Refugee group helps employ women in need

The Refugee Women's Empowerment Catering Group provided traditional Afghan food during the Levi Strauss & Co. holiday party in 2017. Photo by Rafiullah Amini.

When Rafiullah Amiri, who had immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan, noticed that many women within his immigrant community were confined to their homes—shocked by the culture difference and unable to speak the language of their host country—he had an idea: They could earn money cooking.

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AC Transit nixes discount bus passes for high school students over age 18

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.

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