-more-

No to the FTAA -more-

Wednesday, April 25

Over the objections of representatives of the Police and Health and Human Services departments, a divided City Council passed a proposal Tuesday night that would make dislodging homeless people sleeping in public a low priority. -more-

Thirty-two of more than 100 demonstrators calling for the University of California to divest from Israel were arrested Tuesday afternoon when they occupied Wheeler Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. -more-

-more-

The city’s sewer repair project is on schedule, according to a Department of Public Works status report on the 30-year plan to repair the city’s damaged and aging sewer lines. -more-

A University of California professor who gave two football players credit for course work they didn’t do is stepping down from a prestigious position overseeing outreach for the nine-campus system. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Each May for the last four years, California lawmakers received a pleasant surprise as higher-than-expected income tax returns let them spend some extra money and cut taxes. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Some rural areas in California have such a shortage of medical specialists that some children must wait two years or more for routine surgeries, such as tonsillectomies, two lawmakers said Tuesday. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A fire that damaged a Tosco refinery in Southern California is not expected to affect gasoline supplies or prices, analysts said Tuesday. -more-

NEW YORK — Consumer confidence dropped sharply in April, underscoring increasing fears among Americans about their jobs and the economy. -more-

NEW YORK — Lucent Technologies Inc. lost a bigger than expected $3.69 billion in the just-ended quarter as the communications equipment maker was hit hard by the financial meltdown of a customer, wireless network operator Winstar Communications Inc. -more-

From Quebec City to Berkeley -more-

A program to boost test scores at Washington Primary School does not resort to workbooks or rote instruction. It calls on Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Langston Hughes, paints and fancy footwork to stimulate learning. -more-

For people living around LeConte Elementary School, the school’s ample playground is one of the few pieces of green space around. -more-

-more-

-more-

SAN JOSE — A school bus driver opened fire on her co-workers at their bus yard early Monday, killing a man and wounding three women, police said. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A flight attendant filed federal discrimination charges against American Airlines on Monday, saying her employee health plan does not cover reproductive care for women but provides Viagra for men. -more-

-more-

A vote that would have made San Francisco the only city in the nation to pay for employees’ sex changes was postponed Monday after one supervisor disapproved of adding such health coverage. -more-

CARSON — A fire that erupted at an oil refinery sent plumes of black smoke billowing over the Los Angeles area Monday afternoon. -more-

A classic opera can withstand all manner of temporal transposition and psychological interpretation. Cal Opera’s production once more proves “The Magic Flute” a classic. -more-

NEW YORK — It is an investment category containing some of the most promising stocks in the entire market, some of them possible giants of the future, but which has been almost ignored for several years. -more-

SAN JOSE — Struggling high-speed Internet access provider ExciteAtHome Corp. picked a telecommunications industry veteran as its new chairman and chief executive Monday, ending a seven-month search. -more-

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — USS Greeneville Cmdr. Scott Waddle was given a letter of reprimand Monday as punishment for the submarine collision that killed nine people aboard a Japanese fishing vessel, his attorney said. -more-

WASHINGTON — President Bush rejected Taiwan’s request to buy high-tech U.S. destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat radar system, but left open the possibility of future sales if China continues to pose a military threat to the island. -more-

-more-

SACRAMENTO — The Assembly’s redistricting committee Monday approved its rules for drawing new legislative and congressional districts, but no one at the hearing was very happy about the time allotted for public scrutiny of the new district lines. -more-

-more-

-more-

Our Warriors are Winners! -more-

Monday, April 23

On Earth Day, people are encouraged to think about living in a manner healthy both for the body and the earth. Traditionally, it is a day for thinking about both ones place within a larger ecology and methods for environmentally sound living. -more-

SANTA CLARA – Four years after they narrowly missed each other in Berkeley, Andre Carter will get to play for Steve Mariucci on the other side of the San Francisco Bay. -more-

At first blush, Berkeley Alternative High School seems more like place of business than a school. -more-

Men’s golf team takes ninth -more-

By converting the power source in public buildings from fossil fuel based electricity to renewable solar systems, the City Council wants to set an example for small businesses and homeowners. -more-

