With SAT-9 testing set to begin in Berkeley elementary schools this week, a small group of parents, activists and students gathered outside Rosa Parks School to protest the exam and spread the word about a provision in state law allowing parents to opt their children out of the test. -more-

Today is Tuesday, April 30, the 120th day of 2002. There are 245 days left in the year. -more-

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Tuesday, April 30 -more-

Ahh, halftime. Berkeley High midfielder Demetrius Sommers cracks open a cold one - a tall black can, highlights of red and gold. -more-

A group of eight Berkeley educators and activists left for an East Coast tour of “small schools” Monday amid controversy over the racial make-up and mission of the delegation. -more-

Chili feed -more-

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The second of two live TV forums to discuss the airing of adult material, “Viewer Discretion Advised,” aired on Berkeley’s public access cable channel last night. The show featured independent producers Svetlana Coutoure and Dr. Susan Block facing off over adult content and censorship issues in response to complaints brought to B-TV’s board of directors by Coutoure and her husband about Dr. Block’s show. -more-

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Earthquakes remain the most serious threat to bridges and freeway overpasses across the nation, but highway engineers say terrorism has been added to the list of concerns. -more-

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SACRAMENTO — Ignoring pleas of carmakers and business groups, a key state Senate committee passed a bill Monday to curb global warming by further reducing California tailpipe emissions after 2009. -more-

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CUPERTINO, Calif. — In an effort to capture more school sales, Apple Computer Inc. on Monday introduced a line of Macintosh computers that will be sold only to educators and students. -more-

An alliance of progressive organizations sponsored a nominating convention at a packed North Berkeley Senior Center Saturday to select five candidates for the November Rent Board election. The approximately 120 pro-rent control residents in attendance selected a diverse slate that appears poised to use the rent board to further press tenants’ rights. -more-

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Senior QB completes 10 of 11 in annual Spring Game as starters win a 42-0 romp -more-

Lawyers and activists discussed how the country can heal lingering wounds of slavery through reparations at a two-day symposium at the University of California’s Boalt Hall School of Law. -more-

Today’s Highlight in History: -more-

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Errors help Bears beat UW -more-

Some city projects may be axed at special meeting -more-

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Tuesday -more-

The annual Berkeley Bay Festival entertained and educated residents from around the Bay Area on Saturday, offering boat rides, live music, environmental education workshops and even a solar cooker demonstration. -more-

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Today’s Highlight in History: -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A man out for an early morning swim with two friends was dragged away from the city’s Ocean Beach by a rip tide Sunday, prompting a surfer and the San Francisco Fire Department to come to his aid. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A California man has been sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for tricking owners of lost pets to wire him money. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – Property manager Mark Schultz doesn’t want a rerun of San Francisco’s dog mauling tragedy, so he’s boosting liability insurance by $1 million at an apartment complex he manages. -more-

San Francisco group wins Best Album, Outstanding Songwriter; No Doubt’s Stefani named Outstanding Female Vocalist -more-

Perks pay off at Oakland public schools -more-

SAN JOSE – Hewlett-Packard Co. heir Walter Hewlett fell way short of proving his lawsuit against the company and should just admit he lost his fight to stop the Compaq Computer Corp. acquisition, HP attorneys argued in a scathing legal brief. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – Once a front door to the city by the bay, the historic “Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street” soon will have a market of its own. -more-

Survivors say they won’t settle with tire company after losing grandfather, 13-year old -more-

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There are several residential streets in Berkeley which are almost pristine examples of early 20th century development. Walking down one of these quiet streets (often by-passed and hidden because of street barriers) is to experience a different era. -more-

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American playwright Tony Kushner wrote the most famous play of 1990s with his seven-hour, two-part creation “Angels in America,” which won a Pulitzer Prize and many other awards. “Angels” was commissioned by San Francisco’s Eureka Theater, then under the direction of Tony Taccone, who now heads the Berkeley Rep. -more-

Theater -more-

The St. Mary’s High baseball team lost their second straight extra-inning game on Friday, as Andy Duncan’s sacrifice fly brought home the winning run for St. Joseph in the ninth inning of a 12-11 final at Washington Park in Alameda. -more-

Joy Moore, a community nutrition outreach worker for the City of Berkeley, is considering a run for the Board of Education in November. -more-

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NEW YORK — ABC’s need to reverse years of excessive spending by its news division may be prompting the network to ask Peter Jennings to take a substantial pay cut, an industry analyst said Friday. -more-

