Karen Rose, who serves on Berkeley’s Commission on Disabilities and is blind, tests an audio voting system that may soon replace punch cards in this county. The system, already tested in March ,would make it easier for the blind to vote without help. At right is Deborah Seiler, of Global Electronic Voting Systems, the company that designed the machine. -more-

Monday, Aug. 13

As the information and communications technology revolution rolls along, we have become accustomed to people talking to their computers, asking for information on electronic data bases, having conversations with robot voices on the telephone. -more-

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 17: Blood Brothers, True North, The Cost, Red Light Sting, Betray The Species; Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. -more-

Plans for a “closed campus” for Berkeley High freshman have been postponed indefinitely, Berkeley schools Superintendent Michele Lawrence said Friday. -more-

Editor: -more-

With the blessings of the City Council, the Berkeley Unified School District has begun the initial design phases for the rehabilitation of the two warm water pools at Berkeley High School. -more-

Twelve years ago, Janet Byron moved to Berkeley to attend UC Berkeley’s School of Journalism. -more-

What are the Latino perceptions of success? How do Guatemala’s women organizations fight against social exclusion? Who are Silicon Valley’s new Vietnamese entrepreneurs? -more-

LOS ANGELES — California officials are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in hopes of reversing a decision requiring the state to use what they consider a needlessly expensive and polluting gasoline additive. -more-

In a wide-ranging interview Friday, school board member John Selawsky looks back on his first eight months on the job and shares some thoughts on current school topics, including budget difficulties, the new superintendent, reforms at the high school, and some notable program successes. -more-

Saturday, Aug. 11

Editor, -more-

Reefer Madness, a 1936 anti-marijuana film that became a cult classic in the 1970s, has been adapted for the stage by the Elements of Theatre Company. -more-

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 11: Toys That Kill, Scared of Chakra, Soophie Nun Squad, Debris; Aug. 12: 5 p.m. Citizen Fish, J-Church, Eleventeen; Aug. 17: Blood Brothers, True North, The Cost, Red Light Sting, Betray The Species; Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. -more-

A Berkeley hockey player has been selected as one of 10 kids across the country to receive scholarships to attend summer camps in Canada next week. -more-

The Zoning Adjustments Board heard what one commissioner called the “initial skirmish” on the Alta Bates proposal to expand its Emergency Department by 3,500 square feet Thursday night. -more-

Editor, -more-

Cal junior quarterback Kyle Boller has been listed a one of 30 candidates on the preseason watch list for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top quarterback. -more-

Touchscreens may replace punch cards -more-

Editor: -more-

Ocean View’s first industries were the Pioneer Starch and Grist Mill, founded in 1855 by John Everding and A. Rammelsburg, and a lumber yard, founded in 1856 by Zimri Brewer Heywood and Captain James Jacobs. Jacobs and Heywood constructed the wharf in 1866. The wharf was located between Bristol (now Hearst) and Delaware streets. Freight was stored and shipped from the wharf and it also became a landing for a passenger steamer making four trips daily between Ocean View and San Francisco. -more-

Editor: -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – The federal government has approved $4.25 million in grants to be used in the renovation of California parks and recreational facilities, including some in Berkeley. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – The president of the air traffic controllers’ union at San Francisco International Airport admitted in an affidavit that he was the so-called “Robust Robber,” suspected of robbing up to nine banks, his attorney said Friday. -more-

SAN JOSE – A 24-year-old man pleaded innocent Friday to involuntary manslaughter and child neglect charges brought against him after he left his infant son for three hours in a hot car, where the baby died. -more-

LOS ANGELES – In an attempt to unify its different ethnic communities, Asian-American groups unveiled a statewide redistricting plan that they hope will give them more political clout. -more-

Justices block support removal on man in semiconscious state -more-

TOM: The column we wrote a few weeks back about the need to test older drivers for competence generated hundreds of letters. Surprisingly to us, most of them supported our position – although some did not. -more-

Small steps are the key to having a water garden in your yard -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – Stock in companies doing all types of stem cell research fell Friday as investors puzzled over the boundaries drawn by President Bush. -more-

LOS ANGELES – A judge rejected a record $3 billion damage award against tobacco giant Philip Morris as excessive, offering a dying smoker $100 million instead. -more-

SACRAMENTO – State energy officials and more than 580 retailers will team up next week to promote state-sponsored rebates for Californians buying Energy Star appliances. -more-

Confusion has reigned since the mayor decided to cancel a City Hall visit with a group of visiting Japanese Boy Scouts, said Councilmember Kriss Worthington at a press conference called to clarify the issue on City Hall steps Thursday. -more-

