Council bans sexually-explicit shows before midnight -more-

To The Editor, -more-

Sitcoms even less diverse than last year; children’s hour has fewest minorities -more-

Playoff win sets up rematch with University -more-

The chair of the UC Berkeley English Department said her office has received a stream of hate mail from Israeli partisans in recent days for sponsoring a fall, 2002 course called “The Politics and Poetics of Palestinian Resistance.” -more-

To the Editor: -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Chinese speakers nationwide have a new late-night talk show host to turn to with the syndication of a nightly Mandarin-language call-in show. -more-

St. Mary’s golfer wins North Coast title -more-

African-American Studies chair calls for “healing” in school community -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Today is Wednesday, May 15, the 135th day of 2002. There are 230 days left in the year. -more-

Senior Prank Has Town Buzzing -more-

Utility district officials deny charges of mishandling asbestos -more-

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Out-of-state students may have to pay hundreds of dollars more for tuition this fall at California State University under a proposal by the 23-campus system. -more-

Dry, arid Imperial Valley appears miles removed from the bucolic green pastures where happy cows are seen frolicking in those popular California milk ads. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Legislative committees advanced twin bills Tuesday repealing a provision in state law that shields gunmakers from lawsuits over their marketing of firearms. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Napster’s chief executive resigned Tuesday, after founders of the troubled song-swap company refused to be bought out by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG. -more-

xSAN FRANCISCO — Napster’s chief executive resigned Tuesday, after founders of the troubled song-swap company refused to be bought out by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG. -more-

Wednesday, May 15

NEW YORK — Better-than-expected April retail sales sent stocks sharply higher Tuesday, extending Wall Street’s winning streak to two sessions, as investors grew more confident about consumer spending. The Dow Jones industrials surged nearly 190 points, its third triple-digit finish in five trading days. -more-

LOS ANGELES — An attorney who has taken the American Dental Association to court in several states over the amount of mercury used in fillings was the target of a defamation lawsuit filed Tuesday by the organization. -more-

A television-oversight policy being entertained by city leaders would make city officials the “moral conscience” of the community, according to Berkeley Community Media Executive Director Brian Scott. -more-

St. Mary’s High sprinting and hurdling standout Danielle Stokes has an impressive track resume. Literally. She has it available by fax. -more-

Today is Tuesday, May 14, the 134th day of 2002. There are 231 days left in the year. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Tuesday, May 14

Tuesday, May 14

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Parking on the -more-

To the editor: -more-

Local 1, the Martinez-based union that has represented employees of the Berkeley Unified School District for years, is on the ropes. -more-

The Earth First! v. FBI and Oakland Police Department trial moved one step closer to closing arguments and jury deliberation Monday. Attorneys for both sides questioned the last few witnesses in the case that accuses the FBI and OPD of mishandling the 1990 car bombing of environmental activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The Assembly on Monday defeated a bill that would have allowed motorcyclists age 21 and older to ride without helmets. -more-

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — A San Francisco bicyclist collapsed and died Monday on the first day of a charity long-distance bike ride. -more-

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The nation’s largest public pension fund can once again invest in Filipino stocks after the ambassador of that nation convinced financial analysts that his country’s economy is solid. -more-

Long before Hallmark cornered the market on greeting cards, Julia Ward Howe, author of the famous poem, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” wrote the Mother’s Day Proclamation. That was 1870. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Monday, May 13

St. Mary’s boys claim 16th straight league title, while girls take sixth in a row as Panthers avoid mistakes -more-

Amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, dozens of incidents meant to hurt or harass Berkeley’s Jewish community have been reported over the past two months. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Fifth-ranked Cal swept No. 15 Oregon State in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader to conclude its regular season schedule. -more-

By Neil G. Greene -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Tuesday -more-

Today is Monday, May 13, the 133th day of 2002. There are 232 days left in the year. -more-

Mother’s Day flowers take long trail to U.S. homes -more-

PALO ALTO — Five people were arrested this weekend in raids on three health centers police said were part of a prostitution ring. -more-

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Likud party voted early Monday to reject the creation of a Palestinian state, a major defeat for Sharon that he feared would increase international pressure on Israel and tie his hands in potential negotiations. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The premise of the latest Star Wars film doesn’t surprise Andy Mecca, president of the California Mentor Foundation. -more-

CHICAGO — Longtime tea-drinking may strengthen bones, researchers in Taiwan have found. -more-

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — Firefighters started to gain the upper-hand Sunday against a 4,000-acre wildfire fueled by stiff winds and dry, hot conditions, fire officials said. -more-

Automobile and home rate hikes could cost average Californian hundreds of dollars next year -more-

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Governor to reveal his plan to close $20 billion budget gap on Tuesday -more-

