Oakland Tribune back issues from March 2008:
Man claims to have found link to lost Ark
Mar 01, 2008; ... Like another famous swashbuckling treasure hunter, he has a fearof snakes. He's not averse to associating with mystics, charlatansand crooks in his quest for prized artifacts. But unlike his fictional alter-ego, the "British Indiana Jones"claims he's discovered the genuine Ark of ...
2 shot near Union City park
Mar 01, 2008; ... UNION CITY -- One man was shot to death and another woundedFriday evening in the parking lot at Kennedy Park. It was the city'sfirst homicide of the year. The victims were sitting in a car about 6:10 p.m. when they wereapproached by three to four adult men in black hooded sweat ...
Fremont fire kills 1, displaces 33
Mar 01, 2008; ... FREMONT -- One man died in a four-alarm fire Friday morning atPennsylvania Apartments, near Mowry Avenue and State Street. Investigators said they would not release the victim's name untilfamily members brought in dental records to confirm his identity, acounty coroner's bureau ...
Woman: Clergyman abused me
Mar 01, 2008; ... RICHMOND -- A woman came forward Thursday and alleged that shewas sexually abused by a Catholic clergyman at Salesian High Schoolin the 1960s, during visits to the school with her family and alsoat her home. It was the second public allegation against the former clergyman,John ...
Family mourns toddler hit by car
Mar 01, 2008; ... Heads bowed, family members of 2-year-old Alexander Moran Cabreraheld hands in a circle and prayed along the driveway where thetoddler's stepfather accidentally backed over the boy in his pickuptruck. Sobs could be heard throughout the modest 11th Street apartmentcomplex Friday ...
....... Isn't that the kind of question they ask beauty pageant contestants? ''Miss California, how do you define success?" ....... Firefighter success
Mar 01, 2008; ... OK, TWO months of'08 have passed like the blink of an eye. Howare you doing? Are you any closer to your goals? Are you a "success"yet? "Success." What the heck is it? How would you define it? It's a question that keeps popping up. You might hear it at a jobinterview. Or ...
Dognapped terrier returned to owners
Mar 01, 2008; ... UNION CITY -- Some good police work helped a Union City coupleget back the dog that officers say a parolee swiped from theirlocked car. The victims had left the pure-bred Yorkshire terrier in their carwith the windows slightly opened Wednesday evening while theyshopped at a ...
Police catch carjacking suspect
Mar 01, 2008; ... UNION CITY -- Police arrested a Union City man on suspicion ofcarjacking and kidnapping a woman as she returned to her sportutility vehicle Thursday night in the overflow Union City BARTparking lot. About 6 a.m. Friday, Sgt. Jared Rinetti spotted the stolen car inthe area of ...
Bill proposing changes to lottery faces opposition
Mar 01, 2008; ... SACRAMENTO -- A state lawmaker is proposing to greatly loosen therules of the state's lottery in order to lure more gamblers andtheir dollars. But it's an idea that could draw the wrath of two ofthe most powerful interests in the Capitol: the state teachersassociation and Indian gaming ...
Schools to lobby against budget
Mar 01, 2008; ... NEWARK -- With California's budget in crisis, local schoolofficials are gearing up to fight the governor's proposed educationcuts that could total $4.8 billion. Newark school board member Nancy Thomas said by e-mail that thegroup recently passed a resolution against the budget ...
No MVAL survivors at state tourney
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- The first day of the State Wrestling Championshipscame and went Friday, and so did the Mission Valley Athletic Leaguewrestlers. For the second year in a row, the MVAL failed to qualify awrestler into the second day of the grueling, two-day tournament atRabobank ...
Las Positas women have a leg up on foes Las Positas women have a leg up on foes
Mar 01, 2008; ... LIVERMORE -- Las Positas College has reached a new milestone inits short basketball history, advancing to the second round of thewomen's state playoffs after beating Ohlone 71-68 at home Wednesday. But that hasn't fazed coach Tom Fletcher. Most teams tend to work harder in the ...
Cal's Drake passes stalled foe
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- Once California High's Aaron Drake got a secondchance Friday at the State Wrestling Championships at RabobankArena, there was no turning back. Trailing 2-0 with 30 seconds left in the third round against LaCosta Canyon's TJ Webb, Drake was twice awarded points for ...
