Berkeley’s 14 creeks could be the next casualty of the economic downturn. -more-
The Saint Mary’s Panthers boys basketball team destroyed Saint Joseph Wednesday night, 90-63, in the Bay Shore Athletic League opener. -more-
The owners of Golden Gate Fields in Albany stand to make large profits off a new state law that will permit them to take bets over the telephone and the Internet. -more-
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer couldn’t explain her team’s season-low shooting percentage. -more-
Despite community concerns, the California Department of Toxic Substance Control has given Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory the green light to treat radioactive hazardous waste in Berkeley. -more-
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FREMONT — In the kitchen, the chef wields his wok over a fiery stove, preparing the day’s lunch. Two rice cookers — one with a softer batch of rice for those without teeth — simmer quietly in a corner. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Three environmental organizations filed suit Wednesday alleging the Bush administration is violating a Gulf War-era alternative fuels law signed by President Bush’s father. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — A National Guardsman accidentally shot himself at San Francisco International Airport Friday night. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A man accused of blowing apart a dog’s jaw with a big firecracker pleaded innocent Wednesday to animal cruelty and other charges. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Steady rains in the Bay Area caused minor mudslides and flooded roads Wednesday, and the wet weather may have led to a 70-foot tree falling on a bus near the Golden Gate Bridge. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — The alternative high school John Walker Lindh attended three years before joining up with the Taliban has been the subject of withering rhetoric in America’s opinion pages, on talk radio and on the Internet. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — More than 100,000 San Francisco Bay area households will lose the chance to watch NBC unless they get cable or a satellite dish because the network’s new local affiliate has a transmitter that is out of range of their antennas. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — As he enters a tough re-election campaign, Gov. Gray Davis is assuming unprecedented powers that have landed him in court with key legislators and civil libertarians. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO — Two college buddies quit their jobs and began hiking across America Tuesday to memorialize the victims of the recent terrorist attacks. -more-
OLOWALU, Hawaii — Olowalu beaches reopened Wednesday after a one-day closure following a shark attack on a California man about 100 yards offshore, authorities said. -more-
PASADENA — Revelers at the nation’s premiere New Year’s Day parade decided to let the “Good Times” roll with a patriotic burst of red, white and blue flowers, floats and fireworks that could have easily been mistaken for a Fourth of July celebration. -more-
GARDEN GROVE — Cyber cafes in this Orange County city are attracting an unruly crowd and city officials are worried about the safety of children after a murder over the weekend. -more-
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada, after more than a decade of trying, will adopt a nationally standardized program this week for testing and certifying courtroom interpreters in foreign languages. -more-
LOS ANGELES — An abundance of snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and reserves in underground storage basins means the city will not have a water shortage in 2002, officials say. -more-
The first Sierra storm of the new year pushed across the mountains Wednesday but failed to live up to expectations after losing much of its punch. -more-
SACRAMENTO — Thousands of California’s hotel, restaurant and store employees will see a little more money in their first paycheck of the New Year, with an 8 percent increase in the minimum wage. -more-
LOS ANGELES — The battle between The Walt Disney Co. and EchoStar Communications started in the courtroom, but may eventually be settled by federal regulators weighing EchoStar’s proposed merger with rival DirecTV. -more-
LOS ALTOS — The deflated tech bubble and troubles at home are forcing Pakistan to close a 6-month-old Silicon Valley office. -more-
LAS VEGAS — A research firm is projecting that Nevada will rank fourth among states with the fastest-growing rate of women-owned businesses in a 1997-to-2002 study. -more-
Adoption was not as joyous as it might have been for Pamela Springer and Terri Giamartino, a lesbian couple in Berkeley who adopted each other’s biological children in the mid-1990s. -more-
First there was a “big boom.” -more-
City’s mural may go on tour -more-
Berkeley police are investigating what could be the first homicide in the city for 2001. -more-
The holidays are over, and the bills are rolling in. While gas prices are currently lower than last year, there is no guarantee that they will remain that way. Unlike electricity, gas prices are unregulated, and as we experienced a year ago, prices can swing wildly out of control. -more-
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Domestic partners, the unemployed, nursing mothers, janitors, hat-loving students — even sheepherders — will have something extra to celebrate on New Year’s Day. -more-
ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) — A body found floating in the Delta on Sunday afternoon was identified as Mark Osborn, a 17-year-old Oakley youth who apparently drowned in an accident while duck hunting with his father and a friend. -more-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A group of wealthy Republicans in Orange County has created the state’s largest GOP political action committee in an attempt to broaden the party’s appeal. -more-
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An Oakland businessman is part of a pioneering extreme sports group that plans to run a marathon around the South Pole next month. -more-
MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — With thick kelp forests and exotic wildlife, Monterey Bay has been described more than once as an underwater Yosemite. Now, the ocean expanse will get one of the true trappings of a national park, a visitor center. -more-
LOS ANGELES — A power crisis that cost the state billions. A dot-com bust that was far worse than expected. Finally, the devastating economic impact of a terrorist attack no one could have anticipated. -more-
SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s 89,000 farm owners enter 2002 with 50,000 fewer acres to farm, thanks to urban growth. But they’re also finding more money than ever to save their farms for future generations. -more-
The south branch of the Berkeley Public Library overflowed with holiday cheer on Saturday as around 50 celebrants came to mark Ujamaa, the fourth day of Kwanzaa. -more-
