Daily Archives: October 19, 2012
The Berkeley Wire: 10.19.12
Big Game week. Photo: TJ Gehling
“An Iliad” review: Homeric epic hits home (Chronicle)
Proudly eclectic and free: KALX celebrates 50 years on air (UCB)
“The Sessions”: sex, comedy and something more (KOSU)
Four candidates vie for BART board post in redrawn district (Coco Times)
Berkeley student gov. condemns Three Strike law (Campus Reform)
Nacio Jan Brown: photographing Telegraph Avenue in 1969 (Chronicle)
Berkeley student denied Eagle Scout submits petition (Coco Times)
College football: Cal’s Jeff Tedford on the hot seat vs Stanford (NewsOK)
Berkeley Lab begins construction on solar energy complex (Coco Times)
Measure T supporters mail false flyers, critics contend
Opponents of Measure T have issued a formal complaint to the city of Berkeley which states that supporters of the controversial measure are using false and misleading information on flyers that have been mailed to voters.
Zelda Bronstein, a former Planning Commissioner, filed a complaint Oct. 17 with the Fair Campaign Practices Commission pointing out that the Coalition for a Sustainable West Berkeley, the backers of Measure T, state on some mailings that Berkeley SEIU Local 1021 supports the measure, even though the union website clearly states that it opposes it.
In addition, the Coalition for a Sustainable West Berkeley website states that the Telegraph Avenue Property & Business Improvement District is an endorser, said Bronstein. Since Business Improvement Districts are city entities, they cannot legally make endorsements in elections, writes Bronstein in the complaint.
“This endorsement is illegal,” she said. … Continue reading »
The It List: Five Things to do in Berkeley this weekend
BIG GAME RALLY Moving the Big Game to the middle of the football season means Cal will have to change its pre-game celebration. Instead of rallying with a bonfire at the Greek Theater (it has a concert tonight) the Big Game Rally will be celebrated with a “pyrotechnic extravaganza that has never been done before in the Berkeley area.” Doors at Edwards Track and Field Stadium will open at 8:00 pm, and the Rally begins at 9:00 pm on Friday, Oct. 19. The event is free.
INSIDE IRAN In our post-9/11 world, where religious extremism and the threat of terrorist attacks guide our understanding of the Middle East and Iran, Iran-born author and psychologist Dr. Rahimeh Andalibian‘s true-life story, The Rose Hotel, presents an intimate portrait of Muslim life and the impact of war and upheaval on her family as their life of beauty and tranquility is ruptured in the chaos of the Iranian Revolution of 1979, uprooting them to California. Dr. Andalibian will talk about The Rose Hotel Friday Oct. 19 at University Press Bookstore at 6 pm.
Wine merchant Kermit Lynch celebrates 40th anniversary
Following in the footsteps of long-time culinary anchor institutions in Berkeley such as Chez Panisse and the Cheeseboard, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant celebrates its 40th year in business on Saturday Oct. 27 — with the parking lot of its store at 1605 San Pablo Avenue turned into a party venue featuring, of course, fine food and wine.
Kermit Lynch, a wine retailer and importer, is widely regarded for writing one of the best books on the wine business — Adventures on the Wine Route – and is also known for selecting and selling quality pours from small, family-owned estates in France and Italy.
Lynch imports wines from around 140 producers and he’s garnered an international reputation for singing the praises of wines without well-known pedigrees, particularly from France, where he’s traveled the back-roads in search of hidden gems of great value by looking, as he likes to say, where no one else was looking. … Continue reading »
Claremont Resort may go up for auction in November
The Claremont Resort and Spa may be headed for the auction block.
The San Francisco Business Times reports that the storied 279-room hotel, an imposing presence overlooking south Berkeley, is caught up in a complicated billion dollar bankruptcy involving Government of Singapore Investment Corp. and the current owners, a partnership between private equity firm Paulson & Co. and Winthrop Realty Trust. The bankruptcy threatens to send the property to auction on Nov. 8., with Nov. 6 as the last day to submit bids.
The current owners acquired the Claremont in January 2011 when the then-owner, Morgan Stanley, defaulted on the loan it had taken out to buy the resort and other hotels. The group restructed the portfolio but was still unable to pay off $1.5 billion in loans, prompting it to file for bankruptcy in February of that year. … Continue reading »
Police Blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
The calls for service spreadsheet is available on Google Docs. (Please note that the numbers reflected in the report are only a snapshot of what occurs in the City of Berkeley. The numbers are considered for informational purposes only and should not be used for data analysis or comparison to other agencies. Cases may be reclassified after further review of the incident, by supervisors, investigating detectives or the District Attorney as appropriate.)
See also the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see BPD’s CrimeView Community and Crimemapping.com.
October 7:
Suspicious Person, 1700 Block of Blake Street
On Sunday, October 7, 2012 at approximately 11:12 p.m., a citizen reported a suspicious person in the 1700 block of Blake Street. It was reported the subject was possibly in the neighborhood casing for thefts. Officers were dispatched and an area check was negative. No thefts were reported. … Continue reading »