Bland also looking for state three-peat
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- With all the buzz surrounding Las Lomas High starJason Welch's bid for a third state title, it might be easy to glossover the other big story of this year's California InterscholasticFederation state wrestling championships. Central Catholic-Modesto's Louis Bland ...
Martin-Del Campo wins a match at State
Mar 01, 2008 ... BAKERSFIELD -- West High freshman 103-pound wrestler JustinMartin-Del Campo won one match Friday in the CIF State WrestlingChampionships at the Rabobank Arena. Martin-Del Campo drew an out-bracket match against La Habrajunior Aaron La Farge and was pinned in the second round ....
Brown happy to get one win
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- Wrestlers in the Oakland Section are alwayslooking to get respect when they take part in the CIF StateChampionships. Competitors such as Oakland High's Nicholas Brown arehelping them do so. Brown didn't advance to the second day and won't make anappearance on the ...
Bland also looking for state three-peat
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- With all the buzz surrounding Las Lomas High starJason Welch's bid for a third state title, it might be easy to glossover the other big story of this year's California InterscholasticFederation state wrestling championships. Central Catholic-Modesto's Louis Bland ...
Menlo School rules in Div. IV
Mar 01, 2008; ... SAN JOSE -- The Menlo School boys basketball team got a littletaste a year ago, making it to the Central Coast Section Division IVchampionship game, but losing to Palma. Sophomore Alex Smith vowed that Menlo would be back. Flash forward a year to Friday, and the Knights were ...
Creekside wins hoops league title YOUTH BASKETBALL
Mar 01, 2008 ... SAN LORENZO -- Elyse Highstreet's short bank shot with 44 secondsleft broke a tie, and the Creekside Middle School eighth-grade girlsbasketball team held on to beat Castro Valley cross-town rivalCanyon 29-27 for the Southern Alameda County Athletic Leaguechampionship Thursday ....
Carlmont cold vs. San Benito
Mar 01, 2008; ... SAN JOSE -- Carlmont High's girls basketball team picked aterrible time to go into a shooting slump. The Scots couldn't buy an outside basket or virtually sinkanything other than a layup as San Benito rolled to a 53-43 win inthe Central Coast Section Division I championship game ...
Serra's Malak goes 3-for-3 on Day 1 STATE WRESTLING
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- It has been some time since a Serra High wrestlerwent 3-0 at the state meet. To be exact, 15 years. That decade-and-a-half drought ended in Friday's state-meetpreliminaries, all thanks to Hanna Malak. In the 189-pound division, Malak went 3-0, qualified for ...
49ers sign Bruce to help wideouts
Mar 01, 2008; ... SANTA CLARA -- Four-time Pro Bowl selection Isaac Bruce agreed toa two-year, $6 million contract Friday as the 49ers took anotherchance on an aging star receiver from an NFC West rival. That strategy failed a year ago -- Darrell Jackson was a flopupon arriving from the Seattle ...
Acosta survives, Crosby edged
Mar 01, 2008; ... BAKERSFIELD -- The Hayward Area Athletic League had twoqualifiers in the CIF State Wrestling Championships at RabobankArena -- Markjay Acosta of San Leandro High and Ben Crosby of CastroValley. Many expected Acosta, who is ranked No.2 in the state accordingto ...
Chavez back pain steps to the front
Mar 01, 2008; ... PHOENIX -- In a perfect world, Eric Chavez's recovery from threeoffseason surgeries was going to be as smooth as the way he picks upa grounder. The progress was going to be steady, the news always encouragingand, under the right scenario, the finish line was to bring a startat ...
Magowan admits talking to Selig
Mar 01, 2008; ... SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The San Francisco Giants received theirchance to defend against findings of the Mitchell Report. Owner Peter Magowan said Friday that he had met with commissionerBud Selig to discuss elements of the report, which asserted thatgeneral manager Brian Sabean ...
Raiders snag safety, let Sims go
Mar 01, 2008; ... ALAMEDA -- The Raiders on Friday cut longtime offensive tackleBarry Sims and signed free safety Gibril Wilson in a continuedoverhaul of a team that has won only 19 games in five seasons. Sims, 33, was the longest-tenured Raider, having joined the teamas an undrafted free agent in ...
