Bank Robbery Ends in Arrest on AC Transit Bus: By MICHAEL HOWERTON
A downtown Berkeley bank robbery ended Friday with the arrest of the dye-smeared suspect aboard a packed AC Transit bus in rush hour traffic. -more-
A downtown Berkeley bank robbery ended Friday with the arrest of the dye-smeared suspect aboard a packed AC Transit bus in rush hour traffic. -more-
Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board has greenlighted the most controversial building yet in the downtown area, the nine-story luxury Seagate apartment—or is it condo?—on Center Street. -more-
With its final meeting before Election Day scheduled for Tuesday, city councilmembers insist they won’t duck quite possibly the most controversial issue of the year. -more-
With Berkeley voters set to decide the fate of $8 million in proposed tax increases, Mayor Tom Bates publicized Monday a preliminary report claiming that the city on average offers more services for about the same price than comparable California cities. -more-
Zoning Adjustments Board members voted Thursday to allow an upscale Shattuck Avenue pasta eatery to sell take-out vino along with their penne and linguini. -more-
Berkeley native Ulysses Ellis never imagined that failing to buckle his safety belt could land him in a legal morass. -more-
While the three candidates for the Albany Unified School District agreed that overcoming fiscal challenges is one of the top two priorities in the district, they divided over what they believe is the other most important issue. -more-
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—formerly the Radiation Laboratory—will hold a Wednesday evening public hearing on the proposed 10-year hazardous waste facility permit for the site. -more-
With two of its five members up for re-election in two weeks, the Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education has set a light agenda for Wednesday night, its last scheduled meeting before the Nov. 2 vote. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Old City Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. -more-
The on-line Berkeley Police Bulletin for Friday, October 15, reported a homicide at 1:54 a.m. Berkeley Homicide Det. Robert Rittenhouse told the Planet on Monday that the death is considered suspicious and is under investigation. Police did not return subsequent calls about the incident. -more-
I have seen firsthand that while the current board is well intentioned—the board has not been able to engage our community in the open, inclusive, and interest-based dialogue necessary to address student achievement from kindergarten through grade 12 in a comprehensive, effective and sustainable way. After more than ten years, the district has yet to develop a district-wide student achievement plan that addresses students at every academic level and need. Over the years, school communities have been forced to develop plans on their own, without clear district guidelines, data-driven research, training on how to develop adequate plans, or set evaluation standards, which has resulted in a piecemeal, hit or miss approach in addressing the success of our schools and students. -more-
I am running for this office because I believe there is too much politics on the Berkeley School Board. Examples include closing Franklin School and the former adult school, and turning school playgrounds into parking lots (at Franklin School and the Berkeley High tennis courts). The Berkeley Citizen Action (BCA) majority is beginning again the same old plan—closing schools to free up land for development—just as they did in 1984. That was disastrous, and it took years for our schools to begin to recover from it. -more-
I believe improving our educational system must be a top priority in our communities. We need good, dedicated School Board members who are committed to the institution of public education, to inspire our children and to build a better future for ALL young people. That is why I am running for re-election to the School Board. -more-
I am Kalima Rose, a parent of two Berkeley school students, and a CAL alum. -more-
