News

Running on Honeydew: Diet Secrets of the Argentine Ant

By Joe Eaton
Friday January 25, 2008

Posted Sun., Jan. 27—Not that I miss them, but I haven’t found any Argentine ants in the house this winter. I hesitate to consider this a permanent victory, though. They’re out there somewhere, biding their time. -more-


St. Mark's Offers Shelter in Bad Weather

By Lydia Gans
Friday January 25, 2008

Posted Sat., Jan. 26—When heavy winter rains and cold weather are predicted even that hardiest of homeless people find themselves desperate for shelter. -more-


Lawrence Prepares to Hand District Over

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday January 25, 2008

The perpetual ring of the telephone shatters the otherwise calm interiors of Michele Lawrence’s spacious office in the headquarters of the Berkeley Unified School District at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. -more-


Albany Opposes Tree Removal, Aerial Spray

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 25, 2008

The little town of Albany stood up Tuesday night, first to the University of California, and then to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and its partner, the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture. -more-


Initiative Drive Begun to Restrict Military Recruiting

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 25, 2008

Berkeley peace activists are gearing up to circulate a petition to place a measure on the November ballot restricting where public and private military recruiters can locate within the city. -more-


Proposed Budget Cuts Theaten School Programs

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday January 25, 2008

Two weeks after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed slashing K-12 funding as part of his proposed state budget cuts, Berkeley public school officials announced Wednesday that it was time to get on the bus and head for Sacramento. -more-


AC Transit Directors Table Fare Increase for More Study

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 25, 2008

The AC Transit Board of Directors tabled a proposed 25 cent bus fare in-crease Wednesday night to study its implications on ridership, with the issue likely to come back before them before the winter is out. -more-


BRT Runs into Delay in Central Oakland

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 25, 2008

Full implementation of AC Transit District’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line ran into a potential chokepoint Wednesday night when dismayed district board members learned that the planned bus-only lanes may not be possible in a 1,000-yard stretch in the heart of Oakland. -more-


Sawtooth Parking Solution May Be Near

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 25, 2008

Tenants and customers of West Berkeley’s landmark Sawtooth Building have been granted an extra month to use a parking lot they say is critical to their commercial survival. -more-


Remembering Milt Wolff, Anti-Fascist Fighter, 1915–2008

By Richard Bermack
Friday January 25, 2008

“Activism is the elixir of life” was his motto. And Milt Wolff was an icon of activism, as were his fellow veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. He could be seen at demonstrations and political events well into his 80s and even 90s. -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 25, 2008

Robbery ring -more-


Forum Seeks to Place Civil Rights Back on Berkeley Agenda

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 25, 2008

Civil rights in Berkeley has become like the residue of smoke once the smoker has left the room, says Osha Neumann, an attorney who works mostly with homeless and indigent people. -more-


Judge Affirms Order for Stadium Evidence

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 25, 2008

Lawyers challenging UC Berkeley’s plans for a gym next to Memorial Stadium must produce expert evidence to back their claim that the two buildings are really one. -more-


Downtown Plan Height Controversy Flares Anew

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 25, 2008

Presenting the draft Downtown Plan to Berkeley’s Planning Commission Wednesday night, DAPAC Chair Will Travis declared that the commission could tinker with the proposal’s fabric only “at your peril.” -more-


West Berkeley Zone Changes Linked to UC, LBNL

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 25, 2008

West Berkeley zoning changes and a dramatic public challenge rounded out a Wednesday night Planning Commission schedule otherwise dominated by the Downtown Area Plan. -more-


School Board Appoints New Merit Commissioner

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday January 25, 2008

The Berkeley Board of Education on Wednesday approved the appointment of Dan Lee to the Merit Commission. -more-


BRT Runs into Unexpected Delay in the Heart of Oakland

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Posted Thurs., Jan. 24—Full implementation of AC Transit District’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line ran into a potential chokepoint Wednesday night when dismayed district board members learned that the planned bus-only lanes may not be possible in a 1,000-yard stretch in the heart of Oakland. -more-


Albany Stands Up Against Spray, Tree Removal

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Posted Wed., Jan. 23—The little town of Albany stood up Tuesday night, first to the University of California and then to the California Food and Drug Administration and the CFDA partner, the U.S. Department of Agriculture. -more-


San Pablo Condo Project Blasted By Design Review Committee

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 22, 2008
Ali Kashani’s design for the proposed five-story condo complex for the corner of San Pablo and Ashby avenues, seen here in an artist’s rendering, was criticized by members of the Design Review Commission as better suited for the neighboring city of Emeryville.

