Balancing life as a roller derby girl

Huck Sinn’s life was falling apart, including her relationships. After she stopped going to grad school, she moved from San Francisco to the East Bay, where she started “dating herself.” “I was taking myself out. I took myself to concerts and I took myself to a roller derby bout,” she said. It was at that…

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West African dance takes over Oakland

For one night, dancers at Oakland’s Skyline High School transported the auditorium’s occupants to the shores of West Africa with rhythmic drumming that reverberated through the room. Dancers stomped and moved rapidly across the stage, their energy captivating their audience. Then came the mystical sounds of the Kura, a West African 21-string instrument, which when…

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The Tribune Tower: Behind one of Oakland’s main attractions

In 1923, world-renowned escape artist Harry Houdini came to Oakland. He hung 112 feet above the ground from one Oakland’s most iconic buildings—then nearly brand-new—to entertain thousands of spectators as he escaped from handcuffs and a straightjacket. Ninety-two years later, the Tribune Tower continues to be one of the main attractions in the city’s downtown…

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International antique book fair finds a new home in Oakland

The lines started early. One man asks if this is the queue for ticket holders, hoping that he is in the wrong one. To his disappointment, it’s the right line, so he waits, his anticipation growing to get a glimpse of the trophies inside. This is the 48th California International Antiquarian Book Fair. For three…

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Meet the new superhero on the block: Super Sikh

Eileen Alden and Supreet Singh Manchanda hold a poster of Super Sikh they created to support their KickStarter campaign.

In early January, Eileen Alden and Supreet Singh Manchanda sat in front of a computer, opened a Kickstarter account and wrote: “Have you ever asked yourself why there are no Sikh superheroes? Isn’t it time to see a hero in a turban for a change?” They set an ambitious goal for their project: to raise…

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Oakland reacts to Ferguson grand jury decision

Ronald Cruz, center, an organizer with By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), directs protesters back to downtown Oakland from the 580 freeway as smoke from a burning mattress billows behind him. November 24, 2014. (Photo by Bonnie Chan)

In this photo gallery, Oakland North photographers capture imagers of the local protests Monday night, following the announcement from Ferguson, Mo., that a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the August 9 shooting of teenager Michael Brown.

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