A Berkeley-based environmental group is suing the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, alleging that the agency violated the California Public Records Act by denying access to Pacific Steel Casting’s Odor Control Plan. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education and the Berkeley City Council were getting ready to vote on whether the city should proceed with an environmental review of plans to expand and improve the city’s pools as the Daily Planet went to press on Wednesday, April 15. If the board made its decision at its April 15 meeting, it will be found on the Planet website at berkeleydailyplanet.com. -more-

Berkeley property owners may soon be asked to approve a 20 percent increase in city refuse fees in a somewhat controversial “majority protest” mail-in voting procedure. The unusual ballot process automatically counts votes not received as “yes” votes. -more-

The Berkeley Zoning Adjust-ments Board last week postponed discussion on whether the Gaia Building was adhering to its use permit, in order to give its owners, Equity Residential, a month to negotiate leasing terms with the Marsh Theater. The zoning board will resume the discussion May 14. -more-

The Berkeley Alliance for Homeless Animals Coalition will receive $474,200 on April 23 for winning the Maddie’s Fund Lifesaving Award. -more-

It’s time for another report on the state of the newspaper industry, Berkeley branch. This is beginning to look more and more like KQED’s pattern of incessant pledge breaks, but it’s unavoidable. Maybe it’s just our preoccupation, but it seems that every publication we pick up, every website we read, has a story on the dire and desperate fate of newspapers, which all over the country are dying like flies. Papers elsewhere, notably Europe and India, aren’t doing so well either. -more-