Now that the TV news vans have left town, now that the shock of a tragic reoccurrence of rape has begun to recede, teachers, police and parents begin the struggle to understand how it happened. -more-
It was a fitting end to a disappointing season. -more-
According to several parents at last week’s community forum held at Willard Middle School, a Berkeley police officer, whose job it was to explain to students the nature and consequences of the recent rape of a 12-year-old girl — used explicit, graphic and inappropriate language in describing the incident. -more-
Students — thin, fat, or neither — found that their life experiences belied Nobel Prize winner James Watson's theories that the thin are unhappy and more ambitious while the fat have more active sexual lives and are generally more content. -more-
George W. Bush and Al Gore marshaled their legal forces Sunday for a climactic state Supreme Court showdown, with GOP lawyers saying it would be unjust “to keep the state and the nation on hold” during interminable recounts. Democrats said the truth can’t be rushed, as jangled nerves and protests punctuated another painstaking day of south Florida vote-counting. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – Toxic mold, an unfinished apartment complex and the lure of dot-com dollars are all hampering enrollment efforts at San Francisco State University where students are struggling to find a place to live, college officials said. -more-
SACRAMENTO – Forty percent of California’s representatives to the Electoral College would alter or even eliminate the 213-year-old institution in which they will serve. -more-
A father of one of the boys who allegedly participated in the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl last month spoke out at a community forum held at Willard Middle School Thursday evening. -more-
Resident ventures into philanthropy in Berkeley -more-
Berkeley Repertory Theater opened a strong production Wednesday of Donald Margulies’ odd and disturbing, and sometimes annoying, 2000 Pulitzer Prize winning play “Dinner with Friends.” -more-
Carter, Harris among class without win over Stanford -more-
Berkeley police and school officials have confirmed they are investigating a second allegation of rape involving the same 12-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by nine boys at and around a junior high school. -more-
Among the luminaries of French Nouvelle Vague-era film makers that buffs can instantly recite – Godard, Truffaut, Chabrol – there were many less popular artists informing that heady time. -more-
When Charles Heimler, father of two, dropped his kids off at Martin Luther King Middle School Friday at 8 a.m. he never expected to see what he described as “a total media feeding frenzy.” -more-
A Chinook blessing was given last Thursday at the dining commons of Berkeley’s International House in celebration of Native American Heritage month. -more-
On a topsy-turvy day of law and politics, the Florida Supreme Court froze the state’s presidential tally on Friday, forbidding the secretary of state from certifying results of the marathon vote count just as Republican George W. Bush was advancing his minuscule lead over Al Gore. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The convictions of three officers in the Rampart police corruption trial were placed in jeopardy Friday when an alternate juror came forward to accuse the jury foreman of prejudging the defendants’ guilt before testimony was heard. -more-
The University of California has announced it will add a total of 11,000 graduate students to its 10-campus system in an effort to grow the California economy. -more-
Students at the University of California at Berkeley are testing whether or not humans have the ability to navigate their surroundings without the use of senses like sight and hearing. -more-
Lawyers for confessed Yosemite murderer Cary Stayner are trying to keep sealed court records they say could prejudice his pending trial in connection to three murders. -more-
With President Clinton’s roadless plan nearly final, the administration has one more proposal that could forever leave his imprint on national forests – a rule making it tougher for foresters to add to the 380,000-mile road system in national forests. -more-
ATASCADERO — A nurse who told patients worshipping at a state mental hospital that castration would set them free is being investigated after one patient removed one of his testicles. -more-
A machine the size of an office copier could one day bring heat and light to thousands of homes in the West at locations so remote they’re out of reach of electrical transmission lines. -more-
HUNTINGTON BEACH — Scientists who spent more than a year studying the causes of the mysterious bacteria that shut down the beach here during the summer of 1999 have identified two prime suspects: bird waste from a nearby marsh and sewage flowing from a sanitation outfall. -more-
Members of the Coalition of Jews for Justice held a sign protesting United States aid to Israel at Bancroft Street and Telegraph Avenue yesterday. The group condemns what they say is “excessive” violence used by Israel in the current Middle East situation. -more-
Coming off of two successive NIT seasons, Cal head coach Ben Braun is looking to move his team onto the next level, an NCAA Tournament bid. With just one senior on the squad, the Bears need the younger players on the team to step up and play beyond their years. -more-
The works featured in this weekend’s Berkeley Video and Film Festival, curated by the East Bay Media Center and screening at the Fine Arts Cinema, stretch across the spectrum of taste. From precious environmentalism and precocious horror and penis envy to a pastiche of sensual, political and cinematic extremes. -more-
Due to a stern interpretation of the state’s open meeting law by the city attorney, several of Berkeley’s disabled city commissioners say they are more likely to be denied access to meetings. -more-
The Pac-10 has risen again in the last few years, with UCLA and Arizona both winning national championships in the recent past and Stanford busting into the top echelon of teams on a regular basis. -more-