Friday, Aug. 10

SAN FRANCISCO – As the information and communications technology revolution rolls along, we have become accustomed to people talking to their computers, asking for information on electronic data bases, having conversations with robot voices on the telephone. Speech-recognition systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and a plethora of new smart gadgets for homes, offices, even cars, are coming on the market. And more are on the way. Despite the current hard times in the high-tech industries, billions are being invested in the development of future speech-recognition devices – many of which most of us could probably do -more-

Even a brief resume of Joyce Jenkins reads like a who’s who of poetry for the West Coast. Name the place, she’s been there. Name the activity, she’s done that. The award, she’s been granted it. -more-

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug. 10: 90 Day Men, Assembly of God, Strong Intention, Under a Dying Sun; Aug. 11: Toys That Kill, Scared of Chakra, Soophie Nun Squad, Debris; Aug. 12: 5 p.m. Citizen Fish, J-Church, Eleventeen; Aug. 17: Blood Brothers, True North, The Cost, Red Light Sting, Betray The Species; Aug. 18: Dr. Know, The Sick, Society of Friends, Manchurian Candidates, Shut the F*ck Up; $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. -more-

Listening to Cal head coach Tom Holmoe assess his chances of surviving another year at the helm of the football program on Thursday, some listeners couldn’t help but feel they’d heard this speech before. -more-

It’s not very often these days our fair city makes even the local section of The Chron. -more-

Jim Sharp, community activist concerned with UC Berkeley’s remodeling project on the north-east side of campus, forwarded the Daily Planet this letter to Ed Denton, the University’s vice chancellor in charge of capital projects, from the Berkeley city manager. -more-

Now that the 2000 Census has been released, Berkeley has begun the process of reshaping the city’s eight districts, which could shift the balance of power on the City Council. -more-

After years serving on the Commission on Disability, Karen Craig, one of Berkeley’s most vocal advocates for the disabled community was informed through a letter from Councilmember Linda Maio on Wednesday, that she had been removed from her position. -more-

An official with the Berkeley Toxics Management Division said a west Berkeley building posted with “quarantine” signs Thursday poses no health threat to people living and working nearby. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Insurance companies will be required to provide basic medical coverage for cancer patients undergoing experimental treatments under a bill Gov. Gray Davis signed into law Thursday. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court clarified Thursday when family members may pull the plug on their loved ones in a closely watched right-to-die case. -more-

LOS ANGELES — A judge ruled Thursday that a $3 billion punitive damages verdict against tobacco giant Philip Morris was excessive but he will only grant a retrial of the punitive issue if the cancer-stricken plaintiff won’t accept $100 million instead. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — California power managers say 65 million customers in 11 Western states and parts of Canada and Mexico were at risk of blackouts last week when several power suppliers failed to deliver electricity to the region as promised. -more-

Atop their slender stems, tawny daylilies wave cheery greetings from the roadsides. There are also garden varieties of these pretty plants. -more-

NEW YORK — Consumers, worried about layoffs and shrinking stock portfolios, continued their love affair with discounters in July, but the shift toward lower-priced stores left other top merchants with disappointing sales. -more-

WASHINGTON — After a three-week decline, new claims for state unemployment insurance rose last week, suggesting that some workers were having trouble holding onto their jobs in the sagging economy. -more-

NEW YORK — The world’s two largest Internet service providers, AOL Time Warner Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s MSN, came out on the bottom of a customer satisfaction survey. -more-

While last year’s study by the city’s Health Department uncovered shocking statistics on the disparities between the longevity and health of hill-dwelling whites compared to flatlands’ minorities, one Berkeley program has found what could be the key to turning those numbers around. -more-

Lorenzo Alexander is used to being the big dog on the block. He dominated the gridiron for four years at St. Mary’s High in Berkeley, using his massive 287-pound frame to push around smaller opponents. But after his first two practices for the Cal football team this week, he admitted that size isn’t the biggest factor in his mission to start for the Bears this season. -more-

Thursday, Aug. 9,/h3>

Free market has rules -more-

MUSIC -more-

In an effort to ease the adjustment into high school for 60 at-risk students, an “all-star” cast of Berkeley High teachers have spent this week showing the students around campus and sharing strategies for survival. -more-

California junior forward Laura Schott was picked as a second team preseason All-American by College-Soccer.com. -more-

To access the Multi-Agency Service Center near downtown, clients walk down a narrow passage next to the Veterans Memorial Building on Center Street until it opens up onto a cloistered, courtyard garden. -more-

Few would imagine as they pass Claire Burch’s quiet wooden house in south Berkeley, that they are walking by historical archives. -more-

SANTA MONICA — More than ever last year, beachgoers around the country found their plans dampened by warnings to keep away from the water. -more-

The popular economic hope, shared by Washington, Wall Street, manufacturers, retailers and many academics, is that the consumer will pull the rest of the economy to higher ground. -more-

