Blogs

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…

East Bay allez

Muddy chain rings, muddy cleats, muddy legs, muddy faces–basically muddy everything. That’s right, last Saturday was the East Bay’s annual mixed terrain alleycat. I went and checked out who was riding, the course and the prizes. It looked like a lot of tough competition. At one point, the guy who won King of the Mountain (which was the top of Tunnel Road) got off his bike and ran up the grassy hill carrying his bike on his shoulder to ensure…

Fairyland gets its close-up

Children’s Fairyland, the classic storybook theme park by the lake, was featured on the TV show Parenthood. The Trib has the details. Five Oakland schools are on the state education department’s list of “persistently lowest-achieving schools.” The education department will name the schools today. It rains in Phoenix? The Oakland A’s, and about 50 members of the Japanese media can attest that it does.

Fourth killing this weekend

A man was shot and killed in East Oakland last night, the 12th murder in Oakland this year and the fourth since Thursday. The Oakland PD had unwritten rules when it came to avoiding confrontation with members of Your Black Muslim Bakery, a retired officer testified in the trial of Richard Lewis. The Chauncey Bailey Project has the story. The Oakland Tech girls basketball team and the Castlemont boys each pulled upsets yesterday to bring home Oakland Athletic League titles….

Bike art on Divisadero

I know it’s not Oakland, but on Divisadero in San Francisco there’s a bike shop/cafe/bar/restaurant/art gallery called Mojo.  I must say that this place has a pretty genius business model. I stopped by there last Thursday during the Divisadero art walk to check out my friend Chris McNally’s show. He does large prints of vintage bicycle parts and your occasional bike scene.

Three killed in 24 hours in West Oakland

Three Oakland residents were killed in West Oakland in two separate shootings that happened Thursday and Friday. According to the Trib, two of the detained suspects are from Oakland, too. The Oakland PD apologized to a family for a late response to a failed kidnapping attempt. First-time city council member Rebecca Kaplan is giving serious thought to running for mayor. The Oakland Athletic League basketball finals are today at Laney. The girls tip off at noon, with Tech facing Skyline….

Tech grad starring for Bears

A set of sports links for a Friday: Cal senior basketball player Alexis Gray-Lawson, an Oakland Tech grad, is leading the Pac-10 Conference in scoring. She plays her final home game on Saturday. The Trib’s Monte Poole helps give her a proper sendoff here. The Golden State Warriors are struggling through yet another losing season. At least there’s one bright spot. If you’re ever wondering why Warriors fans continue to support a team they know will lose twice as much…

City attorney weighs in on parking ticket mess

The Oakland City Attorney said he thinks the city could face litigation over the summer memo to not ticket cars in North Oakland and Montclair parked on narrow streets. His solution? Issue refunds. Oakland teachers voted overwhelmingly for a one-day strike March 24. The Raiders moved a step closer to keeping Bruce Gradkowski around. Another vote of no-confidence in first-round bust JaMarcus Russell from coach Tom Cable.