After the passing of home renovator Jane Powell, the legacy of her Bunga-Mansion lives on

Jane Powell was a woman who loved her home. Powell, an author and home restoration expert who died in November 2012 from lung cancer, spent the final years of her life fighting the bank to keep her dream home, Oakland’s historical Jesse Matteson House, fondly nicknamed the Bunga-Mansion by Powell and her friends. After losing most of her income during the financial crash of 2008, Powell rallied to keep her home from going into foreclosure, all while struggling with illness….

Local roller derby teams face off this weekend

All four B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls teams will compete in the league’s Double Header Coastal Clash bout on Saturday night at The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond. The first match will be between the Oakland Outlaws and the San Francisco ShEvil Dead, by the Richmond Wrecking Belles and Berkeley Resistance.

Where is this in Oakland? Challenge 4

Here is the fourth edition of Oakland North’s new guessing game, where we take you to an Oakland establishment and have you try to figure out where it is. This week you have eight photos to work with, and three clues to help get you started.

Jack’s Night Market kicks off initial First Friday event

This Friday, the city kicked off Jack’s Night Market, a small festival and market is being held in conjunction with Oakland’s First Friday Art Murmur, a citywide art walk incorporating galleries from 26th Street to Uptown, Old Oakland, downtown Oakland and Jack London.

Artist hopes to bring stories of Lake Merritt to your ears

Scott Oliver can tell you a lot about Lake Merritt. He can tell you that it’s not really a lake but a tidal lagoon. He can tell you that this place used to be named Lake Peralta and that, for a while, it was Oakland’s sewer. He can tell you that the white pelican who hangs out year-round is called Hank. And no, he does not buy into the rumors about a Lake Merritt monster. Now, Oliver hopes to bring the story of Lake Merritt to anyone with headphones and an audio player.

Photo trek: Oakland in the rain

After a dry winter, Oakland and the greater Bay Area are experiencing a surge of rain. Today, reporter Lexi Pandell walks you through Rockridge, Montclair and Lakeshore with a special look at how residents deal with the wet weather as part of our continuing series of Oakland street photography.

Mentors needed for Bay Area youth

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, a local chapter of one of the nation’s biggest youth mentoring organizations, has about 750 children and teenagers in the Bay Area waiting for a mentor.

Finances force Oakland Ballet Company to postpone performances

In light of recent financial difficulties, the Oakland Ballet Company’s board of directors decided to postpone this spring’s Diaghilev Imagery program until funding needs are met. The OBC faces fiscal troubles after selling fewer tickets for the 2011 performance of The Nutcracker and receiving less money than expected during fundraising efforts.