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Wednesday, September 18 -more-

The county has rejected Berkeley Unified School District’s budget for the second straight year, citing a $3.9 million deficit and a vague financial recovery plan, county officials said Tuesday. -more-

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Cal’s Kirk named Pac-10 Player of the Week -more-

The fight for mayor has a new battleground – campaign finance. -more-

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A BART scheduling change designed to ease travel to the San Francisco International Airport has added up to five minutes to the Berkeley-San Francisco-Daly City commute, raising concern among riders and public transit advocates. -more-

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City Council voted Tuesday to keep West Campus Pool open this winter and to investigate ways to keep Willard Pool open as well. -more-

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Judge orders striking -more-

SACRAMENTO — Nearly all the blackouts that swept California during the state’s 2000-2001 energy crisis could have been avoided, according to a report released Tuesday by state power regulators. -more-

SACRAMENTO — Using the label invisible man, the leading candidates for lieutenant governor accused each other Tuesday of piling up lousy participation records in their current jobs. -more-

Davis signs bills to protect -more-

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Broker Charles Schwab to cut 10 percent of staff -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao reneged on a year-old pledge to help 200 garment workers collect more than $1 million in unpaid wages, the factory employees charged Tuesday. -more-

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LONG BEACH— Trustees of the nation’s largest public university tentatively approved a tough new smoking policy Tuesday for the university’s 23 campuses that includes the authority to cite violators. -more-

Couple marries in a coal mine -more-

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — It is stone masonry in the sky, and the role model here is the Greek builder Archimedes, who said, “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” -more-

Armed Robbery -more-

Construction of the $34 million Milvia Buildings at Berkeley High School is five months behind schedule and at least one of the two structures will probably not open by next school year, district officials said. -more-

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Tuesday, September 17 -more-

When Berkeley needs to buy an appliance, it shops around. But not for the lowest price. -more-

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OAKLAND — Miguel Tejada singled home the winning run in the ninth inning as the Oakland Athletics snapped Anaheim’s six-game winning streak and tied the Angels for first place in the AL West with a 4-3 victory Monday night. -more-

At least 30 of the 41 pro-Palestinian students who took over UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall in April have decided to face official student conduct hearings rather than accept a probation deal from the university, according to student leaders. -more-

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A $1.4 million budget scare for the Berkeley Unified School District has vanished, district officials said. -more-

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Because the dollars in question will not actually come from the state this year, Kurr said the district can float bonds to raise some of the $1.4 million. The district would repay those bonds once the deferred state money flows to the district during the 2003-2004 fiscal year, likely in July or August 2003, Kurr said. -more-

The late Bill Hicks had a vision for his diverse, west Berkeley neighborhood. The long-time community leader and barbecue fan wanted to showcase the unique cultures of west Berkeley in one big annual blowout. On Sunday, the party began. -more-

BERKELEY – Police arrested one man and were searching for one or two more after a botched armed robbery Sunday afternoon at an electronics store. -more-

ALAMEDA – Ralph Appezzato, the mayor of Alameda and a candidate for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, died Monday in what authorities described as a possible suicide. He was 67. -more-

BRISBANE — The couple’s driveway is a steep, narrow trail that winds through a sun-drenched landscape of hardy California scrub. Their front steps are rocky footholds in the earth. Their living room is nestled within the shady embrace of a sprawling oak tree. -more-

Alleged gambling operation busted in Redwood City -more-

SAN JOSE — Cary Stayner was sane when he murdered three Yosemite National Park tourists in 1999, a jury decided Monday in what means he could face the death penalty. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — One of the Internet’s leading purveyors of pornography has offered to purchase the Napster trademark and Web site address for nearly $3 million in hopes of cashing in on the bankrupt song-swap company’s notorious reputation. -more-

Credit card scam exposes -more-

SAN JOSE — Despite a lackluster economy and continuing layoffs, California’s high-tech industry grew slightly last year with Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego accounting for most of the new jobs, according to a report released Tuesday by an industry trade group. -more-