A handful of dedicated Berkeley residents and activists braved the rain and traffic Wednesday evening to attend the regular planning commission meeting and make comments and suggestions to the most recent draft of the Southside Plan. -more-
Shaquala Williams and Jamie Carey. Pac-10 Player of the Year and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Both out for the season before it even starts. Now that’s how you make a conference race interesting. -more-
The Grassroots Radio Coalition pulled Pacifica Radio Network programming off 20 radio stations across the nation Thursday to protest what it calls “the on-going crisis” at the network. -more-
First-year head coach Caren Horstmeyer will have some good weapons at her disposal, but the Bears took a big hit when center Shavaki Jackson decided not to return to Cal for her senior year. The Bears will be a small, scrappy squad, and they will look to play an up-tempo game whenever possible. They should improve on last year’s 6-12 Pac-10 record, and anything better than .500 should lead to a post-season berth. -more-
Dr. Paul Farmer is allergic to policy-wonk solutions to helping sick and poor people in Haiti. -more-
SAN JOSE — Erin Brockovich, whose long legal fight against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was celebrated in a hit movie, joined another environmental challenge against the utility company Thursday. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Activists wearing biohazard suits dumped about two tons of genetically-altered corn at Environmental Protection Agency offices in San Francisco Thursday in hopes the agency will not approve the corn. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — An environmental consultant pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to unlawfully moving hundreds of endangered California Red-legged frogs from a housing construction site. -more-
University of California regents on Thursday gave the go-ahead to a development at the Berkeley campus despite objections from neighbors and some students. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Former White House press secretary Mike McCurry is bringing his silver tongue to the Internet start-up gold rush as CEO of Grassroots.com, a San Francisco-based political communications venture. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Environmentalists cheered a California Coastal Commission decision Thursday to approve a truncated version of a proposed development that has been at the center of a wetlands preservation battle for three decades. -more-
TORRANCE — Remedios Aquino says the $36,000 a year for 20 years she won in the California Lottery’s “Big Spin” game will feed her hobby – giving to others. -more-
The Endangered Species Act will remain mostly intact regardless of who is the next president, and that may dismay proponents of major changes, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said Thursday. -more-
William Rouverol watches the Florida ballot debacle with more than just a passing interest. After all, he designed the voting system at the center of the whole mess. -more-
Al Gore won his fight Thursday to expand manual recounts in Florida, even as advisers said he likely won’t overtake George W. Bush’s 300-vote lead before the Republican secretary of state certifies their marathon White House race Saturday. GOP lawyers asked courts to stop the counting and “the disintegration” of America’s presidential election system. -more-
SAN DIEGO — San Diego State University will keep the Aztec mascot but consider replacing the logo of a red-faced, glaring Indian with a more accurate image, the school’s president announced Thursday. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A judge declined Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the state of providing its poorest public school students with an inferior education. -more-
WESTMINSTER — Standing only a few feet from each other at a Little Saigon mall, John Lee and Doreen Ng were worlds apart when it came to their thoughts on President Clinton’s visit to Vietnam. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Guilty verdicts against three officers in the city’s largest police corruption scandal could set the stage for further prosecutions. -more-
SACRAMENTO — California’s air pollution fighters, looking ahead to the day when the water-tainting fuel additive MTBE is just a memory, see ethanol as a likely substitute – but only if it’s clean. -more-
ATLANTA — Hosea Williams, the fiery lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. who was at the forefront of the civil rights struggle for more than three decades, died of cancer Thursday. He was 74. -more-
Q: Our house sweats inside when it’s cold outside. The windows steam up terribly on winter days. Water runs down the sill to the walls and all the way to the baseboard. The house is framed with R-30 insulation in the attic. Other homes in the area have the same problem. They were all built in 1954. I know storm windows would help but they’re expensive. Do you have a cheaper solution? -more-
Are you faced with the quandary of no guest room this holiday season? Or with more overnight visitors than your one guest room can accommodate? -more-
The thought of installing sheet-vinyl flooring can be intimidating, especially when you consider that one or two mistakes could ruin the whole sheet. -more-
Berkeley’s homeless population will get some protection from the early cold snap: a temporary winter shelter opened in Oakland Wednesday and, thanks to a voucher program the City Council approved Tuesday, hotel space will be available for the most vulnerable. -more-
Bad passing, serving doom Yellowjackets -more-
When elections take place in other countries, the U.S. government seems quick to pass judgment, lauding efficient elections as a measure of democracy. But now the champion of democracy is in the midst of electing its next president in a manner befitting a tale more surreal than orderly. It includes missing ballot boxes, a faulty ballot and an outcome dependent on returns from a state controlled by the brother of one of the candidates. -more-
