On Tuesday morning, Edmond Heatley withdrew himself from consideration as superintendent of Berkeley schools. That ended two weeks of community agitation over the school board’s decision to choose Heatley as the sole finalist for the position. Activists had protested a memo from Heatley on Proposition 8, as well as his ties to The Broad Superintendents’ Academy, and his actions in Clayton Country, Georgia. At its meeting this Wednesday, the board affirmed that a renewed superintendent search process would be more open and inclusive.
Berkeleyans in their thousands turned out to see space shuttle Endeavour, carried on a specially adapted NASA 747, fly just over our rooftops yesterday. Many gathered at vista points in the hills, including Grizzly Peak Drive, Inspiration Point, and the Lawrence Hall of Science, but others looked open-mouthed from sidewalks, school playgrounds and the bleachers at Berkeley High.
There were no clandestine videos leaked in Berkeley’s local election contests, but supporters and opponents of Measure S, the sitting ban in commercial districts, launched their campaigns last weekend. Mayoral and council candidates held various kickoff events and headquarter openings, but Virginia Bakery’s presidential election cookies — choose either blue-fringed Obama or red-fringed Romney — excited the most interest. No prizes for guessing which cookie is leading three-to-one in sales.
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