When workers in New York declared the first Labor Day in 1882, they dedicated it to the economic and social achievements of American workers and celebrated it with parades and speeches. But today, for many retail and restaurant workers, Labor Day will be just another business day. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Monday, September 2 -more-

Big plays and the breaks. Two things the Cal football team hasn’t gotten much of in the past few seasons. But on Saturday against Baylor, the Golden Bears got both in spades. -more-

The Pacifica Foundation radio network, slated to return to Berkeley this year after fleeing amid controversy two and a half years ago, may not be coming home as soon as thought. -more-

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What might sound like every student’s dream – a school day with fewer classes – turned out to be less than exciting to returning Berkeley High School students last week. The familiar seven-period schedule has been reduced to six, but the school day is no shorter. In fact, for some it’s longer. -more-

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After handing out a proverbial carrot to student riders this August – in the form of lower bus rates for youth – AC Transit swung its stick at the rest of its estimated 235,000 patrons. -more-

Doctor loses custody of hippo -more-

Arson suspected in grass fire -more-

SACRAMENTO – Lawmakers passed a two-months-late budget early Sunday morning and approved a last-minute array of bills ranging from construction defects to driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants as the Legislature ended its 2002 session. -more-

SACRAMENTO – California consumers will not gain any new financial privacy protections this year, despite three different attempts to pass such a bill on the last day of the legislative session. -more-

OAKLAND – There will be no baseball strike. But fans were sweating it out until news of a settlement came Friday. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

The H. J. Heinz Building is located on San Pablo Avenue just north of Ashby Avenue. Its Mediterranean-style facade is a prominent and distinctive feature on the streetscape of San Pablo Avenue. The building looks like an elegant school or office complex from the exterior, but behind the nicely detailed facade was once a real industrial/manufacturing building engaged in the production of 28 of the H. J. Heinz company's famous “57 Varieties.” -more-

In the wake of the Grateful Dead's brief reunion concert in Wisconsin last month, and with a pending winter mini tour, there could hardly be better timing for Dennis McNally's “Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead,” which the author will discuss at Cody's Wednesday. What sets the 600-page tome apart from other Dead bios is the author's background and his personal relationship with the band. -more-

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Saturday, August 31 -more-

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Cal women’s soccer team pulled out a 2-0 win over Ohio State to open the season on Friday at Edwards Stadium. -more-

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To the Editor: -more-

When Cal has the ball -more-

With budget cuts at Berkeley Unified School District meaning reduced staff, larger classes and sometimes demoralized teachers, Longfellow Middle School’s new principal Rebecca Cheung gave her staff a place to stash pessimism: a plastic Kodak film canister labeled, “My Container of Disbelief.” -more-

To the Editor: -more-

NEW YORK — They saved a season and ended a streak by choosing to play rather than picket. -more-

$5 Golden Gate toll sparks FasTrak signups -more-

Nan Rohan’s passion for the age-old art of soaking and plaiting wheat into handsome designs runs deep into the soil of her Berkeley garden which produced successful wheat crops both this year and last. -more-

Few glitches on
first day of class -more-

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LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter at Hogwarts, Frodo Baggins bound for Mordor, Hannibal Lecter in his nuthouse cell, Jean-Luc Picard on the bridge of the Enterprise, and James Bond in bed with Halle Berry. -more-

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Thursday, August 29

The Mersey Hot Shots, a Berkeley club soccer team, recently made the journey to Europe to take part in two of the world’s biggest soccer tournaments. The players kept a diary of their travels and experiences. Part 1 of the diary: -more-

UC Berkeley’s three-day strike took its greatest toll Wednesday as numerous classes were canceled after lecturers marched alongside clerical workers on the final day of their strike. -more-

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There is no relief in sight for patients like Dee Strandvold who will lose an important resource when the Alta Bates Summit pain management clinic in Berkeley closes this year. -more-

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When environmental activist Darryl Cherney returned home from vacation this week, he was delighted to hear that his legal victory over the FBI and Oakland Police Department had been confirmed by a federal judge. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

$1 saves at least $20 million -more-

BERKELEY – A risk analysis by a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researcher and a University of Michigan physicist has turned up some unexpected results about the comparative safety of big and bulky SUVs. -more-

The Oakland Police Department reports that three shootings on Tuesday night within one hour have left one man dead and two in stable condition. -more-

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority has won two court rulings in the past two days in disputes with the Golden State Warriors that could net the coliseum $23.5 million in back revenues – if the rulings stand up on appeal. -more-

SAN JOSE – The developers of San Jose's Santana Row residential and retail complex have announced a new grand opening date for the mixed-use development that was devastated by fire earlier this month. -more-

Gov. congratulates school district
for raising credentials -more-

SACRAMENTO — California will face a “perfect storm” if the lawmakers can’t pass a state spending plan by the end of the month, state Controller Kathleen Connell said. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Bill Simon, who signed a pledge during the gubernatorial primary stating “domestic partnership” benefits belong exclusively to marriage, told a gay Republican group he supports domestic partnership laws if they’re not based on sexual orientation. -more-

Senate passes bill banning
imports of genetically
altered salmon -more-

They were allegedly
aware that the company
booked false revenues -more-

REDWOOD CITY— Bankrupt Napster Inc. on Thursday plans to seek a Delaware court’s approval of its proposed sale to Bertelsmann AG, which hopes to revive the silenced Internet music-sharing service. -more-

