Students serve up annual meal -more-

Saturday, Dec. 16

Nov. 29 protesters were intolerant -more-

By Jared Green -more-

The Zoning Adjustments Board approved on Thursday the controversial Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Beth El synagogue and school at 1301 Oxford St. -more-

When businesses on University Avenue have a problem, they turn to Dave Fogarty. -more-

There was Election 2000 fall out Berkeley style at the Thursday night Zoning Adjustments Board meeting, when a new ZAB commissioner tried to claim his seat. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The Arctic ozone layer will not bounce back as quickly as expected from damage caused by ozone-depleting chemicals despite recent cutbacks in their use, scientists said Friday. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The $5.5 billion Iridium global telephone system couldn’t attract enough customers to keep the company out of bankruptcy court, but its network of 66-plus satellites is paying off for scientists. -more-

SAN JOSE — Lifescan Inc., a leading maker of diabetes monitors, pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges and was ordered to pay $60 million in fines, ending a three-year government investigation of a defective blood-glucose meter. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Scientists are planning an ambitious mission to a new and barely explored world that isn’t far from the old one: the oceans. -more-

SAN DIEGO — A major earthquake would cause only minor damage to the massive concrete and steel columns that will support a portion of the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a seismic test showed Friday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Most Californians favor paying higher taxes to help everyone have affordable health care, according to a poll released Thursday. -more-

Federal regulators ordered an overhaul of California’s electricity market Friday to try to control skyrocketing prices that have pushed the state to the brink of blackouts this month. -more-

SANTA ANA — A 40-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for murdering two children and injuring four others and a teacher’s aide by intentionally driving his car onto a preschool playground last year. -more-

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — When an extortionist’s bomb ripped through Harveys Resort & Casino in 1980, the company found opportunity in the tragedy and rebuilt Tahoe’s first high-rise to match the glitter of its newer neighbors on the south shore. -more-

CORTE MADERA — A pair of mischievous middle-aged men has been stalking through shopping mall parking lots - the habitat of the mighty sports utility vehicle – doing a little civil disobedience in hopes that their prey will become extinct. -more-

WASHINGTON — Nearly 500 current and retired FBI agents marched to the White House Friday in an unprecedented protest, opposing any presidential clemency for an American Indian activist convicted of killing two FBI men. -more-

BRADENTON, Fla.— A Palestinian was ordered released from jail Friday after being locked up for three years on secret government evidence without ever being charged with a crime. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Online toy retailer eToys says it will cut its workforce and may run out of operating cash by the end of March because of weak holiday sales. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Shockwave.com says it will acquire Internet short film distributor AtomFilms to form a new company in an attempt to dominate the struggling Internet entertainment field. -more-

NEW YORK — Investors who thought the resolution of the presidential election would set off a rally on Wall Street found themselves instead in the midst of a huge selloff. -more-

After an 12-day break for finals, California (3-5) visits San Diego State (3-5), Friday, Dec. 22, for a 7 p.m. contest. The Aztecs lead the series, 3-1, including a win in the last meeting in 1995-96 (82-70). The SDSU game marks the return home of Cal's Becky Staubes and Janet Franey. -more-

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Keep Beth El -more-

Friday, Dec. 15

By Erika Fricke -more-

A toxicologist has determined that groundwater contaminated with chromium 6, which caused the city to halt construction work on the Harrison Street skate park, poses a minimal health risk. -more-

The lawyer for a Berkeley teenager who was charged with battery on a police officer and resisting arrest in connection with a June 2 traffic stop that allegedly escalated into violence said after a court hearing Wednesday he had worked out a deal with prosecutors to have the charges dismissed if his client maintains a clean record for the next year. -more-

Susan Brooks smiles when she talks about her move to Berkeley nearly 30 years ago from her native New York. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Despite hefty increases in child-care funding as part of welfare reform, a new study says the supply of centers and preschools is faltering – particularly in poor, Hispanic neighborhoods. -more-

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WASHINGTON — Victory secured, President-elect Bush invited a Democratic senator to Texas for a job interview and tinkered Thursday with the final components of his White House and national security teams. -more-

ENCINITAS — Every year around the holidays, there’s one question Paul Ecke III gets a lot: How exactly do you pronounce “poinsettia”? -more-

Q: I recently replaced the old galvanized storage tank from my well pumping system with one that has an air bag to separate the water from the air. Since then, whenever I turn on the water faucet, air spurts out of the spout along with the water. Do you know what’s wrong? -more-

BERKELEY— Deann Borshay Liem lived an all-American life. Family trips to Disneyland. Class president. Cheerleader. Homecoming queen. -more-

