News Updates

Malcolm X Elementary Will Reopen Wednesday

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday May 05, 2009
Malcolm X Elementary School will reopen Wednesday after a two-day closure due to swine flu concerns, Berkeley public health officials announced Tuesday afternoon. -more-

Man Murdered in South Berkeley

By Ali Winston Special to the Planet
Tuesday May 05, 2009
An 18-year-old man was murdered last night on the 1300 block of 67th Street, according to Berkeley police. -more-

Swine Flue Update: Malcolm X Students to Avoid Public Areas; Montessori Eighth Graders Asked to Stay Home

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Monday May 04, 2009
Alameda County health officials said Tuesday morning the county has one confirmed and three probable swine flu cases so far. -more-

Berkeley School Board Promises Additional Land at West Campus for Warm Pool

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Monday May 04, 2009
The Berkeley Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to provide as much as 1,900 additional square feet of land to build a pool that’s comparable in size to the existing Berkeley High School warm water pool, if the need arises. -more-

Flash: Berkeley School Classes Closed Because of Swine Flu; Malcolm X Students to Be Out for a Week

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Sunday May 03, 2009
Berkeley has its first probable case of swine flu. A parent of two Malcolm X Elementary School students has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, prompting the Berkeley Unified School District to dismiss classes at the school for a week, city officials announced Sunday. -more-

Alameda County Gets First Probable Case of Swine Flu

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Saturday May 02, 2009
Health officials have announced Alameda County’s first probable case of swine flu, a 50-year-old woman with no recent travel history to Mexico. -more-

Flash: First Swine Flu Case In Alameda County

Thursday April 30, 2009
Alameda County Public Health Director and Health Officer Dr. Tony Iton announced late Thursday that the first probable case of swine flu in the county has been identified: a woman in her 50s with no recent travel history to Mexico. She was not hospitalized, is being treated and is recovering well. -more-

College Avenue Neighbors Voice Concern Over Safeway’s New Plans

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009
Safeway's rendering of the new store, as seen from the west side of College Avenue.
If Safeway representatives thought fresh carrots and celery sticks would appease the disgruntled crowd at the Claremont Hotel Wednesday, they were wrong. -more-


News

Zoning Board Allows West Berkeley Bowl to Skip Traffic Fixes

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009
Despite concerns voiced by more than two dozen neighbors at a special public meeting Monday, April 27, the Zoning Adjustments Board gave Berkeley Bowl the green light to open a new store in West Berkeley without previously required traffic changes. -more-

People’s Park Celebrates 40 Years

By Lydia Gans Special to the Planet
Thursday April 30, 2009
Sunday’s 40th anniversary celebration of People’s Park reflected Berkeley in all its passionate quirkiness. More than 1,000 people joined the party, from old- timers who remember the riots when it all started, to students for whom it is all ancient history—and everyone in between. -more-

Aretha’s Designer Visits Berkeley Hat Company

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009
Luke Song designed the hat Aretha Franklin wore at President Obama’s inauguration.
Aretha Franklin’s hat. Three little words that stirred up a lot of excitement for avid hat buyers in Berkeley last week. -more-

People's Park Plus

By Judy Gumbo Albert
Thursday April 30, 2009
Sunday around 3 p.m., I find myself in People’s Park, at the 40th anniversary celebration, in front of a crowd of at least 500 what, back in the day, we called hippies and freaks, letting their freak flags fly. -more-

First Two Berkeley High Grad Tickets Now Free, Rest: $15

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009
Berkeley High School announced Friday it will not charge for each student’s first two tickets to this year’s graduation ceremony at the Greek Theater. -more-

Cost of Oakland Grad Tickets: $0

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009

Council to Revisit Climate Plan

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009

More than 7,000 people packed the Greek Theater Saturday afternoon to watch His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, give a speech on “Peace Through Compassion.”

Thousands Greet Dalai Lama at Greek Theater

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009

Safeway Unveils New Plans for College Avenue Store

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009

District Gets Federal Grant to Study Solarization of Schools

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday April 30, 2009

Fate of Cerrito Theater to Be Decided

Thursday April 30, 2009


Correction

Thursday April 30, 2009


Richard Brenneman
              People of all stripes joined in the 40th anniversary celebration of People’s Park Sunday afternoon.
Richard Brenneman
Richard Brenneman People of all stripes joined in the 40th anniversary celebration of People’s Park Sunday afternoon.

Editorials

Fast Track to Obliteration

By Becky O’Malley
Thursday April 30, 2009
The long knives are starting to come out for West Berkeley, now that Downtown has been carved up. Two harbingers this week: There was a special meeting on Monday of the Zoning Adjustment board which gave the new West Berkeley Bowl carte blanche to open even though the conditions on its use permit which called for changes to mitigate the project’s dire impacts on traffic have never been carried out. And there was another special meeting on Tuesday, so special that some engaged neighborhood stakeholders didn’t even hear about it until the last minute, a “workshop” for the City Council wearing both of its hats (Redevelopment is the other one) to discuss speeding up proposed zoning and traffic changes to the area covered by the West Berkeley Plan. -more-

Reader Commentaries

Letters to the Editor

Thursday April 30, 2009

Legal Cover for Torture Is Unconscionable

By Marvin Chachere
Thursday April 30, 2009

New Housing Isn’t a Solution for Downtown

By Randy Shaw
Thursday April 30, 2009

Why We Appealed 1200 Ashby Ave. (Part 1)

By Steve Wollmer
Thursday April 30, 2009

Why We Appealed 1200 Ashby Ave. (Part II)

By Toni Mester
Thursday April 30, 2009

Unpacking Stimulus Funds for BUSD

By Mark Chekal-Bain
Thursday April 30, 2009

First Remove Cars, Then Remove Lanes

By Russ Tilleman
Thursday April 30, 2009

Preparing for the Next Big Quake

By Craig Hooper
Thursday April 30, 2009

The Homeownership Hornswoggle

By Sonja Fitz
Thursday April 30, 2009

Columnists



A painted lady nectaring at fuller’s teasel.

Wild Neighbors: Return of the Painted Ladies

By Joe Eaton
Thursday April 30, 2009

Arts & Entertainment

Arts Calendar

Thursday April 30, 2009

Ayelet Waldman at Berkeley City Club

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday April 30, 2009

Five Berkeley Authors Win Northern California Book Awards

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday April 30, 2009

Latino farmers in South Central Los Angeles fought City Hall in an attempt to preserve a community garden created in the wake of the 1992 riots.

Documentary Examines Battle Over Nation’s Largest Community Garden

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday April 30, 2009

A ‘Luv’ Triangle in Three Versions

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday April 30, 2009

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra Presents Dvorkak’s ‘Stabat Mater’

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday April 30, 2009

Around the East Bay

Thursday April 30, 2009

Home & Garden

The concrete fireplace in the Maybeck Studio, 1950s.

Maybeck Made La Loma Park His Own Country

By Daniella Thompson
Thursday April 30, 2009

About the House: Why Is a Good Plumber Worth $130 an Hour?

By Matt Cantor
Thursday April 30, 2009

Events Calendar

Community Calendar

Thursday April 30, 2009