Microsoft must respond to
Sun injunction request by Oct. 4 -more-

University officials claim that at least 600 of the 1,800 striking UC Berkeley clerical workers crossed the picket line and went to work Monday, despite the start of a three-day strike. -more-

Creating playing fields in Berkeley has proven to be a drama with no end in sight. As the issue unfolds, everyone in our community loses over our inability to fulfill the simple, basic need for more playing fields for our young people. Our city is dense and small, but people, young and old alike, have a real need for stretching their bodies in the joy of an informal game of touch football, for girls breaking from old stereotypes by functioning as a soccer team, or for having a hard-fought competition between high school baseball teams. After years of studies and meetings, people are still saying in public hearings that playing fields are needed, but put them somewhere else. Berkeley clearly does not have fields of dreams, but rather can only offer inadequate dreams of fields. -more-

If the Cal football team is going to have success this season, the Bears will need a big contribution from senior cornerback Jemeel Powell. And if the Bears do show marked improvement, no one will better symbolize the ups and downs of the last four years than Powell. -more-

While regional planners move forward with a strategy to accommodate 1 million new residents expected in the Bay Area 20 years from now, skeptics, including a handful of Berkeley residents, are saying to slow down instead. -more-

SACRAMENTO – A bill that could help find out whether women’s athletic programs in California are meeting national requirements passed the Senate Tuesday. -more-

The Bay Area received some good news Tuesday when the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that San Francisco is one of two U.S. cities competing to host the 2012 Olympic games. -more-

HOUSTON – UC, which is the lead plaintiff in the shareholder class action lawsuit against the Enron Corp. and Arthur Andersen, announced Tuesday that it has reached a tentative agreement with the international division of the accounting firm. -more-

East Bay lawmakers gathered in Oakland Tuesday to kick off a new program designed to take students in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to and from school for free or at a discounted price. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The state Senate approved a bill Tuesday to require Bay Area drivers to participate in the more costly Smog Check II program, which supporters said would cut pollution that migrates to the Central Valley. -more-

SAN JOSE — In the first financial results since closing its merger with Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. said third-quarter sales fell short of expectations though the integration of the companies remains on track. -more-

THREE RIVERS — Authorities confiscated more than 20,000 plants from several marijuana gardens growing in Tulare County and Sequoia National Park. -more-

Six hundred striking clerical workers could not keep hoards of UC Berkeley students from attending their first day of class Monday. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Tuesday, August 27

NEW YORK— Just four days before baseball players were scheduled to strike, the sides weighed their next moves Monday in the drawn-out negotiations for a new labor contract. -more-

On Monday 34-year-old Joe Spears stood among a group of UC Berkeley clerical workers protesting the school’s handling of labor negotiations. -more-

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cory Lidle managed to regroup in time after his scoreless inning streak was snapped after 32 innings because of an unearned run. -more-

A two-alarm fire early Monday has left at least 60 residents, many of them seniors and disabled, without homes. -more-

To the Editor: -more-

Collins to have knee surgery -more-

A bullet for a wedgie -more-

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Players poised and fans hushed, the jersey-clad teams from across the globe waited, motionless, for the signal to begin. -more-

Today’s Highlight in History: -more-

Lawyers to present Stayner as
insane to avoid death penalty -more-

SF leaders unveil new
anti-hate poster campaign -more-

SAN MATEO – Paul Wayne King, found guilty in March of a hate killing for sending a black man crumpling to the sidewalk with a blow to the head outside a Redwood City bar, was sentenced Monday to spend the rest of his life in prison. -more-

Calif. must reduce its use
of water from Colo. River -more-

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis’ administration has shelved legislation designed to shape California’s future growth though financial rewards to cities that followed its vision. -more-

Students shrug off latest
survey by Princeton Review -more-

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The thieves who stole Amy Jo Sutterluety’s identity spent $70,000 in her name. They also took her time: a month to close 15 fraudulent accounts. -more-

Sony’s PlayStation 2 launches
online video game service -more-

State Legislature enters last week of session -more-

Assembly members disagree on how
to handle $23.6 billion deficit -more-

Gov. Bush says he will talk with
Muslim groups about threats -more-

The gulf between rich and poor widened in California during the 1990s. -more-

RENO, Nev. — Thousands of techies, old hippies, trippers and artists from around the world are on their way to the northern Nevada desert for the annual Burning Man counterculture festival. -more-

OAKLAND— Transit officials are taking a look at a new mass transit system that would use small trams instead of trains and would look similar to a freeway with rest areas. -more-

LOS ANGELES — Your stocks turned out to be lemons? Think about investing in vintage vehicles, say collectors who point to skyrocketing values led by American muscle cars. But step into the classic car market carefully, the experts advise. -more-

Today’s Highlight in History: -more-

The foreign-born population in the nine Bay Area counties rose significantly in the 1990s, from about 20 percent in 1990 to almost 27.5 percent in 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released today. -more-

OAKLAND – Homicide investigators said today that they have little to go on as they try to solve the city's 73rd homicide, which occurred at an apartment complex in the western side of the city Sunday night. -more-