North Oakland Now

Happy Friday. This morning, The Chronicle is reporting that the lead investigator into the death of journalist Chauncey Bailey was recorded telling a possible suspect in the case that he would “defend their friendship.” The story says that the 2008 conversations between Sgt. Derwin Longmire and Yusuf Bey IV were recorded in the Santa Rita jail when Bey was being held  on other charges. The City of Berkeley is proposing a $10 million dollar roundabout at the intersection of Gilman…

History could very well be in the balance as the state supreme court hears arguments on the constitutionality of Prop 8, the measure that define marriage as between a man and a woman.  According to San Jose Mercury News, there’s quite a ruckus in the city. And the Associated Press reports that the Cook County, IL. (which includes Chicago) sheriff is filing a federal lawsuit against the popular website Craigslist for promoting prostitution on a major scale.  Regardless of merits of the…

Good morning ya’ll. For all you exhibitionists out there, according to the San Mateo County Times, SFO has introduced full-body image scanners as another option for passengers to gain security clearance.  A 3-D makeup of your body is rendered on a screen, naughty bits and all.  I haven’t been to the gym lately, so I think I’ll pass. Speaking of showing some skin, according to the Contra Costa Times, skin melanomas are on the rise in the United States.  It’s increasing…

Winter has finally arrived, and it’s making its presence known.  According to the Tribune, the rough weather has created flight delays at both SFO and Oakland airports today. And tax credits seem to be raining down in California particular hard as well lately.  According to the San Mateo County Times, for whoever can manage, buying a home in the Golden State now might be a good bargain, with both state and federal incentives providing some nice savings.  I suppose some profit is…

According to the Tribune, UC Berkeley journalism student Rhyen Coombs has won the Dorothea Lange Fellowship for her work and photography on what people leave behind in their foreclosed homes. And it’s nice to see empowered youth take a stand in West Oakland to improve          public health.

Who can think about installing alternative energy resources at home with an economy like this?  Well, according to the Chronicle, some Berkeleyans are doing it as a part of the city’s new solar financing program.  With some major tax credit and rebate assistance, you too can go solar too.  Just hurry when the next application window opens–nine minutes was the time it took for all available spots to be filled last cycle. But for the 1 million people laid off,…

Good afternoon everyone.  There’s a few things of note in today’s news, and it’s all BART.  First is its $34 million debt, as reported by the Contra Costa Times.  But, contrary to what you might think, they’re not raising fares or reducing services!  (Not this time around at least)   But despite the financial reprieve, BART board of directors have other issues to face.  The same article reports on the controversy involving BART’s hiring of a law firm performing an independent investigation into…

Good morning, North Oakland!  Lots of news this morning.  The Chron is reporting that, after our prolonged state budget debacle, some opinion leaders are hoping to scrap the rule that requires a two-thirds vote to pass state budget and taxes.  Keep an eye out for new initiatives on the 2010 ballot that would lower the required votes from two-thirds to 55 percent.   PG&E announced yesterday a plan to finance five solar plants throughout their territory.  The Chron has a nice…