News

Flash: Court Upholds Decision in Favor of BUSD Student Assignment Plan

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 17, 2009 - 04:50:00 PM

Berkeley Unified School District earned another legal victory Tuesday for its student placement plan. -more-


Berkeley Police Chief to Retire in Summer

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 17, 2009 - 04:51:00 PM

Berkeley City Manager Phil Kamlarz announced Tuesday morning that Berkeley Police Department Chief Douglas Hambleton will retire from his position this summer. -more-


Community Remembers Zachary Michael Cruz

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Monday March 16, 2009 - 05:04:00 PM
Flowers surround a photo of Zachary Michael Cruz in front of the UC Berkeley Campanile, one of the 5-year-old's favorite places.

Just as his father promised, Zachary Michael Cruz’s memorial was more a party than a funeral. -more-


Chronicle Union Bows to Hearst, Accepts Longer Hours, Layoffs

By Richard Brenneman
Monday March 16, 2009 - 05:03:00 PM

San Francisco Chronicle workers voted Friday to cut their benefits and extend their working hours so that fewer of their colleagues would lose their jobs. -more-


Commissioners Take Up Revised Downtown High-Rise Boundaries

By Richard Brenneman
Monday March 16, 2009 - 04:51:00 PM

Planning commissioners are scheduled to meet Wednesday night to wrap up their revisions on a critical map that will determine the future skyline of downtown Berkeley. -more-


Friends of Activist Critically Injured in Palestine Plan SF Demonstration Today

Bay City News
Monday March 16, 2009 - 09:43:00 AM

Friends of a Bay Area activist who was critically injured while demonstrating in a village on Palestine's West Bank have organized their own demonstration in downtown San Francisco today as a show of solidarity. -more-


Berkeley Teachers Protest Layoffs; District Rescinds 49 Pink Slips

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Sunday March 15, 2009 - 10:22:00 PM
Berkeley Federation of Teachers Vice President Cynthia Allman hands out pink roses to laid-off teachers at the "Pink Friday" rally.

Pink balloons, pink bow-ties, pink arm bands and even pink toilet seats marked a rally organized by the Berkeley Federation of Teachers Friday. The "Pink Friday" event was part of a statewide protest of teacher layoffs in response to state education budget cuts. -more-


Flash: Former Tree-Sitter Critically Hurt During Protests on West Bank

By Richard Brenneman
Friday March 13, 2009 - 01:03:00 PM
Erstwhile Memorial Stadium tree-sitter Tristan "cricket" Anderson was critically injured Wednesday in the West Bank.

A one-time Memorial Stadium tree-sitter was critically injured in a clash between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters in the West Bank. -more-


Firefighters Save Family From Monoxide Poisoning

By Richard Brenneman
Friday March 13, 2009 - 04:39:00 PM

Firefighters saved seven members of a West Berkeley family from a Friday the 13th early morning encounter with a silent, deadly killer—carbon monoxide. -more-


AC Transit Raises Fares; More Belt-Tightening to Come

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday March 13, 2009 - 05:56:00 PM

AC Transit, battered by the economic downturn, is raising its fares. At a March 4 meeting, AC Transit announced a 25-cent increase for regular bus fares and a 15-cent hike for youth, senior and disabled fares. -more-


School Board Approves Cuts to Programs to Address Budget Deficit

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday March 13, 2009 - 04:39:00 PM

The Berkeley Board of Education unanimously approved revisions to the school district’s 2008-09 budget Wednesday to offset this year’s $3.1 million shortfall. -more-


Three Home Invasion Suspects Arrested, Five Remain at Large

Bay City News
Thursday March 12, 2009 - 07:52:00 PM
Still at large are Vern Town Saelee, 21, of Fairfield, Vern Sio Saelee, 18, of Fairfield, and Anthony Ray Douglas, 18, of Richmond.

Berkeley police have arrested three suspects in connection with a brutal home invasion robbery two weeks ago but five suspects remain at large. -more-


Late-Night BART Incident Draws Heavy Police Response

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday March 12, 2009 - 05:05:00 PM
A Berkeley police officer stands with weapon drawn at the Downtown Berkeley BART station entrance on the west side of Shattuck Avenue.

