News

Press Release: Labor Activity on Fifth Street and Gilman, specifically 1305 5th

From Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6, BPD Public Information Officer
Tuesday March 22, 2011 - 09:16:00 PM

“GMP Union Local 164B has been engaged in a labor action the last two days. The group is picketing for fair wages and healthcare benefits. Yesterday, the Union leadership told City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) personnel that they anticipated approximately 100 picketers at a time on 6 hour shifts around the clock until the issues are resolved. They have and are carrying signs but no amplified sound. (bullhorns or the like) -more-


Press Release: Two Gun Incidents at Berkeley High School Today--Three Arrested

From Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6, BPD Public Information Officer
Tuesday March 22, 2011 - 08:24:00 PM

“This morning, Tuesday, March 23, 2011 at approximately 8:45 a.m., a Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) employee heard what he recognized to be a gunshot as he was working near a portable classroom on the campus adjacent to Milvia Street. Several young people fled from the portable. Upon further exploration, there was a discernable hole through the north wall of the portable and evidence that the gun was discharged from within the men’s bathroom inside the portable. The BUSD employee called his BUSD Supervisor who in turn called Berkeley High School (BHS) to report the incident.” -more-


Updated: Three Students Arrested for Bringing Guns to Berkeley High Campus

By Janna Brancolini (BCN)
Tuesday March 22, 2011 - 07:58:00 PM

Three Berkeley High School students were arrested on campus today in two separate incidents for bringing — and in one case discharging — firearms on campus, a school district spokesman said.

Two students were arrested after a gun they brought to the school went off in a bathroom, and the third was arrested a short time later for having an unloaded handgun, Berkeley Unified spokesman Mark Coplan said. -more-


Strike at Pacific Steel Casting Results in Berkeley Clash

Tuesday March 22, 2011 - 05:08:00 PM

The strike at Pacific Steel Casting resulted in violence this afternoon. -more-


Flash: Three Students Arrested as Shots Fired at Berkeley High

Tuesday March 22, 2011 - 02:12:00 PM

The Bay Area News Group has reported that shots were fired at Berkeley High School today. Three students were arrested in two incidents--one involving a shot fired in a bathroom at the school, and another involving two students who were reported to be carrying guns. No injuries were reported -more-


Berkeley Power Outage Stops BART, Darkens North Berkeley, Downtown

By Janna Brancolini (BCN)
Tuesday March 22, 2011 - 02:19:00 PM

The North Berkeley and downtown Berkeley BART stations reopened this afternoon after power was restored to most of the city's 27,000 PG&E customers who lost electricity during an outage this morning, officials said. -more-


Press Release: Labor Action on Second Street Between Page and Gilman

From Sgt. Mary Kussmis
Monday March 21, 2011 - 12:10:00 PM

GMP Union Local 164B is having a labor action between Page Street and Gilman. The group is picketing for fair wages and healthcare benefits. The Union leadership anticipates approximately 100 picketers at a time on 6 hour shifts around the clock until the issues are resolved. They have and are carrying signs but as of yet have no amplified sound. (bullhorns or the like) -more-



Japan Earthquake Relief Fundraisers This Week

By Steven Finacom
Monday March 21, 2011 - 09:04:00 AM

A number of Berkeley-connected businesses are doing fundraisers for relief efforts after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Here’s information on two. -more-


"Community Engagement" Meeting on Berkeley Library Lawsuit Becomes "Private"

By Steven Finacom
Tuesday March 15, 2011 - 09:23:00 PM
Attendees gather at the library lawsuit meeting in the Frances Albrier
                  Community Center.

What were three Berkeley City Council members, the City of Berkeley Director of Library Services, two trustees of the Board of Library Trustees, and leaders of the Berkeley Public Library Foundation doing hurrying around to various locations in West Berkeley in the pouring rain Tuesday evening? -more-


Seven Outstanding Berkeley Women Honored

By Steven Finacom
Tuesday March 15, 2011 - 09:35:00 PM
Carole Kennerly, Berkeley’s former Vice Mayor and a past recipient of the COSW award, told the audience how the Commission had come about.

A packed crowd of well wishers gathered Monday, March 14 to honor seven Berkeley women chosen as “Outstanding Women of Berkeley” for 2011.

Among those women receiving the honor were a pioneering physician / activist, a second generation Berkeley songwriter and singer, the creator of the Berkeley Parents Network, a founder of the Berkeley Farmer’s Market, and a journalist who is the leading fundraiser for the Berkeley Public Library. -more-


Press Release: Berkeley Ordered to Protect San Francisco Bay from Sewage Discharges

From Mary Simms, Environmental Protection Agency
Wednesday March 16, 2011 - 11:19:00 AM

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Justice Department, California Water Boards and San Francisco Baykeeper today lodged a stipulated order that will settle a Clean Water Act enforcement action against seven municipalities in the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) [including Berkeley]. The settlement is part of a broader enforcement strategy to address sewage overflows to the San Francisco Bay, especially during rain events.

During this most recent rainy season, which began in October 2010, nearly 125 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage from EBMUD’s wet weather facilities overflowed into the San Francisco Bay during wet weather.

Among other things, the seven municipalities listed as defendants in the order have cooperatively agreed to update aging infrastructure and collection systems that have been major contributors to the overflows. -more-


Census 2010: Welcome to the Bay-sian Area (News Analysis)

By Andrew Lam, New America Media
Tuesday March 15, 2011 - 03:24:00 PM

What everyone’s been saying for a while about the Bay Area, the 2010 Census has confirmed. The East is acquiring greater weight in the life of the region because the Asian American population is surging. Politically and culturally, the result is something of a rumbling mid-Richter scale earthquake. -more-


College Cyclists Race Around Berkeley Art Museum

By Steven Finacom
Monday March 14, 2011 - 09:31:00 AM
Men cyclists from UC teams and Humboldt State lead the pack around the
                  corner across from the Hearst Museum on the UC Berkeley campus.

Dozens of cyclists from several California college teams turned a block south of the UC campus into a temporary racecourse Sunday, March 13, 2011. -more-


Berkeley Historical Society Spring Walks
Start April 2

By Steven Finacom
Sunday March 13, 2011 - 12:23:00 PM
Senior Hall, the campus “log cabin” was built in 1906 as a gathering space for men of the Senior Class. It’s the oldest surviving student facility on the UC Berkeley campus. The April 16 Berkeley Historical Society walking tour will describe its history, and a century of other student activity buildings on the campus

A new season of five Berkeley Historical Society walking tours starting April 2 and running through early June delves into the local history of tennis, art, the UC Berkeley campus, and two north Berkeley neighborhoods.

All the walks take place on Saturday mornings from 10 – 12 and are led by knowledgeable volunteer guides from the Berkeley community. Proceeds benefit the non-profit Berkeley Historical Society. -more-