News Updates

Armed Robbers Accost Oakland Tech Students On Campus

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 24, 2009
Oakland Police have arrested two young men who robbed four students at gunpoint at Oakland Technological High School Tuesday morning. -more-

BP Chief Scientist Named Undersecretary of Energy

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday March 24, 2009
Berkeley’s Washington ties grew stronger Friday with the announcement in Washington by President Barack Obama that Energy Secretary Steven Chu has picked Steve Koonin as undersecretary for science. -more-

Judge Raises UC Murder Suspect’s Bail to $2.5 Million

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 24, 2009
An Alameda County Superior Court judge raised the bail for Andrew Hoeft-Edenfield, charged with murdering UC Berkeley nuclear engineering student Chris Wootton last May, to $2.5 million at a bail motion hearing at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse Tuesday. -more-

Fifth Home Invasion Suspect Surrenders

Bay City News
Tuesday March 24, 2009
A fifth suspect in a Berkeley hills home-invasion robbery and torture case from February turned himself in to Richmond police last week, Berkeley police spokesman Andrew Frankel confirmed today. -more-

Zoning Board to Thai Temple: Keep the Noise Down

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Monday March 23, 2009
The Zoning Adjustments Board is asking Berkeley’s Thai temple to keep the noise down. -more-

West Berkeley Zoning Back Before Planners

By Richard Brenneman
Monday March 23, 2009
The push to change West Berkeley zoning rules is back before the Planning Commission Wednesday night. -more-

Vigil for Slain Officers Set for Tuesday

Bay City News
Sunday March 22, 2009
The Oakland City Council and Mayor Ron Dellums will hold a vigil Tuesday night in honor of the Oakland police officers shot to death Saturday afternoon by a suspect who was also fatally wounded. -more-

Fourth Oakland Police Officer Dies

Bay City News
Sunday March 22, 2009
Oakland Police Department Officer John Hege, 41, who was shot Saturday along with three police sergeants has died, the Alameda County coroner's bureau confirmed this afternoon. -more-

Three Oakland Police Officers Dead, Fourth in 'Grave Condition'

Bay City News
Saturday March 21, 2009
Three Oakland police officers are dead and a fourth is in "grave condition" after being shot Saturday afternoon by a wanted Oakland parolee in two separate but related shootings. -more-

Final Curtain for Oakland's Parkway Theater

By Justin DeFreitas
Saturday March 21, 2009
The Parkway Theater is going dark once again. Oakland’s beloved neighborhood movie theater will shut its doors Sunday night, possibly for good. -more-

Judge Halts Construction, Site Work at LBNL Lab Site

By Richard Brenneman
Friday March 20, 2009
A federal judge has ordered a halt to work on a $113 million computer lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), saying UC officials may have tried to evade federal environmental law. -more-

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Dismisses CEO

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday March 20, 2009
The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has removed CEO Ted Garrett from office and is seeking a new candidate for the position, chamber officials said Friday. -more-

Planners Refine Area for Tallest Downtown Buildings

By Richard Brenneman
Friday March 20, 2009
The Planning Commission rejected a suggestion from one of their own that would have scaled down Shattuck Avenue development along the thoroughfare’s southern stretch in the new downtown planning area. -more-

Vandals Strike Berkeley Marine Recruiting Center

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday March 19, 2009
The United States Marine Corps Officer Selection Office in downtown Berkeley came under attack once again Wednesday night when a group of vandals broke the building’s windows with sledgehammers and splashed them with red paint. -more-

News

School District Faces $3 Million Shortfall

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009
The Berkeley Board of Educa-tion unanimously approved revisions to the school district’s 2008-09 budget Wednesday, March 18, to offset this year’s $3.1 million shortfall. -more-

City Says Office Depot Overcharged on Supply Contract

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Wednesday March 18, 2009
The director of finance of the City of Berkeley says the Office Depot company has overcharged the city by as much as a quarter of a million dollars during the course of a three-year, $550,000-a-year contract to provide miscellaneous office supplies and recycled copy paper to the city. -more-

Court Upholds Decision in Favor of BUSD Student Assignment Plan

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009
Berkeley Unified School District earned another legal victory Tuesday, March 17, for its student placement plan. -more-

Community Remembers Zachary Michael Cruz

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009
Just as his father promised, Zachary Michael Cruz’s memorial was more a party than a funeral. -more-