LBSU upsets Cal water polo -more-

Consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader criticized Congress for watering down energy and campaign finance legislation and railed against corporate influence on politics at a UC Berkeley appearance Friday afternoon. -more-

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Eugene O’Neill is one of America’s greatest playwrights. Over the course of his career he almost single-handedly lifted American playwriting from being looked at as narrow and provincial to internationally-respected and first-rate. -more-

Boys lacrosse – Berkeley 13, College Prep 2 -more-

Officials called for transportation to be the number one priority of the developing Southside Plan at this week's Berkeley Planning Commission meeting. -more-

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The audiences cuing up outside Bay Area theaters for the San Francisco International Film Festival – continuing until May 2 – are not only getting the first and sometimes only look at films from around the world, they are getting a chance to see and hear makers of those films in person. -more-

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Scholars and legal experts gathered at UC Berkeley to debate the changing face of immigration laws in the United States at The 6th Annual Travers Ethics Conference. -more-

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Al Joseph DeGuzman, who assembled an arsenal of guns and homemade bombs while plotting a killing spree of fellow students at De Anza College, was convicted on 108 counts Friday of possessing and planning to use those weapons. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Measures to put $25.3 billion in education bond measures before California voters in two elections were signed by Gov. Gray Davis on Friday. -more-

HOQUIAM, Wash. — In a rush to get to their arctic breeding grounds, hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds are making their annual pit stops along the coast of Washington. -more-

As artistry and functionality creep back into modern home design, glass block re-emerges, not just as a privacy solution for bathroom windows, but as an attractive way to keep light flowing in throughout the home. -more-

WATSONVILLE, Calif. — At noon on Saturday, Japanese-American men, women and children in fedoras and flowered dresses will report to a government building, attach tags with government-issued numbers to their suitcases and buttonholes, and ride a bus to a place with fences and guard towers. -more-

WASHINGTON — Chandra Levy has been gone for a year now and her parents see no end to the uncertainty that fuels their anguish. -more-

A chronology of events in the disappearance of Chandra Levy: -more-

Berkeley - David Wood, a renowned dancer, choreographer and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, who founded the campus's dance program, died on April 21 of complications from Parkinson's disease and muscular dystrophy. He was 77. -more-

OAKLAND, Calif. — Doris Goodday Hoffmann, an Alzheimer’s patient who put a face on the devastating disease in her daughter’s Oscar-nominated film, has died. She was 94. -more-

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Veritas Software Corp., one of the world’s top-selling software makers, always seemed to take a back seat to other high-tech heavyweights — until Sept. 11. -more-

UC Berkeley has suspended Students for Justice in Palestine while officials investigate the group’s April 9 takeover of Wheeler Hall. -more-

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They are three unlikely stars of American letters – their unsteady, vulnerable voices can be heard through their writing and on the radio – but David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, and David Rakoff are the crowned triumvirate of humor prose. Their published memoirs wrought with witty failure and anxiety have charmed and amused the in-crowd. -more-

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Yellowjacket boys, Gaucho girls win -more-

The Board of Education tangled with activists over the multi-million dollar maintenance budget and tabled a change in the hiring process for principals at its Wednesday night meeting. -more-

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The calamity of September 11 has unleashed a flurry of books – both old and new – that seek to explain the intricacies of the volatile region to a hungry public. Gilles Kepel, author of “Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam”, will discuss his own historical viewpoint tonight at 7:30 at Cody’s Books on Telegraph Avenue. -more-

El Cerrito volleyball completes season sweep over Berkeley -more-

Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocay (BOAA) held a vigil last night before UC Berkeley’s Northwest Animal Facility to protest the use of animals for experimentation. Clutching signs and candles, the black-clad protesters stood in silence along Oxford St. between Hearst and Berkeley streets while campus police video-taped the scene. -more-

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The third week of testimony in the civil suit of Earth First v. The FBI and the Oakland Police Department came to a close Thursday evening with the plaintiffs feeling exuberant over early strides made in their case. -more-

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Today is Friday, April 26, the 116th day of 2002. There are 249 days left in the year. -more-

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SAN FRANCISCO — While Gov. Gray Davis’ efforts to keep Patrick Ghilotti behind bars went all the way to the California Supreme Court, few noticed when at least 16 other sexually violent predators were allowed to disappear quietly into their communities. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Gov. Gray Davis cannot arbitrarily overrule a state law that sets guidelines for freeing rapists and child molesters after they have served their sentences. -more-

LIVERMORE — A year ago, President Bush asked the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to find out how long it would take to restart nuclear test explosions. -more-