WASHINGTON — Alan Greenspan’s investment portfolio shows that in years when the stock market is in a funk, safety can beat exuberance, whether rational or not. -more-

Berkeley school administrators have hatched a plan they say will put an end to the class scheduling nightmares that too often taint the first few weeks of school at Berkeley High. -more-

Wednesday, Aug. 8 -more-

$40,000 to find dirt near tracks -more-

-more-

After years of rancor, organizers of the Berkeley Free Folk Festival and members of the Commission on Disability are finally working together to make the annual event more accessible to disabled individuals. -more-

While Berkeley has won awards for its efforts to prepare for seismic upgrading and disaster preparation, city officials caution that there’s still a long way to go before it is ready for a major quake on the Hayward Fault. -more-

They call themselves “shellmounders.” -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A California researcher has created a tomato that can grow and thrive with salty water, a breakthrough he said could lead to the cultivation of now-barren fields around the world. -more-

The parent company of California’s largest utility told federal regulators Tuesday that its corporate structure is legal and that it should not be subject to a review requested by the state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. -more-

Nearly a million gays and lesbians identified themselves as same-sex couples in the latest census, which for the first time gives an authoritative record of homosexuals in America. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The story of Hispanic migration to California has largely been one of Mexican immigration. But new census figures show that trend is less predominant in San Francisco, where people of Mexican origin do not hold a majority among Hispanics. -more-

SAN JOSE — Cisco Systems Inc. earned a relatively paltry $7 million in its fiscal fourth quarter, meeting Wall Street’s expectations, as the networking giant continued to struggle with the global economic downturn. -more-

WASHINGTON — Worker productivity, a key measure of living standards, had its best showing in a year in the second quarter. -more-

City officials say they are quietly leading the way to improved air quality by using three all-electric vehicles. The city’s first was a red Solectria Force leased in September 1999. It now has 7,389 unpolluted miles and is driven every day. -more-

The planning director, named July 24 by the City Council, will be stepping into a department often characterized by controversy. -more-

Tuesday, Aug. 7

LOS ANGELES – Hugo Alexander and Marcos Montero stand at the corner of Fletcher Drive and Atwater Avenue beneath the old, peeling neon sign for Ray’s Liquor. The intersection is a popular gathering place for day laborers; half a block away is a busy U-Haul outlet. Whenever a work truck rolls by, the men whistle and wave their hands, hoping to join a crew with a construction, painting or landscaping job. -more-

924 Gilman St. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Aug 10: 90 Day Men, Assembly of God, Strong Intention, Under a Dying Sun; Aug 11: Toys That Kill, Scared of Chakra, Soophie Nun Squad, Debris; Aug 12: 5 p.m. Citizen Fish, J-Church, Eleventeen. $5. 924 Gilman St. 525-9926. -more-

To send a message of peace and perseverance to parents, peers and the community, 17 Berkeley High students set out on a 600 mile, 14-day cycling trip from downtown Berkeley to San Diego County’s Santana High School Monday. -more-

Tonight, there are some Berkeley residents who will be alone, locked inside shuttered houses, unaware of who their neighbors are and unable to get or give help in case of a disaster. -more-

Deregulation. Price caps. Energy fuel shortages. And pundits pointing fingers in all directions. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Philip Morris attorneys urged a judge Monday to slash a $3 billion punitive damage award to a cancer-stricken smoker and to grant a retrial. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — California appears to be a land of haves and have-nots, with above-average median household incomes but more children living in poverty. -more-

NEW YORK — The phrasing varies but the message is the same: The big dreams of a stock market comeback as momentous as its collapse are faded and jaded now. Forget them. Get real. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of homeless advocates has taken over a vacant four-story downtown building to remind officials about the need for affordable housing in one of the country’s most expensive cities. -more-

Pudge, Izzy, Echo and Paris are ready for their close-ups. The feisty, furry rabbits are the pride and joy of the new Berkeley 4-H Club’s four charter members. Accompanied by their human handlers, on Thursday, the rabbits were getting ready to strut their stuff at the Monterey County fair today and the San Mateo County Fair on Saturday. -more-

Fifteen teens from Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s “School of Theatre” interviewed elders at the North Berkeley Senior Center last week to find inspiration for monologues that they will write over the next week and perform at the senior center Aug. 15. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — While San Francisco International Airport struggles to overcome environmental objections to a runway expansion plan, other Bay Area airports are picking up the slack by handling more flights and more passengers. -more-

LOS ANGELES — The flood of artificial light that washes the stars from the sky has left one in five human beings unable to see the Milky Way at night, according to a new study of the global effects of light pollution. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Victims and their families cannot sue weapons manufacturers for damages when criminals use their products illegally, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday in a closely watched case testing gunmaker liability. -more-