Blogs

Oakland North Now 8.5.09

Local bloggers attend the Grand Lake Theater meeting. Allen Michaan raises his threats against the city of Oakland, but is he a bigger threat to smaller businesses? Check out the official (unofficial) AC Transit blog. Speaking of which. Check out Riding the 54 AC Transit bus. Will Dorota Lamoree be allowed to stay in Oakland?

Magical bike

From quite a distance down Adeline Street in West Oakland, I could see this multi-wheeled contraption covered in plastic ribbons. It was slowly creeping down the very center of the road, making it easy for me to catch up. I pedaled alongside the man, snapped a few photos and asked him some questions. His name is Milton Butler and he lives in North Oakland. He built up this multi-wheeled bike for fun and last year it won a prize at…

North Oakland Now 8.3.09

Two of the detained hikers in Iran are journalists with Bay area roots. Our thoughts are with them. Fallen journalist Chauncey Bailey is gone but not forgotten. The Chauncey Bailey Project is a collaboration of journalists that continued the reporting Bailey was working on when he was murdered in down town Oakland on August 2, 2007.  The collaboration of Bay area journalists included students from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Bailey was an editor at the Oakland Post,…

North Oakland Now 8.2.09

The weekend is almost done, but there’s still time for fun. Weekend Recommendations Oakland Lake Fest – If you missed it yesterday there’s one more chance.  The Hood Games are a special treat for those into skater art, culture and competitions from 11a.m. -4p.m. Alpine Oakland/Beer Garden – Knock back some brats and hoist a frosty one on behalf of the Oakland branch of the California Nature Friends Corporation. Noon – 6 p.m./3118 Butters Drive/Admission: $10 for adults, kids under…

North Oakland Now 8.1.09

Why not take a break from the sturm und drang of city politics, parking cost hikes and state/city budget drama?  There’s plenty of cool things to do today. Weekend Recommendations Oakland Lake Fest – This is the first day of the street festival chock full of vendors, music performances and eateries from Oakland. Asian Pacific Islander American Spoken Word Summit – The summit is a gathering of Asian spoken word artists that convenes every two years for workshops and performances….

Oakland North Now 7.31.09

Oakland business owners attended a meeting yesterday to protest the increase in parking fees. Grand Lake Theatre owner Allen Michaan organized the meeting and has collected hundreds of signatures to recall City council members.  It looks like this is going to get ugly. On the other hand, BART and the unions have reached a tentative deal. The next Art Murmur is around the corner.  Unfortunately, the hipster street faire on 23rd street will be kaput starting next month.  The action…

Oakland North Now 7.29.09

Out on the town tonight?  Better watch where you park because meter maids are on the prowl until 8p.m.  However, some Oakland businesses are fighting back . The remaining portion of the decomissioned Oakland Army Base is due for a face lift.  Last night the City Council chose a proposal from AMB Property Corporation and California Capital Group to create spaces for port related industrial businesses  The means the Oakland Film center may need to find a new home.

Oakland North Now 7.28.09

Mayor Dellums’ Washington connections paid off handsomely as Oakland received the most funding for police in California. Did you make it to the city council meeting tonight?  If not, check out a transcript of the action from our live blog.

I’m movin’ on my scraper bike

Scraper bikes and their loyal followers (including me) took to the streets of Oakland last weekend. Over 100 people (this is my own unscientific guess) got on bikes and joined the “Healin’ from Killin’” bike ride for peace. With 60 murders in Oakland so far this year, the scraper bike crew wanted to come out and ride against gun violence. We met up at Lake Merritt, circled the lake and cruised up to Broadway, where Baby Champ (aka Da Scraper…