Dara Kerr

Who do you think should be Oakland’s woman of the year?

Assembly member Nancy Skinner is on the search for women who have made significant impacts in their communities. She is inviting neighbors, community groups and civil leaders throughout District 14 to nominate women they believe have gone beyond the call of duty to support their communities.

Meet the animals at the Oakland Zoo

Up in the Oakland hills, the Oakland Zoo spreads across 45 acres and offers up attractions such as the African Savanna, Children’s Zoo, Tropical Rain Forest and Australian Outback to explore. With 440 types of different animal species, from lions to lemurs to lesser flamingos, it’s hard to get it all in with one days visit.

Where in Oakland can you recycle batteries and other hazardous waste?

Do you have old paint, batteries or fluorescent light bulbs sitting around the house? You know that you shouldn’t throw them away, yet you’re not sure how to properly get rid of them? Here’s a step-by-step guide to everything you need to know on disposing of and recycling your household hazardous waste.

Mayor Quan announces new staff appointments

As Mayor Jean Quan begins her term in office as Oakland’s 49th mayor, she announced yesterday who will be her staff. With nine appointments in the various city government departments, Quan picked people to work with her on the budget, in education, federal relations, public safety and more.

Mobile hamburgers hit the Oakland scene

Every morning Ronald Robles gets up and hand-grinds different kinds of fresh pepper—white, Sichuan and black. He also hand-makes three types of mayonnaise; there’s garlic-flavored, chili and regular. Robles is the owner and chef of Fiveten Burger, one of the newest food trucks to come out of Oakland, and he’s dishing out what he calls “America’s favorite food”—the burger.

Oakland memorializes the 94 homicides of 2010

Dozens of wooden crosses, painted white with a number and name hand-written across the front, stood in the front lawn of St. Columba Catholic Church on Friday. Behind, a big cement cross was hung with a pine wreath and a sign that read: “These crosses represent those killed by homicide in Oakland this year.” There were 94 crosses in total.

10 great walks in Oakland

Staying in Oakland for the holidays? Oakland North has picked out 10 great walks that are all easily accessible, either by a short drive, bike ride or bus trip.

Where in Oakland can you recycle old electronics?

During the holiday season people tend to get presents of new computers, cell phones, televisions and more. While it’s exciting to upgrade your electronics, it leaves you with old gear that’s often hazardous to simply throw away. Here’s a guide to where to recycle electronics in Oakland.

Tired of delays, Bordertown’s skaters ride again

Behind a 12-foot-high chain-link fence topped with barbed wire on a dead-end street underneath one of Oakland’s major freeways there is a concrete skate park called Bordertown. This West Oakland spot is the site of a long-standing controversy between the City of Oakland, Caltrans and the skateboarders that illegally built this park here six and a half years ago.

West Oakland group hopes to fight air pollution with cell phones

Circled by three freeways, scattered with industrial factories and a stone’s throw from one of the largest ports in the United States, West Oakland has a high pollution rate. That’s why this neighborhood has become the centerpiece of a new partnership between a local environmental justice group and a high-tech research company to develop a cell phone that can measure pollution.

In search of birds during Oakland’s 70th Audubon bird count

Early Sunday morning in the drizzling rain, a small group of people is standing on the shore of Lake Merritt peering out onto the lake through binoculars. They are birdwatchers participating in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count— the group’s annual tally of different species of birds.

Oakland group asks for migrants’ protection on International Migrants Day

Twenty years ago the United Nations General Assembly accepted a new international agreement that sought the safety and security of migrants worldwide—the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. This weekend, thousands of people globally will celebrate International Migrants Day, December 18, and speak out for the rights of migrants.

Greywater systems give tap water a second life

Javier Amaro is one of hundreds of people in Oakland who have started reusing “greywater”—or run-off water—in their homes. California’s laws recently changed to allow certain kinds of greywater reuse systems to be installed without requiring permits, so residents are increasingly conserving water from their showers, bathroom sinks, washing machines and more.

Oakland plans to become an environmental leader

One of the City of Oakland’s goals is to become a model green city, according to its sustainability program. For the past year and a half, the city has been hashing out an Energy and Climate Action Plan (ECAP) to identify and prioritize what it can do to lower Oakland’s greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy use.