A raucous meeting of the Environmental Sampling Project Task Force last Thursday was further disrupted when a city commissioner allegedly kicked an empty chair which in turn struck another chair occupied by a political opponent. -more-
Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm.”An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org -more-
Oakland slugger sets the tone on young club -more-
Israeli matzoh boycott hits home -more-
Golden Bear Gymnastic Team members Ryan Race, Marissa Tolero and Jane Hartman, the only representatives from Berkeley, participated in NorCal’s Level 7 State Championships in Rohnert Park over the weekend of March 24-25 and came home winners. -more-
Several people handing out leaflets from the group Jews for Divestment were forced to leave the Berkeley Bowl parking lot yesterday as they tried to organize a boycott against Israeli matzoh. -more-
“How can we create schools that expect all children to reach for their dreams?” -more-
Alex Setzepfandt, who attends private school in Berkeley, is just like any other 11-year-old kid, except that he plays chess good enough to be called a champion. -more-
Caltrans will close Interstate Highway 80 near University Avenue in Berkeley this week to set up construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will connect the city with its marina. -more-
The 650-member Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley is asking for donations of products, services or gift certificates from local businesses for its annual Goods and Services Auction on April 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. -more-
SAN ANSELMO – Like 70 percent of America’s high school students, junior Jesse Gross is one of about 1,000 other teen-agers at his school. But unlike some of his peers, Jesse doesn’t feel isolated, insignificant or swallowed up by the huge school. -more-
CAMPBELL – CDworld.com folded two weeks ago after six years in business. The company’s 11 workers have been let go and the small offices in a strip mall are nearly bare. -more-
Drawn by high-tech jobs, immigrants are making communities more diverse -more-
About 200 people, half of whom were grade-school students, gathered to celebrate the state’s first César Chávez Day with poetry, dance and learning. -more-
Education expert Alfie Kohn, one of the nation’s most outspoken opponents of high stakes standardized tests, told hundreds of Bay Area teachers Thursday that California is leading the race to the bottom in public education by overemphasizing standardized tests. -more-
Bears get early commitment from New Orleans prep star -more-
If the newest census figures are to be believed, Berkeley’s population has scarcely grown in 10 years. But the population has shifted. -more-
Berkeley Observed -more-
The eye as a camera has been a powerful metaphor for poets and scientists alike, implying that the eye provides the brain with detailed snapshots that form the basis for our rich experience of the world. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — California power regulators already have approved the biggest electricity rate hikes in state history. Now they must decide which customers get hit hardest. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Here in the city where so many have died from what at first was known as “the gay disease,” some say the move of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Atlanta is like another loss in their family. -more-
TEMECULA — Horse lovers and cattle ranchers once were drawn to this remote valley for its leisurely pace and lush hills. -more-
For most of us, a home is the single biggest investment we will make in a lifetime. so, we spend lots of time, money and energy doing what we can to maintain its integrity and improve its value. It’s no wonder that Americans spend more than $150 billion annually on home improvement and repair. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Cameras should be barred from the courtroom during the bomb conspiracy trial of former SLA fugitive Sara Jane Olson because the testimony could teach viewers how to make bombs, prosecutors argued Friday. -more-
NEW YORK — Wall Street’s gyrations can be attributed to many causes, but, ultimately, the volatility comes down to a question of who is buying stocks and who is selling. -more-
To Anthony Maramarco, an informed investor, a renewed appreciation of value can be observed in America today, and the stock market reflects it. Value investing, he says, is back on the front burner. -more-
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Your financial life flashes in front of you in a matter of minutes: your mortgage, income, bills, life insurance, taxes. You’re being grilled under oath in a room full of strangers, each awaiting a turn under the spotlight. -more-
WASHINGTON — Expected low inventories of gasoline could set the stage for regional supply problems and another summer of high fuel prices, government and industry experts told lawmakers Friday. -more-
WASHINGTON — Unions, struggling in many industries, are flying high on the nation’s airlines. -more-
Calling for public ownership of power, more than 75 people crowded onto the sidewalk at Center Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in front of the PG&E payment office at noon on Thursday. -more-
Our society is based on violence. Looking back on U.S. history, it is plain to see that our society was built on a racist, sexist, and violent foundation. Out in Santee and pretty much every middle-class bedroom community, there is an attitude that they are safe. So when it hits home, when their child is lying in a hospital bed, or in a coffin, that is when there is this outrage. No one knows what happened – they were such good kids…. -more-
The City Council postponed considering a recommendation for a Sunshine Ordinance, intended to allow the public greater access to government information, until it’s determined whether it’s needed. -more-
Berkeley Police are relying heavily on the nonprofit Donald P. McCullum Youth Court program to make sure first-time juvenile offenders, cases the understaffed District Attorney’s Office often don’t get to, face some concrete consequences for their actions. -more-
Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve spending $500 million more to buy power for two struggling utilities as Republicans escalated their criticism of the Democrat’s handling of the energy crisis. -more-
Q: We have a slow knocking sound coming from inside a wall. The sound occurs when the upstairs bathroom faucet is turned on. I have been told that this could be the pipes banging against the wall. Is this a serious problem? -more-
British-born Pamela Harper has been gardening in the United States for over three decades, and gardeners in all parts of the United States have much to learn from her latest book, “Time-Tested Plants: Thirty Years in a Four-Season Garden.” -more-
PASADENA — Twin volcanic plumes that rise 250 miles above the surface of Jupiter’s fiery moon Io appear in images taken by two NASA spacecraft and released Thursday. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
SACRAMENTO — State Democrats are descending upon the traditionally Republican stronghold of Orange County for what they bill as a weekend-long “Bush-bashing” fest. -more-
