A local job assistance program that has served the low-income and unemployed in the Bay Area since 1974 will be shutting its doors by the end of the week, according to the Oakland Tribune.

Asians for Job Opportunities in the Bay Area recently announced that since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut nearly $90 million from CalWORKS, a welfare program that helped fund Asians for Job Opportunities, the program has had to cut its bilingual social services and job placement services.

Thailand’s International Airport Shut Down

Protesters seeking to oust Thailand’s Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat caused the shut down Thailand’s international airport on Wednesday, causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and keeping travelers on the ground, The Associated Press reports.

Former First Lady Brought to Hospital

CNN reports that former first lady Barbara Bush, mother of President George W. Bush, was recently hospitalized for tests after complaining of stomah pain.

President-elect Barack Obama announced his economic team in Chicago this morning, which includes UC Berkeley economics professor Christina Romer.

Here is part of Obama’s speech:

I’ve sought leaders who could offer both sound judgment and fresh thinking, both a depth of experience and a wealth of bold new ideas, and most of all, who share my fundamental belief that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street without a thriving Main Street. …

As one of the most expert people in America on economic crises and how to solve them, my next nominee, Christina Romer, will bring a critically-needed perspective to her work as chair of my Council of Economic Advisers.

Christina is both a leading macroeconomist and a leading economic historian, perhaps best known for her work on America’s recovery from the Great Depression and the robust economic expansion that followed. Since 2003, she has been co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research Monetary Economics program. She is also a member of the Bureau’s Business Cycle Dating Committee—the body charged with officially determining whether a recession has started and ended—experience which will serve her well as she advises me on our current economic challenges.

Christina has done groundbreaking research on many of the topics our administration will confront, from tax policy to fighting recessions. And her clear-eyed, independent analyses have received praise from both conservative and liberal thinkers alike. I look forward to her wise counsel in the White House.

Iraqis Protest U.S. Security Pact

In response to a recently-approved security pact that would enable the U.S. to remain in Iraq until 2011, citizens of Iraq held demonstrations in Baghdad in which they tore down and burned an effigy of President George W. Bush, according to news sources. 

The pact, which was signed by the Iraqi cabinet this week, would extend the U.S.’s stay in Iraq from the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2011.

JuicyCampus Blocked From Tennessee State’s Network

At least one public university, Tennessee State University, has blocked JuicyCampus from its campus network, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Web site allow students nationwide to post uncensored comments anonymously.

Hampton University, a private university, has also blocked the site from its college network.

The Berkeley High School football team, under the leadership of coach Alonzo Carter are getting ready for their first round of regional playoffs against Deer Valley High School on Friday.

The Yellowjackets are eighth in Division I of the North Coast Section, with Deer Valley following as ninth. Berkeley’s record stands at nine wins and one loss, the same record as number one De La Salle High School, who will play the winner of this playoff game next Friday.

The playoff game will at Berkeley High at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Gun Goes Off in Oakland Middle School

Bay City News reports that a gun smuggled into a classroom by a 13-year-old boy at Cole Middle School in Oakland yesterday seemed to have discharged unintentionally.

No one was injured, but the shot hit a radiator in the classroom and the school was evacuated yesterday.

Reiser Seeking Appeal in Case

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Hans Reiser, the UC Berkeley alumnus who had admitted he strangled his estranged wife, is attempting to appeal his conviction by claiming his attorney is not effectively representing him.

Reiser accused defense attorney William Du Bois of basing jury selection in part on Chinese astrology and said the lawyer had “oxytocin excess” because people who have too much of the hormone “enjoy betraying others.”

The Consumer Price Index reportedly showed a decrease of 1 percent in October prices for goods and services, as compared with September.

The New York Times reports that the decline is the steepest single-month drop since the survey was initiated 61 years ago, prompting fears of deflation.

Daschle Chosen as Health and Human Services Secretary

According to The Washington Post, president-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a horse at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley fell on its exercise rider early this morning, killing the 58-year-old man at the scene.

The horse was apparently spooked and fell on the man, Ignacio Ramirez. The horse was reportedly uninjured.

UC Berkeley released the final fall enrollment numbers last week, revealing that 35,409 undergraduate and graduate students are currently enrolled.

The numbers reflect an enrollment of 25,151 undergraduate students and 10,258 graduate students, attributed to “Tidal Wave II,” or the increased number of freshmen and transfer students going to college.

In June, campus officials announced that the incoming freshman class would be the largest ever seen by the campus, despite cuts to the campus budget.

The campus reports that underrepresented minorities make up approximately 16 percent of the overall student population.

A daily roundup of the biggest headlines in Bay Area and national news.

Wildfires Destroy Homes in Southern California, Schwarzenegger Calls for Review

Three wildfires that began on Friday and Saturday in Southern California continue to blaze after already destroying hundreds of homes and tens of thousands of acres.

Firefighters continue to battle the blazes, which began near Santa Barbara, in Orange County and in Los Angeles.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called a state of emergency, and in addition has called for a review of safety procedures and standards after a power outage at a hospital and the destruction of a mobile home park occurred in relation with the fires, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Street Hosts to Keep Streets Safer

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Berkeley’s street-host program, which launched about six weeks ago, is helping the city keep its streets safer.

The program is part of the Public Commons for Everyone Initiative, a plan to combat homelessness and improve the safety in public spaces.

Law School Hosts State Supreme Court Forum

The Boalt Hall School of Law on Friday hosted a forum about the state Supreme Court, discussing the status of gay marriage, among other issues.

Iraqi Security Pact Approved by Cabinet

The New York Times reports that the Iraqi cabinet has approved a security pact that allows the U.S. to remain in Iraq until the end of 2011.

The pact comes as the resolution by the United Nations Security Council allowing the military to function in Iraq is set to expire by the end of 2008, according to the Times.

A daily roundup of the biggest headlines in Bay Area and national news.

Bailout Plan to Focus on Consumers

Abandoning the original plan to use $700 billion to bailout financial institutions, the Treasury Department is planning instead to directly bailout consumers, according to The New York Times.

UCSF Researcher Charged With Attempted Murder in Colleague’s Poisoning

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF has been arrested and charged with poisoning another colleague at the lab.

Study Finds Bad Air Causing Billions of Dollars in Healthcare Costs

A new study reports that the air pollution throughout the state is incurring billions of dollars in healthcare costs for Californians, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

Senior Pets On Sale for Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month

The Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society is offering their senior pets at discounted prices as part of Adopt-A-Senior-Pet month.