Foes of the proposed upscale mall planned at Albany’s Golden Gate Fields handed in nearly three times the needed signatures needed to qualify a November ballot initiative measure that would stop the proposal. -more-

The largest new commercial project in Berkeley in decades won city approval Thursday—though Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB) members fear West Berkeley will be bowled over by the traffic. -more-

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is refusing to excuse the absences of teachers who joined nationwide rallies May 1, and is subsequently docking pay. -more-

An Oakland-based environmental nonprofit is threatening to sue Pacific Steel Casting in federal court. -more-

Although former Berkeley Police Sgt. Cary Kent, who pleaded guilty in April to felony charges of grand theft and possession of heroin and methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to one year in county jail, he’ll do no time behind bars. -more-

The California Superintendent for Public Instruction is close to a decision concerning the disposal of 9.47 acres of midtown properties owned by the Oakland Unified School District. -more-

The Berkeley Daily Planet is going daily again! Yes, you read that right. After three years, readers will now be able to get news flashes every day, as they happen—on the Internet at www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. The Tuesday and Friday print issues will remain the same—“All The News That Fits, We’ll Print” as one wag around here puts it. But we’ll be able to fit even more intriguing information into the Internet edition. -more-

Zoning Adjustments Board members said no to Quiznos Thursday, and yes to a $2 million air filtering system designed to halt the obnoxious odors emanating from Pacific Steel Casting. -more-

The founder of the environmental organization that spearheaded legal threats against Pacific Steel Casting is stepping away from the lawsuit due to infighting with the mediation service, Neighborhood Solutions, though other plaintiffs are still moving forward. -more-

Today’s (Tuesday) City Council meeting includes a budget update at 5 p.m., a Redevelopment Agency meeting at 6:30 p.m. and a regular council meeting at 7 p.m. -more-

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) will hear presentations from 10 departments and organizations on environmental issues germane to the Downtown Area Plan. -more-

A high school military recruitment notification bill sponsored by two Bay Area Assemblymembers continued to sail through committee last week, with a 5-3 vote in the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education is set to decide whether to ratchet up funding for an environmental analysis of the East Campus Field project Wednesday. -more-

After Thursday’s futile attempts to capture the sea lion that attacked three people at the Berkeley Marina last week, the Marine Mammal Center along with the Office of Enforcement of the Marine Mammal Protection Act decided against any more capture attempts for the time being. -more-

Another arson -more-

A mass panty raid variously described as a “hell raising mob,” an “insurrection,” or a manifestation of “spring fever” swept through the streets around the UC Berkeley campus 50 years ago this week, leaving damage and embarrassment in its wake. -more-

PAVING BERKELEY -more-

There is 12.5 percent tax proposed on the sale price of duplexes and triplexes for those owners who convert their owner-occupied buildings to condominiums. (The city has rationalized this as a “fee” through something called a “nexus study”—the newest tax strategy, so that the city does not have to take the issue to the voters.) This tax is in addition to the 1.5 percent transfer tax and the 6 percent real estate commissions, and the costs charged by the planning department for the conversions. -more-

You are invited to a platform convention for Berkeley progressives to prepare for next November’s election. The convention will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20 at Unitarian Universalist Hall and Cedar and Bonita streets. -more-

The nation was recently shocked by the beating death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson in a Florida boot camp. Sadly, this is not the first case of a death occurring in a “behavior modification” facility; in fact, there have been three deaths in such facilities throughout the country since December 2005. Although the camp that Anderson attended has recently been shut down, many similar ones are still in operation throughout the country. -more-

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following commentary appears only on our website. -more-

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following commentary appears only on our website. -more-

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following commentary appears only on our website. -more-

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following commentary appears only on our website. -more-

It is Mother’s Day and I am motherless. I am a mother. I have been childless as well. -more-

“Do you think you are a nymphomaniac?” is the question that begins A Round-Heeled Woman, My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance, by Elmwood resident Jane Juska. -more-

Lemons aren’t the only fruit trees growing in Berkeley’s streetside strips. Yes, we have some bananas. -more-