Dinner, Drinks at Shattuck Cinemas

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009
Shattuck Cinemas manager Nancy Klubben opens the doors in time for Tuesday’s matinee.
Coming soon to a theater near you: Kobe beef sliders, salads and chicken wings, and if you’re 21 or older, cocktails—all of which can be enjoyed while watching your favorite movie from a comfy red loveseat or a leather rocker. -more-

Former Tree-Sitter Critically Hurt During West Bank Protest

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Golden Gate Fields Auction April 3

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Survey: Drug and Alcohol Use Among Berkeley Teens Is Double National Average

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Berkeley Teachers Protest Layoffs; District Rescinds 49 Pink Slips

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009

AC Transit Raises Fares; More Belt-Tightening to Come

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Police Chief to Retire

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Berkeley Liberation Radio Faces Another FCC Action

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Chronicle Union Accepts Longer Hours, Layoffs

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Downtown Plan Deliberations Near Completion, Still Heated

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Bay Trail Backers Sue State, Chevron Over Richmond Wharf

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Family Saved From Monoxide Poisoning

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

A Berkeley police officer stands with weapon drawn at the Downtown Berkeley BART station entrance on the west side of Shattuck Avenue.

BART Incident Draws Heavy Police Response

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Three Home Invasion Suspects Arrested, Five Remain at Large

Bay City News
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Police Blotter

By Ali Winston
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Fire Department Log

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Flowers surround a photo of Zachary Michael Cruz in front of the UC Berkeley Campanile, one of the 5-year-old's favorite places.
Riya Bhattacharjee
Flowers surround a photo of Zachary Michael Cruz in front of the UC Berkeley Campanile, one of the 5-year-old's favorite places.

Editorials

An Open Letter to Our Advertisers and Readers

Thursday March 19, 2009
In light of recent threats by a Mr. Jim Sinkinson to Daily Planet advertisers, we feel we should clarify the policies of the paper, its overall mission, and the nature of this campaign of intimidation. -more-

Editorial Cartoons

The Dying Daily

By Justin DeFreitas
Thursday March 19, 2009

The School Cycle

By Justin DeFreitas
Thursday March 19, 2009

Reader Commentaries

Letters to the Editor

Wednesday March 18, 2009

How Easy it Is to Get Scared

By Rinna B. Flohr
Wednesday March 18, 2009

The Looking Glass World of F.L.A.M.E.

By Joanna Graham
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Real vs. Imagined Anti-Semitism

By Jack Bragen
Wednesday March 18, 2009

If You’re Going to Boycott Israel, Do it Properly!

By Raphael Rettner
Wednesday March 18, 2009

The United States and Cuba After Fidel

By Ralph E. Stone
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Will We Miss the San Francisco Chronicle?

By Gray Brechin
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Postmaster General Earns His Compensation

By Kim R. Fernandez
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Columnists

Public Eye: California’s Worsening Budget Crisis: The Second Shoe Drops

By Bob Burnett
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Express Stumbles When They Borrow From Chronicle

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Wednesday March 18, 2009

This harrier's owl-like facial disc allows her to detect prey by sound.

Wild Neighbors: Restoration at the Berkeley Meadow: Working Around the Hawks

By Joe Eaton
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Arts & Entertainment

Arts Calendar

Wednesday March 18, 2009

Wolff Stories on Stage at Julia Morgan

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Young Composers Program at Crowden

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Rene Magritte's ≤i≥Duo≤/i≥ (1928), brush and India ink on paper.

Berkeley Art Museum’s Thought-Provoking ‘Galaxy’

By Peter Selz Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 18, 2009

The Chinese papercut is a highly perishable form of folk art.

Balinese Paintings and Chinese Papercuts at the Giorgi Gallery

By Dorothy Bryant Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 18, 2009

A ‘Passionate Celebration’ at Oakland’s Paramount Theater

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 18, 2009

‘Wind and Waves’ by Philharmonia Baroque

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Home & Garden

The Town and Gown Club was designed by Bernard Maybeck in 1899.

East Bay Then and Now: French Couple Left Two Monuments on Dwight Way

By Daniella Thompson
Wednesday March 18, 2009

About the House: Taking a Look at California’s New Building Codes

By Matt Cantor
Wednesday March 18, 2009

Events Calendar

Community Calendar

Friday March 20, 2009