Pet lovers plan to take complaints to Board of Supervisors’ meeting -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – An endangered garter snake has stalled construction on the Bay Area Rapid Transit extension to San Francisco International Airport for the second time. -more-

city will ticket cars parked too long at broken meters, starting June 15 -more-

The history of garbage disposal is an interesting and rather shocking one. Our current concern for the protection of the environment was not shared by our forebears. When garbage was out of sight it was considered adequately deposed of; the land, sea and sky were believed able to absorb all the “bad things”. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Saturday, May 11

Travel back in time and land in the front row of a Cockettes performance with David Weissman (co-director/producer) and Bill Weber's (co-director/editor) documentary, “The Cockettes,” about the revolutionary drag troupe of the 1960s and ‘70s. -more-

xThe Berkeley High boys’ lacrosse team wrapped up their regular season with a dominating 19-3 win over Piedmont on Friday, as 13 different Yellowjackets scored at least one goal. -more-

Neighbors battling the American Baptist Seminary of the West’s plans to demolish two buildings and expand its campus were given a last chance to voice their concerns at Thursday’s Zoning Adjustment Board meeting, and they spoke in one cohesive voice — asking the board to stop the church. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

It was less a contest than a coronation. -more-

Sean Dugar had been thinking about running for the Board of Education for some time. But last weekend, he checked in for one last time with his closest advisers – his parents. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

ACCAL race tightens up with one week left; Berkeley can clinch title with win over El Cerrito on Wednesday -more-

‘Star Wars’ isn’t just a movie: -more-

NEW YORK — Folk singer Suzanne Vega lived near the World Trade Center for 10 years and has long been part of a loose group of local artists — the Greenwich Village Songwriter’s Exchange — who meet weekly to share music. -more-

Cal women’s tennis moves on to Regional Final -more-

Today is Saturday, May 11, the 131st day of 2002. There are 234 days left in the year. -more-

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Veteran Mexican musician Juan Gabriel won four awards, including top songwriter, and Ricky Martin received special recognition for his charitable works at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. -more-

WASHINGTON — Sen. Barbara Boxer wants to designate 2.5 million acres of public land in California as wilderness, including national forest areas that the Bush administration has proposed for oil drilling and logging. -more-

Donors stuffed envelopes with a record $25,000 for the Berkeley Public Education Foundation Friday afternoon at the organization’s 16th Annual Spring Luncheon. -more-

BERKELEY — Friday, officials at the University of California at Berkeley blamed the English Department for the listing of a course in which the instructor, an active supporter of Palestinians on campus, suggested that “conservative thinkers” should consider another course. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — E-Trade Group Inc. Chairman Christos Cotsakos agreed Friday to relinquish his salary for the next two years and surrender other rich benefits in an effort to quell outrage over a compensation package that made him the brokerage industry’s top-paid executive. -more-

Workers from Latin America decry conditions at Gap factories -more-

SACRAMENTO — Small wine importers fear a bill that would limit distribution of wine into California, backed by a British beverage conglomerate and the wine industry’s trade group, could monopolize the state’s wine market and wipe out their businesses. -more-

A first glance at the photographs hanging in the entrance hallway of Photolab in West Berkeley could cause some confusion. The well-executed pictures carefully hung along the long, narrow passage are a seemingly random collection of moments and memories with titles like “After the Rain, Old Quebec (Quebec, 1984)” and “Adria at Ebbets Field (Brooklyn, NY, 1950)” and “Cow, Point Reyes National Seashore (Marin, CA, 1995)”. -more-

On cleaning tubs and showers -more-

LOWELL, Ore. — They’re still here, on plywood platforms and under blue tarps, watching the forest from the treetops and waiting for word that their efforts have paid off. -more-

LOS ANGELES — An Orange County doctor jailed in Israel on suspicion of terrorism began a hunger strike Friday to protest his detention without formal charges, his brother said. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Concluding an eight-month operation that involved about 800 troops and cost the state about $40 million, the last of the National Guard units that provided added security at 30 California airports headed back home Friday. -more-

We recently attended the 21st annual Kitchen & Bath Show in Chicago, where — along with 40,000 other industry professionals — we were dazzled by new and exciting products for the two most important rooms in the home. -more-

The take-home message at an impassioned citizens’ forum Wednesday night was that police brutality exists in Berkeley and there’s little that residents can do about it. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Friday, May 10

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Repeat performance means end of line for ’Jackets -more-

Two new candidates declare for school board -more-

To the Editor: -more-

To listen to filmmaker Kevin Epps, the director of “Straight Outta Hunter’s Point,” is to watch him move. He paces, glides, leans and lunges while fielding questions with sometimes elliptical, sometimes impressionistic answers. -more-

Want a ride to work? -more-

Millions of moviegoers across the country cued up last weekend to see Spiderman crawl up buildings and swing through New York City on a strand of webbing. What they did not see, what the filmmakers took great pains to make sure they did not see, was the World Trade Center. Eight months after the Twin Towers fell, who wants to see them? Last fall the media was flooded with horrific images of our nation under terrorist siege; now director Sam Raimi and the studio powers-that-be can hardly be blamed for editing footage of the NYC skyline out of their light entertainment. -more-

