The Week

The new Daily Planet office.                    (photo by Erik Olson)
The new Daily Planet office. (photo by Erik Olson)
 

News

NEW PLANET APPEARS ON HORIZON

Staff
Monday February 24, 2003

As the owners and publishers of the new Berkeley Daily Planet, Mike O’Malley and I would like to report to you, our readers and advertisers, on our progress toward re-launching the paper. We didn’t exactly get a functioning paper, more like a do-it-yourself kit for putting a paper together -- without an instruction manual. Nevertheless, we’re getting there. We’ve located the computer archives, and, as you can see, we’ve figured out how to do the Web page. Several staffers from the old Planet are back, and Diane DeRoo, a dynamic advertising sales manager with long experience in the newspaper business, has joined our team. She’s even a graduate of Berkeley High. -more-


Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

A Call for Creative Thinking in Education

Rick Ayers
Monday February 24, 2003

Last June I was sitting in a rather barren classroom in the Amsterdam School in Hanoi, Vietnam, speaking to English teacher Nguyen Hong Hanh about her students. I was so amazed by the respect and discipline the students showed when they walked into class and when they spoke with us, the foreign visitors. The Vietnamese teenagers were effusive, excited and quick to engage our students. But they were always deferential to the teacher, giving her the first place, responding to her slightest suggestion. -more-


Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

PLANET WEIGHS SPORTS

Staff
Monday February 24, 2003

The old Planet included coverage of local high school sports and Cal athletics. We are trying to decide whether to keep providing sports coverage, given that we will only publish twice per week and will be unable to provide day-to-day coverage of every game. We are also thinking about what twice-per-week sports coverage would look like. Let us know what you think. -more-


PLANET WEIGHS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Staff
Monday February 24, 2003

We plan to continue our comprehensive coverage of local arts and entertainment with a section devoted to the topic on Fridays. Let us know what you'd like to see. -more-


PLANET EYES EXPANDED CALENDAR

Staff
Monday February 24, 2003

A comprehensive community calendar is a vital part of any local paper. We hope to provide a larger calendar than the old Planet, including local lectures, concerts, dance recitals and more. -more-


Discovering Berkeley's hidden creeks

Susan D. Cerny
Monday February 24, 2003

Berkeley has several water drainage systems, called watersheds, that carry water from the hills to the bay. These systems begin as small tributaries or springs that merge to form larger streambeds as they make their way to the bay. Some systems are fed by year-round springs, while others are seasonal and only run during the rainy season. The pre-settlement, natural drainage systems were originally above ground but are now mostly hidden from view in underground pipes and culverts. -more-


WHEN WILL THE PLANET BE IN PRINT?

Monday February 24, 2003

Whew! We’ve done an enormous amount this month, but there’s still a bit to be done before re-launch. Current plans: We’ll begin in April with two editions a week, down from the previous six. We suspect that a semi-weekly schedule is actually better for advertisers -- papers will stay in homes longer, saved so readers can refer to the calendar, previews of weekend activities and other important advances. We want to hear what readers and advertisers think. -more-


Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

Restoring Berkeley's soothing, shaded refuge

Susan D. Cerny
Monday February 24, 2003

There is something ultimately romantic about a small stream of water meandering under a bowering canopy of trees and edged with a lush undergrowth of ferns and bushes. The soothing sound of water as it tumbles down a hillside over mossy rocks calms the senses. The "babbling brook" is a cool shaded refuge on a hot sunny day or a wonderfully dark and mysterious place when the mist and fog come in. -more-


In-Law Units Are Coming to Your Neighborhood

Barbara Gilbert
Monday February 24, 2003

The state of California, in response to the housing crisis, recently adopted AB 1866, a measure that aims to eliminate local discretionary review, the public discussion process and most existing development standards relating to the creation of in-law units in R-1 single-family neighborhoods. -more-


LOCAL NEWS

Monday February 24, 2003

The old Daily Planet reporters were respected for the unbiased and straightforward stories they did about Berkeley, particularly about local government. That’s what Berkeley readers simply can’t get from the regional or national press. That’s what we most want to keep and strengthen, which is why we’ve re-hired reporter David Scharfenberg and have made offers to other previous staffers. The local hard news will continue to be the backbone of the Planet. -more-


Monday February 24, 2003

Monday February 24, 2003

A New Year. A New Planet! A New Berkeley?

