Daily Archives: February 24, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 02.24.11
UC Berkeley to open Institute for Jewish Law and Israel [Jewish Journal]
Berkeley stabbing victim identifies attacker in court [Oakland Tribune]
Cal Performances brings Sarah Silverman to Berkeley, April 11 [Cal Perf]
Cal architecture professor on the design of Egypt’s Tahrir Square [Dwell]
Very Local: Local 123 gallery-café showcases work of its staff [Local 123]
Photo: Magnolia by JAR/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeley home moves across town, slice of history saved
Last Sunday, a house went on a journey across Berkeley. To be precise, it was half a house, the top half, and eagle-eyed Berkeleyans may have spotted it making its way, slowly, at walking pace, from Albany Village into Berkeley on 8th Street, then down Gilman, down 6th onto University and then along Sacramento until it reached its new home on 62nd Street.
The house belongs to Tom White and Dmitri Belser who bought it for $16.00 from UC Berkeley in 2009 after it was advertised on Craigslist and Ebay.
Known as the Cheney Cottage, it is the smaller of two properties originally located at 2241 and 2243 College Avenue on the Cal campus and built by journalist and real-estate agent Lemuel Warren Cheney. The larger of the two homes, the Cheney House, was demolished in March 2010 after the university failed to find a buyer for it. Built in 1885, the Cheney House was believed to be the second oldest surviving structure in the Berkeley Property Tract. (Read the full history on the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association website.) … Continue reading »
Berkeley Patients Group owes $6.4 million in back taxes
Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), the city’s largest medical marijuana dispensary, owes more than $6.4 million in back taxes and interest, according to the state’s Board of Equalization (BOE). The BOE confirmed their original assessment of taxes at its meeting in Sacramento this week. Berkeleyside revealed the tax dispute earlier this month.
Elisabeth Jewel, the lawyer lobbyist representing BPG in the case, told Berkeleyside that the group will apply to the BOE’s “offer in compromise” program. “There’s no way that Berkeley Patients Group can pay $6 million in taxes,” she said. “The purpose of the offer in compromise program is to come up with a plan that keeps a taxpayer in business.”
Jewel said that the BOE made clear in its hearing this week that it wanted to find a way to keep BPG solvent. The BPG application will be made soon, according to Jewel. … Continue reading »
Michael Pollan wants your food stories
“The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.” ”Stop before you’re full.” “Don’t buy cereals that change the color of the milk.” These are just some of the many tips that Berkeley author Michael Pollan included in his compact book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, which contained 64 rules for eating well.
Now Pollan is writing an expanded edition of the book because, he says, he has received a number of excellent new ideas. Along with additional words of wisdom, … Continue reading »
Snow forecast for Berkeley — really?
“The snow icon?” “In Berkeley?” asks Berkeleysider Emily Cohen as she checks the weather forecast on her cell phone (above).
Think it’s really going to happen? If so, will it be limited to the hills, or might we see some white stuff on the flats? If there’s anyone who remembers significant snowfall in Berkeley, let us know — better still send in photos.
Update, 10:22: OK. The data is already coming in. Thanks to Dave Gilson, who … Continue reading »
Birgeneau: UC Berkeley morphing into a federal university
In an interview with California Watch, Birgeneau talked about the need to rethink Cal’s role in light of its changing dynamic.
Birgeneau first voiced this idea publicly at a conference on campus earlier this month when he said: “We have gone from a … Continue reading »