Berkeley police officers responded with guns drawn to an incident at the downtown Berkeley BART station late Wednesday night, cordoning off sections of the station for approximately 30 minutes. -more-


Golden Gate Fields Auction Set for April 3

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday March 12, 2009 - 05:09:00 PM

Albany’s Golden Gate Fields goes on the auction block April 3 as part of a court-mandated sale of properties owned by ailing Magna Entertainment. -more-


District Sends Layoff Notices to Berkeley Teachers

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:08:00 PM

The Berkeley Unified School District sent out at least 130 potential layoff notices to teachers and counselors Tuesday, district officials said. -more-


UC Berkeley Considers Tuition Hike

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:11:00 PM

UC Berkeley announced plans to institute a 9.3 percent tuition increase to address a state budget crisis that is taking away millions of dollars in public education funding. -more-


Whole Foods Market Allows Ashby Flowers to Stay Put

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:11:00 PM

Whole Foods Market announced last week that the company has reversed its plans to let the lease expire for its tenant, Ashby Flowers. -more-


Berkeley Humane Society Closes Veterinary Hospital to Public, Focuses on Rescuing Abandoned Animals

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:12:00 PM
Cherry, a rescued papillon mix, recovers after undergoing an eye operation at the shelter’s veterinary hospital.

On a recent Friday morning, the lobby of the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society in West Berkeley was missing the noisy barking and pitter-patter of tiny paws that has greeted visitors for the last five decades. -more-


Landmarks Commission Embraces Modernism

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:13:00 PM
Donald and Helen Olsen house, at 771 San Diego Drive.

The home of Berkeley architect Donald Olsen became a city landmark Mar. 5 in a move that marked the embrace of a new era of design. -more-


Berkeley Bests Bay Area Competitors For Most Solar Panel Systems

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:36:00 PM

The City of Berkeley continued in its place at the head of urban green technology, winning a first place City Solar Award from the non-profit Northern California Solar Energy Association (NorCal Solar) as the Bay Area city with the highest number of solar panel systems installed within its borders. -more-


Council Makes Minor Changes to Cell Tower Ordinance

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:13:00 PM

The Berkeley City Council took a small step this week toward overhauling the city ordinance governing cellphone towers, approving on first reading Councilmember Gordon Wozniak’s substitute motion to adopt a slightly watered-down version of modifications to the ordinance. -more-


Union Concessions Save the Chronicle—For Now

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:13:00 PM

By Richard Brenneman -more-


Berkeley Agrofuel Research Hits Temporary Roadblocks

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:20:00 PM

Just as UC Berkeley researchers are poised to lead a national effort to create new fuels from genetically altered plants and microbes, they have encountered obstacles closer to home. -more-


Golden Gate Fields Owner Delisted by Stock Exchanges

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:20:00 PM

Golden Gate Fields is up for sale as owner Magna Entertainment (MECA on the NASDAQ stock exchange), a move announced when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Mar. 5. -more-


March 23 Special Meeting Begins Housing Plan Update

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:21:00 PM

Berkeley’s Planning Department will begin its mandatory update of the city plan’s housing element on Monday, Mar. 23. -more-


Three Arrested in South Campus Stabbing

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:21:00 PM

Berkeley police arrested three men in the early-morning stabbing of a UC Berkeley student Mar. 7 in the city’s south campus area. -more-


Police Blotter

By Ali Winston
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:22:00 PM

Hate crime -more-


Oscar Grant Demonstrators Rally but Decide Not to Close Fruitvale BART

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:22:00 PM

Some 50 to 75 demonstrators rallied for an hour and a half in front of the Fruitvale BART station turnstiles on the afternoon of March 5 in continuing protests over the New Year’s Day shooting death of a Hayward man by a BART police officer, but the sponsoring organization backed off on its pledge to attempt to shut the station down. -more-


Spring Garden Events and Sales

By Steven Finacom Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 11, 2009 - 07:35:00 PM

Rain or shine, drought or deluge, the greater Bay Area has an extensive array of spring garden tours, shows, and plant sales from March through June. -more-