Daily Archives: July 25, 2012
The Berkeley Wire: 07.25.12
Berkeley Marina party, by Kershlock/Berkeleyside Flickr pool
Injury appears to end Olympic dream for Berkeley’s Rodgers (STL Today)
Berkeley Kite Festival: a multi-armed event (Chronicle)
As reopening nears, Memorial Stadium rolls out green carpet (UCB)
Berkeley-based Center for Independent Living sues Wal-Mart (SFGate)
Berkeley places seventh in Top 10 “Green Cities” ranking (MNN)
Pop-up spot Rogue Café goes private to comply with law
Rogue Café, a pop-up brunch spot held on weekends in a Berkeley backyard, has chosen to become a private event after a Berkeleyside story prompted a visit by the city’s health department.
“After speaking with the health department we have decided to make Rogue a private event. It is the only legal way for us to continue in our current state,” co-owner Eric Thoresen told Berkeleyside.
The July 23 Berkeleyside story triggered a significant reader response, and several commenters questioned whether the pop-up restaurant was legal. “I’m curious about how these places operate. Do they get inspected by the health department…? … Also, do they get business permits? Is the neighborhood zoned for the business?” wrote Pragmatic Progressive.
Thoresen responded by saying that Rogue had a business license and paid taxes, but did not have a permit. He also addressed questions regarding food sourcing, safety and sanitation. … Continue reading »
Costs unknown for Berkeley High School harassment case
By Anika Anand and Emily Hartley
California Watch
After a Berkeley High School student complained of sexual harassment by her guidance counselor, the Berkeley Unified School District spent $94,000 on lawyers to fight her claim.
Then in February, school officials made a $57,500 insurance payout to settle the girl’s lawsuit, according to court records and interviews.
The financially strapped school district’s spending on the controversial harassment case probably was greater. But for the past year, school district officials have refused to disclose how much they spent on the case, ignoring information requests filed under the state’s Public Records Act by California Watch and by a legal watchdog group, the First Amendment Coalition. … Continue reading »
Dozens rally to save Berkeley’s historic post office
Dozens of people carrying banners and outrage turned up at the Main Post Office on Allston Way Tuesday evening, to rally against its planned sale and celebrate its “almost 100th” birthday.
Holding signs that read “Stop the Sale,” “Save Our Historic Post Office Building,” “Don’t Sell Our Labor History,” about 100 people expressed dismay that the United States Postal Service intended to sell the 1914 historic building and move retail operations to another site downtown.
Gary Brechin, a historian who has written extensively about historic post offices, rallied the crowd by describing the importance of the post offices around the country that were built in an era of government expansion. Now dozens of those buildings, from the New Deal era and earlier, have been put up for sale, part of a Congressional plan to privatize the post office and an “old fashioned 19th century land grab of the 21st century,” he said. Brechin encouraged the crowd to fight back. … Continue reading »
Op/Ed: Clean Berkeley Iceland building, whatever its fate
It’s been five years since Berkeley Iceland closed for the last time, and the historic property on Milvia Street has largely been left to deteriorate since then. It has been defaced by graffiti and trash piles up around the building. In an Opinionator piece published today, Tom Killilea, president of Save Berkeley Iceland, says his group has worked to clean up around the perimeter of the building and is open to doing more volunteer work. But, he argues, it is time for Berkeley Iceland’s owners, as well as the City of Berkeley, to step up and take responsibility for maintaining the building while its ultimate fate is being decided. … Continue reading »
Berkeley Iceland must be maintained, whatever its fate
Berkeley Iceland has been closed for over five years. For the majority of this time, the current owners, East Bay Iceland — EBI, Richard Zamboni, President — has allowed their historic property to be defaced, trash to collect on and around the building, and landscaping to become a receptacle of garbage. Complaints are ignored and the garbage keeps piling up, becoming an eyesore and potential hazard to the neighborhood.
A group of SBI volunteers, having seen enough of the … Continue reading »
Where in Berkeley?
Know where this is? Take a guess and let us know in the Comments.
Update, 9:33 am: Njhodgson correctly identified this is as being on Euclid above Oak – around 1156 Euclid, according to Ira Serkes who took the pic. Congratulations, Njhodgson, on being this week’s winner!
Photo by Ira Serkes.
