Community
At Wednesday’s regular biweekly meeting, the Oakland School Board honored several people for their contributions to the city’s schools, including one person who’s no stranger to the spotlight. Blog by Lillian R. Mongeau.
UPDATED to include slide show by Lindsay Wasserberger / Oakland North. Story by Lillian R. Mongeau / Oakland North.
We’re only a few short hours into the autumnal equinox, which can only mean one thing: summer has arrived in Oakland. The sun beams high overhead the Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland. Pigeons dive to the concrete and back to the sky, swooping past two small children, a brother and sister, who laugh loudly and run in circles around the birds. Their father waits patiently nearby until the pigeons fly away, then steers the children to their next…
Creek to Bay Day served as a rallying point for North Oakland residents looking to keep their creek clean. Video by Kate McLean and Thomas Gorman.
The Intertribal Friendship House developed out of necessity when American Indians were relocated to the Bay Area in the 1950s. Over time, the center has emerged into a nationally historic space for social services, organizing and building relationships, and continues to be considered the “heart” of the Bay Area American Indian community. The following Oakland North Interactive features two elders and other members of Oakland’s American Indian community speaking about their experiences in the city. [This interactive report is no…
Among the cars parked off of Claremont and Oak Grove, a U.S. Post Office truck stands out among the Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics. Dadra “Renee” Underwood, 52, has been driving this truck for 23 years. She is one of the 80 employees at the Grand Avenue Post Office. The stack of mail she delivers every day, if you piled it one piece on top of the other, would be around three feet high. Underwood is a petite woman. As…
Frank Snapp walks up 40th Street, just east of Broadway, with a wheelbarrow full of plants and a plastic green garden hose slung in rounds over his shoulder. His olive sunhat shades denim blue eyes. It’s a 78-degree day in North Oakland and the heat rising off the asphalt makes it seem even hotter, but the fair-skinned, red-haired Snapp is in his element. He is a gardener like many gardeners, but three things set him apart: He has a remarkable depth…
On most weekend mornings in September, Oakland residents turn Lake Merritt into their outdoor track, with packs of joggers and cyclists circumnavigating the sunlit lake. But a canopy of gray clouds chilled the air one recent Saturday, making the morning in the emptier-than-usual park feel like winter rather than late summer.
Walk into the Walgreens at 30th Street and Telegraph and it will not take long to realize that this is a pharmacy on a mission. Every two minutes, a peppy voice cajoles customers into making the most of the 10-til-4 daily seasonal flu shot available at all stores, nationwide. Outside, signs remind customers that the flu jab costs just $24.99. Inside, they’re immediately informed that both Medicare and Medical can foot the bill, and on a recent weekday afternoon a…