By Casey Miner  At his talk at UC Berkeley Thursday night, controversial Middle-East scholar Daniel Pipes discussed many threats to the existence of the state of Israel. But the audience was worried about a threat closer to home: whether Israel would be safe under a President Obama.
“I think a lot of us here support Obama,” said Berkeley resident Dan Spitzer, 58. “But we’re worried about his associations.”
Mr. Spitzer, who described himself as pro-Israel, named some people who particularly worried him: William Ayers, a former member of 60’s domestic terror group …

By Casey Miner  The street vendors of upper Telegraph Avenue are fixtures of Berkeley life; their colorful stands lend the few blocks near campus some of its legendary character. But as anxious consumers cut discretionary spending, those stands see fewer and fewer patrons.
“They can’t afford to buy,” said Bill Tumath, 62, who sells “cosmic spirals” – metal or copper hanging spirals that spin around brightly colored spheres – from a table near Bancroft Way. “They have the money, but they have other priorities.”

Story by Amanda Dyer and Casey Miner
To many people, Panoramic Hill’s winding roads, bay views, and lush vegetation make it one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Berkeley. But all Linnea Edmeier sees is a disaster waiting to happen.
Edmeier, 42, is a former fire captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Before starting graduate school at UC Berkeley this year, she considered renting a room on Panoramic Hill. But when she looked at Panoramic’s narrow, winding roads, she envisioned downed telephone poles, thick smoke and widespread panic. …

By Will Jason
More than a year after announcing plans for redevelopment, the owner of a long-vacant lot in Berkeley’s Southside neighborhood has still not filed official plans with the city. And with the city officials and the owner’s partners growing impatient, the chance to revive what many see as a neglected corner – Telegraph Ave. and Haste St. – could soon fade away.
“A new building would be good for the neighborhood,” said Mario Tejada, 78, who said he has owned
Mario’s La Fiesta restaurant, across the street from the site, since …

By Casey Miner –
The Berkeley police call them “recycling bandits” – the people who dig through curbside bins and pile shopping carts high with bottles, cans, cardboard and metal.
The managers of local recycling centers call them “recycling professionals.” And the worse the economy gets, they say, the more professionals, and amateurs, they see.

By Casey Miner –
Less than thirty seconds after the red phone starts ringing, the paramedics from Berkeley’s Fire Station One are on the road. A man has called 911 to say he cannot walk. He wants to go to the hospital.

Story by Linsay Rousseau Burnett
Shahin Saki, owner of the Z & S Beauty Studio in Berkeley’s Shattuck Square, is feeling the economic crunch on her business. But her customers are not leaving because of problems on Wall Street; they’re leaving because of problems on Saki’s street.