Muslims in Oakland are in the last third of the month of Ramadan–its most intense part, as observers continue to fast during daylight hours, declining both food and water until the sun sets. Daylight, and with it the Islamic obligation to fast, lingers long in August.
Neighborhoods
Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland's Bushrod Neighborhood.
The last days of Ramadan in Oakland
September 2, 2010 – 7:49 am
Last-minute funding for all but two children’s centers
August 28, 2010 – 6:35 pm
After weeks of threatening the closure of seven Oakland childhood development centers, the Oakland Unified School District announced Friday that five of the seven centers will remain open until at least the end of December.
Alternative car fuel arrives in Oakland
August 27, 2010 – 5:17 pm
Oakland drivers may want to take a closer look at their owner’s manuals this week. The city’s first biofuels vending station opened Tuesday, offering fillups for any engine that can run using renewable alternatives to gasoline.
Nine candidates have their say at forum
August 27, 2010 – 3:49 pm
After public complaints about a plan to include only the front-running candidates for Oakland mayor, the Sierra Club Wednesday hosted nine of the ten candidates at a forum on the environment and the upcoming election.
College Ave loads up on coffee
August 25, 2010 – 7:40 am
Three new cafes in three blocks of College Avenue. Are they too close for comfort?
Disabled parking placards in downtown Oakland; are they legit?
August 20, 2010 – 7:16 am
Placard fraud costs the city income in meters and parking tickets. Furthermore, because cars bearing placards have unlimited time and don’t need to be moved every hour or two, fraud prevents parking turnover; that can severely limit parking options for everyone, disabled or not.
Unlicensed foods joyfully consumed at first Oakland Underground Market
August 10, 2010 – 6:26 am
This weekend, hundreds of hungry people turned up the East Bay’s first Underground Market, a food event somewhat akin to a farmer’s market except it’s only for members, and –- more significantly –- it doesn’t require vendors to have permits or to use commercial kitchens.
The last picture show for video stores in Oakland?
August 6, 2010 – 7:25 am
As digital and online movie rentals grow, North Oakland’s in-person movie rental options continue to be shuttered.
In Oakland, optimism and hope about overturn of Prop. 8
August 4, 2010 – 11:26 pm
On Wednesday, joyous crowds took to the streets of San Francisco after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned Proposition 8, the ban against same-sex marriage, writing that the ban violated both the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
Oakland celebrates National Night Out with 452 block parties
August 4, 2010 – 11:51 am
Carrying bowls of pasta salad, watermelon, and meat to grill, on Tuesday night people left their houses and streamed into hundreds of neighborhood gatherings being hosted throughout the city as part of National Night Out—a nationwide block party that encourages people to get to know their neighbors and promotes community safety.
Oakland murals color the urban jungle
August 2, 2010 – 7:12 am
Hundreds of street murals brighten Oakland’s walls, painted by local artists, graffiti writers and collectives, like the Community Rejuvenation Project. Some are “bombed”, i.e. done without permission, on the fly, usually at night. Others are commissioned by private businesses and public institutions. This audio slideshow is a preview of some of them.
Oakland Museum presents 25 years of Pixar
July 30, 2010 – 10:33 am
After a five-year, 14-stop worldwide tour that kicked off at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2005, the exhibition that covers Pixar’s entire lifespan is coming home. The Oakland Museum displays the East Bay studio’s unique visual style and extraordinarily vivid digital animation that brought the world Toy Story, WALL-E, and Finding Nemo.
Eight Childhood Development Centers set to close Friday
July 29, 2010 – 10:14 am
Judy Lee has already begun packing her boxes. Full of art supplies and Shel Silverstein books, the boxes sat neatly stacked near the wall of her spacious classroom at the Piedmont Avenue Early Childhood Development Center on Wednesday, a telltale sign of the center’s imminent closure.
A shepherd prevents wildfires in the Oakland hills
July 28, 2010 – 9:00 am
Francisco Ballesteros is a modern-day shepherd, but the sheep and goats he’s tending aren’t being raised for meat or milk—they’re here to prevent the spread of fire.
A garden tour raises funds for healthy food education
July 26, 2010 – 8:01 am
In the shade of large, leafy lettuce and kale and tall stalks of beans, approximately 150 Bay Area residents met Saturday at the Saint Martin de Porres Elementary School garden to show their support for the nonprofit organization that planted it to give Oakland students a chance to learn about nutrition.
With fewer officers, Oakland’s policing strategy changes
July 25, 2010 – 4:23 pm
Since the layoff of 80 police officers, Oakland’s policing strategy has changed, and neighborhood safety groups are grappling with how to react. The Oakland Police Department plans to focus more on emergencies and less on community problem-solving and the investigation of non-violent crimes.