In what may be viewed as sad irony Charlotte Ortega, the special education teacher found dead in the bay, had hoped to build a homeless shelter in Lagos, Nigeria to be called the Lazarous House. On Wednesday, the Alameda County District Attorney charged Lazarus Ortega with the murder of Charlotte Ortega, his adoptive mother. -more-

On Friday night, the Cal Bears stopped Stanford’s two main scorers, Casey Jacobsen and Curtis Borchardt, but still lost by 20 points. Sunday night, the Bears stopped just about everyone the Cardinal threw at them, breaking a 10-game losing streak to their rivals with a 68-54 win at Haas Pavilion. -more-

Monday, Jan. 7

Just a week ago an editorial by Iris Starr (Dec. 22, 23) stated that there are “educational inequities between whites and people of color.” She claims that many adults “deny the students - needs, life experiences and cultural and racial identities are ignored;” and that “the Board of Education and the Superintendent have only acknowledged an achievement gap with no action taken, year after miserable year.” -more-

As of January 1, anyone buying a firearm also has to buy a trigger lock thanks to a first-of-its-kind state gun control law, which advocates say will prevent accidental gun deaths, especially among children. -more-

NASSAU, Bahamas - The California women’s basketball team did not have an answer for junior guard Molly Creamer - last year’s Patriot League Player of the Year - as it lost to Bucknell, 59-56, in the championship game of the Nassau Knockout Saturday night at the National Gymnasium. -more-

While traveling through Europe recently, my wife and I stopped for two days in Montpellier, in the south of France. Hardly for the first time, I was awed by the way Europeans make things work—things like transportation systems and cities, for example. The implications for Berkeley are profound. -more-

These days, Terry Doran is the lone ranger on Berkeley’s Board of Education. He stepped down as board president last month to make way for Shirley Issel, but has been the sole voice on the committee in support of the hotly-debated small schools policy put forth by the Coalition for Excellence and Equity. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco supervisors have scheduled a last-minute committee meeting for Monday to consider what the board should do officially. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A stolen vehicle believed to have been driven by a man suspected of killing his wife and three children in Oregon was found this morning at San Francisco International Airport. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO – Not all doctors who are ordered to pay damages to patients end up paying the price on their records, according to a newspaper investigation that found only some cases ever make it into the Medical Board of California’s records. -more-

SANTA ANA – Nearly 350 injury reports were filed last year under a new law regulating California theme parks, and they offer a rare glimpse into the secretive ride industry. -more-

SACRAMENTO – A $1.2 million state program launched this week has the California Highway Patrol working overtime to ticket speeding truckers. -more-

LAS VEGAS – Amid the latest in high-tech – from wearable gadgetry to automobile accoutrements – the loudest buzz at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show will likely center on entertainment devices for the living room. -more-

SAN JOSE – Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Monday are launching the fastest models yet of their flagship processors, the electronic brains of personal computers. -more-

SACRAMENTO – A California Indian tribe has received the permission it needed to construct a $100 million Nevada-style casino outside Sacramento, where it is expected to draw gamblers who now head for Reno, Nev. -more-