The City Council unanimously approved the city’s $524 million two-year budget Tuesday with a unanimous vote and many are saying the rare council consensus is an endorsement of City Manager Weldon Rucker. -more-
Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, 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. $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-
St. Mary’s shines at Cal team camp -more-
About 30 representatives of local and state health-care institutions met to discuss California’s inadequate hearing screenings for newborns at the Berkeley-based Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf Friday. -more-
At a time when commentators around the world are still taking turns lambasting President George Bush’s decision to withdraw from the 1997 Kyoto agreements for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by industrialized nations, representatives from India, Indonesia, South African and the Philippines have been in Berkeley this week studying strategies for reducing such emissions in their own cities. -more-
Berkeley Observed -more-
Last summer, eight members of the Berkeley Bishops Chess Team traveled to Straffen, Ireland, to compete with the top-rated European Junior Champion Chess Team. -more-
OAKLAND — Unions representing BART employees have asked Gov. Gray Davis to help avert a strike on the commuter train network. -more-
SAN JOSE — The nation’s largest state lottery prize, a record $141 million, couldn’t have gone to a more deserving man, according to friends and neighbors of Alcario “Al” Castellano, a retired grocery store clerk who volunteered often to help Mexican-American groups. -more-
With shouts of “Arriba!” whistles and thunderous applause, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa was greeted like a conquering hero here at a gathering of Hispanic officials. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Frustrated by the postponement of a state hearing on workers’ rights, dozens of immigrant workers rallied outside Gov. Gray Davis’ local office Friday and urged full enforcement of labor laws. -more-
SAN QUENTIN — They call them the “worst of the worst” – death row inmates who spend hours fashioning weapons out of unlikely materials and hurl filthy concoctions at passing guards. -more-
LOS ANGELES — California’s power crisis and the struggling technology market will keep the state’s economy teetering on the edge of recession for at least the rest of the year, economic forecasters say. -more-
WASHINGTON — A researcher who had been preparing to work on human cloning has agreed not to attempt an experiment or research until the legality of the effort is determined, the Food and Drug Administration reported. -more-
WASHINGTON — Screening tests for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer will be covered by Medicare beginning on July 1, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. -more-
WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed sweeping patients’ rights legislation Friday night, promising millions of Americans new health care protections and the ability to sue their HMOs. -more-
WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney, experiencing heart problems for the third time since last November’s election, expected doctors to implant a pacemaker Saturday to even out a rapid heartbeat. Declaring himself otherwise fit, he said he would resign if ill health began hindering his work. -more-
PARIS — Secretary of State Colin Powell voiced doubt Friday that a U.S.-British plan to overhaul sanctions on Iraq would be approved soon by the U.N. Security Council. The problem is Russia, which is holding out. -more-
VIEQUES, Puerto Rico — Fighter jets dropped dummy bombs on the U.S. Navy’s firing range on the island of Vieques on Friday, while security officers detained five protesters who invaded Navy lands. -more-
Dear Tom and Ray: -more-
NEW YORK — An interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve is usually cause for celebration on Wall Street. But investors had to sleep on it before rallying the day after the Fed’s sixth such move of the year. -more-
PALO ALTO — Computer and printer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. has asked its 45,000 U.S. employees to take pay cuts or use additional vacation days in an effort to trim costs. -more-
By Jared Green -more-
Habitot Children’s Museum “Back to the Farm” An interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels, 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. $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-
If Planning Commissioners have their way, the city-owned parking lot on Oxford Street (between Allston Way and Kittridge Street) may one day be home to a world class environmental education center, a community theater and the largest single concentration of affordable housing built in the city in the last -more-
Cal forward Sean Lampley, the 2001 Pac-10 Player of the Year, was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft Wednesday by his hometown Chicago Bulls. -more-
If Planning Commissioners have their way, the city-owned parking lot on Oxford Street (between Allston Way and Kittridge Street) may one day be home to a world class environmental education center, a community theater and the largest single concentration of affordable housing built in the city in the last -more-
Cal Athletic Director and Men’s Head Crew Coach Steve Gladstone was named Pac-10 Conference Men’s Rowing Coach of the Year by Pac-10 Comissioner Tom Hansen on Thursday. -more-
The nonprofit organization East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse filed a lawsuit against the University of California on Tuesday morning, to contest its refusal to renew the Depot’s lease of the university-owned Marchant building at 6701 San Pablo Ave. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A stand of redwoods that is the size of San Francisco and is home to 23 endangered species would be preserved in a $60 million plan between the state, a timber company and a Bay Area open-space group. -more-
LONG BEACH — Giving a glimpse at the hostile tone the state’s next gubernatorial contest likely will take, Secretary of State Bill Jones attacked Democratic Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday for his handling of California’s energy crisis. -more-
