Business

Space fans gather at Chabot Space and Science Center to watch last shuttle launch

The patch on John Tulloch’s black hat has the insignia from the final mission of the Discovery space shuttle—a stitched picture of a shuttle blasting off into the stars, with a tail of red flames following, against a dark blue half-globe in the background. He’s wearing a black polo shirt like the ones worn by NASA mission control operators in Houston, the pin on his collar is for the current mission, and the blue astronaut suit his three-year old son…

Making marmalade with Blue Chair Fruit Company

For 10 years, Rachel Saunders made jam on the side, mostly for friends. Then, she said, making jam “sort of became more of a hobby.” But ultimately it became North Oakland’s Blue Chair Fruit Company — see how they make one of their artisan marmalades.

Local IKEA builds an enormous solar array on its roof

Furniture retail giant IKEA is putting solar panels on its store roofs all over the globe, including the one on the Oakland-Emeryville border. If you drive across the highway overpasses nearby, you can see the array coming into shape.

After getting thumbs up from council, Oakland Zoo ready to expand

After the Oakland City Council voted its approval last week, the Oakland Zoo expansion that has been in the works since the mid-1990s is nearly ready to break ground, despite opposition from environmental groups. The expansion includes a veterinary hospital, camping area, and an exhibit for native California animals.