Warriors jump 76ers on leap day
Mar 01, 2008; ... OAKLAND -- By dint of fortuitous scheduling, February as a wholehas been a bit of a bonus for the Warriors. And the extra day tackedon to the end of the month in this leap year turned out nodifferently. A resurgent defense, combined with 21 points and six assists fromMonta Ellis ...
Braun could be on the way out
Mar 01, 2008; ... DARTING HERE and there ... -Following Thursday night's 70-49 debacle against WashingtonState, there is just one question on the minds of many Calbasketball fans: Will today's encounter against Washington be BenBraun's final home game as head coach? Barring an NIT bid thatyields ...
Ex-Philly coach, Webber still fueding
Mar 01, 2008; ... OAKLAND -- Chris Webber may have buried the hatchet with Warriorscoach Don Nelson, but the feud involving his ex-boss fromPhiladelphia is still very much alive. More than a month after former 76ers coach Jim O'Brien -- who nowleads the Indiana Pacers -- blasted Webber in the ...
Harden's season of anguish
Mar 01, 2008; ... BERKELEY -- DeVon Hardin's face said more than his words Thursdaynight after Cal's 70-49 loss to Washington State. The look was a mixof pain, disappointment and confusion. A season he and his teammates expected would bring big thingsunraveled a bit further. But today, as ...
Flu to flew: Jack's shots cure to ills
Mar 01, 2008; ... PHOENIX -- No, Jack Cust is probably not ready to start theregular season today. But it'd be awfully hard to convince peopleotherwise. "What is he?" teammate Dallas Braden said during the fifth inningof the A's 11-4 exhibition victory over the Milwaukee Brewers onFriday ....
Finally on Cust of opening day
Mar 01, 2008; ... PHOENIX -- The pigeon-hole is the worst form of disparagement.You are judged and slotted, and then as the years pass and thefrustration grows, you perhaps never find yourself allowed to proveyour value and prove doubters incorrect. Jack Cust knows the routine all too well ....
Vizquel wants to be safe not sorry in rehab
Mar 01, 2008; ... SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Omar Vizquel isn't going to make any boldstatements on opening day, unless it's with his colorful wardrobe. Two days after he underwent knee surgery, Vizquel said Fridaythat he wouldn't push himself to be in the lineup for the seasonopener March 31, and he ...
Surveyors: No return to dry conditions of'07
Mar 01, 2008; ... LAKE TAHOE WE ALL KNOW it's been wet this winter. But has it been wetenough? As state snow surveyors measured the snowpack at a meadow alongHighway 50 in the Sierra Nevada on Thursday, the answer -- for thefirst time this year -- was yes. The snowfall season should ...
East Bay jobs disappearing
Mar 01, 2008; ... The East Bay is being hammered with a job recession that erased5,100 jobs in January, marking the worst one-month employmentsetback since Sept. 11, 2001, a report released Friday showed. In another ominous disclosure, the job market in the East Bayturned out to be far weaker in ...
Sharks finally beat Detroit
Mar 01, 2008; ... DETROIT -- This was one time when being clueless paid off. The San Jose Sharks ended their futility streak against Detroiton Friday night with a 3-2 victory that was their first over the RedWings in the last seven regular season and playoff tries. The winning goal came on a ...
Scrappy Cardinals in home finale
Mar 01, 2008; ... STANFORD -- Their contributions rarely brighten the stat sheet,but without their scrappy toughness or senior leadership, Stanfordprobably wouldn't be ranked No.8 in the country and in the hunt forthe Pac-10 title. Today, Fred Washington and Taj Finger -- the Cardinal's ...
Bills would change lottery
Mar 01, 2008; ... SACRAMENTO -- A state lawmaker is proposing to greatly loosen therules of the state's lottery in order to lure more gamblers andtheir dollars. But it's an idea that could draw the wrath of two ofthe most powerful interests in the Capitol: the state teachersassociation and Indian gaming ...
Schwarzenegger answers critics on water strategy
Mar 01, 2008; ... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger laid out a sweeping plan to addressstatewide water problems and the environmental decline in the Deltain response to charges this week from incensed lawmakers who said hewas moving unilaterally to build a controversial aqueduct. His letter to leading ...
