Saturday, July 15

Councilmember Spring accused -more-

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In an effort to make playgrounds safer for children, state legislation that became effective in the beginning of this year demands that all child play areas in the state - public and private - be inspected by Oct. 1. -more-

After 25 years of costly leased facilities, Berkeley’s Vista College appears headed to a home all its own. -more-

Two of the UC Berkeley Young Musician Program alumnae present a joint recital featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Mahler, Puccini and Poulenc. Members of the YMP summer faculty Jeannine Anderson and Yerdue Caesar-Kaptoech are on to exciting things: Anderson is pursuing a masters degree in opera performance at New York’s Mannes School of Music, having finished her undergraduate work at the Oberlin conservatory, and Caesar-Kaptoech begins graduate study at the University of British Columbia in the fall. Tickets: $20 general, $10 students/seniors. For more information, call 642-2666. -more-

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Talk about a nicotine fit. -more-

Not quite sure whether to celebrate or to moan on the one year anniversary of the shut down by Pacifica, community radio station KPFA did a little of both Thursday. -more-

Friday, July 14

For most of the last 14 months, as I’ve covered and observed the daily events of this community, I’ve kept my pen capped. I’ve refrained from writing a regular column, I’ve declined to openly share my opinions and I’ve held my tongue – most of the time. -more-

THEATER -more-

Controversy continues as city officials weigh just how to commemorate, celebrate or otherwise incorporate the West Berkeley Shellmound into the cultural context of the city. -more-

Nearly five years of complaints aimed at Kragen Auto Parts at California Street and University Avenue were answered when the City Council voted 5-4 to uphold the Zoning Board’s recommendation that its permit be revoked. -more-

With only a few weeks to go before its summer break, the City Council delayed a measure on Tuesday that would begin the process of analyzing and perhaps restructuring the Housing Authority Board. -more-

3,700 to 800 A.D.: Native peoples deposit tons of sand, gravel, rock, shellfish remains and other materials into mounded “hills.” -more-

While many of her classmates are on vacation or back in their hometowns this summer, Teresa Rodriguez remains in class at the University of California, Berkeley, wrapping up a double major in English and physical anthropology. -more-

This is something that is precious -more-

Thursday, July 13

THEATER -more-

Reform possible, even on Credit Union Board -more-

Berkeley community radio station KPFA has come a long way in the last year. -more-

Three days after Pacifica security guards took over KPFA studios on July 13 of last year, amid histrionic protestations broadcast live over the airwaves, a quieter battle was pitched against the Pacifica Foundation in Alameda County Superior Court. -more-

Seniors, the disabled and long-term renters in Berkeley will get protections from landlords who want to move into the apartments they are renting – if voters pass a measure in November that the City Council put on the ballot Tuesday night. -more-

The Berkeley City Council’s resolution to support former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sara Jane Olson was discussed passionately but a decision was put off until the council’s July 25 meeting. -more-

Despite the protests of preservationists and campus community neighbors, a preliminary investigation into the environmental consequences of UC Berkeley’s proposed expansion of the Goldman School of Public Policy has identified no significant long term impacts associated with the project. -more-

Wednesday, July 12

THEATER -more-

A lot has been written about the just-completed year at Berkeley High: the school’s rocky start, the near-revolt of students, the departure of yet another principal from a campus that many would describe as dysfunctional, the ongoing struggle to bridge the academic achievement gap. -more-

The City Council decided Tuesday to locate and count existing wells and aquifers. The unanimous vote means that the $15,000 allocated to the survey in last month’s budget can be spent. The question lingering on, however, is exactly how far the funds will go. -more-

An East Bay version of San Francisco’s famous Mediterranean sidewalk cafe Enrico’s was supposed to be the cornerstone eatery in Berkeley’s emerging downtown Arts District. -more-

The Goldman School of Public Policy Expansion Draft Environmental Impact Report, released last week by the UC Berkeley’s Physical and Environmental Planning Office, says there are no significant and unavoidable long term impacts associated with this project. -more-

Last week’s decision by UC Berkeley officials to end a maintenance agreement with the city for People’s Park has led to some controversy in the city and left community members questioning the park’s future. -more-

Tuesday, July 11

Rent control hikes housing costs in Berkeley -more-

It was a beautiful, sunny, blue sky afternoon Saturday in Berkeley’s Cedar Rose Park when the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe opened the East Bay leg of its 38th annual season of free outdoor theater with a production of the company’s new musical play “Eating It,” a cautionary environmental science fiction tale about genetically modified agriculture, known in some circles as “frankenfood.” -more-

A preliminary technical report on radiological monitoring at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and its micro facilities nestled near the university campus, was released last week to fiercely divided reviews. -more-

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At tonight’s meeting, the City Council will chew over a big list of items, including an amendment to curb the circumstances in which a landlord can boot a tenant out and move in. -more-

Students, shoppers and UC Berkeley employees had their Monday morning disrupted when fire alarms went off in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union Building and Eshleman Hall, near the intersection of Telegraph and Bancroft Way. -more-

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Monday, July 10

Ignorance of U.S. history -more-

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Eight years ago, Berkeley votes approved a $158 million bond measure to pay for major improvements – seismic upgrades, renovations, reconstruction – at school sites throughout the community. -more-

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Gallery holds MFA exhibit -more-

Paul H. Mussen, a pioneer in child psychology and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley for 30 years, died July 7, at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley after a long struggle with prostate cancer. He was 78. -more-

A suspect robbed the Bank of the West at 1480 Shattuck Ave. around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday with what was revealed to be an empty package he claimed to be a bomb. -more-