Firefighters battled a residential blaze that broke out near downtown Berkeley this morning, the city's fire chief said. -more-
After a long holiday recess, Berkeley's City Council is preparing for its first meeting in over a month. The agenda for Tuesday's meeting begins with a 5:30 p.m. worksession on dealing with the City's unfunded liabilities, comprised of guaranteed employee benefits that the City does not actually have the money to pay for, including pension funds, worker's compensation, and vacation payouts. The City Manager's report lists the value of these unfunded liabilities to be about $252.81 million. The workshop will be based on a report from City Auditor AnneMarie Hogan. -more-
The University of California at Berkeley will lay off 150 staff members between now and June, officials announced today. -more-
I am deeply saddened and shocked at the shooting in Tucson, and my heart goes out to the families of the victims of it, and to the survivors. In order for a person to commit such a crime, in addition to suffering from Schizophrenia, (which I also suffer from), the perpetrator must have a complete disregard for human life, and must completely lack any shred of conscience, (unlike me). -more-
Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Commission opened a public hearing on one new proposed landmark and mulled over issues related to an environmental impact report on the branch Berkeley library renovations and demolitions at its first regular meeting of the new year on January 6, 2011. -more-
The filling in of Willard Pool on Telegraph Avenue was justified by City staff as a public safety and cost-savings measure, according to a mid-December memo sent to City Councilmembers.
But there appears to have been no City announcement that the pool was to be filled—around New Year’s Day, when City offices were officially closed—an event that caught neighbors by surprise.
-more-
There can't be many Berkeleyans who've never been to East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse. This unique store was started in Berkeley 30 years ago. It was located on San Pablo near University until recently when it moved to 4695 Telegraph in Oakland - but according to Executive Director Linda Levitsky the staff still think of themselves as a Berkeley institution. The original mission, Levitsky explains, was “to provide low cost materials to teachers and artists”. They soon expanded to serve the general public and a wide diversity of people patronize the store. -more-
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is due to visit the University of California at Berkeley next month to preside over a student law competition. -more-
As the one-man tree-sit in a 40 year old Redwood at the northeast corner of People's Park enters its 74th day, its mastermind, Running Wolf, 47, is considering his options as the original demands fail to catch on and the protest struggles for support. -more-
Nothing hard about this one: There’s absolutely no reason why private parties should have easy access to technology for firing multiple lethal shots in rapid succession from a pistol. Absolutely no reason. The U.S. Constitution has nothing to do with it, not even the transparently political decision the Supreme Court recently made about the limits of the Second Amendment. -more-
There's a proposal afoot to turn Berkeley's public housing over to a private non-profit developer. Lynda Carson has been spotlighting the story on the Indybay website . -more-
Sarah Palin and the Giffords Assassination Attempt; Reunion Query for John Turnbull; Waste; Bridge Builders Needed -more-
Christina Taylor Green is a message spirit. She arrived on Earth on September 11, 2001, a day when terrorists armed with no more than boxcutters turned jet airliners into guided missiles and slaughtered almost 3,000 people, mostly civilians. Indeed, she was one of the babies featured in a book, Faces of Hope, that looked at one baby from each of the United States born on that day. The third-grader had been elected to her Mesa Verde elementary school student council and was at the meet-up for congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with a neighbor adult, Susan Hileman. The two were holding hands when gunfire erupted on January 8. -more-
Support Our KPFA! -more-
Cynicism, as the late Molly Ivins once noted, is the death of good journalism, but reading through the New York Times and the Associated Press’ obituaries of Laotian-Hmong leader General Vang Pao made that sentiment a difficult one to resist. -more-
The frantic final days of the 111th Congress were an emotional rollercoaster that mirrored Barack Obama’s first two years as President. As he prepares to run for reelection in 2012, he faces grave national problems, a recalcitrant 112th Congress, and disgruntled Democrats. Obama should reread the classic management tale of the ”three envelopes”. -more-
You’d think identifying a dead bird would not be much of a challenge. It helps if the deceased is intact, though. -more-
Commenting on the $28 billion budget gap, Governor Jerry Brown stated that “everything should be on the table.” Later Governor Brown met with county officials to discuss shifting responsibility for state-run programs to the local level. This, of course, will require providing sufficient revenue to fund these programs. This in turn may mean reexamining Proposition 13, which, among other things, consolidated revenue-gathering responsibility to the state, leaving cities and counties dependent on the state. -more-
When someone has cancer, their life becomes busier in order to handle the chemotherapy, radiation therapy, checkups, and so on that go with that disease. Today, many people who have that disease get most of their treatment on an outpatient basis. -more-
"CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S OVO," -- through Jan. 24. A lively rush into a world of insects and acrobatics. Written and directed by Deborah Colker. See website for times, dates and complete details. Performances take place under the "Grand Chapiteau'' at AT&T Park. -more-
ZELLERBACH HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY -more-
BOOKS INC., BERKELEY -more-
AUDIUM -more-
CROWDEN MUSIC CENTER -more-
924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. -more-
Some unusual music this week: -more-
There are a lot of good movies out there right now—“The Fighter,” the Coen Bros. remake of “True Grit,” “The King’s Speech”—BUT there is a cinematic work of art about the rigors and pitfalls of making art that is a must-see. -more-
ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-
CIVIC PARK, WALNUT CREEK -more-
"CANDLESTICK PARK ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES FAIRE," -- Jan. 16. More than 500 booths of antiques and collectibles will be available to browse at this huge show. Event takes place in the parking lot at Candlestick Park, San Francisco. -more-
ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS -more-
CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER -more-
ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-