I am running for a second term for the Berkeley School Board. It has been a privilege to serve you these last four difficult years; I look forward to serving you another four. I was the only new boardmember when I assumed office in December 2000. I immediately started asking the hard questions. Superintendent McLaughlin would leave by Feb. 1, 2001, and left the district with several administrators in the wrong position or in over their heads, and fiscal, payroll, budget, and personnel systems in complete disarray. We hired an interim superintendent, Steve Goldstone. For several months we conducted a search for a permanent superintendent, eventually hiring Michele Lawrence in July 2001. During the first months of my term we discovered a budget deficit estimated at five to six million; estimated because there was no confidence in the ability of our business office at that time to generate accurate numbers. I am not exaggerating when I say the entire business operations had been neglected, abandoned, and mismanaged for years. -more-
George W. Bush has been good to me. To call him my savior would be overstating the case, but not by much. I was drifting, with little sense of direction or purpose, when he came to me and showed me the way. It will be difficult to vote against a man who has given me so much. -more-
Slogging onward towards Babylon on a diet of fast food politics, I cannot bring myself to wear a Kerry button or put his bumper sticker on my car. I cannot support him, but I would, if I have to, vote for him. -more-
Editors, Daily Planet: -more-
The real debate story was not President Bush’s poor performance or the fact that John Kerry’s skill changed the dynamics of the election. What will be discussed long after the election is over, and these events fade in our memories, is the fact that Bush agreed to the debates at all. -more-
At its Oct. 12, 2004 meeting, the City Council passed the first reading of a recommendation from the Rent Board for an amendment to the Ellis Implementation Ordinance. The three reasons given for the increase of the fixed relocation payment from $4,500 to $7,000 were: 1) what Berkeley has done in the past, 2) what other rent-controlled communities have done, and 3) analogy to the state and federal eminent domain laws, which are designed to protect the constitutional rights of tenants and others. -more-
It’s hard to believe that I was jealous of a man who could not move his arms or legs, or breathe on his own, but I was. You see, in 1995 Christopher Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down, just as my husband Ralph did in a Claremont Avenue bicycling accident in 1994. But Reeve was less fortunate than Ralph. His injury was higher up on his spinal chord, and he was forced to use a ventilator in order to move his lungs. Even so, I was suspicious that because of his celebrity, Christopher Reeve received better treatment from his doctors than Ralph experienced at our HMO. -more-
26. Education for All -more-
G. B. Shaw famously quipped, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.” He obviously had never met anyone like Jerry Kuderna, for whom the acts of performing, teaching, and learning blend irresistibly, growing from the same root of almost religious devotion. -more-
When Sana Makhoul started studying for her master’s degree in art history at San Jose State University, she noticed that her native Arab culture was either unexamined or misrepresented in all the books she used for class and decided to find out why. -more-
Boas in Berkeley? Unlikely as it seems, we do have a native species of boa. But this isn’t one of the giant constrictors of the tropics, big enough to swallow a deer. Rubber boas max out around 26 inches in length, prey on small vertebrates, and are among the most inoffensive of serpents. -more-
A friend of ours has been planning to go to Florida in the next couple of weeks to help with the get-out-the-vote effort. As the date approaches, she’s begun to wonder if it would be more effective to donate the cost of the trip to an organization already working in the field. Trying to help her make up her mind, I offered to poll my several politically astute cousins who live in Florida to see if they thought she should go. Their return emails were a good window on what’s going on in their part of the country. -more-
Flock Backs Kerry Despite Bishops: By BECKY O'MALLEY 10-19-2004
Editorial: Checking the Facts and Figures: BECKY O'MALLEY 10-15-2004
Bank Robbery Ends in Arrest on AC Transit Bus: By MICHAEL HOWERTON 10-19-2004
Seagate Building Wins Approval From ZAB: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-19-2004
Council to Rule On Creeks: By MATTHEW ARTZ 10-19-2004
Bates: City is Above Average: By MATTHEW ARTZ 10-19-2004
