Saturday, May 19, 2012
Flowers honor young mother killed in solo collision at California Street and Allston Way Friday.
Daytha Holmes was sleeping when a car slammed into a tree outside her house at the corner of California Street and Allston Way early Friday. Today, Holmes walked across to the street to place flowers at the site in a growing memorial to a Milanca Alicia Lopez, a young mother who lost her life in the collision. "We heard a big crash, and then we heard moaning," she said. The neighborhood was quiet today as friends and neighbors stopped off with bouquets. One card read simply, "Milanca Alicia Lopez." The roundabout does little to slow traffic, she said, and did nothing to prevent the accident. The Cadillac in which Lopez and her son Xavier were riding slammed into a tree around 1:10 a.m., killing the Cal grad and dealing serious injuries to …
A statement about Milanca Alicia Lopez was released on Facebook after her death. Her son, Xavier, remained in critical condition as of Friday morning.
Controversial visit to reporter's home leads to closer look at rapidly changing news media.
The Berkeley Police Department will revamp its media policies, spurred by a controversial March incident in which Chief Michael Meehan dispatched an officer to a reporter's home in the middle of the night to request changes to an article. The city will pay the Irvine-based Cornerstone Communications to audit the department’s policies beginning this month and continuing till October, the Daily Californian is reporting. Costs could run as high as $24,000. The department could choose to extend the review after October. The department was widely criticized when Meehan sent department spokesperson Sgt. Mary Kusmiss to Oakland Tribune reporter Doug Oakley’s home at 12:45 a.m. on March 9. Oakley had written a story about a March 8 town hall …
Friday, May 18, 2012
Loni Hancock co-founded organization, which helps low-income children and youth succeed in school.
The executive director of the Partnership for Children and Youth, co-founded by former mayor and state Sen. Loni Hancock, has been honored as one of nine “Afterschool Champions” for work advancing after-school programs. Honoree Jennifer Peck has worked with the Berkeley Unified School District, notably to forge after-school programs at the high school level. Peck also worked on California’s SB 429 which strengthens and adds flexibility to existing resources for summer learning programs, and helped craft the state’s new after school division to improve support for state and federally-funded programs. Peck flew to Washington, D.C. to accept the award at the “Breakfast of Champions” May 9. “This year’s champions are working in areas such as …
Woman pronounced dead at the scene. Car struck tree at Allston and California in second fatal solo crash of the year.
A solo crash took the life of a young woman and sent the male driver and a child to the hospital when the car they were traveling slammed into a tree at California Street and Allston Way early this morning. Berkeley police say the Cadillac was barreling north on California at a high rate of speed 1:13 a.m. when the driver lost control and struck a tree on Allston Way. Police believe it may have first hit a roundabout in the intersection. The driver, a female passenger and a child who had been sitting in the back seat all had to be extricated by police and firefighters. The woman died at the scene. Police pegged the ages of the man and woman as in their 20s. The man was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland and the child was taken to …
Land 'can and will accommodate both research and urban agriculture.' But misinformation abounds, chancellor writes.
The following open letter, signed by George Breslauer. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and John Wilton, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance, is addressed to the community. Now that preparations for agricultural research are finally underway on the Gill Tract we want to offer you, our neighbors, an update on where we are, and what lies ahead. First, and foremost, we want to express our respect for the hundreds of community members who, in recent weeks, have participated in debate and dialogue about the occupation and attendant issues through emails, phone calls and online postings. We deeply appreciate the support expressed by the vast majority of people we have heard from, while recognizing that the illegal occupation of our …
The tennis duo—and twin brothers—are hoping to compete for gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer.
This article is sponsored by Citi. Twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan are used to doing everything together and next on their horizon is the hope for a celebratory chest bump at the London 2012 Olympic Games for Men’s Doubles Tennis. The Camarillo natives train together, eat together and have won 11 Grand Slam Men’s Doubles Titles as well as a bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Known as the Bryan Brothers, the 34-year-old twins are known for their trademark celebratory chest bump after their tennis wins and are currently ranked number one in the world in doubles tennis. Off the court, the twins are in a band together named the Bryan Brothers Band. Adding to their list of accomplishments, Bob and Mike are now two of 13 athletes …
District would fold three language immersion programs into one at LeConte Elementary; superintendent encourages parents from all schools to attend one of two sessions.
Superintendent of Schools William Huyett is inviting parents of children at all elementary schools to join him at two community forums about the proposed consolidation of three two-way language immersion programs into a single one at LeConte Elementary School. The first takes place on Tuesday, May 29 at LeConte Elementary School at 2241 Russell St. (west of Telegraph Avenue). The second takes place on Monday, June 4 at Rosa Parks Elementary School at 920 Allston Way (west of San Pablo Avenue). Both are schedule to run from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and Spanish interpretation will be provided. Parents may offer feedback, voice concerns, and ask questions about the consolidation and all the issues related to it, including transportation, sibling …
Two arrested, charged with possession of controlled substances.
Police arrested two men in the early morning hours Wednesday as they prepared to snort cocaine in a car parked on the 2600 block of Shattuck Avenue. At about 1:20 a.m., a Berkeley patrol officer saw a car pull into the empty parking lot of an abandoned business and turn off its lights. When he investigated, the office could smell marijuana through the open windows and saw a plate between the two rear occupants bearing a razor, straw and white lines consistent with the cutting up and snorting of cocaine. During a probable cause search for additional narcotics, the officer, who had called for a backup, searched the occupants and found cocaine and hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller, in the possession of the rear passenger, a 25-year old-…
Woman was walking on Prince Street near California.
A Berkeley woman lost an iPod, cell phone and other valuables when an assailant snatched her purse and fled in the late afternoon Wednesday. The woman was walking westbound on Prince Street near California Street when she felt someone yank the bag off her shoulder from behind, police said. She turned to see a man holding her black and white purse. An extensive search of the area failed to turn up the assailant, whom she described to police as white or Hispanic, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, about 180 pounds with a brown ponytail to his mid-back and wearing a red hoodie and baggy blue jeans.
Lou Judson
7:08 am on Sunday, May 20, 2012
So who was the male driver and will he go up for vehucular manslaughter? more ›