Top Headlines
South and West Berkeley libraries demolition permits approvedWhile the Zoning Adjustments Board approved permits to demolish the West and South branches of the Berkeley Public Library at a special meeting Thursday night, the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided to take no action on the landmark status of the South branch - which some community members and city officials say deserves recognition.
Student Action sweeps soundly

The Student Action party not only swept four of the executive offices, but also firmly maintained its senate majority in the 2011 ASUC General Election when results were revealed Thursday evening.
News
Commission to investigate March 3 Berkeley police crowd control tacticsThe Berkeley Police Review Commission voted to launch an investigation into the Berkeley Police Department's crowd control tactics at its meeting Wednesday night after receiving a complaint alleging the excessive use of force on the part of police at protests on the UC Berkeley campus.
Student Action sweeps soundly

The Student Action party not only swept four of the executive offices, but also firmly maintained its senate majority in the 2011 ASUC General Election when results were revealed Thursday evening.
Bancroft vacancies remain a concernCommunity members in one of Berkeley's most densely populated areas attribute the persistent vacancies on Bancroft Way to several different factors, including the area's strict quota system, while members of the local business district and other neighborhood representatives work to increase the area's economic growth by filling empty retail spaces.
Growing marijuana indoors could damage environment 
A recently published independent study from a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory staff scientist shows that growing marijuana indoors may have detrimental effects on the environment - a problem some say is potentially exacerbated by failing to legalize the drug.
Mammary cell protein able to fight cancer cells

In an important step forward in the fight against breast cancer, researchers from UC Irvine and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found that a protein naturally secreted by healthy mammary cells can stimulate death in cancerous tissue.
General manager of BART resigns officeBART General Manager Dorothy Dugger officially announced her resignation Wednesday after encouragement from the BART board of directors - a move that has drawn complaints from those who question the forced resignation in the face of BART's current budget surplus.
Community honors local social justice advocate 
Longtime Berkeley activist Dorothy Walker was honored by city officials and community leaders on her 81st birthday Thursday night at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive for her lifelong contributions to the city, including the founding of several city commissions focused on advocating social and economic justice as well as a stint as assistant vice chancellor for property development at UC Berkeley.
South and West Berkeley libraries demolition permits approvedWhile the Zoning Adjustments Board approved permits to demolish the West and South branches of the Berkeley Public Library at a special meeting Thursday night, the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided to take no action on the landmark status of the South branch - which some community members and city officials say deserves recognition.
Sports
Andersson, Cossou lead Bears into Big SlamWhen senior Mari Andersson steps onto the courts during the Big Slam match, she feels the pressure from the crowd. Every time the Cal women's tennis team plays the Cardinal, the electric atmosphere at Hellman Tennis Complex helps her realize that this is no normal season match.
Bears head mile high for conference finaleThe stakes have been raised a little higher for the Cal lacrosse team this weekend. They're a mile higher, to be exact. The Bears are playing their final conference match, a must-win game to receive a berth in the conference tournament, at Denver's Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Opinion
Food for thought: A tasty serving of karmaWhenever I trip in front of a large crowd, my stomach grumbles during a silent pause in a 500-student lecture or I wave at someone who waved at me, only to realize they intended to greet the person walking behind me, I can't help but think that fate has a hand in these small misfortunes. Maybe these awkward incidents are karma's way of equalizing any faux pas I've made in the recent past.
Editorials: The cost of cutsThe assertion that the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive and Cal Performances are overfunded is a sad reminder of how students underutilize the two resources.
Editorials: A loan in supportThe UC's Online Instruction Pilot Project was touted as something so important that Christopher Edley, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, said in a press conference last summer that he "should be shot" if it wasn't able to raise enough private funding.
Take a look beyond the labelsThe relationship between gender, sexuality and religion has long been a troubled one. Depending on personal or communal interpretations of sacred texts, the same writings can be used for radically different ends. For some the texts systematically exclude women and persecute homosexuality and gender non-conformance. Others discover a source of encouragement, a blueprint to unity between soul and body and a map to justice and liberation. Finally, many outside of faith traditions are mystified and frustrated by the differing interpretations and would prefer the abolishment of religious traditions.