The person holding the winning lottery ticket from Saturday’s record-breaking $141 million jackpot is losing thousands of dollars in interest money for each day spent laying low, financial advisers say. -more-
PETALUMA — A 17-year-old boy who said a man abducted him at gunpoint and forced him to drive fours from the North Coast to the Central Valley early Monday now says the kidnapping was a hoax. -more-
SAN DIEGO — An accusation that a respected lab toxicologist intentionally poisoned her husband has shocked former colleagues who recall her as a meticulous scientist with a sweet disposition. -more-
Judges cannot declare firearms illegal under the state’s assault-weapons ban law, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a decision the dissenting chief justice said created a “loophole” in the 1989 act. -more-
WASHINGTON — Timber industry groups hope Mark Rey will champion their causes, since he once worked for them. But environmentalists see him more as Darth Vader. -more-
WASHINGTON — A committee on Thursday sent dueling campaign finance bills to the House floor, moving Congress a step closer to enacting the biggest changes in a quarter-century in the way the nation pays for its elections. -more-
Jack Lemmon, who brought a jittery intensity to his roles as finicky Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple,” the boastful Ensign Pulver in “Mr. Roberts” and a cross-dressing musician in “Some Like It Hot,” has died. He was 76. -more-
A sharp knife can make a carving job easier and safer. -more-
Q: I open any tap in my house and I hear a train-like noise. It also feels as if air is being sucked into the tap. When we use two taps, the noise disappears. Using two taps is not a permanent solution. So tell us what kind of problem we are facing and how to fix it. -more-
SAN JOSE — Three years after the government brought antitrust charges against Microsoft Corp., the competitors with the most to gain from the case find themselves shaking their fists at the software titan more than ever. -more-
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for state unemployment insurance fell last week, the third drop in a row, suggesting that the flurry of job cuts this year may be easing. -more-
NEW YORK — This is about the mouse that didn’t roar. -more-
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Men and women aren’t created equal, at least when it comes to problems with their bones, joints and muscles. -more-
The City Council heard from 39 speakers Tuesday during the second session of a public hearing on the controversial proposal to build a synagogue, school and social hall at 1301 Oxford St. -more-
“Berkeley’s legendary commitment to public education” is one of the reasons Michele Barraza Lawrence cites for her desire to become this city’s new Superintendent of Schools. -more-
MUSEUMS
Recruiting minority teachers isn’t easy for any Bay Area school district in these days of astronomical housing costs and a national teacher shortage. -more-
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson called on individuals and organizations of his district to participate in the county’s redistricting process, during a public hearing at the South Berkeley Senior center on Tuesday. -more-
The Police and Fire Departments remind the public that fireworks are not permitted within the City of Berkeley. It is a violation to own, use or sell any type of fireworks within the city limits. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The first California condor chick to hatch in the wild in 17 years has died, the apparent victim of confusion between two mothers that had laid their eggs in the same nest. -more-
SACRAMENTO — California’s energy crisis may claim a substantial victim: deregulation itself. -more-
LOS ANGELES —Stanley Mosk, the longest-serving justice on the California Supreme Court, was remembered as both a brilliant and good man whose series of precedent-setting rulings have stood the test of time. -more-
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — When an epidemic of crack and gang violence erupted in cities like New Haven in the 1990s, police and lawmakers struck back hard. -more-
UNITED NATIONS — In the first global approach to battling a disease, the United Nations adopted an AIDS blueprint Wednesday setting tough targets for reducing infection rates and protecting the rights of people with the virus. -more-
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the sixth time this year on Wednesday, but by just a quarter-point, sending a signal that its most aggressive recession-fighting effort in nearly two decades may be coming to an end. -more-
SANTA CLARA — A small technology company said Wednesday it was expanding its patent infringement lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. and would try to stop sales of the new Windows XP operating system. -more-
After months of discussion with teachers, parents, students and the school board itself, Berkeley High Principal Frank Lynch proposed a new truancy policy for the school last week. -more-
Shotgun Players opened their free summer outdoor theater program at north Berkeley’s John Hinkel Park on Sunday with a superb production of Euripides fifth century B.C. drama “Iphigenia in Aulis.” -more-
OAKLAND — BART’s two largest unions have voted to authorize a strike if they’re unable to come to an agreement before their contracts expire at midnight Saturday. -more-
OAKLAND – Looking grim, the two Lakireddy brothers were back in U.S. District Court Tuesday for a brief hearing during which a prosecutor new to the case asked for time to familiarize himself with the proceedings. -more-
Just when the Harrison Street Skate Park was back on track – the discovery of chromium 6 in ground water beneath the project had halted construction – a new violation of environmental standards is being charged. -more-
SAN DIEGO — Starting in August, expecting couples can walk into an obstetrician’s office and ask to be tested for any of 24 variations of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis. -more-
REDDING — Aerial trout planting has begun in some remote areas of Northern California, despite concerns the trout might be eating the tadpoles of a rare amphibian. -more-
SACRAMENTO — With Republicans sticking to their pledge to hold up a state budget they say ignores their priorities, the state Senate rejected a $101 billion spending plan by one vote Tuesday night. -more-