LAS VEGAS — The days of fumbling for enough change to buy that candy bar from the vending machine are over. Whip out your cell phone, call a number and charge the candy bar to your bill. -more-
NEW YORK — Earnings worries thwarted the stock market for a second straight session Thursday, making for a choppy and ultimately directionless day on Wall Street. -more-
NEW YORK — Earnings worries thwarted the stock market for a second straight session Thursday, making for a choppy and ultimately directionless day on Wall Street. -more-
The City Council adopted a Medical Marijuana Ordinance Tuesday that advocates called conservative and a disservice to the chronically ill, while city officials described it as responsible and mindful of public safety. -more-
I am guilty of a homicide. -more-
On a perfect day for baseball, it was almost a perfect game for the Yellowjackets. Almost. -more-
In a game that featured more plot twists and suspense than an Academy Award-winning drama, the Bears were unable to come up with the requisite happy ending. Pacific’s Jason Walker smacked an opposite-field homerun to give the Tigers (16-15) a 9-8 victory over Cal in 13 innings at Evans Diamond. -more-
Residential neighborhoods may soon begin to feel some relief from the influx of illegal parkers. -more-
By Ben Lumpkin -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court threw out a $107 million verdict against anti-abortion activists Wednesday, ruling that a Web site and wanted posters branding abortion doctors “baby butchers” are protected by the First Amendment. -more-
“Heck fahn” literally means “Eat rice” in Chinese, and the connotation is that it’s time to eat, time for something important and nutritious. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The dot-com meltdown is flooding the San Francisco office market with vacant space and lowering average rents in the city’s main business district for the first time in more than two years, according to a new real estate study. -more-
NEW YORK — Wall Street made an expected retreat Wednesday, sending technology and blue chip stocks sliding on a mix of earnings worries and profit-taking from the Dow Jones industrials’ big three-day rally. -more-
IRVINE — The slowing economy will force HomeBase Inc. to fire more than 2,600 workers and close 25 home improvement centers originally listed for conversion to home furnishings centers. -more-
A recent pedestrian fatality has highlighted the problem of pedestrian safety in Berkeley. -more-
A man armed with semi-automatic pistol robbed a couple just after midnight Friday morning, police said. -more-
The preservation and expansion of California's desperately-needed affordable housing supply will require substantial, stable and consolidated funding, enforcement of existing laws requiring affordable housing, and giving nonprofit developers with proven track records an edge when issuing funds. -more-
EL CAJON — Spare ammunition was found in the home of an 18-year-old student accused of shooting five people at his high school last week, officials said. -more-
SAN QUENTIN — Robert Lee Massie welcomed death, pumping his fist to expose a vein for his long-awaited execution. After 13 minutes, the lethal injection ended his stint as California’s longest-serving condemned inmate. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — In another sign of the technology industry’s jarring about-face, the amount of money flowing into Silicon Valley companies from the public markets is quickly evaporating, according to new data provided to The Associated Press. -more-
NEW YORK — A better-than-expected consumer confidence report sent stocks climbing Tuesday on hopes that Americans’ spending could revive company profits earlier than anticipated. The Dow Jones industrials picked up 260 points, their third straight triple-digit gain. -more-
CHICAGO — The “crack baby” phenomenon is overblown, according to a study that suggests poverty and the use of cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs while pregnant are just as likely as cocaine to cause developmental problems in children. -more-
Protests that began in Berkeley two years ago against the Pacifica Foundation governing board – which holds the license to five listener-sponsored radio stations – have spread across the country, with demonstrations at New York’s WBAI against the firings and bannings of staff and volunteers, pickets at Houston’s KPFT and a mass meeting of supporters of Los Angeles’ KPFK. -more-
The Berkeley School Board may have violated a state law governing public meetings when it voted March 21, to approve a new “small learning community” program at Berkeley High School, according to one expert. -more-
By John Geluardi -more-
SAN QUENTIN — The “Dean of California’s Death Row” spent what he hoped would be his last day alive Monday as a small group of lawyers tried against his wishes to block his looming execution. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Republican Secretary of State Bill Jones announced Monday he will challenge Democratic incumbent Gray Davis for governor in 2002. -more-
LOS ANGELES — White supremacist Buford O. Furrow apologized for wounding five people at a Jewish center and murdering a postal worker, and was sentenced Monday to life in prison without possibility of parole. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Assembly Republicans voted unanimously Tuesday to oust their leader, Orange County Assemblyman Bill Campbell, and replace him with Sacramento area Assemblyman Dave Cox. -more-
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Microsoft Corp. increased its Silicon Valley presence Monday by launching a new technology center that the software titan hopes will help its expansive new strategy for Internet-based services. -more-
NEW YORK — The Dow Jones industrials scored their second straight triple-digit gain Monday, as investors grew more optimistic that Wall Street might be recovering after two weeks of heavy losses. -more-
CLAREMONT — Six students protesting development of open space chained themselves to cement-filled trash cans and blocked college administrators from their offices Monday. -more-
The Julia Morgan Center for the Arts has been awarded its first major grant under new board and executive leadership. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will invest $150,000 so the JMCA can develop a pilot program based on the Lincoln Center Institute, a unique arts education program of New York's Lincoln Center. -more-
Berkeley Unified School District classified employees were looking forward to collecting their March pay checks Friday because of 6 percent raises approved by the school board last week, retroactive to July 1 of last year. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal review of an explosion that killed four workers at the Tosco refinery in 1999 has concluded better management could have prevented the fire. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — California’s top power regulator proposed immediate electricity rate hikes of up to 46 percent Monday, saying this should encourage customers to cut back on usage and conserve enough power to avoid blackouts this summer. -more-