ZAB Eases Liquor Restrictions at Two Venues: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-19-2004
Homeless Court Brings Justice to Shelters, Drop-In Centers: By MATTHEW ARTZ 10-19-2004
Albany School Race Focuses on Fiscal Challenges: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 10-19-2004
LBNL Hazardous Waste Permit Hearing Set for Wednesday: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-19-2004
BUSD Meeting Features Light Agenda: By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 10-19-2004
Police Blotter: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-19-2004
Fire Department Log: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-19-2004
Letters to the Editor 10-19-2004
Berkeley School Board Candidate Statements, Karen Hemphill 10-19-2004
Berkeley School Board Candidate Statements, Merrilie Mitchell 10-19-2004
Berkeley School Board Candidate Statements, Joaquín J. Rivera 10-19-2004
Berkeley School Board Candidate Statements, Kalima Rose 10-19-2004
Berkeley School Board Candidate Statements, John Selawsky 10-19-2004
George Dubya Bush: An Appreciation: By JUSTIN DeFREITAS Daily Planet Editorial Cartoonist 10-19-2004
Why I Will Hold My Nose And Vote for Kerry: By OSHA NEUMANN 10-19-2004
Measure B Doesn’t Change BSEP: By DAN LINDHEIM COMMENTARY 10-19-2004
Why Did Bush Agree to Debate Kerry?: By BOB BURNETT COMMENTARY 10-19-2004
Rent Control Decision on Ellis Act Challenged: By PETER MUTNICK COMMENTARY 10-19-2004
Letter to the Community: By BOONA CHEEMA 10-19-2004
Reeve’s Death Prompts New Appreciation of Life: By SUSAN PARKER COLUMN 10-19-2004
The Duty to Educate and Protect the Environment: By ANN FAGAN GINGER CHALLENGING RIGHTS VIOLATIONS 10-19-2004
Kuderna Hits the Keyboard at Berkeley Arts Festival: By DOROTHY BRYANT Special to the Planet 10-19-2004
Arab and Muslim Art in a New Light at UC Exhibit: By JAKOB SCHILLER 10-19-2004
Arts Calendar 10-19-2004
Gentle Rubber Boas Live Discreetly Among Us: By JOE EATON Special to the Planet 10-19-2004
Berkeley This Week 10-19-2004
Candidates Debate Center’s Future: By MATTHEW ARTZ By MATTHEW ARTZ 10-15-2004
Incumbents Face Stiff Challenge In School Board Race: By J. DOUGLAS ALLAN-TAYLOR J. DOUGLAS ALLAN-TAYLOR 10-15-2004
Looking For a Flu Shot This Season? Get Out of Town:By MATTHEW ARTZ MATTHEW ARTZ 10-15-2004
Council Seeks to Tame Growth on University Ave.: By MATTHEW ARTZ MATTHEW ARTZ 10-15-2004
Planners Look at Density Bonus, Landmarks Law :By RICHARD BRENNEMAN RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-15-2004
UC Workers Plan Protest Over Expired Contracts: By JAKOB SCHILLER JAKOB SCHILLER 10-15-2004
Police Blotter: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-15-2004
CORRECTIONS 10-15-2004
Under the Radar: U.S. to Double Troops In Colombia: By BILL WEINBERG Pacific News Service By BILL WEINBERG Pacific News Service 10-15-2004
Smith Charged With Election Law Violation: By MATTHEW ARTZ By MATTHEW ARTZ 10-15-2004
In Maze of Voting Districts Polling Stations Can Vanish: By MATTHEW ARTZ By MATTHEW ARTZ 10-15-2004
U.S Blocks Phase Out of Lindane in North America 10-15-2004
The Duty to Fund the General Welfare: By Ann Fagan Ginger By Ann Fagan Ginger 10-15-2004
Applying Theory of Relativity to Oakland’s Murder Rate: J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 10-15-2004
Letters to the Editor 10-15-2004
Reality Gap Separates Republicans From Democrats: By BOB BURNETT By BOB BURNETT 10-15-2004
Berkeley Lags in Creek Plans: By EVA BANSNER By EVA BANSNER 10-15-2004
Manager Supports New Berkeley Taxes: By WELDON RUCKER By WELDON RUCKER 10-15-2004
Measure CC Taxes Urbanites, Gives Suburbs Free Ride 10-15-2004
Mentally Ill Need 33: By MICHAEL MARCHANT By MICHAEL MARCHANT 10-15-2004
Taxpayers Should Fund Campaigns: By JOHN DENVIR By JOHN DENVIR 10-15-2004
Realtor Gordon Predicts Bright Future for Downtown: By RICHARD BRENNEMAN By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 10-15-2004
Woman’s Will Brings Lord of the Flies to 8th St.: By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 10-15-2004
ReOrient’s Short Plays Explore Middle East: By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet 10-15-2004
Rockin’ In the Free World With Springsteen: By NANCY GRIMLEY CARLETON Special to the Planet By NANCY GRIMLEY CARLETON Special to the Planet 10-15-2004
Calendar: Berkeley This Week 10-15-2004
Arts Calendar 10-15-2004
Finding an Oasis at the Berkeley Art Museum: By BEA TAMWORTH Special to the Planet 10-15-2004