Skate park halted due to contamination
Work has halted on the skateboard park near Fifth and Harrison streets following a Friday morning emergency meeting among city officials and skate park enthusiasts. -more-
Work has halted on the skateboard park near Fifth and Harrison streets following a Friday morning emergency meeting among city officials and skate park enthusiasts. -more-
For two weeks John Christian has been sitting in front of the downtown Berkeley BART station on Shattuck Avenue each day, asking for change. And so far, the people of Berkeley have come through. -more-
Work has halted on the skateboard park near Fifth and Harrison streets following a Friday morning emergency meeting among city officials and skate park enthusiasts. -more-
New coach Horstmeyer starts 0-3 with Bears -more-
The University of California women’s volleyball program has signed Mia Jerkov to a National Letter of Intent, it was announced by Golden Bear head coach Rich Feller. -more-
A long-time Berkeley resident and public transportation user is more upset than a baby’s stomach after eating hot links. And that’s all Candice Etter said she wanted – hot links. -more-
The Cal women’s crew team received two important commitments during last week’s early signing period for the National Letter of Intent. Two of the top recruits in the country, Shaina Kennedy and Laura Terheyden, signed NLI’s and will be joining the Golden Bears next fall. -more-
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. received 56 percent of the total number of consumer gas and electric complaints filed statewide between 1997 and 1999, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. -more-
Got canned food? -more-
The magnitude 5.2 Napa-Yountville earthquake in September 2000 caused $50-$100 million of damage. When a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs on the Hayward fault, we expect over 150,000 housing units to be made uninhabitable, over 350,000 people to be forced from their homes, and over 110,000 people to require public shelter. -more-
SAN MATEO — The federal Drug Enforcement Administration approved a program Wednesday that will allow San Mateo County to give away government-grown marijuana to 60 AIDS patients as part of a first-of-its-kind study to assess the potential benefits of the drug. -more-
STANFORD — Nestled at the base of oak-studded foothills, Stanford University attracts some of the country’s brightest minds to a place where the high-tech firms that drive Silicon Valley are mere minutes from hiking and horseback riding. -more-
SAN JOSE — Three out of every four would-be California drivers flunked the state’s written driving test on their first attempt after the state overhauled the exam last summer. -more-
SAN DIEGO — The city could be fined up to $25,000 a day unless officials devise a plan to keep runoff from a heap of polluted dirt from getting into a creek and Mission Bay. -more-
A state appeals court has upheld an earlier ruling imposing a gag order on attorneys, police and witnesses in a kidnapping case involving an 8-year-old Vallejo girl. -more-
MARKLEEVILLE — The federal Environmental Protection Agency has formally told Atlantic Richfield Co. to assist in the cleanup of the Leviathan Mine, recently designated a Superfund environmental site. -more-
BRAWLEY — A portion of a popular off-road vehicle playground was closed for the holiday to protect a rare plant, and prevent accidents. -more-
PASADENA — A NASA spacecraft on a seven-year mission to collect comet dust survived a blinding zap from an enormous solar flare this month. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Ten months after the Los Angeles Board of Education voted to abandon the Belmont Learning Complex because of environmental contamination concerns, the future of the nearly completed high school remains unresolved. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A computer mistake on key evidence used to convict three Rampart officers of framing gang members may have misled jurors, defense attorneys claimed, and a judge said it was an important issue. -more-
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — Ask 9-year-old Thomas Hemsing what he’s thankful for this holiday season, and he doesn’t hesitate: -more-
COLUMBIA, S.C. — They say hospitality is the Southern way, and once again Charleston tops the nation’s most mannerly cities list released Friday by etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart. -more-
TUCSON, Ariz. — Rep. Jim Kolbe was asked not to volunteer at a Tucson homeless shelter’s Thanksgiving dinner because he’s a homosexual. -more-
The following Associated Press Article was originally published in late October. -more-
By Jared Green -more-
Following a season of near misses and poor execution, Cal offensive coordinator Steve Hagen was officially let go Monday, head coach Tom Holmoe announced. -more-
A 50-year-old city ordinance that restricts obscene dancing and lewd behavior at indoor entertainment events has been replaced with one that addresses more pressing concerns: police security and fire safety. -more-
In a dizzying turn of events, Florida’s largest county abruptly stopped recounting votes Wednesday, sending Al Gore’s lawyers scrambling back to court to keep a ballot-by-ballot fight for the White House grinding away. George W. Bush asked the Supreme Court to shut down all the recounts or risk a constitutional crisis. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The foreman of the jury that convicted the first three officers to go to trial in the city’s police corruption scandal told a judge Wednesday that he did not engage in misconduct that could void the verdict. -more-
SACRAMENTO — The state’s top election official on Wednesday proposed several election-system changes, including a proposal to give counties $230 million for better voting technology. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Political reform advocates who say Proposition 34’s campaign contribution limits are too weak are considering going to the ballot in 2002 or 2004 to try to strengthen the voter-approved measure. -more-
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson proposed tighter price controls Wednesday on the California electricity market, to help combat skyrocketing rates that have plagued the San Diego area since summer. -more-
I know from personal experience that burglars and vandals have a field day when they come across an exterior door unprotected by a dead bolt. -more-
For gardeners, Thanksgiving is a special holiday, a time to celebrate the harvest and put it on the table, just as the Pilgrims did hundreds of years ago. Most gardeners today grow some form of the traditional fare of corn, beans, or squash. But do you know anyone who grows cranberries? -more-
Plants of the heath family – azalea, rhododendron, mountain laurel, blueberry, heather and heath – grow wild in the soils having the unique combination of being very acidic, rich in humus yet infertile and moist and well-aerated. -more-
The one thing you always seem to need more of is storage. -more-
Grungy tile grout is considered by many people to be the scourge of mankind. It is ugly and a pain in the neck to clean. And, recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that certain types of mold can negatively affect one’s health. -more-
Painting woodwork can be a relaxing hobby. -more-