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Berkeley went to sleep Friday night a progressive college town, but it woke up a skateboard mecca. -more-

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – Cal has already exceeded expectations. The Golden Bears are not content, however. -more-

There was nothing moderate about Mayor Shirley Dean’s re-election campaign kickoff Sunday. -more-

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A handful of pro-Palestinian students involved in the April takeover of UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall have accepted disciplinary action, according to university officials. -more-

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Cardinal nip Cal water polo -more-

Today is the deadline for Faiz Aldabashi and his brother Ali to clear loiterers from sidewalks around their south Berkeley shop Easy Liquor at San Pablo Avenue and Haskell Street. If they fail, the brothers say, the state will strip them of their liquor license. -more-

LOS ANGELES – California’s Libertarian Party voted Saturday to drop its candidate for governor because he spat on a radio talk show host. -more-

OAKLAND — The alleged ringleader of a violent clique of Oakland police officers known as “The Riders” will be conspicuously absent as defense lawyers launch their case next week. -more-

VALLEJO – Police Department reports that a house fire that sent twin 12-year-old boys to a Sacramento burn unit was started by three or four suspects who lobbed Molotov cocktails through the home's windows. -more-

OAKLAND – A spokesman for the Oakland Police Department says an early morning homicide that claimed the life of an 81-year-old man appears to have stemmed from a family dispute now that a relative is in custody. -more-

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Two years ago, Berkeley received a $450,000 state grant to install two sets of traffic lights along Telegraph Avenue and make several other street improvements. Today, those lights sit dark, covered with yellow caution tape. -more-

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Until the late 1930s the blocks south of the university were a family oriented, residential neighborhood with churches of different denominations. St. Marks Church and other churches in the area are survivors of a residential neighborhood that no longer exists. When St. Marks was constructed, for example, there was a full residential neighborhood across the street, between Bancroft and Allston, where the sports facilities now stand. -more-

The Cheap Suit Serenaders just weren’t made for these times. The impetus for the band came when two collectors of vintage 78 rpm records bumped into each other at an Alameda Flea Market more than 30 years ago. An animated discussion between the two men revealed a shared love for the recorded music of the late 1920s, a boom time in the music industry. -more-

Saturday, September 14 -more-

The St. Mary’s Panthers played 42 minutes of pretty good football on Friday, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make up for six minutes of horrible football. -more-

Berkeley must reduce barriers to development if it hopes to comply with the state’s housing law and retain control of its zoning ordinances, state regulators say. -more-

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Senior midfielder Brittany Kirk had a goal and an assist to lead the Cal women’s soccer team past third-ranked Santa Clara, 2-1, Friday at Edwards Stadium. -more-

A Congressman crusading against weapons in space who is scheduled to visit Berkeley Saturday won’t need to worry about weapons assaults above his head. This week – in a statement of protest – the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution declaring a person’s space directly overhead a weapons-free zone. -more-

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Cal men’s soccer beats St. Mary’s 4-0 -more-

A plan to reduce Berkeley air pollution and possibly save a homeless shelter may have to wait until the city budget crisis clears up. -more-

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A senior water aerobics class canceled by the city two weeks ago was reinstated Friday. -more-

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SAN FRANCISCO — Labor unrest spread further through the University of California’s system Friday, as lecturers from Santa Cruz joined their counterparts at Davis and Berkeley on rotating one-day picket lines. -more-

The future of Reddy Realty, Berkeley’s biggest and most infamous real estate company remained in doubt Friday. -more-

n Assault, robbery -more-

Marin woman escapes injury when car plunges from carport -more-

OAKLAND— In the opening statements of a trial involving three former Oakland police officers, the prosecution attempted to paint the trio as ruthless, egotistical cops out for themselves with no regard for others. -more-

OAKLAND – The Oakland Fire Department has determined that a five-alarm blaze that charred 15 acres and threatened homes Tuesday was accidentally caused by a brush-clearing crew. -more-

OAKLAND – A 27-year-old Florida man charged with allegedly stalking a former college classmate over a nine-year period delayed entering a plea in Alameda County Superior Court this morning. -more-