San Ramon development re-energized
Mar 01, 2008; ... SAN RAMON -- An environmental lawsuit that some feared wouldstifle plans to create a downtown area San Ramon has lacked has beensettled, clearing the way for a slightly scaled back version of theproject. The city of San Ramon, Sunset Development Company and the localwatchdog ...
Dead man found may have been thief, police say
Mar 01, 2008; ... MANTECA -- A transient believed to have fallen 30 feet to hisdeath through the skylight of a Manteca industrial buildingWednesday evening was found in possession of tools associated withcopper burglary. Around 8:25 a.m. Thursday morning, Manteca police were called toa vacated ...
Alameda County to induct 7 into Women's Hall of Fame
Mar 01, 2008; ... Seven women who have made important community contributions havebeen inducted into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame. The winners will be honored at the 15th annual Hall of Fameawards ceremony on March 29 in Berkeley. This year's honorees are: -Helen Daniel ...
Burglaries on the rise, authorities say
Mar 01, 2008; ... DANVILLE -- Faced with double the number of residentialburglaries they had by this time last year, Danville police haveformed suppression teams to arrest thieves who they say are comingto town from all over the Bay Area. For several months, Danville officers have increased their ...
Tracy Women's Forum conference to feature Bishop Tutu's daughter
Mar 01, 2008 ... TRACY -- You're never supposed to ask a woman her age, but thisone is a milestone. The Tracy Women's Forum is hosting its 10th annual conferenceMarch 14 at the Tracy Community Center, providing inspirationalspeakers, a continental breakfast, lunch and wine reception. There ...
Daly City at odds over possible fate of famous Cow Palace
Mar 01, 2008; ... DALY CITY -- Thirteen acres of the Cow Palace's parking lot onthe corner of Geneva Avenue and Carter Street may become the home ofa grocery store and other retail, according to Mara Kopp, a memberof the Cow Palace board. Kopp made the announcement Thursday night during a ...
Don't keep home fires burning
Mar 01, 2008; ... Mention air pollution, and what comes to mind? Factories? Oil refineries? Auto tailpipes? Now Bay Area smog regulators are trying to crack down on anothersource that they say is just as significant, even if beloved: homefireplaces. Citing growing medical research ...
Lesson in uncertainty for state teachers
Mar 01, 2008; ... Jessica Lease has worked as a nanny, college tour guide andsubstitute teacher. She could always go back to those jobs if she is let go as anintern teacher at Kennedy Middle School in Redwood City because ofstatewide budget cuts to education. "I know I'm going to get ...
Peninsula holding on to job growth
Mar 01, 2008; ... Despite some seasonal job losses in the retail and restauranttrade in January, the Peninsula and Silicon Valley continued tooutpace other state metro areas in job growth and economic strengthover the year, state officials said Friday. The San Francisco metro area, which includes ...
More and more white men moving to support Obama
Mar 01, 2008; ... For months, the story lines of the 2008 Democratic presidentialprimary was women voters, black voters, Latino voters. But a strange thing has happened on the trail to the Democraticnomination. Beginning most notably with Super Tuesday voting inCalifornia, and in subsequent ...
Talks begin in train death suit
Mar 01, 2008; ... Caltrain and the attorney for the family of a Burlingame teenagerkilled by a train nearly two years ago met Friday to try to resolvea wrongful-death lawsuit against the rail line and other defendants. The lawsuit was filed in San Mateo County Superior Court lastMarch, about a year ...
South San Francisco works to attract life-science firms
Mar 01, 2008; ... SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO THERE WAS nothing outside 100 Kimball Way except a white sheet ofpaper taped to a glass door. Written on it in thick black ink was"LS9." Inside, cubicles were empty, and lab equipment and freezershadn't arrived yet. But the only crisis at the moment for ...
Charity founder accepts plea deal in sex case
Mar 01, 2008; ... SAN MATEO -- The founder of a prominent Catholic charity in HalfMoon Bay was sentenced Friday to 10 days in jail for offering a client $500 in exchangefor sex. Michael David Niece, the 65-year-old former director of CoastsideCatholic Worker, pleaded no contest in December ...
