Anti-Antenna Activists Bring Protest to Verizon’s Door

By Rhyen Coombs

No, they weren’t trick-or-treaters three days late, though cell phone shoppers heading toward 1109 University Ave. Saturday could rightly be confused. Decked out with foil hats and folk songs, poster boards and a bullhorn, it was the Berkeley Neighborhood Antenna-Free Union, bringing their protest directly to Verizon Wireless’ doorstep.

Led by spokesperson Michael Barglow, about 20 members marched in a circle outside the store, chanting songs of protest against the lawsuit Verizon Communications has leveled at the city. Verizon wants to install five new cell phone antennas on the roof of UC Storage at 2721 Shattuck Ave., and says the Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board violated the 1996 Telecommunications Act in denying both it and Nextel – which seeks to install another six antennas – use permits in May on health grounds.

The BNAFU activists, many of whom live in south Berkeley and say radiation emissions from the antennas are hazardous to public health, cheered the ZAB’s original stance. Now they’re hopping mad.

Howl-O-Ween at Ohlone Dog Park

By Rhyen Coombs

They came. They howled. They bobbed for carrots. They leaped for popcorn balls. They heeled round the pumpkins. They begged for doggie treats. They begged for human treats – pumpkin cookies – and most of the time, they got them. Because on the last day of October, the rules forbidding children from sugar bend for dogs, too. Never mind the caffeine rush. This was the first Ohlone Dog Park Association Howl-O-Ween.

Their parents came too. They adjusted tiny witch hats determined to slide off canine heads. They reattached feline ears. Oh, the indignity. They tugged back on matching gray wigs, until succumbing to tug-of-war. They proudly paraded a Dalmatian dangling an udder, an American Eskimo emblazoned with a skunk’s stripe – and a scrappy terrier named Lola festooned as a flower child, with a blossom in her collar and “peace” in psychedelic script across her back.

Tots Celebrate the Day of the Dead

By Andrea V. Brambila
The crying and laughter of babies and toddlers filled Berkeley’s bustling children’s museum Friday morning for a celebration of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Dia de los Muertos is a time to remember dead loved ones and celebrate life. The children and their parents were especially eager to do the latter and have fun.“It’s a nice place to come for them to do arts and crafts and not get my house dirty,” said Bonika Vega, laughing as she helped her two boys make paper flowers. Her oldest son asked to come.“They love it here,” she said.
Keegan Vega, 4, and Cheveyo Vega, 2
The museum, Habitot, was free for the day. Staff surrounded the very much alive children with color and activities suited to their short attention spans.Their much taller companions taught them how to make flowers with crepe paper and popsicle sticks. Tiny fingers painted sugar skulls and cut paper in decorative designs. Some got their faces painted.
Hailey Pistochini, 2
Come noontime, they would toddle into a comfy tent to hear stories about the Day of the Dead. Just before noon, the museum had seen about 200 visitors. Three hundred more were expected by closing time at 4:30pm.

Police Issue Warning About Scam on Elderly

By Andrea V. Brambila
Berkeley property crimes detectives are warning residents to watch out for scam artists who pose as water repairmen to get into and rob the homes of senior citizens.

Since October 2006, five incidents have been reported in the northeast Berkeley hills. The last one was Oct. 17. Dozens of other incidents have been reported throughout the Bay Area, including the Peninsula, the South Bay, and San Francisco. 

Berkeley Solar Panel Plan Gets Good Reviews, But Skeptics Wonder How Widely It Will Be Used

By Andrea V. Brambila
The city’s new proposal to pay up-front costs of energy efficiency improvements and solar panel installations for property owners is getting an enthusiastic response from contractors, solar panel companies, and other cities, according to calls and emails that have come in since the plan was announced last week.

The city received more than 100 supportive phone calls and emails, according to the mayor’s office.

“Our initial feedback has been totally, overwhelmingly positive,” said Cisco DeVries, designer of the plan and Mayor Tom Bates’ chief of staff.

But in a city that is about half renters, some wonder whether landlords will buy into the program, which would require owners to pay for the solar system over a 20-year period through an added assessment on their biannual property tax bill. Skeptics say lower utility bills would not be an incentive for owners to invest in solar panels because renters – not owners – generally pay for utilities.

Motivating landlords to pay for renewable energy has been “a huge challenge,” said Timothy Burroughs, the city’s coordinator for Measure G, which mandates a reduction in greenhouse emissions.

“That’s not a challenge we have solved,” he said.