SEBASTOPOL — A raid on a pot farm on the outskirts of Sebastopol netted federal agents thousands of mature marijuana plants and ended with the arrest of the owner of a Petaluma medical marijuana club. -more-

MONACO — Below the gilded dome of the Cathedral of Monaco lies the body of Princess Grace. Flowers are arranged over the marble slab of her tomb, and a wooden plaque instructs visitors: “Silence and Respect.” -more-

RENO, Nev. — For a few days last month, Nevada’s seventh largest “city” was in the Black Rock Desert. -more-

Area motorcross bikers are frustrated. And they’re teaming up to take action. -more-

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Wrap barbed wire around a baseball bat. Beat a friend with it onto a plywood plank doused with lighter fluid and sparked into a table of fire. Then check to make sure he’s bleeding. -more-

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Friday, September 13 -more-

Last season, Berkeley High was within 24 minutes of winning the Alameda-Contra Costa Athletic League title. Tied 7-7 at halftime of the regular-season finale against Pinole Valley, the Yellowjackets collapsed and ended up losing 35-14. This year, the Jackets hope they will have the staying power to outlast the Spartans and several other contenders. -more-

Berkeley officials say they will move ahead with an ordinance that would protect consumers’ personal financial information, despite a lawsuit challenging similar laws in San Mateo County and Daly City. -more-

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LOS ANGELES — An amateur astronomer hunting for asteroids may have discovered a piece of the rocket that launched the Apollo 12 astronauts to the moon in 1969, a NASA scientist said Thursday. -more-

When a football team loses three players who gained 70 percent of its yards the previous season, there’s usually not much room for optimism. So why is St. Mary’s High head coach Jay Lawson so upbeat about the upcoming season? -more-

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While clerical workers sat down to discuss contracts with UC administrators Thursday – the first meeting since last month’s three-day strike – negotiators had at least one additional worry on their minds. -more-

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OS ANGELES — A judge Thursday threw out a politically damaging $78 million civil fraud verdict against GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon’s family investment firm, ruling that William E. Simon & Sons and other investors were the fraud victims. -more-

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OAKLAND – Alameda County Registrar of Voters Brad Clark has announced a series of demonstrations this month designed to allow voters to become acquainted with new electronic touchscreen voting equipment. -more-

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FREMONT — Cecilia Chang says she used to look the other way when people talked about “heavy stuff” — civil liberties, constitutional rights, discrimination. -more-

SACRAMENTO— More than 700 acres purchased Thursday from the state’s largest private landowner will expand California’s park system, perhaps by year’s end, officials said. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — Online powerhouse Yahoo Inc. and regional phone giant SBC Communications Inc. on Friday will unveil a high-speed Internet service designed to convince more people that broadband is worth the extra money. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — The Internet digital photo site Webshots seemed destined to dissolve in the dot-com meltdown a year ago as its owner, ExciteAtHome, prepared to go bankrupt. -more-

SACRAMENTO — A boom in the number of college-age students and laid-off workers means enrollment at California’s community colleges is skyrocketing. -more-

WASHINGTON — A California lawmaker said a symbolic argument having nothing to do with water is holding up his critical water bill. -more-

SAN JOSE — There are two things to consider in judging the sanity of Yosemite killer Cary Stayner: the criminal and his crimes. -more-

SACRAMENTO — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it has adopted its recovery plan for the threatened California red-legged frog, the amphibian believed to have inspired Mark Twain’s short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” -more-

SANTA ANA — California’s Libertarian Party is considering dropping its candidate for governor because he spit on a radio talk show host. -more-

The Associated Press -more-

CHP chase ends in SF with -more-

Calpine says no power contract, no plant -more-

Blaming it on the dog -more-

Boston squash comin’ up -more-

Alfred in Alfred -more-

Last week’s flap over red, white and blue ribbons had critics calling UC Berkeley unpatriotic. This week, however, university administrators and students put the name-calling behind them and hoped Wednesday’s commemoration of the Sept. 11 attacks would be free of politics. -more-