New charter high school may open in East Palo Alto
Mar 01, 2008; ... EAST PALO ALTO -- Two Peninsula school districts are trying towork out a deal that could give East Palo Alto a new charter highschool. Trustees from the Ravenswood School District directed theirsuperintendent Thursday night to negotiate a deal with the SequoiaUnion High School ...
Bonds''03 testimony revealing
Mar 01, 2008; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Pages and pages of newly released grand jurytestimony offer a revealing glimpse into the three hours that formerSan Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds spent sequestered in SanFrancisco's federal courthouse on Dec. 4, 2003, when federalprosecutors say he repeatedly lied ...
SFO develops disease plan
Mar 01, 2008; ... SFO -- San Mateo County health officials said Friday they'redeveloping a plan for quarantining hundreds of internationalpassengers, should they one day arrive at San FranciscoInternational Airport with someone who has a communicable disease. The San Mateo County Grand Jury ...
Admitted scammer sentenced to 33 months in prison
Mar 01, 2008; ... San Mateo resident David Villongco, 51, was sentenced Friday by aU.S. District Court judge to 33 months in prison in connection witha $20 million scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the UnitedStates. Villongco was ordered to pay a restitution fee of more than $14million ...
Atherton's ex-finance director must pick plea
Mar 01, 2008; ... A judge Friday rejected a legal attempt by Atherton's formerfinance director to temporarily halt a formal investigationconnected to his dismissal last year. John Johns, who headed the town's finance department six yearsbefore he was released Oct. 29, argued that he has a ...
Bottling plant owner fined for ethanol spill
Mar 01, 2008; ... REDWOOD CITY -- Diageo North America, a worldwide producer anddistributor of alcoholic beverages, has agreed to pay $39,250 incivil penalties for the alleged improper disposal of ethanol andfailure to immediately report the release to authorities, countyofficials announced Friday ....
East Bay jobs getting hard to find, keep
Mar 01, 2008; ... The East Bay is being hammered with a jobs recession that erased5,100 jobs in January, marking the worst one-month employmentsetback since Sept. 11, a report released Friday showed. In another ominous disclosure, the job market in the East Bayturned out to be far weaker in ...
Flood maps may mandate insurance
Mar 01, 2008; ... Don't have spending plans yet for the federal tax rebate duelater this year? Good. Property owners in communities surrounding the San Lorenzo CreekWatershed may need that extra cash. Flood insurance, plus tax money for flood control projects, isn'tcheap ....
Family: Car chase suspect mentally ill
Mar 01, 2008; ... The Castro Valley man who led police on a chase at speeds of morethan 100 mph before ending up in a collision Monday had beenreleased from a psychiatric facility just hours earlier. Sean DeGuzman's family is now angry that the facility would havelet him go with the knowledge that ...
Man sought in sexual assault near BART
Mar 01, 2008; ... HAYWARD -- Police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted awoman Sunday morning on a pedestrian walkway connecting MissionBoulevard, near Highland Boulevard, with a residential neighborhoodsouth of Jackson Street. The victim reported that the man attacked her from behind as ...
Cops nab carjacking suspect; victim OK
Mar 01, 2008; ... UNION CITY -- Police arrested a Union City man on suspicion ofcarjacking and kidnapping a woman as she returned to her SUVThursday night from the overflow BART parking lot. About 6 a.m. Friday, Sgt. Jared Rinetti spotted the stolen car inthe area of Iowa and Tulane streets, police ...
Woman, 82, still loves to teach
Mar 01, 2008; ... SAN LEANDRO -- The bell rang to end recess, but a young LindaArnett couldn't resist the temptation to hit the tetherball one lasttime. She wound up and smacked it, but the stationary pole ended upcollapsing on top of her. "I had to see the school nurse and get stitches. I thought ...
Helping hands soothe ruffled feathers
Mar 01, 2008 ... FAIRVIEW -- Sulphur Creek Nature Center's wildlife may lack thephotogenic appeal of cute Knut, the polar bear cub who debuted atthe Berlin Zoo in 2006, but the resident coyotes, foxes, hawks andowls are, nonetheless, pretty appealing. So are the 700 sick, injured or orphaned wild ...