Hampered by foul trouble and hobbled by a swollen right ankle and knee, Sean Lampley battled a powerful Mississippi State frontcourt to lead Cal to an 83-76 overtime victory in the first round of the NIT Preseason Tournament last Monday night. -more-
After a contentious exchange Tuesday, the City Council narrowly adopted a resolution to send the University of California Regents a letter calling for less parking and more housing in the Underhill Area Master Plan. They further asked the Regents to put off their decision on the project. -more-
AUSTIN, Texas – Maurice Evans scored 17 points and Chris Owens hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with 50 seconds left as Texas beat California 57-54 on Wednesday night in the second round of the Preseason NIT. -more-
PHILADELPHIA — A prominent activist said he felt vindicated after prosecutors dropped charges against him for allegedly leading hundreds of demonstrators on a night of mayhem during the Republican National Convention. -more-
California senior forward Kendall Simmonds and junior midfielder Chris Roner were named first team All-Pac-10 for their outstanding play during the 2000 season. Golden Bear senior forward Ramiro Arredondo and freshman forward Mike Hickman were selected to the second team. -more-
Early Wednesday afternoon police were called to 2547 Channing Way, where they found a body wrapped in a sleeping bag under a bay window. -more-
Three years ago Jan Cecil’s life was full of stress. She was working as a systems analyst for two medical centers and was frantically driving back and forth between them. She was suffering from chronic back pain and her life was full of clutter. She wanted out. -more-
A plan to sink millions of University of California investment funds into tobacco stocks stalled Wednesday as Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante vowed to push for a smoke-free portfolio. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Californians are being warned they may face rotating power blackouts and higher natural gas bills because of the unseasonable cold snap that has enveloped much of the West. -more-
In agreeing to pay $53.4 million to Universal Music Group, MP3.com ended its legal dispute with the last of five major music makers and secured a licensing agreement that permits the online music service to use songs owned by the world’s largest record company. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Three of four police officers accused of framing gang members were convicted Wednesday of conspiracy and other crimes in the first trial involving allegations of widespread misconduct in a Police Department anti-gang unit. -more-
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego Superior Court judge has rejected a broad legal challenge that sought to halt the collection of tobacco taxes under Propisition 10, the 1998 initiative that collects money for early childhood development programs across the state. -more-
Attendees at the Underhill Area Project community open house Monday night at the Unit II Residence Hall on Haste Street were presented with an unscheduled performance protest complete with costumes, sound effects and stage blood. -more-
Next president must be caretaker of all life -more-
Instead of grabbing a sandwich and heading for the lawns at lunchtime on Tuesday, many of UC Berkeley’s law students took their brown bags and bottled water and headed for Booth Auditorium at Boalt Law School. -more-
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — An American held hostage by Muslim rebels for 2 1/2 months in a Philippine jungle said Tuesday he is being kept in chains, has an infection in his leg, and is losing hope he will be released. -more-
The Berkeley Fire Department was called to Berkeley High School to investigate a report claiming that the someone had smelled smoke in one of the buildings At about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday, said Deputy Fire Chief Debra Pryor. -more-
The Federal Bureau of Investigations today announced that it has arrested a 38-year-old Oakland man suspected in a string of East Bay robberies. -more-
Founding Director of Partners in Health, with branches in Haiti, Mexico, Cambodia, Peru, and Roxbury (Mass.), Dr. Paul Farmer will be speaking in Berkeley tonight. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court considered Tuesday whether cities such as San Francisco can demand that city contractors offer health and other benefits to domestic partners of unmarried workers. -more-
While Florida struggles with hand counts and “hanging chad,” several counties around the Bay area are saying easy-to-use touch-screen voting computers eliminate many Election Day problems. -more-
FRESNO — A handful of Central Valley farmers filed into a meeting hall Tuesday to tell state and federal agricultural officials what the nation’s farming priorities should be. -more-
PASADENA — A policeman claims he was illegally fired for writing a novel alleging sexual abuse and corruption within his department. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Nearly two years after he took office, and days after voters approved a sweeping drug treatment initiative, Gov. Gray Davis appointed his first director of the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. -more-
A consumer watchdog group has criticized Pacific Bell for taking too long to repair residential customers’ phone lines, according to a recent complaint filed with state regulators. -more-
LOS ALAMITOS — Three students accused of supplying drugs to three students who overdosed in class have been expelled from Los Alamitos Unified School District, officials said. The three students who overdosed on Soma, a prescribed muscle relaxant, also were suspended. -more-
RIVERSIDE — A man convicted of trying to kill the mayor, two council members and a policeman during a shooting spree at City Hall must now attempt to convince the jury he was insane when he committed the crimes. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors on Tuesday declined to file murder charges against a woman whose freezer contained human remains and whose elderly roommate is missing, since a preliminary autopsy proved inconclusive. -more-
SANTA ANA — The state Department of Motor Vehicles reportedly took eight years to catch up with a convicted felon using aliases due in part to security lapses within the agency. -more-