NEW YORK — Twenty years after the broadcast of “Cosmos,” Carl Sagan’s love letter to the universe, Ann Druyan remembers it all. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Customer service employees at etown.com have become the first dot-com workers to file for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Computer software giant Oracle Corp. reported Thursday a 62 percent surge in its quarterly profit, defying a recent trend of earnings letdowns that have ravaged technology stocks. -more-

By George Thomas -more-

Light the holidays, save electricity -more-

In the 1960s and ’70s Berkeley leaders in the civil rights movement for people with disabilities fought for accessibility to public spaces and the opportunity to live independently. And in Berkeley today, new leaders are still struggling for the rights of people with disabilities. Last week one of these, Tamar Michai Freeman received the Paul G. Hearne award for leaders in the movement for disability rights. -more-

Thursday, Dec. 14

Schools superintendent Jack McLaughlin told the school board in closed session Wednesday that he accepted a post as Nevada’s state superintendent of public instruction. -more-

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The City Council got an earful Tuesday from residents concerned about potential health risks from radiation-emitting satellite antennae that support cell-phone use, that are increasingly being located in residential neighborhoods. -more-

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Some 8,000 people have died of smoking-related heart disease in California as a result of the state’s weakened anti-smoking campaign, a study found Wednesday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A hacker infiltrated an Internet company’s database of credit card numbers and posted them online in a failed extortion attempt. -more-

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NEW YORK — Yet another round of profit warnings brought high-tech stocks sharply lower and quashed a blue chip advance Wednesday. The prospect of another disappointing quarter outweighed investors’ short-lived relief over an apparent end to the presidential election deadlock. -more-

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Come Friday, school’s out. For two weeks, instead of memorizing the names of dinosaurs and the life-cycle of a butterfly, students will be set free. But not parents who may be hard-pressed to find child care. -more-

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Rights guarantees don’t come from the Constitution -more-

The family hearth, a traditional winter gathering place for warmth and good cheer, has been deemed a public health threat and the City Council will soon consider measures to curtail its use. -more-

While hospital workers gear up for their Thursday walk-out – the fourth since the spring – the Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center administration staffs up to replace the hundreds of employees expected to go on strike. -more-

SAN JOSE — City officials agreed Tuesday to contribute nearly $3 million of tobacco settlement money over the next three years to a new and unprecedented county plan aimed at providing health coverage for all uninsured children. -more-

EMERYVILLE— Internet company Ask Jeeves Inc. on Tuesday said it will cut 25 percent of its workforce and take a fourth quarter charge of $10 million to $12 million for a restructuring that follows a recent earnings warning. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Strains on the state’s power grid prompted more calls for energy conservation Tuesday, just hours after a Stage Two alert ended. -more-

With over 100 new vendors and live musical entertainment, the 17th annual Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair hits the street this weekend. -more-

By John Geluardi -more-

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Free speech debate continues to rage -more-

Berkeley’s talented 10-year-old Shotgun Players theater group, which grew out of repeated performances at LaVal’s Subterranean to play other venues in Berkeley and San Francisco, has now developed a new producing arm of its organization called Black Box Productions. -more-

This year Berkeley High School teachers and administrators decided to approach issues of violence and conflict from a new direction. -more-

The superintendent’s not going to “cut and run,” if he decides to take the job offered him heading up the Nevada state school system. -more-

At its meeting tonight the City Council will consider authorizing the city manager to contract with a hazardous waste disposal company for the cleanup and removal of hazardous spills that may occur in the future. -more-

The power crunch in California eased slightly Monday after a nuclear power plant that was closed for repairs returned to service ahead of schedule, but officials declared a power alert by late afternoon and asked some commercial customers to cut back on their use. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A $100 million wrongful death claim was filed against the city Monday by the sister of an actor who was fatally shot in the back by a police officer while holding a fake gun at a Halloween party. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The often-delayed case of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson took another unexpected turn Monday with announcement that the trial judge has been transferred and a three-month delay will be needed. -more-

SAN JOSE — Palm Inc., hoping to retain its dominant position in the fast-growing market of handheld personal digital assistants, is promoting its wireless strategy and new applications in store for next year at its annual developers conference. -more-

NEW YORK — The possibility of future interest rate cuts sent tech stocks surging Monday, lifting the Nasdaq composite index back above 3,000. -more-

“We’re going to remodel our kitchen!” I said excitedly to my friend Gloria. -more-

Berkeley Superintendent of Schools Jack McLaughlin has five days to decide if wants to accept an offer to take over Nevada’s top education post this weekend. -more-

Monday, Dec. 11

We need full investigation of Netanyahu incident -more-

Sean Lampley went missing in the first half, but he turned up time to help California get an easy win against a tough opponent. -more-

