Community

Oakland rescue crews join hurricane recovery efforts in Texas and Florida

Oakland’s Urban Search and Rescue team hadn’t deployed in nine years. But three weeks ago, when Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Robert Lipp answered the call to respond to Hurricane Harvey, they mobilized a team in under four hours. Immediately following their deployment to Texas, they were re-tasked to assist with rescue efforts in Florida.

Oakland’s first LGBTQ community center opens

Oakland’s new LGBTQ community center opened on September 7 on Lakeshore Avenue. There, people can find services such as help finding housing, mental health and substance abuse counseling, workplace discrimination support and mentoring.

We’re off for the summer — see you in September!

Oakland North is a project of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and now that it’s summer, our students are on break to work internships at other publications. We’ll be back to train a new class of student reporters in early September. Please feel free to explore the site and our past coverage. Our student journalists have been covering Oakland since fall, 2008, and have created more than 5,000 articles, videos, audio pieces and multimedia projects about life in the city. You…

At a mulching party, East Bay residents learn how to convert lawns to gardens

On a warm Saturday morning, people began to slowly stroll into the Memorial Tabernacle in Oakland’s Bushrod neighborhood. They were gathered not for a morning service, but for a special kind of lawn party. Trail mix, cookies, apples, and fresh-cut pieces of banana were laid out on colorful bowls on a table, but nothing smelled more fresh than the two 4-foot piles of compost and wood mulch laid out on the road in front of the church.

StopWaste, a public agency dedicated to reducing waste in Alameda County, hosted the lawn party to revitalize the Memorial Tabernacle’s community garden, using this hands-on project to educate volunteers on how to convert a water-thirsty lawn into a fruitful garden.

AXIS: A dance company for every body

Oakland is home to many diverse dance companies that travel the world performing unique choreography for all to see, but one group stands out from the rest: AXIS. Nearing their 30th anniversary, this physically-integrated repertory company has both disabled and non-disabled dancers. With their performing season rapidly approaching, AXIS welcomes a new company member to the dance floor. Click the video above to watch the story.

At Eve’s Waterfront, a new chef takes charge of the ship

Brandon Peacock is now captain of a ship. That ship is actually a restaurant—Eve’s Waterfront, the newest establishment to inhabit the waterfront property on the edge of Jack London Square. Peacock isn’t known for any particular style of food—whatever he does, he does well, whether it’s ramen from scratch, decadent mac and cheese, short ribs or rotisserie chicken. “The entire menu is new,” said Peacock. “I try to change as much as possible and take a new approach is on…