Berkeley’s official design review panel gave a scathing review to developer Ali Kashani’s five-story condo complex planned for a corner of one of the city’s busiest intersections. -more-


Tune-Up Masters Project Rises From the Dead

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Berkeley Design Review Committee members gave a qualified thumbs up Thursday night to plans for a controversial and long-delayed condominium project on University Avenue. -more-


Albany Leads Opposition to Aerial Spraying in Alameda County

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday January 22, 2008

While Albany is preparing to take an aggressive stand in opposition to aerial spaying intended to eradicate the light brown apple moth—epiphyas postvitattana—Berkeley has adopted a wait-and-see attitude. -more-


Oakland Teachers Make Opening Proposals in Contract Negotiations

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Oakland teachers fired the first shot in the upcoming Oakland Unified School District contract negotiations, with more than 100 representatives braving chilly afternoon temperatures last Thursday to present their contract proposals at a press conference in front of Castlemont High School in East Oakland. -more-


City to Turn in Revised Dredging Plan

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Berkeley Public Works officials told the Aquatic Park subcommittee that they expect to turn in a revised dredging work plan for the Aquatic Park lagoon to the Regional Water Quality Control Board this week. -more-


Berkeley High Makes National Register List

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 22, 2008

The National Register of Historic Places granted the Berkeley High campus the status of a historic district, the National Park Service announced last week. -more-


Berkeley Shoreline Opens, Tar Still Dots Some East Bay Beaches

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 22, 2008

More than two months after HazMat experts replaced local volunteers to clean up the gunk left over from the Cosco Busan oil spill, city officials declared the Berkeley shoreline reopened Wednesday. -more-


Planning Commission Takes Up Downtown Plan

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Berkeley Planning Commissioners begin their review of the proposed Downtown Area Plan Wednesday, when DAPAC Chair Will Travis formally presents the document for their critique. -more-


No Bus Strike Imminent as AC Transit Workers Authorize One

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 22, 2008

AC Transit bus drivers and mechanics voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize a strike in the event ongoing contract negotiations break down, but no strike appears imminent. -more-


SF Planning Commission Approves UC Berkeley Extension Project

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 22, 2008

The San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously approved the 55 Laguna mixed-use project last week. It proposes to develop the historic UC Berkeley Extension site for private use. -more-


Berkeley Democratic Club Fails To Endorse Presidential Candidate

Tuesday January 22, 2008

The Berkeley Democratic Club could not agree on a presidential candidate to endorse at its meeting on Thursday night. The vote was: Obama 15, Clinton 13, Edwards, 4 No endorsement, 2. -more-


County Registrar Addresses Voter Concerns for Election

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 22, 2008

California voters who have not registered with any party can vote in next month’s Democratic presidential primary if they request a ballot from their local Registrar of Voters office. -more-


Remembering Rae Louise Hayward

By Paula M. Price
Tuesday January 22, 2008

This is hard. To write about a dear friend’s passing before her absence has fully sunk in is quite a challenging task. What I can easily write about is what I know about Rae; who she was and what she meant to me and so many others in the arts community. -more-


Instant Runoff Voting Probably Dead for Oakland, San Leandro

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), in which voters are allowed to rank their second and third choices in a multi-candidate election rather than waiting for a possible runoff between the top two vote-getters, will almost certainly not be held in Oakland and San Leandro June municipal elections in 2008 as was anticipated. -more-


Zoning Board Looks at Ninth St. Battle Over Rent-Controlled Units

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 22, 2008

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) on Thursday will hear a project proposed for 1923 9th St. and 1920 10th St. involving the demolition of five rent-controlled units to allow construction of a 15-story condominium project. -more-


Doctor Says Christopher Rodriguez Faces ‘a Tough Road’

Bay City News
Tuesday January 22, 2008

Christopher Rodriguez, a 10-year-old Oakland boy who likely will be partially paralyzed for the rest of his life after being struck by a stray bullet while taking a piano lesson, “has a rough road in the future,” Dr. Jacob Neufeld said last week. -more-