Today is Friday, May 10, the 130th day of 2002. There are 235 days left in the year. -more-

“Thoroughly Modern Millie” leads with 11 nominations; “Urinetown” and “Into the Wo ods” receive 10 each -more-

Students play with their food -more-

BERKELEY — It’s an event that may have “the cool of scratched LPs, plaid polyester pants or schnauzer-shaped salt and pepper shakers,” frets organizer Pat Schwieterman. -more-

SACRAMENTO — California’s Little Hoover Commission added itself Wednesday to a chorus of voices vilifying California’s shortage of housing that average residents can afford. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Family, friends and coworkers know Riad Abdelkarim as a dedicated doctor and father of four who eats too much fast food, roots for the Anaheim Angels and has a caring bedside manner with patients. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Changes in census forms between 1990 and 2000 led to huge undercounts of several Hispanic nationalities, a study released Thursday estimates. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The state Assembly approved a bill Thursday that would suspend rules requiring California’s two largest telephone companies to share part of their profits with their customers. -more-

DETROIT — Connecting employees to each other is one of the most important factors in making a business competitive, Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive of Sun Microsystems Inc., said Thursday in a speech peppered with jabs at the software company’s rival, Microsoft Corp. -more-

Dear Tom and Ray: -more-

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ST. GEORGE REEF, Calif. — First, the fog delayed the volunteers trying to restore a 110-year-old lighthouse by carrying a 5-ton lantern by helicopter over the cascading Pacific Ocean. -more-

Tulips often disappoint after their first show of blooms. That first show reflects the skill of the commercial bulb grower because the flower buds form the season before blooms open. -more-

NEW YORK — The Rolling Stones staged an eye-popping spectacle that drew fans and media from around the globe — and they haven’t even gone on tour yet. -more-

One hundred Berkeley parents, students and school officials joined 1,000 Bay Area activists at the State Capitol Wednesday calling on Governor Gray Davis and the state legislature, who face a deficit as high as $22 billion, to avoid education cuts. -more-

Today is Thursday, May 9, the 129th day of 2002. There are 236 days left in the year. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Wednesday May 8 -more-

The St. Mary’s High baseball team clinched second place and a first-round bye in the BSAL playoffs with a dramatic 7-5 win over Piedmont on Wednesday. Joe Storno shook off a first-inning three-run blast by Piedmont’s Peter Boyle to go the distance for the win. -more-

Developers of a planned housing project, slated to add 40 affordable units to Berkeley’s limited housing stock, are convinced that city officials are giving them the runaround and say seniors are bearing the brunt of the delays. -more-

Suspect brings -more-

To the Editor: -more-

An emotional day in the Earth First! trial against the FBI and Oakland Police Department concluded Wednesday with videotaped testimony from the late Judi Bari, one of two environmental activists suing the FBI and OPD for mishandling their 1990 car bombing in Oakland. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

A 25-year-old woman was probably happy to receive a citation Wednesday from the Union Pacific Police, particularly since she was alive and well enough to accept it. -more-

A law degree from the University of California Berkeley may soon turn into a huge headache for Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl. Former student activist and current environmental attorney Rick Young has filed a lawsuit against the chancellor claiming that he has made fraudulent statements to the public about parking and housing issues. -more-

OAKLAND, Calif. — Plans to move juvenile hall to Dublin may be on hold following an announcement by Alameda County’s sheriff that he’s closing the North County adult jail in Oakland. -more-

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NEW YORK — Crude oil and products futures rallied sharply on the New York Mercantile Exchange Wednesday as U.S. crude inventories declined and Middle East tensions flared anew after two Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel. -more-

WASHINGTON — Ignoring protests from Nevada, the House on Wednesday overwhelmingly embraced President Bush’s decision to bury tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste in volcanic rock 90 miles from Las Vegas. -more-

GILROY, Calif. — A moderate earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area, rattling the stands at hockey and baseball games, sending frightened customers running from businesses and briefly tying up phone lines. -more-

BERKELEY A scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and chemistry professor at the University of California at Berkeley has been named to a society that includes such notable names as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Ken Yoshida was 19 years old when he was ordered to go to war by the government that had herded him to an internment camp. He refused and was sent to prison where he was ostracized by his community and branded a traitor by the powerful Japanese American Citizens League. -more-

Naked burglar arrested -more-

The Planning Commission continued to methodically digest the Southside Plan at its Wednesday night meeting, ruminating over several amendments aimed at liberalizing zoning rules and discussing the just- releasedstaff review of the plan’s impacts on land use and housing. -more-

PALO ALTO, Calif. — When a group of New England explorers set sail more than 200 years ago, they brought back souvenirs from the indigenous people they encountered, hoping to inspire later generations. -more-

The ongoing labor dispute between workers seeking to unionize and the Claremont Resort and Spa has now gone federal in the form of a National Labor Relations Board complaint against Claremont for unfair labor practices. The Labor Board has scheduled a hearing for August 26. -more-