Gaming Expansion By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 01-11-2008

Compromise May Arise in Oakland Affordable Housing Debate By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 01-11-2008

Berkeley This Week 01-11-2008

Rebecca’s Books Opens on Adeline St. By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 01-11-2008

Worker, Customers Capture Suspect in Bank Rampage By Richard Brenneman 01-11-2008

Man Gets 56 Years for Attempted Murder of Police Officer Bay City News 01-11-2008

Court Hears Arguments UC Suit By Richard Brenneman 01-11-2008

Fire Department Log 01-11-2008

Solutions to Oakland’s Crime and Violence By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 01-11-2008

Letters to the Editor 01-11-2008

Commentary: KPFA Election Violated Rules and Bylaws By THE COMMITTEE ON FAIR ELECTIONS 01-11-2008

Commentary: Tales of Two School Districts’ Approaches to New Fields By Ann Lehman 01-11-2008

Veterans Writing Group Fundraiser Sunday By Ken Bullock 01-11-2008

‘Running with Arnold’ 01-11-2008

Arts Calendar 01-11-2008

Grocer-Politician Fred Koerber Left a Double Legacy By Daniella Thompson 01-11-2008

More than a Walk in the Woods: Woodland Gardening By Ron Sullivan 01-11-2008

Being Your Own General Contractor By Matt Cantor 01-11-2008

Columns

Column: No Butts, Said the Pregnant Lady By Susan Parker 01-15-2008

Wild Neighbors: Squirrels Vs. Snakes: The Snakeskin Treatment By Joe Eaton 01-15-2008

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 01-15-2008

The New Year of East Bay Theater By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

‘Love, Grandma’ — Letters in Print By Dorothy Bryant, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

East Bay Symphony Unveils ‘Sounds of China’ Program By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 01-15-2008

Wild Neighbors: Squirrels Vs. Snakes: The Snakeskin Treatment By Joe Eaton 01-15-2008

Berkeley This Week 01-15-2008