Culture
Shades of blue are swished across a white canvas. Bold red fish contrast against a painted sea while faint bubbles surround a mermaid with green hair, bright lips and golden sunglasses. The mermaid’s name is Jasmin Flower. She has special powers to make the world a safer place. And this afternoon, over 200 works of art like “Jasmin Flower” will be on sale at Studio One Art Center at 365 45th Street in North Oakland. Today’s event, which celebrates the…
Old-fashioned mechanical jukeboxes, loaded with the records or CDs that reflect the soul of their home establishments, are vanishing fast. Their replacement: Internet jukeboxes, which direct users into the online vastness of “SEARCH ALL MUSIC.” They’re modern, they’re lucrative, and they fill some Bay Area bar patrons with despair. Story by Mario Furloni/Oakland North.
In Rockridge, one can shop, eat, or sit and read a book. One can people watch, meet friends for some drinks, or just take a stroll down the street. On Sunday, Oaklanders will do it all at the 3rd annual Rockridge Out and About Festival. Well, maybe not read a book, but they will certainly shop, enjoy live music, attend cooking demonstrations, view art and even picnic in the street. 150 merchants will flood College Avenue from Claremont to Manila…
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.
Oakland North set up a camera near the Rockridge BART station on a recent Sunday afternoon. We asked more than 40 people the same question. Here’s what they said. Video by Mario Furloni and Tom Gorman.
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…
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…
This fall, Oakland North welcomes a new staff of 18 reporters, all members of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s class of first-year students. Got story ideas? Questions? Complaints? Please drop us a line at staff@oaklandnorth.net S. Howard Bransford S. Howard Bransford is a lifelong resident of Northern California. Prior to moving to the East Bay, he worked as a staff reporter in the town of Marysville, just north of Sacramento, and later as an independent writer for newspapers and…