On Tuesday, Oakland North was in Rockridge listening to casual carpoolers talk about the closure of the Bay Bridge. Did it forced them to stay home? Seek other modes of transportation?

The Bay Bridge re-opened on Monday morning after six days of closure, due to a failed tie rod that caused an additional tie-rod and a cross bar to fall onto the bridge’s upper deck.

Maria Elena Terriquez had always wanted to run her own business. She had sold perfume in Mexico for 15 years when she immigrated to the United States to join the four of her five adult children who were living here.

More than forty people gathered in a conference room this morning to listen to physicians– from La Clinica de la Raza, Asian Health Services from Oakland’s Chinatown, and LifeLong Medical Care from Berkeley–talk about the need for health care reform. “They made a choice to pay college for their daughter, rather than health insurance,” one physician said of his own aunt and uncle. “So they’re making a gamble on their life.”

At the Golden Gate Public Library on Tuesday night, a diverse group of young dancers celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, continuing a tradition that is thousands of years old .

Midway through the rock opera “American Idiot,” the main character Johnny, his rebel girlfriend Whatsername, and an ensemble of urban youth belt out their message of isolation in the city: “My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me, my shallow heart’s the only thing that’s beating, sometimes I wish someone out there will find me, till then I walk alone.” The song, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” was written by Oakland-based Green Day, a band that’s succeeded on a global…

It’s been just over a week since Typhoon Ketsana hit Luzon, in the northern part of the Philippines, before storming through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.  Amelia Desesto, 45, a masters student at Berkeley’s Franciscan School of Theology, has spent hours this week watching Filipino news on television, and checking for updates on the latest death counts, injuries, and cleanup efforts. She said that even her young nieces and nephews are reacting to the news. “They feel devastated with what they…

Shades of blue are swished across a white canvas. Bold red fish contrast against a painted sea while faint bubbles surround a mermaid with green hair, bright lips and golden sunglasses. The mermaid’s name is Jasmin Flower. She has special powers to make the world a safer place. And this afternoon, over 200 works of art like “Jasmin Flower” will be on sale at Studio One Art Center at 365 45th Street in North Oakland. Today’s event, which celebrates the…

The Intertribal Friendship House developed out of necessity when American Indians were relocated to the Bay Area in the 1950s. Over time, the center has emerged into a nationally historic space for social services, organizing and building relationships, and continues to be considered the “heart” of the Bay Area American Indian community. The following Oakland North Interactive features two elders and other members of Oakland’s American Indian community speaking about their experiences in the city. [This interactive report is no…

The late Hunter S. Thompson – no stranger to depravity himself – once called Oakland Raiders fans, “beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled in such numbers under a single ‘roof,’ so to speak, anywhere in the English-speaking world.“ Oakland North caught up with Raider Nation at the Coliseum before Monday’s opening night for the 2009 Silver and Black.   The evening ended in a 24-20 defeat to the visiting San Diego…

When students arrived back at Chabot Elementary School last week, the great construction demonstration in their own old play yard had grown to two stories high and was covered in scaffolding. “It’s a great experience for kids to see their school being built,” said Chabot second grade teacher Marybeth Tullis, who’s worked at the school for eleven years. “Last week the kids were able to interview a construction worker about his job.” Chabot’s new multi-purpose building and library are expected…