Economy
It can be hard out there for a meat and booze lover. Or it was, at least, until a few weeks ago, when Bar Dogwood opened its door in Oakland. The new watering hole offers a selection of cured meats, cheeses, and fresh cocktails, seamlessly blending old school taste and style with a modern, Bay Area sensibility.
Oakland urban homesteading celebrity Novella Carpenter could face fines from the city for unpermitted agricultural activities and lose the animals she keeps at Ghost Town Farm, a West Oakland garden that helped make local, sustainable food popular in the East Bay.
California’s state legislators aren’t the only ones uncertain about Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed cut of redevelopment agency funds. Even though schools stand to gain if lawmakers approve the proposal, Oakland educators worry that taking funds from affordable housing could put more students at risk of homelessness.
Behind a small grey non-descript house near San Pablo Avenue and 60th Street in the Golden Gate neighborhood is a different kind of bicycle shop. As you walk down a path alongside the house, you pass chicken coops, Birds of Paradise and a vegetable garden full of beets, bok choy and broccoli. Past the garden, a door leads to a clean little studio full of tools and bikes. This is where Dan Woloz just opened a service-oriented bike shop called Bike Man Dan.
The Oakland Running Festival is in its second year, and 7,284 runners representing 35 states and six countries registered for one of the weekend’s five races – the marathon, half-marathon, 4-person team relay, 5K, and kids’ fun run – up about 20 percent from last year.
Gourmet and Modern Bride magazines went under. US News and World Report has gone digital-only. Apple launched a new iPad that lets people read National Geographic and The New Yorker online and also watch live TV. You might worry anything made with paper is … well, doomed. A stop by Issues magazine store, however, might quell those fears.
After a successful return of the Oakland Marathon last year after a 25-year hiatus, Oakland is ready to host the second edition of the city’s Running Festival this weekend. “The revival of the Oakland Running Festival is one of the many signs of Oakland looking more forward,” Mayor Jean Quan said at a press conference on Thursday. She hopes that the festival will introduce the projected 7,300 runners to Oakland’s diverse neighborhoods and scenic beauty.
Facing a $21 million deficit, along with employee layoffs, service cuts and the probable closing of facilities, AC Transit doesn’t have a lot of breathing room. On Wednesday, the agency’s board of directors decided it can’t finance the estimated $625,000 it would cost to offer discount youth bus passes for Oakland Unified School District high school students over the age of 18.
The Oakland Marathon will get off to a running start on Sunday, March 27 with a handful of other race events and activities on Saturday preceding the principal competition, as part of the second annual Oakland Running Festival.