Lindsay Wasserberger

Why is BART so noisy?

We now turn to that age-old question: Why is BART so noisy?

It turns out there are specific reasons for the noise and BART officials know what they are. BART officials also say, however, that studies actually rank BART as one of the quietest public transportation systems in the country.

Office of the Mayor

We met Wednesday at 9:08 AM in the Office of the Mayor’s greeting room, just beyond the iron and glass Art Deco-like divide separating the mayoral cluster of offices and conference rooms from the rest of City Hall’s third floor. One of the bulbs was out in the hexagonal light fixture that looked like beeswax forty feet above the room’s lone cherry wood desk. Below, the office manager pounded on her stapler about once a minute. The room was quiet…

November 6, 2009: Don’t know what to do this weekend?

– It’s not just any old Friday: The second to last Art Murmur of 2009 is tonight 5-10 PM. Art and music hit the streets between 48th and 19th on Telegraph in Oakland, where you can also duck in and out of art galleries. Check out this video to see what it’s like. – Craving a “punk band with a Celtic twist”? Check out Dropkick Murphy at the Oakland Fox Theater tonight.  The Pixies, an alternative rock band around for…

November 5, 2009: San Francisco Bay oil spill update

– According to US Coast Guard member Levi Read, 422 gallons of bunker had spilled into the bay. In contrast, over 53,000 gallons entered the bay from the Cosco Busan spill in 2007. – Approximately 14 birds died from the recent spill and an additional 36 were found oiled but alive. 2,400 birds died in 2007. If you see oiled wildlife call  the oiled wildlife hotline: 1-877-823-6926 – Skimming operations for the recent spill have been completed, according to the…

Oil spill contained as clean-up continues

UPDATED: 9:00p.m. A still-undetermined amount of oil spilled from the Panamanian-flagged tanker ship the Dubai Star into the San Francisco Bay Friday morning around 6:48 AM, causing an oil slick two miles long and 220 yards wide.

Jobs for underemployed benefit all, study finds

The East Bay Community Foundation released a report Tuesday that outlines the employment hurdles facing many immigrants with limited English proficiency, individuals previously imprisoned, and former foster care recipients in Oakland and recommends ways community groups and private employers can help remove the barriers.