By John Angell Grant -more-
Those who work and know her are saying if anyone can promote civil discourse on Berkeley’s City Council, it’s District 5 Councilmember elect Miriam “Mim” Hawley. -more-
Berkeley Daily Planet Staff Reports -more-
The rainy weather on Tuesday washed several coats of paint off a building near University and Oxford streets and into nearby storm drains and gutters alarming nearby business owners and passersby. -more-
Beating the rains Tuesday morning, volunteers and Berkeley police began at about 6 a.m. to distribute roughly 250 holiday food baskets to needy families and organizations. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Online music retailer EMusic.com is set to deploy a new technology to identify its songs that are being traded online by Napster users and demand that the free-for-all stop. -more-
OAKLAND— A woman was found guilty Tuesday of murdering her sister to steal her identity and her money, then stuffing her dismembered body into a freezer. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of illegal immigrants won a step toward legal residency Tuesday when an appeals court reinstated a lawsuit contending that an illegal Immigration and Naturalization Service policy barred their applications for legal status. -more-
SANTA ANA — Just two weeks after Orange County voters passed a measure directing that the county’s tobacco funds should go mostly for health care, the Board of Supervisors has decided to consider spending this year’s allotment to pay off government debt instead. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Food bank officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties are preparing for Thanksgiving week with donation levels they say are at an all-time low. -more-
LOS ANGELES — When Vijai Rajan’s parents applied six years ago to have her become an American citizen, they believed it would just be a formality. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Dot-com heavy San Mateo County recorded the lowest percentage of people living below the poverty level in 1997, while farming-dependent Imperial County had the worst poverty figures in the state, according to new U.S. Census Bureau figures. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A woman being deported to China jumped from a jetway at Los Angeles International Airport and was badly injured, authorities said. -more-
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE — Two Earth-monitoring satellites blasted into orbit on a Boeing Delta II rocket Tuesday on missions to monitor the planet’s atmosphere, forests, urban centers and oceans. -more-
FRESNO — In time for Thanksgiving, the United Farm Workers union ended its 16-year boycott of Californa table grapes Tuesday, saying the original goals of UFW co-founder Cesar Chavez had been largely met. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The City Council approved a $15 million settlement Tuesday with a man shot in the back and paralyzed by police officers who then allegedly planted a gun next to him. -more-
SACRAMENTO — The state may need to find more money to implement the sweeping drug treatment initiative adopted by voters this month, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton said in a letter made public Tuesday. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Advocates for the homeless have sued the city of Los Angeles, Police Chief Bernard C. Parks and the commander of the police department’s Central Division to stop the department’s recent practice of strictly enforcing loitering and other laws in the skid row area. -more-
Al Gore’s ballot-by-ballot fight for the White House was given new life Tuesday night, when the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the “will of the people” demanded that manual recounts be added in the state’s election totals. Their work approved, weary election officials plowed through ballots into the night. -more-
One of the Bay area's most precious commodities – parking – is fast fading at Oakland International Airport this holiday season. -more-
The most powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in the country to be devoted solely to basic research on the brain was unveiled Monday at the University of California, Berkeley. -more-
Although KPFA did not participate in a recent nationwide boycott of parent company Pacifica News Network, workers there fully support the effort because they say the radio station’s quality is suffering. -more-
Free speech is alive and well at King Middle School – thanks to a civic minded seventh-grader who has taken on the task of creating the school’s first student-run newspaper. -more-
The popular Berkeley Guides – a walking, talking resource for anyone who works, shops or hangs out on Shattuck Avenue – will be asking the City Council for more money tonight. -more-
The City Council will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. to hear public comments regarding the city attorney’s opinion that four members of the Zoning Adjustments Board should disqualify themselves certain decisions because of the appearance of a conflict of interest. -more-
A Berkeley volunteer organization garnered national attention and was recently bestowed with the Daily Points of Light Award by the Knights of Columbus, the Corporation for National Service and the Points of Light Foundation. -more-
There are 1.5 million Californians who need mental health services, but aren’t getting treatment, mainly because the state lacks “a clear commitment to provide mental health services to people who need assistance,” according to a report released Monday by a state commission. -more-
SACRAMENTO — The income of a single parent earning minimum wage falls far short of what’s needed to be self-sufficient in California, according to a report released Monday. -more-
LOS ANGELES — In order to rehabilitate thousands of juveniles in the state’s youth prison system, officials need to expand drug treatment, sex offender therapy and counseling programs. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A judge, bailiffs, clerks and lawyers moved out of the courtroom and into a homeless shelter Monday to hold the county’s first “homeless court.” -more-
A transfixed nation turned its eyes to Florida’s Supreme Court, where an army of lawyers for Al Gore and George W. Bush battled Monday over whether the marathon election should drag on. Weary recount workers pecked through ballots in three Democratic-leaning counties, wondering if their labor would be for naught. -more-
Berkeley police are looking for suspects today in an attempted murder case in which a man was shot twice while he waited for a red light to turn green. -more-
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-
BERKELEY — A Nobel laureate’s provocative speech on sunshine and sex left some at the University of California Berkeley campus aghast. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The stock of online auctioneer eBay Inc. plummeted by more than 20 percent Monday after a Wall Street analyst raised doubts about the company’s ambitious growth goals. -more-
OAKLAND — California’s amusement park rides will get new regulations soon, but just how snug the new safety bar fits is central to a roller-coaster debate between ride operators and consumer advocates. -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-