Mary K. Flynn

We don’t need no stinkin’ shoes! Barefoot running takes off

They say that running barefoot is like gardening naked in the backyard: it’s not for all seasons, and your neighbors will probably stare. But is this trend only for the serious runner, or is this an opportunity for the rest of us to kick our Nikes to the corner? Mary Flynn has the story.

OPD goes undercover to get young prostitutes off the street

“There’s another one there,” the undercover cop says to me from the driver’s seat. He gestures up the street with a nod. Half a block ahead, I can see who he is talking about: a young woman crosses the street wearing tight jeans tucked into black leather knee-high boots with tall, spiky heels. Her black hair hangs in a braid pulled through the white sequined baseball cap covering her head.  She wears a black tank top with thin straps, and…

2010 Oakland Running Festival brings the marathon back to the city

6,500 runners from across the country joined Oakland residents in participating in the inaugural Oakland Running Festival on March 28, which included the city’s first marathon in 25 years. In this video, participants share their stories about why they run and what it was like to take part in the day.

3.15.10: Oakland residents, 100 years ago

The 13th U.S. census, taken a century ago, provided an interesting snapshot of the Bay Area, including that 415 of its residents were bartenders and 173 residents were employed as actors/actresses.  With 2010 census forms arriving in homes, it’s an opportunity to reflect back on what historical information can be gleaned from looking at past census. Oakland Police say a person was stabbed following a car accident Sunday night. The recent collapse of the housing market put many people in…

3.14.10: Oakland man fatally shot, OPD supports cancer patients

The Oakland Police Department said a man was shot and killed early this morning on the 800 block of Mead Avenue, an area that has been the site of several killings over the past few years. Sixty members of the Oakland Police Department shaved their heads to support young cancer patients at a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital Oakland St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The proceeds will benefit the hospital’s Hematology/Oncology Department. Some of the University of California’s lowest-paid union workers –…

As more Oakland youth join the sex trade, law enforcement explores alternatives to incarceration

For decades, the law enforcement and justice systems have treated juvenile sex workers as criminals, not victims, arresting and locking them up. Now the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and an Oakland nonprofit that works with sexually exploited youth are exploring alternatives to incarceration. But what’s the best way to do it?

03.13.10: UC ordered to pay, young mother charged with murder

The University of California has been ordered to pay $38 million in refunds and interest to 2,900 former students whose fees were raised thousands of dollars despite UC’s promise to keep them level. This ruling of a San Francisco judge applies to students who accepted an offer of admission in one of several professional programs – law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, pharmacy or business – by August 2003. Payment of the funds could mean an additional burden for current…

3.12.10 Letters from NUMMI, $$ for voter education

Letters from the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) CEO to local autoworkders have only amplified uncertainty amongst workers regarding their future once the NUMMI auto factory closes. The auto factory is a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota Motor. Oakland City Council members Ignacio De La Fuente and Rebecca Kaplan have proposed redirecting $225,000 earmarked for public campaign financing to educate voters on Oakland’s new run-off voting system. The California Board of Education has listed 18 Bay Area…

New Bay Bridge may open sooner than expected

Good morning, North Oaklanders, It looks as though efforts to complete the new East span of the Bay Bridge are stepping up, as new sections of the bridge were put into place yesterday. Police are searching for an Oakland man they believe responsible for three stabbings that occurred in Hayward yesterday over the price of a used car. A pregnant woman accused of suffocating her 2-year-old daughter on Tuesday had already been facing abuse charges. Tiffany Lopez, 19, had previously…

Student-led group pinpoints solutions to youth violence

The youth-led Heal the Streets fellowship program, sponsored through Oakland’s Ella Baker Center, hosted a Solutions Salon on Saturday in West Oakland intended to engage community members, youth and policy makers in a dialogue about violence prevention in Oakland.