SAN DIEGO — Wireless firm Qualcomm Inc. is going on a $500 million shopping spree to acquire stakes in emerging companies that use or promote its patented technology. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday ordered staff to come up with a plan to remove chromium 6 and other impurities from dozens of water wells. -more-
California Assemblyman Abel Maldonado is among legions of politicians, campaign workers, academics and businessmen whose futures may depend on the presidential election’s outcome. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Lawyers for a convicted murderer filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn the governor’s decision denying him parole. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Trustees of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System were to meet Tuesday to discuss possible changes to the system’s health plans. -more-
FRESNO — California dairy farmers, grappling with the lowest milk prices in 25 years, likely will ask state regulators for an emergency increase in the price they’re paid by cheese and butter makers. -more-
LOS ANGELES — More than a year after civil rights groups demanded more ethnically diverse programming from major broadcast networks, blacks alone have been the beneficiary, the groups said Tuesday. -more-
SAN DIEGO — Nine miles of waterways in Orange and San Diego counties will be designated as critical habitat for an endangered 2-inch fish, the tidewater goby, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday. -more-
One week into America’s election limbo, the secretary of state of Florida certified George W. Bush’s fragile lead, even as thousands of disputed ballots were counted into the night at the behest of Al Gore. “When is it going to end?” asked Bush aide James A. Baker III. -more-
Neighbors of an office complex proposed at Cedar and Fourth streets say the site may be contaminated and the development would increase traffic more than 12 times the current volume. -more-
Topping tonight’s City Council meeting will be the yet-to-be completed Berkeley Skate Park. -more-
Last December – after the Nov. 24 death of Indian immigrant Chanti Jyotsna Devi Prattipati from carbon monoxide poisoning – Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek called on her council colleagues to mandate yearly tests for presence of the deadly gas in rental units equipped with gas appliances. -more-
Phyllis (Meagan) Metal, who contributed to the Berkeley community during the many years she lived here, died Friday. She was 82 years old. -more-
BERKELEY — Some faculty members at the University of California, Berkeley say they were offended during a lecture by James Watson, one of the men who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Although the second of two measures to regulate growth in San Francisco was close to failing, as the first one did on election night, those for and against Proposition L said it sent a message that voters want change in how the city handles growth. -more-
SAN CARLOS — Frustrated with the high cost of living in Silicon Valley, the mayor of San Carlos is quitting the City Council and moving to the Sacramento area. -more-
For the second time in as many years, Americans are being asked to spend a penny more to mail a letter. -more-
California’s unemployment rate hit an eight-month low in October, an indication the state’s economy remains strong despite signs of a national slowdown. -more-
SAN JOSE — Robert Downs always dreamed of becoming a professor, but Bell Labs paid better and university jobs were scarce. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The jury deliberating corruption charges against four Los Angeles police officers asked Monday to hear a repeat of testimony from four witnesses to a gang raid that is crucial to the case. -more-
A vast glut of obsolete computer equipment was all but inevitable in an era in which a common cliche is that your new computer is outdated by the time you get it home. -more-
SACRAMENTO — There’s no indication the daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop and two other persons were drugged or tortured before they were killed and their bodies dismembered, the coroner said Monday. -more-
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — The force of nature and the hand of man often have competed for control in this awe-inspiring valley of towering granite, tumbling waterfalls and pristine waters. -more-
SACRAMENTO — The Davis administration is putting the final touches on a plan to assure refunds to San Diego ratepayers hit by this summer’s dramatic rise in electricity costs. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Record low temperatures in California had farmers scrambling to protect citrus and vegetable crops from potential frost while homeless shelters prepared to welcome an influx of street-people fleeing near-freezing cold. -more-
MARINA DEL REY — With some 20 million ”.com” Internet addresses now registered, any moderately easy-to-remember domain name is apt to be claimed by now. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – San Quentin death row inmate and Crips street gang co-founder Stanley “Tookie” Williams has been nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, a member of the Swiss parliament confirmed Saturday. -more-
WASHINGTON — Hindsight is haunting supporters of would-be presidents George W. Bush and Al Gore as the nation awaits the results of the presidential drama. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — For a look at the social impact of our always-wired, technology-driven future, researchers figured there was no place better to study than Silicon Valley. -more-
Kara Speltz been called “objectively disordered.” And worse. -more-
Some people will drive quite some distance to come to the Northbrae Community Church. The Rev. Ronald Sebring said he came all the way from Independence, Mo. -more-
BERKELEY — A report by the University of California at Berkeley suggests welfare reform legislation increasing local control has inspired some flexible and innovative county-level programs in the Bay area. -more-
