Ebola reaction among African community in the East Bay

University student James Tayali gives his opinion on the ebola outbreak.

Nigerian Independence Day is Oct. 1, but for U.C. Berkeley Nigerians the party took place a few days later, at a hall near campus. It was a party crowded with people and colors from Nigeria and the rest of the African continent. You saw young Nigerian women in their bubas, the Nigerian blouses; their iros,…

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OUSD’s Board vote paves the way for a new school

Jeff Duncan-Andrade, former student Magdalena Lopez, and Duncan-Andrade's son await the school board's decision on his proposed charter school. Photo by Laura Klivans.

In a 5 to 0 vote, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education approved the first “lab” charter school in Oakland on Wednesday night. The school’s site is yet to be determined, but it’s designed to apprentice novice teachers and feed them back into OUSD’s public schools.

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California Governor Jerry Brown endorses Libby Schaaf

California Governor Jerry Brown announced his endorsement of candidate Libby Schaaf at an event Monday afternoon.

The sounds of cheering, clapping, and whistling filled the air outside Oakland mayoral candidate Libby Schaaf’s campaign headquarters Monday as California Governor Jerry Brown was introduced on a small stage in the backyard. “This is so exciting, I may have to run for mayor again,” Brown joked as he took position in front of the…

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MedShare saves surgical tools from landfills

What happens to the unused surgical tools from Kaiser Oakland’s operating room? They end up at healthcare agencies such as Roots Community Health Center in Oakland, CA, one of 20 safety net clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area benefitting from MedShare’s medical surplus donations.

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Oaklanders surrender heaps of drugs to feds in Drug Take-Back Day

The sidewalk at Telegraph and 27th Avenue was lined with signs reading, “Got Drugs?” and, “¿Tiene drogas?” The bilingual placards marked the site of the nation’s ninth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, where the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alameda County District Attorney’s office worked with Oakland and three other Alameda County cities on…

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Oakland librarians celebrate freedom to read

As Vicky Chen, the teen librarian at the Rockridge Library Branch, attempted to settle the chaotic rush of middle school students visiting the youth section after school, a student suddenly asked, “Ms. Vicky, how can a book be banned?” Chen, along with other Oakland librarians, highlighted banned books at their respective branches by creating displays…

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