California officials will attempt to justify their claim that energy providers overcharged the state by $9 billion when federal settlement talks over the West’s energy crisis resume Wednesday. -more-
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Senate voted Tuesday to leave the door open to lawsuits against employers in patients’ rights legislation, brushing aside predictions that the result would be canceled insurance coverage for millions. -more-
WASHINGTON — President Bush pressed Ariel Sharon on Tuesday to move forward on a U.S.-backed Middle East peace plan, but the Israeli prime minister said violence must end first. “One should not compromise with terror,” Sharon said. -more-
WASHINGTON — After cutting interest rates five times in six months, Federal Reserve policy-makers are pondering what more they need to do to restart the ailing economy. -more-
REDWOOD SHORES — Oracle Corp. Tuesday unveiled a new online service that will lease its software to small businesses in a move designed to bolster the company’s Internet business and challenge archrival Microsoft Corp. -more-
The city manager and the City Council will attempt to iron out differences in funding proposals this afternoon before approving Berkeley’s $449 million two-year budget at a special council meeting. -more-
This summer’s 40th anniversary of the Bay Area’s champion of avant-garde film art, the San Francisco Cinematheque, will be celebrated with screenings of selected favorite films at the San Francisco Art Institute and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. -more-
“It’s show time. A decision must be made.” -more-
Sundays are usually pretty crowded at Wat Mongkolratanaram, Berkeley’s Thai Buddhist temple, but this Sunday there were more people than usual. -more-
SAN DIEGO — “Golden rice” has come to represent all the hopes and fears about biotechnology, but despite all the controversy, not a single genetically engineered rice seed has been planted in the ground, its inventors said Monday. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Like triple-digit heat, a stalemate over the state budget is virtually an assured summer event at the state Capitol. -more-
Efforts to settle claims from the California power crisis got under way Monday, as Western states accused power-generating companies of overcharging them by $15 billion in the past year. -more-
AVILA BEACH — A 12-year fight is over for a handful of residents bent on sparing this once-doomed 50-acre oasis on the central California coast from oblivion. -more-
UNITED NATIONS — One after another, African leaders at the United Nations’ first global gathering on HIV/AIDS made emotional pleas for help Monday in ending the devastation wrought by the epidemic. Nigeria’s president warned that entire populations face extinction. -more-
WASHINGTON — A closely divided Supreme Court upheld Watergate-era spending limits on political parties Monday in a decision that supporters said could shore up broader campaign-finance restrictions now before Congress. -more-
NEW YORK — A fundamental change has occurred in the housing market over the past few years, and it is likely to play an increasing role in changing people’s lifestyles. -more-
SAN JOSE — Intel Corp.’s quest to dominate the high-end server market got a major boost Monday as Compaq Computer Corp. said it plans to abandon its own Alpha processor in favor of Intel’s Itanium processor by 2004. It’s the latest sign that the server industry may be moving away from proprietary chips and toward standardization that marked the development, growth and flexibility of PCs. -more-
After one year of working without a contract, after going out on a series of one-to-three-day strikes, after endless hours at the negotiating table, hospital workers and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center management have agreed on a new contact. -more-
A 20 -year-old UC Berkeley student walking home on Channing Way was robbed at gunpoint at 1 a.m. Sunday. -more-
Beth El followed every planning rule in proposed expansion -more-
Vice mayor celebrates 90 years -more-
From a field of 68 boys and 37 girls, it all came down to two final matches on Saturday at the United States Tennis Association NorCal Sectional 18-and-under Tournament. The matches were played at the Berkeley Tennis Club. -more-
School board members and proponents of sweeping reforms for Berkeley High School found a lot to agree on last week, but they seemed to part company with considerable confusion and disagreement about the next step in the process. -more-
The City Council will likely renew a long-standing contract with Berkeley Youth Alternative to continue the employment program which assists at-risk teenagers learn about work habits and gardening skills in the city’s parks. -more-
SAN DIEGO – As an array of officials prepared to represent California in federally ordered talks with power companies, Gov. Gray Davis on Sunday discounted suggestions that the state will accept far less in electricity rebates than he believes it’s owed. -more-
Data networks, telephone systems could converge to cause technology shift -more-
SACRAMENTO – Despite some of the best minds in the nation and its creativity in movies and technology, California is nearly as renowned for what’s wrong: gridlocked freeways, marathon commutes, smog and stratospheric housing prices. -more-
SAN DIEGO – There was a time, not so long ago, when biotech was such a clubby and chummy field that organizers of the industry’s annual conference welcomed protesters inside as amusing distractions. -more-
Approved by the City Council last Tuesday, the city’s budget is based on funding streams that include property taxes, parking fines and sales tax. -more-
The Associated Press -more-
SACRAMENTO — An estimated $101 billion state budget failed to win Assembly support Wednesday, with Republicans following their Senate counterparts and withholding their votes. -more-
GRIDLEY — A handful of rice farmers are poised to capture part of California’s expectedly huge ethanol market now that the state must comply with a Bush Administration order to continue using gasoline additives to reduce air pollution. -more-
A federal appeals court has upheld its February decision that Napster contributes to copyright infringement and must remove protected works from its song-swapping service. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – The largest single-state jackpot in U.S. history has a winner. -more-
