In a small corner of West Berkeley, next to a noisy set of train tracks and behind a copper-colored gate, lies one of the most remarkable sites in the East Bay: a twisting, colorful community garden, overflowing with flowers, artwork and purpose. -more-
It is a week of both celebration and anxiety for homeless advocates in Berkeley. -more-
The article “West Berkeley Struggles to Maintain Character“ (April 25 edition), by John Geluardi, was mostly accurate in its portrayal of the struggle of craftspeople, artists and manufacturers to preserve their important contributions to West Berkeley. However, it was incorrect in asserting that the upcoming public workshop “will, in effect, reconvene the West Berkeley Committee.” -more-
Less than two years after taking over the Department of Planning and Development, Director Carol Barrett submitted her resignation late last week to take a planning job in the city of San Marcos, Texas, her home state. -more-
The vision of the city of Berkeley moving steadily toward ecological health by way of urban redesign and honest assessment of the future is quite different from the vision of Berkeley championed by the O’Malleys’ recast Berkeley Daily Planet. The O’Malley vision aspires to maintain the memory and coziness of the past at all costs. It is the positions of privilege of the established property owners here, the building styles and small sizes acceptable to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) and the desire of a number of vocal neighborhood activists to keep things from changing. -more-
During a tour of Bay Area churches Sunday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson stopped into Berkeley’s Mt. Zion Baptist Missionary Church to lend his support to local hotel employees who have been without a union contract for nearly two years. -more-
This weekend’s 34th anniversary celebration of the People’s Park riot wouldn’t have been the same without a little controversy. -more-
Forget about furs and champagne. Forget about the world-class singers and spectacular staging on the other side of the bay, and forget about spending $100 or more for a ticket. If you love opera, love the combination of music and theater, do not miss the Berkeley Opera’s flawed but exciting production of “Eugene Onegin” at the Julia Morgan Theater. -more-
Sally Streets, East Bay director emeritus of Berkeley Ballet Theater, received the Isadora Duncan Award for Sustained Achievement Monday night for her work as a dancer, choreographer, instructor and mentor. -more-
For more than a decade, a tiny little hole in the wall on north Shattuck Avenue has been hoppin’ and boppin’ to the melodies of live modern jazz. You won’t find it in the phone book under nightclubs, but the joint is jumpin’ nevertheless. The secret is in the cheese. -more-
Walking along a bustling section of Telegraph Avenue, Mayor Tom Bates, clad in beat-up sneakers and a pair of baggy, frayed blue jeans, intently watched the ground from beneath the brim of a cap pulled low over his forehead. -more-
The only question unanswered at the end of “Surface Transit,” Sarah Jones’ one-woman show at Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, is “What’s that title all about?” Simple enough: It refers to the bus rides during which this New Yorker found sources for several of the characters she portrays so brilliantly. -more-
Employees of the East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use voted unanimously to unionize this week, capping a year of turmoil at one of the area’s most storied nonprofit organizations. -more-
With a world-class, world-hopping conductor at its helm in Kent Nagano, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra enjoys a connection to the global music community that is rare for an orchestra of its size. -more-
When the Berkeley Folk Festival takes place in a week or so, much will be made of the accessibility of the venue, a great improvement on the locations of the past. Much will be made of the sign language interpreters assigned to translate the main stage shows. People will marvel, at least privately, at finally having wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and an accessible stage. -more-
The struggle to maintain a delicate balance between arts and crafts, blue collar jobs and office development in West Berkeley has entered another chapter in its 19-year saga. -more-
Almost four weeks after suspending me for participating in an antiwar demonstration, the San Francisco Chronicle this week officially fired me from my job as a technology reporter and columnist. I consider this punishment a violation of my rights as a citizen and as an employee, and I intend to fight it with all the means available to me. -more-
Rumors that Planning Director Carol Barrett has resigned her post swirled around City Hall Thursday. -more-
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Cleveland), one of nine Democratic candidates for president, blasted the Bush Administration over the war in Iraq and insisted that his shoestring candidacy has a chance during a UC Berkeley appearance Wednesday. -more-
Each night, the computer at Berkeley's downtown library erases everything that happened that day on its 50 Internet terminals. Titles of several thousand or so books returned that day disappear from the borrower's record. Once a month, the names of anyone who took out a particular book, whether "Winnie the Pooh" or "Das Capital," vanish as well. -more-
9 p.m. -more-
Back when the war on Iraq was but a gleam in Paul Wolfowitz’s eye, back when the French and Germans stood in solidarity with their American friends, back just days after Sept. 11, I stumbled into Caffe Venezia looking for some kind of sustenance. -more-
Two top-ranking school officials announced this week that they will be leaving the Berkeley Unified School District in the coming months. -more-
ROME — My host in Rome, a retired professor of nearly 80, surprised me by proudly telling me about the peace marches she had recently attended. “I lived through the bombing of Hull during World War II,” she said of her home town in England. “That experience left me very intolerant of the whole notion of bombing people.” -more-
The Berkeley Unified School District, in a cost-cutting move, is planning a major overhaul of its Independent Study program next year — shrinking year-long courses to a semester and cutting teacher-student time up to 50 percent. -more-
