News Briefs
22 October 2008
Election coverage is in the spotlight at North Gate Hall events
As Election Day approaches, the Graduate School of Journalism will offer two free events examining how the Obama and McCain campaigns — and the issues they address — are being handled by the news media.
On Monday, Oct. 27, the school presents “Obama-McCain: The View From Europe,” a talk by Hans-Henrik Holm, Distinguished Professor of World Politics at the Danish School of Journalism at Aarhus University. He will focus on European press coverage of the U.S. campaign, from noon to 2 p.m. at North Gate Library. A reception kicks off the lunchtime event at noon.
“Election 2008: Obama and McCain in the Media Eye,” a panel moderated by J-School senior lecturer and political-reporting veteran Susan Rasky, will be held in the same location on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Panelists to be announced will include journalists, scholars, and analysts, who will debate campaign press coverage of the approaching vote.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Campus police arrest two suspects in Clark Kerr robbery
On Tuesday, campus police announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with the Sept. 30 early-morning robbery of two students in their suite at the Clark Kerr residential complex.
UCPD identified the suspects as Berkeley students R.J. Garrett, 21, and Gary Doxy, 21. They were arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted robbery, police said. Garrett was also arrested for possession of an illegal, stolen weapon unrelated to the campus robbery. Both live in off-campus housing.
Following an investigation by UCPD that linked the stolen property to the suspects, the two were taken into custody without incident. Bail for each was set at $60,000.
For more on the arrests and the campus response, see newscenter.berkeley.edu/goto/kerrarrests.
UC reaches tentative contract agreement with patient-care employees’ union; talks with service employees are ongoing
University of California officials announced this week that UC has reached a tentative agreement with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) on a new five-year labor contract for UC’s 11,000 patient-care employees.
The tentative agreement was reached Sunday, Oct. 19. Once ratified by the union, the agreement will be effective from the date of ratification through Sept. 30, 2012.
UC is also attempting to settle a new contract with AFSCME regarding UC’s more than 8,000 service employees and hopes a compromise agreement will be reached soon. Highlights of UC’s current offer for service employees include $20.3 million in total wage increases over the next 27 months, including $11.3 million worth of increases in the first year and increases in minimum wages from $10.28 per hour to $13.25 per hour, and the same health and retirement benefits as other UC employees, at the same cost, with UC paying the vast majority of the benefits costs.
UC and AFSCME began negotiations for patient-care employees in August 2007 and for service-employee groups in October 2007.