The students from Communications Arts and Sciences academy at Berkeley High School have returned from their two-week adventure in Cuba. The Daily Planet ran the first two parts of the log written by history teacher and chaperone Tom Kordick. Following is the third and last part of the log. -more-

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is seeking volunteers for the Tele-Care program. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – An eight-month-old boy was seriously injured late Saturday afternoon in a fall from the observation deck at the top of Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County. -more-

-more-

-more-

Participants fight pollution, traffic congestion -more-

Saturday, April 21

Gaia adds needed housing -more-

Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm”An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and more. “Recycling Center” Lets the kids crank the conveyor belt to sort cans, plastic bottles and newspaper bundles into dumpster bins, and become little “dump” workers. $4 adults; $6 children age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child age 7 and under. Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays, Memorial Day through Labor Day) Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 647-1111 or www.habitot.org -more-

When Kyle Boller takes the first snap of Cal’s spring football game on Saturday, he won’t be facing UCLA or Stanford; his teammates will be on the other side of the ball. But Boller will be taking his first shot at mastering Cal’s new offense, implemented by new offensive coordinator Al Borges. -more-

Energy alternatives presented to Council -more-

The long winter of weights, sprints, and tests is over. After months of being paraded around like show ponies, the National Football League is ready to select a group of fortunate football players into their select club. Among the hundreds of college hopefuls stand a handful of players from Cal, hoping to continue their careers on the pro gridiron. -more-

Students from the Communications Arts and Sciences academy at Berkeley High School have returned from their two-week adventure in Cuba. -more-

Berkeley High will be the site of the Seventh Annual Academic & Athletic Showcase on Saturday night, featuring the best senior basketball players from around the Bay Area. -more-

Berkeley Observed -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — At a time when many activists fear the environment is threatened by the Bush administration, the Sierra Club – the nation’s oldest nonprofit environmental group – is rejecting criticism that it is slow and ineffective. -more-

Oakland residents get $500,000 in settlement -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – Five works by Mexican muralist Miguel Covarrubias are destined for storage on Treasure Island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay, over the protest of the Mexican government. -more-

Several factors coming together to create a -more-

EL CAJON – A state law allowing prosecutors to charge a teen-ager as an adult for allegedly killing two students at his high school is cruel and unusual punishment and violates the state Constitution, defense attorneys argued Friday. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – Mail-bomb charges were filed in the case of a San Jose student killed when a robotic toy dog exploded. -more-

LOS ANGELES — When UCLA senior Mark Leverette’s job search began last October, he had dreams of using his business economics degree to land a job complete with a signing bonus and a padded benefits package. -more-

DIAMOND BAR — Southern California air quality officials voted Friday to require school bus operators to buy alternative-fuel vehicles rather than diesel buses, a move that some school district officials said will force them to take money from students. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A judge ruled Friday against Sacramento teachers who challenged the rules for Gov. Gray Davis’ most lucrative rewards program for test-score improvements. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Blacks and Latinos are more likely than whites to be charged with felonies when they are caught with concealed or loaded weapons, according to a state report. -more-

ROHNERT PARK — Aletha Willis was a typical 3-year-old. She loved the television show “Blue’s Clues” and being the center of attention. She played the tambourine and sang in church. She rarely got sick, other than two ear infections. -more-

WASHINGTON — Companies owned by women are receiving just 2.5 percent of the government’s nearly $200 billion a year in contracts, and Congress says that’s not nearly enough. In fact, lawmakers declared five years ago the percentage must be doubled. -more-

At the rate of a campus a day, the president of the National Organization for Women has been touring colleges for weeks, spreading the message that abortion rights are under siege. -more-

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration rejects the Kyoto global warming treaty “under any circumstances” and sees little chance that new talks this summer will produce a suitable substitute, a State Department memo says. -more-

QUEBEC — Police in riot gear clashed with protesters in a haze of tear gas Friday as leaders of the Western Hemisphere’s 34 democracies sought to advance plans to create the world’s largest free-trade zone. -more-

GENEVA — The top U.N. human rights watchdog censured Russia on Friday for alleged abuses in Chechnya after last-minute attempts to reach a compromise failed. -more-

