A Berkeley police officer shot a man in Castro Valley after the suspect pinned another officer between two cars, according to an Alameda County Sheriff's Office spokesman. -more-
Combination will provide highest quality nonprofit journalism and investigative reporting locally, regionally, and globally
The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and the Bay Area News Project (BANP), which operates The Bay Citizen, announced today that they have entered into a memorandum of understanding to pursue a potential merger. The agreement was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both nonprofit organizations.The conceived merger will bring together The Bay Citizen, an award-winning nonprofit news organization focused on covering the San Francisco and Bay Area, and CIR, the nation's oldest nonprofit investigative news organization, which operates California Watch. The merger will create a more sustainable foundation for their shared missions: to provide high-quality journalism that is essential to an informed and engaged democracy. The proposed merger will bring together the collective expertise, reputations, and innovative talents of both organizations.
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A federal appeals court in San Francisco today ruled that Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional. -more-
The Berkeley Fire Department finalized the investigation report for the 2441 Haste “Sequoia Apartment” fire, which confirms the initial findings that the fire ignited accidentally in the building’s elevator mechanical room. -more-
With no fanfare, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates,73, slipped in under the radar on Monday and filed a form kicking off his campaign to become a candidate for a fourth term--the "Campaign Intention Statement" of the "Re-Elect Mayor Tom Bates Committee."
He's already served one two-year and two four-year terms, so if he wins another four-year term, he'll have been mayor of Berkeley for a total of fourteen years.
His wife Loni Hancock, now running for yet another term as State Senator from the district which includes Berkeley, preceded him in the Berkeley mayor's office. This time the mayor's race will be decided by ranked choice voting, but as yet no other candidates have appeared to be willing to challenge the formidable power of the well-oiled Bates-Hancock apparatus, which last week knocked Oakland Assemblymember Sandre Swanson out of the race for the Senate seat.
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Craig Becker, owner of Berkeley's legendary Caffe Mediterraneum, popped in on an impromptu meeting of the People's Park Advisory Board in the park, Monday. He is well on his way to becoming, a park activist, a category, he often disparages. But he's trapped in the new battle for People's Park, and can't extricate himself. -more-
I’m wary of saying something is “the best” or “the only” or “the oldest”, because it’s usually not possible to know for sure. -more-
There’s a story that when George Berkeley, the future philosopher, was a student he decided to see what it was like to approach death. He hung himself, arranging to have a friend cut him down and revive him after he lost consciousness. -more-
Do you ever wonder about the butterflies in your stomach?
Do you wonder if that tightness in your chest, that queasy feeling in your abdomen, and, let's admit it, that worry, is a problem that others suffer from, too? Are you anxious? Do you feel something that you have identified as angst? Do you seem to have these fearful emotions for no apparent reason? Do you find that these painful emotions are almost unbearable? You are not alone.
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With no fanfare, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates,73, slipped in under the radar on Monday and filed a form kicking off his campaign to become a candidate for a fourth term--the "Campaign Intention Statement" of the "Re-Elect Mayor Tom Bates Committee."
He's already served one two-year and two four-year terms, so if he wins another four-year term, he'll have been mayor of Berkeley for a total of fourteen years.
His wife Loni Hancock, now running for yet another term as State Senator from the district which includes Berkeley, preceded him in the Berkeley mayor's office. This time the Mayor's race will be decided by ranked choice voting, but as yet no other candidates have appeared to be willing to challenge the formidable power of the well-oiled Bates-Hancock apparatus, which last week knocked Oakland Assemblymember Sandre Swanson out of the race for the Senate seat.
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The Patch website is reporting that Tyler De Martini, the 18-year-old Berkeley skateboarder who was struck by a car while skateboarding down Marin in Berkeley Monday evening, died this afternoon. -more-
The Berkeley City Council, in a vote where several councilmembers chose to abstain, passed a resolution declaring a drastically expanded house at 2133 Parker a public nuisance. -more-
The City Council of the City of Berkeley today unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the immeasurable sacrifice of Tibetan monks and nuns who have self-immolated in protest of Chinese political suppression. The resolution calls on the Obama Administration to insist that China immediately end excessive security measures on Tibetan monasteries and lay communities in the region, and allow members of the media and international independent fact-finding delegations to visit the affected Tibetan-inhabited areas in Western China and the Tibetan Autonomous Region. -more-
The Berkeley City Council at its meeting tonight has agreed unanimously to request that the City Manager evaluate and report back to the City Council no later than May 1, 2012 regarding:
1. The fiscal and operational impacts of not renewing the city's with Wells Fargo Bank and contracting with an alternative bank, including but not limited to Community Banks, membership-based Credit Unions or Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) for city banking services.
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The City of Berkeley is offering a $15,000 reward, and Bay Area Crime Stoppers (BACS) is offering an additional $2,000 reward, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects responsible for the City of Berkeley’s first homicide of 2012.
On Thursday, January 26, 2012 at about 6:50 p.m., the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) got a flurry of calls from community members reporting gunshots in the area of Shattuck and Ashby Avenues, Shattuck and Emerson and around Essex Streets. Officers found Kenneth Allen Warren, 35, of Hercules who had sustained gunshots wounds and was on Emerson Street east of Shattuck Avenue. City of Berkeley Fire Department (BFD) Paramedics transported Warren to a local Hospital’s Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead by physicians there.
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Oakland police arrested an estimated 400 people Saturday during a day of protests that began with an attempt to take over a vacant building and ended with mass arrests and a break-in and vandalism at City Hall. -more-
An 18-year-old skateboarder is in "grave" condition today after being struck by a car in Berkeley on Monday evening, police said today. -more-
The Berkeley High School Info night for incoming 9th graders and their parents/guardians is being held February 1 at 7:00pm in the Community Theater (on the northside of the BHS campus on Allston Way). This is a must for any student entering BHS for the 2012-13 school year, both current and prospective BUSD students. Applications for Fall 2012 admission to BHS for students not currently attending a BUSD school are due the week of February 21-24. Much more information is available here. -more-
In early September, Evelyn Glaubman, who is a local artist, expressed her outrage to several of us about the unjustifiably low taxes paid by the rich and major corporations. She made a bunch of nicely designed posters and proposed that we publicize our concerns on Solano Avenue. None of us needed convincing. On September 12th, ten indignant protesters, mainly senior citizens, descended on Solano, by the closed Oak Theater on one side of the street and the Chase Bank on the other. We held up our signs, gave out leaflets, and engaged in conversations with people walking by. -more-
Taking early retirement from my job at U.C.'s Boalt Hall School of Law, where I was a lowly administrative assistant, clearly wasn't the smartest move I've ever made. Suddenly I had all this loose time on my hands, driving me absolutely bananas! Not to worry-- thanks to the good Lord above, a friend passed on her Elderhostel Road Adventure catalog, so now I can fill those empty hours with dozens of Road Scholar programs. Should you not be familiar with Elderhostel, this is a not-for-profit educational program dating back to 1975, with President James Moses responsible for its remarkable success. It offers more than 7,000 learning adventures in all 50 states and 150 countries around the world, as can be seen in the bulky catalogs sent regularly throughout the year. There's also an Adventures Afloat Catalog. To date I've taken more than 31 programs, some domestic , some international. To say which programs I enjoyed the most is almost impossible. I've attended three or four New York City programs. One focused on the Fifth Avenue Museum Mile at the Metropolitan Museum. I also had lunch at a restaurant in one of the Twin Towers, little dreaming of the horrific attack of 9/11. -more-
(and please support Grace Underpressure with a donation :-)
