Community

“First Friday,” picture of a changing Oakland

A monthly art walk is an unlikely place for a shooting, but in Oakland last February, that wasn’t the case. After a man’s death at First Friday, where art lovers crowd the sidewalks and often enjoy food and wine at local galleries, two filmmakers decided to make a movie about the gathering in hopes of starting a dialogue about Oakland’s many facets.

Bay Area celebrates Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling

It’s official: The Supreme Court has made same-sex marriage a reality in California. The justices dismissed an appeal Wednesday by sponsors of Proposition 8, a voter-approved ban on gay marriage, and ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the same benefits as opposite-sex couples.

Community Photo of the Week: Hospital Visit

Every week, Oakland North will publish a photo submitted by one of our readers. This week’s photo is by Mark Gartland. Gartland writes, “Got to visit Highland Hospital last Father’s Day, and took this photo during my stay.” If you’d like to contribute to “community photo of the week,” just send a favorite photograph taken in Oakland to staff@oaklandnorth.net with the subject: PHOTO. Please make all photographs large-sized and in jpeg format. Oakland North cannot pay for community photos, except in…

BART riders brace for possible strike

Update: Wednesday’s morning results show that BART workers decided to allow union leaders to call a strike if a contract agreement isn’t reached by July 1.  Bay Area Rapid Transit riders braced themselves Tuesday for a possible strike that could tremendously slow down their commute as soon as next Monday. Labor unions gathered at Metro Center in San Francisco on Tuesday to vote to authorize a strike. Results of the votes are expected to be announced Wednesday morning. More than 400,000…

Alameda County school board faces decision on American Indian Model Schools

The Alameda County Board of Education will rule on Tuesday whether to reverse a decision that revoked the academic accreditation of a nationally lauded charter school system. American Indian Model Schools operates three schools in Oakland, spanning kindergarten through high school. It lost its status in March after a 4-3 vote by the Oakland Unified School District.

Until organs go silent

Bob Schleicher has been repairing Hammond organs and Leslie speakers in Oakland for nearly five decades–and he’s one of the best at what he does. Something magical happens when you plug in a Leslie speaker to a Hammond organ, he says.

Condemned project housing reopens as art gallery

Chipped paint, metal bars and boarded windows and doors are all that’s left of Greenside, a notorious housing complex in East Oakland that was condemned and shuttered 10 years ago. Now, Oakland native and internationally- renowned artist Ise Lyfe has returned to his hometown to convert the dilapidated buildings into a work of art.