Group hopes to join instant messaging game -more-

NEW YORK — It’s no longer just a place where prices jump around like corn in a popper, an indulgence of the rich but of no particular concern for most families. -more-

NEW YORK — Wall Street ended its best two weeks of the year Friday with profit-taking from a spectacular rally that included triple-digit gains in the Dow Jones industrials and Nasdaq composite index. -more-

When a high school team improves its record dramatically from one year to the next, the reasons are usually found in the maturation of players as they gain experience. But for the Berkeley High boys’ golf team, which will likely claim a share of the league title after winning just one match last season, there are three factors for the improvement, and none of them are carried over from last year. -more-

Friday, April 20

-more-

The City Council approved a recommendation Tuesday to add the David R. Brower Center to the list of possible tenants for a proposed downtown building. -more-

The Daily Planet received the following e-mail from Jeffrey Schilling, the Oakland man rescued by Filipino marines from rebels last week. -more-

-more-

Although they are facing a “serious budget situation,” in the word’s of school district Chief Financial Officer George Sirogiannis, a majority of school board members indicated Wednesday that they would fight to maintain student-teacher ratios at current levels next year. -more-

-more-

The very name “University of California” exudes respect and elicits images of academia’s hallowed halls. -more-

Friday, April 20 -more-

The Berkeley Community Fund is seeking nominations for the next Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal and Berkeley Community Awards. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Highway Patrol’s commissioner ordered a ban on some car searches Thursday, a move civil liberties groups say is a tacit admission that officers single out minority drivers for unfair treatment. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s largest utility has made it abundantly clear to Gov. Gray Davis, to Wall Street and now to a federal bankruptcy judge that it believes it should be exempt from state regulation. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A logging company plans to reduce clear-cutting on about 560,000 acres in the Sierra Nevada, a move greeted with skepticism by some environmentalists. -more-

SAN DIEGO — A 15-year-old boy accused of killing two students and wounding 13 other people at his high school is drawing support from around the nation from strangers who see him as a victim of bullies who should not be tried as an adult. -more-

The homes people live in evolved out of simple need or grand design, or both, then were inevitably polished by the urge to change. -more-

-more-

NEW YORK — For parents struggling to juggle work and child-raising, the news compounded their daily dilemmas: A comprehensive study found that children who spend many hours in day care are more likely to be aggressive and defiant. -more-

Now in its 44th year, the San Francisco International Film Festival is among the oldest and more reputable festivals in the world, bringing new work from around the globe to the Bay Area and unearthing historic gems from the century of cinema. It’s fitting that the festival’s only screening venue outside of The City be Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive, a world-renown institution for the preservation and progression of film. -more-

WASHINGTON — One day after the Federal Reserve provided a surprise interest rate cut, a top Fed official said Thursday that it was too soon to say that the sagging economy has bottomed out. -more-

SAN DIEGO — Slumping sales and restructuring costs pushed computer maker Gateway Inc. deep into the red with a loss of $503 million for the first quarter. -more-

RAMALLAH, West Bank — An explosion Thursday rocked a building used by an elite Palestinian police unit, injuring three officers, as Palestinians defied Israeli warnings by firing more mortar shells at Jewish settlements in Gaza. -more-

TORI TOKOLI, Benin — When the corn harvest is bad or a breadwinner dies, child smugglers crisscross the red dirt roads linking Benin’s villages with the big city, offering money and promises of a better life. -more-

PRETORIA, South Africa — Pharmaceutical giants dropped a lawsuit Thursday challenging a South African law that would allow cheaper AIDS drugs to get to millions of Africans, ending an international battle that deeply embarrassed the companies. -more-

The City Council directed opposing factions in the dispute over the Beth El development to meet with a mediator and find common ground and possibly a solution to their differences. -more-

Thursday, April 19

Need innovation: autos killing us -more-

-more-

Against a strong opponent and under an unexpected rain, the Berkeley girls’ lacrosse team put up a valiant effort Wednesday, coming up just short in a 13-10 loss. -more-

-more-

A group of senior citizens recounted stories to the City Council of poor service and mistreatment by taxi drivers who they say are rude, unhelpful and overcharge. That is, of course, if they show up at all. -more-

