Blogs

11.23.09: The break is nearly upon us.

Good morning North Oakland, Happy Thanksgiving week to all of you! As we all prepare for a shorter week, here are a few newsworthy items that caught our attention this morning. Oakland city offices will be open November 23, 24, and 25 (Monday – Wednesday) but closed on Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holidays. The city’s annual Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow, November 24, from 11 am to 2 pm at the Mariott. A PDF with more information is online…

11.21.09 Senior healthcare, one less cold case, OPD stretched thin

Newsflash: ‘You’re gonna get old.’ The Bay Area Senior Healthcare Policy Forum met on Friday to focus on the healthcare needs of seniors. The 34-year-mystery of an Oakland woman’s death has finally been solved.  The death of Karen Rose Robinson, originally thought to be a homicide, is ruled accidental. Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts, after his first month on the job, says that the demand placed on the Oakland Police Department far exceeds its resources and capabilities. He outlined plans to…

11.20.09: Follow protest escalation live on Twitter

UC Berkeley students have barricaded themselves into Wheeler Hall on campus today in protest, after UC regents’ decision yesterday to raise tuition by 32 percent, and the conflict between students and police is taking an ugly turn early this evening–one student has been shot with a rubber bullet, and there are reports of tear gas outside Wheeler.   Oakland North reporter Puck Lo, who like all the staff writers is a student at U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, has joined…

Community recipe: Curried Pork

Another recipe for the Oakland North collection comes from Oakland resident Kerry Thett. “As a homegrown Texas girl, I am familiar with crockpot cooking. Now that I have been transplanted to California and have a very busy job, I want to eat hearty, but healthy. Plus I recently began dating a guy from India. What a huge culture clash!  I attempted to learn to cook Indian cuisine, but found it utterly time consuming and often, not too healthy. I found…

11.19.09 Shooting in West Oakland, UC protest resumes, food donation is down

A 19-year-old man was shot to death in West Oakland last night. Police have identified the man as Elray Jones Jr. A judge will consider relocation of the Mesherle trial today. Mesherle is charged with the Jan. 1 murder of Hayward resident Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART station. Oakland North will have the story later today. UC students will resume their protest today after the Board of Regents passed a 32 percent tuition increase in Los Angeles yesterday. The…

Golden Gate Playground

It was a quiet afternoon last week around 2 p.m. on San Pablo Avenue. No one was on the play ground. Very few pedestrians on the sidewalk, but this rusty wire fence and the old playground sign caught my eye.

11.18.09 Mayor fails to disclose South Africa trip, UC protest and green locomotive unveiled

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums acknowledged late Tuesday evening that he had failed to report a trip to South Africa on his annual state of economic interests. According to the mayor’s office, the South African government paid for Dellums’ 2008 trip to honor him for his work to end apartheid. The mayor’s office stated that because the trip was paid for by a government entity, they did not initially believe a report was necessary. Students, faculty and union workers will converge…

11.17.09 Oakland man charged with murder of girlfriend and her young son

Curtis Martin III is charged with the murders of his girlfriend, Zoelina Williams, and her 17-month-old son, Jashon Williams. O.N. will have the story later today. Budget woes could mean a tax increase for Oakland residents and/or potentially selling off Oakland’s convention centers. City Councilmember Jane Brunner (District ) is in China this week attending a Low Carbon City program. A call to Brunner’s staff could not determine if the councilmember’s visit was in any way related to the President’s…

Scene & Heard: Shirt, Shoes, No Service

You see the darnedest things in Northwestern Oakland during an evening constitutional. That’s how we happened upon this heap of raiment on Sunday night on Genoa Street near 56th. This curious clump of clothes reads like the droppings of some afternoon wanderer who, seeing that it was opposite day, elected to obey the inverse of the old adage, “No shoes, no shirt, no service.”