Daily Archives: February 20, 2013
Update: Police say report of barricaded man unfounded
Update, 11:40 p.m. Berkeley police and fire personnel left the scene at around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, after concluding that no one was barricaded in a residence, contrary to earlier reports. Berkeley Police Lt. Randy Files told Berkeleyside that police originally received calls about “loud reports” that could have been gunfire, and that authorities believed somebody might have been “holed up” in a home in the 1600 block of Addison Street. This “proved not to be the case,” he said. Files would not elaborate on how police determined that the report was unsubstantiated. At 11:35 p.m. neighborhood streets were being re-opened after being closed off to all traffic. … Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 02.20.13
Aquatic Park. Photo: mfox327
Berkeley Patients Group, unbowed (East Bay Express)
Going great lengths of free music, Berkeley style (Daily Cal)
UC Berkeley presents Peter Barnes’ The Ruling Class’ (Broadway World)
Oblivious walking: an unseen Berkeley danger (Daily Cal)
Dykes prepares for first spring ball at Cal (NBC Sports)
UC Berkeley researchers aim to revolutionize e-books (Daily Cal)
Man charged with 2012 stabbing of former Berkeley artist (BANG)
‘The Secret Garden’ now a Berkeley-bound opera (Mercury News)
Impact Theatre bends Shakespeare comedy (SF Chronicle)
Pensions, infrastructure key Berkeley budget liabilities
Berkeley’s City Council on Tuesday night received the first biennial report on the city’s long-term liabilities. The detailed breakdowns in the report from city budget manager Teresa Berkeley-Simmons make clear that the main areas with significant liabilities are police pensions, maintenance of city facilities, and watershed and storm drain maintenance and improvements.
Speaking about the presentation of the report, Berkeley City Manager Christine Daniel said she hoped the Council would agree that budget reporting was improving generally and that the council members’ feedback would contribute to even more enhancements. She said the genesis of the current report could be traced back to 2005 when staff produced a report on employee benefits, then in 2008 when staff started putting information about unfunded liabilities in the budget document, and finally in the fall of 2011 when presentations were made on the status of capital assets and infrastructure. … Continue reading »
NOSH Link Love 02.20.13: Daily East Bay food news
Bicycle brewery tour, James Beard awards and new bar bites at Hawker Fare. This and more on our daily East Bay food news round-up. Continue reading »
Caffe Venezia, a Berkeley institution: 1980-2013
By Allison Etchison
Caffe Venezia, a Berkeley staple for over three decades, will be closing in the early part of the year (as reported by Berkeleyside in January). The restaurant will remain open for a few more months to celebrate 33 years of serving the Berkeley community and its menu will take a nostalgia trip and including some classics to mark the occasion. On offer will be some perennial favorites such as Pollo Affumicato, Linguine Con Carciofi, Chicken Cannelloni, Rustica and Puttanesca, as well as standbys Malfatti con Funghi and Spaghetti Carbonara.
The roots of Caffe Venezia go back to 1978 when John and Lois Solomon, best known for their catering at the Renaissance Faires and their food cart on Telegraph Ave in the early 1970s, approached Jeff Wizig and Stacy Metcalf with their idea to open a natural foods taqueria in Berkeley. (Solomon was also the inspiration behind the “How Berkeley Can You Be Parade” that marched along University once a year for 13 years, until it was canceled in 2009.) … Continue reading »
West Berkeley neighbors ask for answers after homicide
About 25 neighbors came together at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church over the weekend to share concerns and ideas about safety in west Berkeley following the shooting death earlier this month of Zontee Jones.
Councilwoman Linda Maio organized the meeting with members of the Berkeley Police Department to make sure residents in her district could connect with authorities and share their worries and suggestions.
Berkeley Police Lt. Dave Frankel told those in attendance, who sat in a circle in a community room belonging to Good Shepherd, that Jones’ death, which represented the city’s first homicide of the year, was not random.
“Somebody had something against somebody else, and they dealt with their issue directly,” he said. … Continue reading »
Where in Berkeley?
Know where this is? Take a guess and let us know in the Comments.
Update, 12:55 p.m.: Matt Campbell got it right. This is the elephant described by Robert Singer, who took the photo, as the “Pirelli Pachyderm” at Cedar and Scenic. Congratulations, Matt, on being this week’s winner!
Photo: Robert Singer.
