Blogs
This spring, Oakland North welcomes a new staff of 13 reporters, all students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Got story ideas? Questions? Complaints? Please drop us a line at staff@oaklandnorth.net Elise Craig Elise Craig is a native Northern Californian who started writing at her high school newspaper, The Octagon. After graduating from Georgetown University in 2006, she spent two years as a producer on the breaking news desk of the washingtonpost.com, then quit her job on the InterWebs…
The Coliseum Authority is undertaking a study to determine whether or not to build a new football stadium for the hometown Raiders. But they’re asking Al Davis to pay a price. Elaine Beale, Oakland’s resident author, is coming out with a new book. It’s fiction but the story is eerily similar to her own life. Warehouse 416 is putting on an art and music night Saturday. It’s a “5 for 5”–five East Bay bands for an admission fee of five…
The North Side Oakland gang is running amok and the city has asked the court to issue an injunction to crack down on the violence. Oakland and San Francisco traffic are costing commuters an average of over $2 billion/year due to extensive travel time and cost of excess fuel. Delays are long and wasted fuel is on the rise. New police chief Anthony Batts announces he will make Oakland one of California’s safest cities by 2015.
Dealing with the Deficit: Oakland approves layoffs and property sales The MTC has postponed its meeting to determine where the $70 million stimulus will be given: will it be BART’s Oakland Airport Connector or transit agencies? You decide… well, not really. Local poet Alex Maynard has developed a portfolio of pics from his iphone of people wearing a gold chain he purchased. Show off your bling, people!
Did anyone see this story in the L.A. Times? In L.A., a group of 20 guys on bicycles surrounded two alleged bike thieves, stripped them down to their boxers and sent them on their way. Pretty funny. The L.A. Police Department says bike theft is on the rise there—up 29% last year, with almost 2000 bikes reported stolen. Yes, it’s L.A., not Oakland, but it seems like bike theft is on the rise here too. Two weeks ago a friend…
Back to the grind, post-holiday weekend. Here’s what’s happening in Oakland (and environs) today: City Council, in addition to its regularly-scheduled meeting, will have an hour-long special budget meeting tonight to try and solve the yawning chasm that is the city’s budget deficit. Living in the O provides some helpful context. The two teens who were shot during a Richmond church service are now cooperating with police. The three American hikers detained in Iran for espionage may see their families…
Happy Presidents’ Day, North Oakland! Two teens were shot during a church service in Richmond yesterday. Both victims are expected to survive, but at this point, are not cooperating with police. Lovebirds in the East Bay flocked to the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder’s office in Oakland yesterday for some Valentine’s Day nuptials. Maybe–finally–some news this week about where the A’s will end up? A committee will likely be reporting to MLB commissioner Bud Selig about potential sites for a new stadium…
Happy Valentine’s Day, North Oakland! Sobriety checkpoints in cities like Oakland have turned into a profitable enterprise, more often seizing and impounding cars from unlicensed drivers than catching drunk drivers. Check out the New York Times story here. One Love Center for Health, now in development, could help tackle the glaring health disparities in the city by bringing health care and education to West Oakland. Lots of Oakland city government happenings this week–including the City Council tackling the new budget…
Happy weekend, North Oakland. Here’s your news rundown: The Federal Transit Administration has informed BART that it will not grant federal stimulus funding to the Oakland Airport Connector. Instead, the $70 million will go to transit operations. Lots of good coverage on this one, from Living in the O, Streetsblog San Francisco and the Transbay Blog. And of course, check out past Oakland North coverage. Also airport-related: Security screeners gathered at Oakland International Airport yesterday to rally for union rights….