A prosecutor says a third sexual assault happened in Berkeley’s middle schools during a two-week period. -more-

It’s rare that the Berkeley Lady Yellowjackets face a test in their own gym. For the past decade, most of the close games the team has played have been at national tournaments far from home. But facing a talented team from Las Vegas in the championship game of the First Annual Lady Yellowjacket Tournament, head coach Gene Nakamura’s squad showed that they have the heart of a champion, beating Bishop Gorman 67-58. -more-

Despite possible legal challenges, the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Directors voted Wednesday to continue using the school’s current desegregation system — which assigns students to schools based upon a combined choice and lottery system. -more-

Santa Clara fought hard to escape Haas Pavilion Sunday afternoon with a win, answering California’s every effort throughout the game to pull out a 77-73 victory over the Bears. Senior guard Courtney Johnson scored a career-high 32 points for the Bears in the effort. The contest marked a reunion of sorts for California head coach Caren Horstmeyer, who left Santa Clara last year to take over coaching duties at Cal this season. -more-

Berkeley residents are concerned about health risks from the radiation-emitting wireless antennas sprouting up around town but city officials say there’s nothing they can do as long as the antennas look good. -more-

Overcoming fatigue and an early deficit, the Berkeley Yellowjackets won the consolation championship game of the Chris Vontoure Classic at De La Salle Saturday, beating Castlemont (Oakland) 69-60. -more-

All night study sessions. Nails bitten to the quick. Dark circles under the eyes. Final exams are next week, and students at UC Berkeley are gearing up for the most stressful time of the semester. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s horrifying animal lovers and baffling scientists — two sea otters are sexually assaulting and then drowning harbor seal pups in an area about 80 miles south of San Francisco. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – A three-year-old boy originally thought to have died Wednesday from scooter injuries was actually killed by another person, a coroner’s report revealed. -more-

SAN JOSE — More than 50 people were hospitalized Sunday after pepper spray was released in four stores, police said. -more-

MODESTO – Detectives have found the remains of a five-year-old girl in the backyard of her guardians’ home. -more-

By Paul Chavez -more-

ONTARIO – Police rescued a teen-ager Saturday after a roughly 10-hour standoff that ended with the death of a federal police officer accused of kidnapping the boy a day earlier. -more-

PASADENA – Dozens of picketers lined the sidewalk in front of a local Target store Saturday, claiming that garments sold in the chain stores are made under sweatshop conditions in Nicaragua and that workers are not paid a living wage. -more-

LOS ANGELES – Farm labor leader Dolores Huerta was recovering in fair condition Sunday from pneumonia and an infection. -more-

ORLAND – The parish hall at St. Dominic Catholic Church is packed on a Thursday night — some 70 parents want to learn about the gangs on their streets. -more-

The Associated Press -more-

VALLEJO – One year ago, 7-year-old Xiana Fairchild left home for school and never came back. -more-

HOLLISTER – For two lesbian women who started a small-town weekly newspaper in rural Hollister, it seemed like a simple and sweet idea: Leave the daily grind of the big city behind and take on a slower pace while being your own boss. -more-

BERKELEY – To James Vander Putten, it’s somewhere he can laugh about the time his blue collar slipped out at a fancy faculty do. -more-

SAN JOSE – The world’s largest manufacturer of computer chips can’t stop making them faster. -more-

SAN DIEGO – A shareholder has filed an investor lawsuit against Gateway alleging the computer seller misled investors in the fall about financial statements. -more-

LOS ANGELES – Managing chads, hanging and otherwise, is a regular part of business for BigBallot Inc., the company that runs the All-Star balloting for Major League Baseball and other sports leagues. -more-

SAN JOSE — A bizarre mystery unfolded Friday out of a usually routine corporate flight: Why did a Hewlett-Packard employee jump or fall from a small company plane at 2,000 feet, despite an attempt by another passenger to restrain her? -more-

LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors in the case of former Symbionese Liberation Army fugitive Sara Jane Olson accused her and her attorneys Thursday of stalling to avoid trial and said the lawyers should be removed for failing to adequately prepare. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Energy Secretary Bill Richardson ordered Northwest generators to sell electricity to power-strapped California utilities Wednesday, a move that appeared to avert the immediate threat of rolling blackouts. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The state sued 18 school districts Tuesday in a bid to force them to fix allegedly shoddy classrooms, issue textbooks and hire credentialed teachers as required under state law. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The city holds a runoff election for nine supervisors Tuesday that could determine the future of dot-com expansions and other projects that some say are robbing San Francisco of its bohemian character. -more-

Berkeley police say another shooting took place yesterday morning in a city that has seen a rash of violence in the past several weeks. -more-