Amidst the solemn recital of names remembering the people killed on Sept. 11, I feel our grieving is incomplete. Can we truly honor the humanity of our loss if we do not also honor the four thousand civilians that we killed, albeit accidentally, during our retaliation in Afghanistan? Those people were not “collateral damage.” They had names. They had families. They, too, had hopes for the future. -more-

Thursday, September 12 -more-

Thursday, September 12 -more-

By Jennifer Dix -more-

Despite an encouraging start to the season, the Cal football team played to a tiny crowd of 24,619 fans at Memorial Stadium on Saturday against New Mexico State, a fact that surprised several Bears players. -more-

Budget shortfalls threatening to close two Berkeley swimming pools have already cost 50 seniors their four-year-old water aerobics class. -more-

As everyone is well aware, Sept. 11 was the one-year anniversary of tragic events. The fire service lost over 340 firefighters as a result of that tragedy. An event we as firefighters and a nation hope never to witness again. Shortly after Sept. 11 the Berkeley Firefighters Association set out to do whatever we could to assist our brothers and sisters of the fire department of New York City. As a membership, we went out to the community of Berkeley and began a campaign called, “Fill the Boot for the FDNY.” Firefighters from Berkeley were on street corners to raise donations for the families of the fallen firefighters of the FDNY. As a result of our efforts from the Fill the Boot campaign, the Berkeley Firefighters Association was able to raise $80,000. This money was donated to the Widows and Orphans Fund of the FDNY last December. -more-

Lady Jackets start with loss -more-

Jay Kelekian, who in 1994 helped lead the city’s fight against the end of statewide rent control, was named executive director of the city’s rent board last week. -more-

(Note: The letter’s author proposed a development for 1155 Hearst St.) -more-

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As a Berkeley pedestrian and advocate for persons with disabilities, I am moved to thank the Berkeley Police Department for their work protecting pedestrians in the crosswalk. Red flags didn't work. There have to be real consequences for unsafe drivers before more pedestrians are killed. Thank you, Berkeley police. -more-

This week, four women from Costa Rica’s budding disability rights movement are visiting a city that plays host to some of the world’s foremost political experts: Berkeley. -more-

It saddens and angers me that the air quality issue is impacting the expansion of the Harrison House Homeless Shelter. The shelter is located on the outskirts of Berkeley in an industrial neighborhood because most of the citizens of Berkeley don't want “those kind of people” in their neighborhood. Now these same Berkeley people are telling us they are so concerned about the impact of the air quality on the well-being of the people they sent to this neighborhood that their facilities shouldn't be expanded. Boona cheema, the person who has devoted much of her life to working with homeless people said it best. “What do you think the answer is going to be when you ask a homeless mother with two kids if she would rather live on the streets or in safe, warm housing in West Berkeley?” -more-

Some oil may never be removed -more-

Santa Cruz Council to pass out -more-

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SACRAMENTO — California’s Department of Education would be placed under the control of the governor as part of a new legislative proposal released Tuesday to restructure the state’s education system. -more-

The following describe bills Gov. Gray Davis signed Wednesday: -more-

NEW YORK — Yahoo.com’s home page was devoid of its usually vivid colors Wednesday, its white background replaced with gray. Amazon.com carried drawings, essays and poetry from New York City schoolchildren. -more-

n Vending Machine Heist -more-

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UNITED NATIONS — Iraq unconditionally accepted the return of U.N. weapons inspectors late Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, nearly four years after the inspectors left Baghdad. -more-

The Union City Police Department sought to reassure citizens Saturday that a brutal triple homicide this week was not a random outbreak of violence. -more-

NAPLES — Three men reportedly overheard talking about a terrorist plot were pulled over and detained for 17 hours Friday before authorities said the men were apparently kidding around and released them. -more-

OAKLAND — Two summers ago, a band of four Oakland police officers who called themselves “The Riders,” patrolled the streets, administering their own brand of justice. -more-

RICHMOND – State officials have announced the completion of two waste cleanups in Richmond, laying the foundation for future development. -more-