Harry D. Weininger
Monday February 24, 2003

Berkeley, in spite of its allure, has an eccentric reputation. Berkeleyans delight in their quirkiness and would never aspire to be conventional. -more-


Monday February 24, 2003

ED AND OP-ED

Monday February 24, 2003

An overwhelming majority of readers of the old Planet that I’ve talked to say they turned to the Opinion pages first. They loved the letters column and the long “Perspectives” in the original Planet, and were disappointed when Perspectives shrank and eventually almost disappeared. For the new Planet we want many more Op-Ed (Opposite Editorial) pieces and many more letters. -more-


Berkeley Daily Planet Cartoon

Dan Oneal
Monday February 24, 2003

THE WORLD OUTSIDE BERKELEY

Monday February 24, 2003

In the old Planet, most of these stories came from conventional news services, principally Associated Press and Bay City News. We’ve been informally surveying readers about their likes and dislikes, and the role of news service copy is controversial. -more-


COLUMNS

Monday February 24, 2003

We want to have locally written columns of all kinds. -more-


CALENDAR

Monday February 24, 2003

A comprehensive calendar is one of the most essential services of a local paper. A team of dedicated people is working on outreach strategies, to make sure we include everything we can. Bonnie Hughes of the Berkeley Arts Festival is concentrating on arts coverage, Anne Wagley is working with membership and service organizations of all kinds, and Fred Lupke is even taking note of overlooked announcements on telephone poles and other unusual places. Click on the “Calendar of Events” button to see the results of their efforts. Let us know what you'd like to see in the calendar. -more-



THE PLANET ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Monday February 24, 2003

We want to take full advantage of the almost unlimited space available on the Internet. We expect national and international readers to turn there. Classified ads on the Web will be an even better value for advertisers than print ads, since potential customers can quickly search for exactly what they want. -more-


THE NEW PUBLISHERS

Staff
Monday February 24, 2003

Becky and Mike O’Malley, the Planet's new publishers, have lived in Berkeley for most of their lives. Becky came here as an undergraduate in 1958. They spent most of the sixties in Ann Arbor, where Mike was getting his Ph.D. and teaching in the Computer Science department of the University of Michigan. Becky divided her Ann Arbor time between editing jobs, organizing against the Vietnam War and managing political campaigns. They returned to Berkeley in 1973 so that Mike could teach at UC Berkeley, and we’ve lived here ever since. Our three daughters, Sara, Rachel and Eliza, are Berkeley High graduates. -more-


NEW PLANET APPEARS ON HORIZON

Becky O'Malley Executive Editor
Tuesday February 18, 2003

Dear Readers and Advertisers: As the owners and publishers of the new Berkeley Daily Planet, Mike O’Malley and I would like to report to you on our progress in getting the paper going again. We didn’t exactly get a functioning paper—more like a do-it-yourself kit for putting a paper together without an instruction manual. Nevertheless, we’re getting there. We’ve located the computer archives, and, as you can see, we’ve figured out how to do the Web page. Several staffers from the old Planet are back, and Diane De Roo, a dynamic advertising sales manager with long experience in the newspaper business, has joined our team. She’s even a graduate of Berkeley High. -more-


PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT CONTINUING THIS WEB CATAGORY

Tuesday February 18, 2003

please respond to berkeleydailyplanet.com -more-


ED AND OP-ED TO EXPAND.

Tuesday February 18, 2003

An overwhelming majority of readers of the old Planet that I’ve talked to tell me they turned to the Opinion pages first. They loved the letters column and the long “Perspectives” in the original Planet, and were disappointed when Perspectives shrank and eventually almost disappeared. For the new Planet we want many more Op-Ed (“Opposite Editorial”) pieces and many more letters. -more-


CALENDAR OF ARTS

Tuesday February 18, 2003

A good comprehensive calendar is one of the most essential services of a local paper. A team of dedicated community people is working on outreach strategies, to make sure we include everything we can. Bonnie Hughes of the Berkeley Arts Festival is concentrating on Arts coverage, Anne Wagley is working with membership and service organizations of all kinds, and Fred Lupke is even looking for overlooked announcements on telephone poles and other unusual places. Click on the “Calendar of Events” button to see the results of their efforts. Let us know what you’d like to see in the Calendar. -more-


PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT CONTINUING THIS WEB CATAGORY

Tuesday February 18, 2003

please respond to berkeleydailyplanet.com -more-


Tuesday February 18, 2003

Tuesday February 18, 2003

Tuesday February 18, 2003

CALENDAR PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION! -more-


WHEN WILL THE PLANET BE IN PRINT?

Tuesday February 18, 2003

Whew! We’ve done an enormous amount this month, but there’s still a bit to be done before re-launch. Current plans: we’ll start out in a couple of weeks with two editions a week, down from the previous six. We suspect that a semi-weekly schedule is actually a better deal for advertisers, since papers will stay around longer and be read more carefully. We want to hear what readers and advertisers think. -more-


FEBRUARY CALENDAR

staff
Tuesday February 18, 2003

ONGOING PEACE EVENTS -more-


Tuesday February 18, 2003

A Call for Creative Thinking in Education

By Rick Ayers
Tuesday February 18, 2003

Last June I was sitting in a rather barren classroom in the Amsterdam School in Hanoi, Vietnam, speaking to English teacher Nguyen Hong Hanh about her students. I was so amazed by the respect and discipline the students showed when they walked into class and when they spoke with us, the foreign visitors. The Vietnamese teenagers were effusive, excited and quick to engage our students. But they were always deferential to the teacher, giving her the first place, responding to her slightest suggestion. -more-


LOCAL NEWS.