MORAGA – Cal allowed Saint Mary’s to score four runs in the third inning and six runs in the fifth inning on the way to a 10-6 loss to the Gaels Tuesday at Louis Guisto Field in Moraga. The Bears fall to 22-19 overall and Saint Mary’s improves to 14-25. -more-

As the Berkeley school board considers ways to reduce an estimated $5 million budget shortfall next year, including possibly increasing class sizes slightly for some grades, some are wondering if the district can still afford to take hundreds of students each year from outside the city. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Five days after he was rescued from nearly eight months in the hands of Muslim rebels in the Philippines, Jeffrey Schilling arrived home Wednesday to an emotional welcome. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Survivors of San Francisco’s devastating 1906 earthquake gathered at a historic fountain Wednesday morning for a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the temblor that leveled much of the city. -more-

SANTA BARBARA — Nearly two years of attempts to reach an agreement on creating no-fishing zones around California’s northern Channel Islands almost collapsed Wednesday when fishermen and environmentalists failed to reach a compromise. -more-

SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers are looking for ways to lure more qualified teachers into the schools that need them the most – those with mostly poor, minority and non-English-speaking students. -more-

SANTA ROSA — Two men arrested for growing 899 pot plants were acquitted Wednesday on charges of cultivating and possessing marijuana. -more-

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE — NASA on Wednesday unveiled a futuristic “scramjet”-powered aircraft designed to hurtle over the Pacific Ocean at up to 7,200 mph in a test this spring, becoming the world’s fastest air-breathing plane. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Unchecked free-market forces drove up the price of natural gas to Southern California Edison by about $750 million over the last year, an industry consultant testified Wednesday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis urged state regulators Wednesday to approve the construction of a controversial power plant in southern San Jose. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Former vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman Wednesday jumped on the pile of key Democrats thumping President Bush for ignoring California’s energy crisis. -more-

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration, under fire for scrapping former President Clinton’s standard for arsenic in drinking water, announced plans Wednesday to set a new standard within nine months. -more-

WASHINGTON — A largely black congressional district can be constitutional if drawn to satisfy political rather than racial motives, a divided Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. -more-

WASHINGTON — To paint wholesaler Erasmo Hinojosa, free trade means savings for his grandchildren’s college, more weekend getaways and the possibility of an early retirement. -more-

JACKSON, Miss. — The NAACP raised the threat of an economic boycott Wednesday to drag Mississippi “kicking and screaming into the 21st century” after voters overwhelmingly decided to keep their 107-year-old state flag with the Confederate emblem. -more-

NEW YORK— An unexpected interest rate cut and a stream of positive earnings news sent stock prices soaring Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrials leaping as much as 470 points and the Nasdaq composite barreling back above 2,000. -more-

The Federal Reserve’s enormous power over the economy was demonstrated again on Wednesday with a brief announcement that in minutes added billions of dollars to stock market valuations. -more-

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Despite American criticism, Israel on Wednesday briefly re-entered the Gaza Strip and leveled a Palestinian police station on territory granted to Yasser Arafat’s government in peace agreements. -more-

COTONOU, Benin — Police questioned passengers from a ship that sparked a frenzied hunt for suspected child slaves, seeking clues Wednesday to the status of scores of children once thought to be aboard. -more-

-more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Chief federal energy regulator Curtis Hebert has made it his refrain: Price caps on wholesale electricity will hinder, not help, California’s energy crisis. Price caps will discourage the construction of desperately needed new power plants. -more-

DANA POINT — Women who get regular mammograms may reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by more than 60 percent — about twice the amount seen in large formal studies, according to a new analysis by the American Cancer Society. -more-

Every coveted your neighbor’s lamp or coffee table? -more-

The afternoon sun bears down on Solectron’s manufacturing facility. But 30 minutes after stepping onto the roof’s new light-colored surface, there’s no noticeable rise in temperature. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Two of the nation’s largest book chains, Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc., settled a federal antitrust suit Thursday brought by small, independent bookstores in an accord seen as a victory for the chains. -more-

Kids come to school on -more-