CLICK ABOVE TO VISIT
CAL BUDGET HOMEPAGE
(L) Dr. Marguerite Ro (R) Assembyman Mark Leno
photo by Akito Yoshikane/NIchi Bei times

By AKITO YOSHIKANE
Nichi Bei Times

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced last week that the state's budget deficit could increase to as much as $20 billion, the largest state debt in the country for fiscal year 2009 and higher than the original $15 billion debt projected in January.

(Bay City News Service) — The San Francisco medical examiner's office identified 32-year-old Oakland resident Ajason Black as the victim of a fatal shooting the night of Saturday, May 3 near San Francisco Japantown's Japan Center.

Initial reports indicated Black was shot at Geary Boulevard and Buchanan Street at about 10:15 p.m. before he ran across the street and collapsed, police said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

By KENJI G. TAGUMA
Nichi Bei Times

Beverly Hills-based 3D Investments, which in 2006 bought most of San Francisco Japantown's economic hub and followed that with the purchase of major Little Tokyo properties last year, is currently seeking to purchase the property owned by Union Bank of California adjacent to their own Japantown holdings, the bank disclosed.

The family of an elderly former Marine who died from injuries after being run over by a MUNI bus near Japantown last year wants to help prevent the same tragedy from happening to other pedestrians, especially senior citizens.

The family of Kenji Suzuki, a resident of Japantown, recently settled a wrongful death case against the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority.

Dear Editor,

I was reading story after story of the poor women who were comfort women. I had never heard of this before. I had heard of the wars, fierce battles, camps, but never these poor sweet souls also lost in the war. Is there anything that women from around the world can do for those that went through shame, pain, and mental and spiritual abandonment?

CLICK IMAGE TO VISIT HOMEPAGE
photo by Elisabeth Fall/UCSF

The Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program at Rosa Parks Elementary School, affectionately known simply as "JBBP," is currently enrolling students from kindergarten to fifth grade. JBBP recently celebrated its 35th anniversary as a unique language program within the San Francisco public school system.

CLICK ABOVE TO VISIT HOMEPAGE
courtesy Nihonmachi Little Friends

Nihonmachi Little Friends (NLF) requests the community's help in searching for a new program site for one of its preschool programs.

courtesy of Sony Pictures

There are a few things we can count on to make money in show biz. Along with singing, dancing and blonde embodiments of America's contradictory values about sex, racism is pretty close to the top of the list.

When you looked at the box score from the A's and Mariners game a few days ago, you probably thought "No way, that can't be right, that's got to be a misprint."

A "Suzuki" leading off for the A's and a "Suzuki" leading off for the Mariners.

"It's got to be a misprint."

Then you saw both had the identical line, 1 for 4 with a run scored.

"Must be a misprint."

CLICK HERE or the IMAGE ABOVE to view larger image.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — The 2008 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival took place Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Indoor activities were held at the Quinlan Community Center and outdoor activities at the amphitheater at Memorial Park, located at Stevens Creek Boulevard at Mary Avenue across from DeAnza College.