Tuesday February 18, 2003

The old Daily Planet reporters were justly respected for the unbiased and straight-forward stories they did about what was going on in Berkeley, particularly about what local government was up to. That’s what Berkeley readers simply can’t get from the regional or national press. That’s what we most want to keep and strengthen, which is why we’ve re-hired reporter David Scharfenberg, and have made offers to other previous staffers. The local hard news will continue to be the backbone of the Planet. -more-


A New Year. A New Planet! A New Berkeley?

By Harry D. Weininger
Tuesday February 18, 2003

Berkeley, in spite of its allure, has an eccentric reputation. Berkeleyans delight in their quirkiness and would never aspire to be conventional. -more-


ED AND OP-ED.

Tuesday February 18, 2003

An overwhelming majority of readers of the old Planet that I’ve talked to tell me they turned to the Opinion pages first. They loved the letters column and the long “Perspectives” in the original Planet, and were disappointed when Perspectives shrank and eventually almost disappeared. For the new Planet we want many more Op-Ed (“Opposite Editorial”) pieces and many more letters. -more-


IN-LAW UNITS ARE COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

By Barbara Gilbert
Tuesday February 18, 2003

The state of California, in response to the housing crisis, recently adopted AB 1866, a measure that aims to eliminate local discretionary review, the public discussion process and most existing development standards relating to the creation of in-law units in R-1 single-family neighborhoods. If implemented as intended by its backers, your neighbor will be able to create an in-law unit with no discretionary review or public hearing if the proposed unit does not exceed 30 percent of the main living area if attached to the main dwelling, and the total floor area of the proposed unit does not exceed 1200 square feet. Tandem parking and parking in otherwise deemed “setback areas” will be allowed. The only way to generally preclude such proposals for in-law units would be for the governing jurisdiction to make official findings that acknowledge that the relevant zoning ordinances “may limit housing opportunities of the region” and that “specific adverse impacts on the public health, safety, and welfare…justify…the ordinance.” To reject a specific in-law unit proposal, findings must be made that the proposed unit is not feasible based on site, topographical and fire and life safety issues for that site. No provision is made for “detriment” to neighbors. -more-


THE WORLD OUTSIDE BERKELEY.

Tuesday February 18, 2003

In the old Planet, most of these stories came from conventional news services, principally Associated Press and Bay City News. We’ve been informally surveying readers about their likes and dislikes, and the role of news service copy is very controversial. -more-


COLUMNS:

Tuesday February 18, 2003

We want to have locally written columns of all kinds. We’re delighted to announce that Susan Cerny has agreed to continue her very popular columns on Berkeley’s world famous architectural heritage. Click on the “Rediscovering Berkeley” button at the left to read her latest. Other categories which have been suggested so far: local history, food, home maintenance, gardening, travel, health, education, environment, human rights, conflict resolution, landlord-tenant relations, film, books ...and there are many more possibilities. What categories can you suggest? -more-


CALENDAR:

Tuesday February 18, 2003

A good comprehensive calendar is one of the most essential services of a local paper. A team of dedicated community people is working on outreach strategies, to make sure we include everything we can. Bonnie Hughes of the Berkeley Arts Festival is concentrating on Arts coverage, Anne Wagley is working with membership and service organizations of all kinds, and Fred Lupke is even looking for overlooked announcements on telephone poles and other unusual places. Click on the “Calendar of Events” button to see the results of their efforts. Let us know what you’d like to see in the Calendar. -more-


WHAT ELSE?

Tuesday February 18, 2003

What do you think about comics? Puzzles? Horoscopes? Personal ads? Reviews? Community Resources listings? Sports? -more-


THE PLANET ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Tuesday February 18, 2003

We want to take full advantage of the almost unlimited space available on the Internet. We expect to get national and international readers there. Classified ads on the Web will be an even better value for advertisers than print ads, since potential customers can quickly search for exactly what they want. -more-


WEB SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Please excuse any incorrect information.
Tuesday February 18, 2003

We are currently in the process of improving the existing Berkeley Daily Planet web-site. Please be patient. -more-


Opinion

Editorials

BERKELEY STARS WILL SHINE

Monday February 24, 2003

Berkeley’s a mecca for excellent writers. A recent public library benefit dinner featured 29 famous local authors. We also have fine writers who aren’t yet famous, but should be. We hope to showcase local talent as much as possible. We want to build an inventory of excellent feature material by local writers which can be used when we have enough advertising to pay for extra space. -more-


BERKELEY STARS WILL SHINE.

Tuesday February 18, 2003

Berkeley’s a Mecca for excellent writers. A recent Public Library benefit dinner featured 29 famous local authors. We also have fine writers here who aren’t yet famous, but should be. We hope to showcase local talent as much as we can. We want to develop an inventory of excellent feature material by local writers which can be used when we have enough advertising to pay for some extra space. -more-