Politics

If you’re waiting on that new fluff ‘n fold to open down the street in North Oakland, you’d best not hold your breath. The City Council has approved a new hurdle for potential laundromat holders, arguing that too many of these unsupervised businesses turn into a problem in some areas.

In a corner of the cavernous Elihu M. Harris State Building lobby in downtown Oakland, a group of enthusiastic people gathered around a table covered in Ziploc bags of brightly colored pills. Story by Lillian R. Mongeau.

The Oakland North newsroom is a smaller-scale version of many classic modern-day newsrooms–computers, printers, a fax machine, a long conference table usually littered with coffee cups and reporters’ notebooks–except that it’s inside North Gate Hall, on the UC Berkeley campus. By Cynthia Gorney/Oakland North.

Imagine a capacity crowd of 63,000-plus Raiders fans filling the Oakland Coliseum. Now, imagine the Coliseum filled to the brim with anxious, uninsured Oaklanders worried about suffering an injury or illness they literally can’t afford. Story by Sam Laird.

By Puck Lo/Oakland North
“I am one of four thousand people in Oakland who will be foreclosed on,” announced East Oakland homeowner Karen Mims. The middle-aged, bespectacled African-American woman spoke with passion, and her voice reverberated in the auditorium-sized room.

In a raucous meeting that drew emotional public comments and lasted well past midnight, the Oakland City Council late last night declined to roll back parking meter enforcement hours. Story by Kate McLean/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…

You have to look as far as New Zealand to find another country where drug companies can advertise products directly to patients. In the United States’ less regulated pharmaceutical market, patients can struggle to sort out competing claims about various drugs. And with Americans over 65 taking 34 percent of all prescription drugs, senior citizens are among the individuals most vulnerable drug-related complications. Poisoning is the fastest growing cause of accidental death among seniors, particularly from overdoses of over-the-counter and…

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…