The Berkeley Skate Park, quiet for months after toxics were found at the site, filled again with skaters this past weekend. -more-

From the large ceramic sun adorning the façade of her home-studio to the naked sculptures that border the stairs and driveway, to the full-blown sculpture garden and that blossoms in the backyard, it's clear Kit Skeoch is not one to restrain her impulses. -more-

TUESDAY, JUNE 10 -more-

PROTECT CREEK -more-

ACCI Gallery, “Midstream” -more-

In the latest high-level shake-up at Berkeley High School, newly appointed principal Patricia Christa abruptly resigned Thursday, stunning parents, teachers and administrators. -more-

On April 7, the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) informed local residents of Superintendent Michelle Lawrence’s desire to move the Berkeley Adult School from its University Avenue location to the currently vacant Franklin School. The district wants the School Board to approve the move in July and begin construction in September 2003. -more-

TUESDAY, JUNE 10 -more-

Bus transfers, discount cards and student passes may be eliminated because of AC Transit’s projected budget deficit of $40 million. -more-

The mayor’s Task Force on Permitting and Development has been meeting every two weeks since Feb. 28 to “investigate options for improving and rationalizing the permitting process, while continuing to guarantee appropriate public input.” Although many task force members are much more interested in shortening the process than in “improving” either the process or the resulting developments, and are even contemptuous of “public input,” a persistent audience of citizen observers reminds them that the public cannot be wholly ignored. I am pleased to report that the task force’s early NIMBY-bashing has gradually dissipated, and an excellent discussion of public input occurred, for the first time, on June 6. -more-

City Council may raise most parking fines by 30 percent Tuesday in an effort to offset next year’s $4.7 million budget deficit. -more-

City Councilmember Dona Spring has sponsored a recommendation to name June 17 Charles Betcher Day in honor of the retired hospital administrator’s indefatigable work on city and county commissions and committees. -more-

Despite administrative threats of disciplinary action, an estimated 35 Berkeley High School seniors took part in the annual “Senior Streak” on Monday. -more-

The battle between preservationists and would-be housing developers over the fate of a 19th-century Victorian home at 2526 Durant Ave. is expected to heat up in the next few weeks, as the city puts the final touches on the project’s environmental impact report (EIR) and considers whether to issue a permit allowing developers to replace the historical Ellen Blood house with a 31,000-square-foot, five-story development that will include two retail establishments and 44 units of housing. -more-

About 650 seniors will cross the stage Friday at Berkeley High School’s graduation ceremony. -more-

While Berkeley is noted nationally, even internationally, for its turn-of-the-20th-century architects such as Bernard Maybeck and their creative and innovative residential designs, Berkeley also has a large number of house types that could simply be referred to as common. -more-

My baby, just a mere speck of a thing, a child smaller than most honest housecats, has, in the space of a few brief, non-ambulatory months, managed to acquire enough crap that we’re on the verge of being forced to move our queen-bed onto the balcony. I’m not exactly sure where the stuff comes from, but I do know that it just keeps coming. We’ve got more blankets than an Arctic rescue team, most of them handmade with love. We try to cycle them over the sleeping baby for photo-ops, and we can usually get about 40 good snaps before she wakes up and makes it clear that it’s 90 degrees in her room, she’s already wearing three hand-embroidered onesies and she didn’t want a blanket in the first place. The baby herself could still fit quite comfortably inside my left snowboot, but she’s got an entire steamer chest full of blocks and toys and stuffed animals all eagerly awaiting their call to active duty. -more-

Berkeley High School will soon have its first full public address system. Younger-Wunar, Inc. last month won the contract to install speakers this summer. -more-

For many years, people driving up Rose Street toward the delights of North Shattuck have habitually averted their eyes while passing Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, an unmistakable “old landmark” that looked more like a minimum-security prison than a place of enlightenment for boys and girls. To be sure, some wonderful things were happening behind the dingy facade, a special one being the school’s organic vegetable garden sponsored by the famous restaurateur Alice Waters. But from the street, the dark brown—unbreakable—plastic windows and shabby stucco walls symbolized perfectly a prevailing Dickensian squalor. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education unanimously approved a plan last Wednesday to shift half of Berkeley High students into small schools by the 2005-2006 school year, but raised questions about whether the school will be able to make the switch amid changes in leadership. -more-

More than 200 Berkeley High School students received certificates of excellence from Mayor Tom Bates Tuesday, June 3, in the seventh annual student recognition ceremony. -more-

Weekend Bank Robbery -more-

A county school board member has charged that someone sent out an email under his name which he didn’t write. -more-

Neighbors of a mixed-use project at 3045 Shattuck Ave. haven’t given up their fight for a public hearing. -more-

Toward the end of April, soon after the fall of Baghdad, I was in Tilden Park on a rare dry Saturday watching hostilities of a different kind. The black-headed grosbeaks were back from their wintering grounds in western Mexico and setting up territories for the nesting season. All the grosbeaks I saw were males; the females might have been due in a second wave, or may just have been staying out of sight. -more-

The Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) presents Summer Noon Concerts 2003, a unique series of nine free concerts, Thursdays at noon in June & July, beginning June 5th. From Rhythm & Blues to Brazilian capoeira, these concerts at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (Shattuck Ave. at Center St.) are a showcase of the culturally rich performing arts in Berkeley. This outdoor summer celebration of Berkeley-based musicians & dancers is just a small sampling of the performing arts happening nightly in clubs, cafes, schools, theaters and concert halls in Downtown Berkeley. -more-