The FBI announced Thursday that four Oakland International Airport employees have been arrested on suspicion of failing to disclose prior felony convictions when applying for airport badges that gave them access to secure areas of the airport. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A Sierra Nevada conservation group sued the state Thursday over its approval of logging plans by the state’s largest timber company. -more-

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Q. I have a humming noise in my water lines, caused by a vibration that results when the tank float valve in my toilet nears shut-off. Is there a way to fix it other than by replacing the float and shut-off valve assembly? -more-

LOS ANGELES — The cost of home ownership in California broke another barrier in March, with the median home price topping $300,000 for the first time, according to industry figures released Thursday. -more-

NEW YORK — Shares of InVision Technologies Inc., which makes airport luggage scanners, fell Thursday after the Transportation Department reduced the number of such machines it plans to deploy at airports this year. -more-

After input from citizens and councilmembers, the controversial resolution from the Peace and Justice Commission to divest from Israel and Palestine that contained several items supporting peace processes in the region was picked apart, rewritten, but in the end it was still voted down. -more-

The St. Mary’s High baseball team missed a chance to put itself ahead of the BSAL pack on Wednesday, falling apart in the ninth inning to lose, 8-3, to Albany. -more-

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Blue grass music is alive and well and can be heard in Berkeley and Albany. The Ashkenaz hosts a monthly Fling Ding, where local bluegrass performers jam, as pictured at left on April 17. -more-

Thursday, April 25

Berkeley High School has released a blueprint for reform four weeks before a crucial visit by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, a Burlingame-based accrediting group which has threatened to withdraw its seal of approval if BHS does not make progress in 11 areas first identified in 1999. -more-

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LOS ANGELES — Sony Pictures is spinning a commanding box-office web this summer, with a lineup anchored by that blockbuster-in-the-making, “Spider-Man,” and sequels to “Men in Black” and “Stuart Little.” -more-

The Berkeley City Council passed two resolutions opposing a new Alameda county juvenile facility planned for construction in Dublin. Opponents of the facility say there is no need for a larger facility and that the proposed Dublin location will be inaccessible to most Alameda county families. -more-

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John Yoo, a Bush Administration official on loan from UC Berkeley, defended the president’s handling of the 299 alleged Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba at a Wednesday appearance at the university’s Boalt School of Law. -more-

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Today is Thursday, April 25, the 115th day of 2002. There are 250 days left in the year. -more-

Armed with signs, flyers, food and a woman in a peanut suit, the Coalition of University Employees Local 3 held a lunch-hour rally on the lawn before Sproul Hall on Wednesday to demand an increase in wages for clerical workers from the university. -more-

BERKELEY – U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee has been named the winner of the Wayne Morse Integrity in Government Award for 2002, in part for challenging President Bush’s military plans after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A Berkeley bicyclist has sued the organizer of the AIDS Vaccine Rides for allegedly misrepresenting how much money raised by the events ends up going to medical research. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A hotly debated bill that would let teacher contract negotiations include textbook and curriculum selection stalled Wednesday night in an Assembly committee. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Counties and cities in California may prohibit gun shows on their fairgrounds and other public properties, despite state laws that allow such events, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A Senate budget subcommittee stripped money intended to build California’s first new prison since 1995 on Wednesday, saying the maximum-security facility is unnecessary as the state’s prison population falls. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The state Board of Education picked a new standardized test Wednesday to replace the Stanford 9 exam students take each spring. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Land-use planners and government agencies, accustomed to second guessing themselves when saying no to developers, are hailing a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling as a victory for sound planning in California. -more-

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A small software company that has an office in Berkeley is taking on entertainment behemoths, suing nine major movie studios for the right to sell a program that allows the user to copy commercial DVDs. -more-

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In an endorsement of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.’s next-generation processor, Microsoft Corp. has agreed to work on adding support for the chip to its Windows operating system. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court on Monday gave new life to a patent dispute between the world’s two largest biotechnology companies, reinstating Genentech Inc.’s lawsuit against Amgen Inc. -more-

High times for pilot -more-

Flowers pilfered -more-

The plans to establish Eastshore State Park, the swath of coastal greenbelt that stretches from the foot of the Bay Bridge to Marina Bay in Richmond, is taking a somewhat cohesive form. Entitled the “preferred park plan,” it is ready for the next stage after a Tuesday presentation in Berkeley. The city will be receiving it with a special meeting composed of the City Council, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Waterfront Commission this Tuesday, April 30, 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Community Theater, 1930 Allston Way. -more-

Earwax, you’re history -more-