Community

On a Sunday afternoon in a living room in Berkeley, three fully grown adults are running in circles around a fourth man, wildly flapping their arms and making bird noises. A woman sits on the couch, directing the scene—when she says she wants to see birds, the group complies. Welcome to a rehearsal with Stone Soup, North Oakland’s very own improv troupe.

Oakland is overdue for a major earthquake. The Hayward Fault, which runs along Highway 13 at the foot of the Oakland hills and streams through the Oakland Zoo and Mills College, has produced a significant earthquake on average every 140 years for nearly the past millennium. The last substantial earthquake caused by this fault was in 1868 … that was 143 years ago.

This year’s White Elephant sale topped the charts by earning $1.6 million from its annual event in March. For the 52nd year in a row, the Oakland Museum Women’s Board organized this gigantic rummage sale where people can find anything from picnic baskets to record players to wedding dresses. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Oakland Museum of California.

Oakland North is continuing with our feature. Every Tuesday, Oakland Animal Services will spotlight an “Animal of the Week” that’s up for adoption at their facility. This week it’s Zeph the dog.

The decade long man-hunt to find Osama bin Laden is over, and Oaklanders have a thing or two to say about it. We took an iPhone out to the Temescal District to hear the local reaction.

During a two-day conference last week, Youth ALIVE! hosted the third annual National Network of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs National Conference at Oakland’s Preservation Park. Over 120 representatives from non-profits across the country met to discuss strategies on how to stop the “revolving door” of young gunshot victims who are treated at urban emergency rooms, only to return later.