After opening the Leo LaRocca Sand Dune Classic boys basketball tournament with a heartbreaking loss to Acalanes, Berkeley High was eliminated from contention in the holiday tournament and placed in the consolation bracket. It would have been very tempting for the Yellowjackets to phone in the tournament’s remaining two games and begin looking forward to a fresh start in 2002. -more-
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A applicant for a food cart license, who has invested $20,000 and waited over five years for an opportunity to start a business, is becoming impatient with the city’s apparent inability to clarify its licensing policy. -more-
Dennis Gates, known mostly for his defensive prowess, came through with the biggest shot of his career, nailing a 3-pointer with four seconds left in regulation to lift Cal to a 76-73 win over Penn State in the championship game of the Golden Bear Classic on Saturday at Haas Pavilion. -more-
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With 2001 drawing to a close, the Daily Planet asked members of the Board of Education to recall their most significant decisions from the past year. -more-
California matched its season low for points in a 64-48 loss to UCLA at Haas Pavilion, extending its losing streak to seven games. -more-
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Law enforcement personnel in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey and San Mateo counties are gearing up for the final days of their campaign to combat drunken driving during the holiday season. -more-
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PORTLAND, Ore. – Police say a man burdened with debt and a history of petty crime killed his wife and three young children, ditched their bodies in the Pacific Ocean and then fled south to California. -more-
LOS ANGELES – Gov. Gray Davis has successfully raised millions of dollars across the country for his re-election campaign, using the power of the nation’s most populous state like few politicians before him. -more-
LOS ANGELES – An airplane preparing for takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport was evacuated Sunday morning after the airline received a phoned bomb threat, authorities said. -more-
CAMARILLO – The 5-year-old Destino 2000 fund is nearing its goal of building a $400,000 endowment to assist Ventura County charities that serve the Hispanic community. -more-
SAN JOSE – Throughout top San Francisco Bay area campuses, interest the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps is on the rise, according to cadets and recruiters. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – It’s shaping up to be a bad day at Black Rock for Burning Man. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – A few months ago, California was a megawatt wasteland. As it finishes a tumultuous year, the state now has electricity in such abundance that fallen power giant Enron Corp. has come asking for leftovers. -more-
LOS ANGELES – Cars may be born in Detroit, but more and more these days they are conceived in California. -more-
UC scientist spends spare time trying to stop outbreaks -more-
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African celebration now in 35th year -more-
Ami Forney is the brightest light in what has been an up-and-down season for the California women’s basketball team. -more-
North Berkeley residents continue to march during holiday season -more-
“Black Hawk Down” – Producer Jerry Bruckheimer redeems himself for this year’s drippy debacle “Pearl Harbor.” And he can thank director Ridley Scott for that. The gritty, in-your-face film, based on the botched U.S. military mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993, has all the scope and enormity of Bruckheimer’s earlier war extravaganza, but it plays like a documentary of disaster. Scott is relentless here; 90 minutes of the nearly 2 1/2-hour movie are nonstop gunfire. But the movie’s action is so compelling, it’s impossible not to be drawn in and emotionally drained. Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor, William Fichtner and Sam Shepard lead the ensemble cast. R for intense, realistic, graphic war violence, and for language. 143 min. -more-
On April 6, when the city is scheduled to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated, 70-year-old Central Library, the project will be 17 months late and an estimated $5 million over budget. -more-
The California Coastal Commission has announced its fourth annual Amateur Photography Competition for 2002. -more-
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SAN JOSE – Doctors scrambled to stabilize about a dozen patients after power went off Thursday evening at a San Jose hospital. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – In California, where the car is king, the roads are hardly fit for royalty. -more-
Some groups overlap in duties as coordination forms slowly -more-
CATIC: California Anti-Terrorism Information Center. Set up by Attorney General Bill Lockyer Sept. 25. Intelligence gathering and threat assessment. -more-
Good lighting for your home: Let it shineL -more-
This do-it-yourself project is pretty easy to do and can actually make your home safer a lot safer. We were once paid $55,000 to partially rebuild a fire-damaged condominium that had exploded into flames when a short circuit occurred in a frayed lamp cord. Fortunately, the owner was away at the time and was not injured. But, she lost just about everything she owned, family photos, personal records, memorabilia, her wardrobe, furniture, clothing everything. -more-
ALBANY, Ga. – Poinsettias, the traditional Christmas plants, are changing to meet designer tastes. -more-
Stone gardens inspire meditation, evoke nostalgia, and can be aesthetically pleasing -more-
SACRAMENTO – The Bush administration announced support Thursday for a Clinton-era management plan that gives a new environmental tilt to managing 11.5 million acres of national forests in the Sierra Nevada. -more-
LOS ANGELES – Insurance policy holders who were victims of the 1994 Northridge earthquake have until Dec. 31 to reopen claims. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – A California judicial watchdog agency is charging a Fresno County judge with misconduct in connection with his alleged link to a fraudulent investment scandal. -more-
‘People’s Republic’ in Santa Monica considering code -more-
PASADENA – A San Marino family is suing Northwest Airlines for Grinch-like behavior, charging that the company destroyed Christmas last year by holding it prisoner on the tarmac at a Southern California airport. -more-
SANTA ANA – A man was arrested Thursday for allegedly trying to break his girlfriend’s neck and then pushing her off a cliff, police said. -more-
At least 537 Internet companies out of business or bankrupt -more-
SACRAMENTO – California shoppers will start paying more at the register when a quarter-cent sales tax increase kicks in Tuesday. -more-
LOS ANGELES — Jakks Pacific Inc. is taking “The Rock” to Europe. -more-
The interim Pacifica National Board held its first meeting by telephone Saturday and elected three officers. -more-
SAN FRANCISCO – Several San Francisco Bay area charities and nonprofit organizations are bracing for layoffs and budget cutbacks with the coming new year, citing lagging donations during the holiday season. -more-
