New rules slash emissions at Port of Oakland, but threaten local truckers

For years, West Oakland residents have pushed government officials to do something about air quality in their neighborhood, which is sandwiched between three major highways and the Port of Oakland, and dotted with industrial sites. In particular, locals have pointed to the estimated 2,000 diesel trucks that drive in and out of the port several times each day. Diesel exhaust has been linked to increased cancer rates, premature deaths and respiratory illness, including asthma, among West Oakland residents.

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Oakland Tech hosts SAT prep class for students

Oakland students take a diagnostic test for the 10-week SAT preparatory course at Oakland Technical High School.

The sounds of nail biting, pencil tapping and head scratching filled the hot Oakland Tech high school classroom on Monday after school as students filled in the bubbles on their test answer sheets. While many of their classmates were headed home or were hanging out on the school’s front lawn, 18 Alameda County high school students were preparing for an exam that will help determine their futures—the SAT, also referred to as the college entrance exam.

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Trash and treasure up-for-grabs this Friday

This Friday, U.C. Berkeley’s Marchant Building in North Oakland will be cleared of tables, drawers, wooden chairs, a futon frame, sofas and office supplies. They’d like you to take it. As much as you want. Free. But bring a truck.

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UCB black students sober, charged, expectant

By MARTIN RICARD Nov. 6 — The mood was more subdued than celebratory in the room where a group of black graduate students from the University of California-Berkeley met to reflect the day after Tuesday’s historic presidential election. They shared their joy and ambivalence over having the first black president elected to office. They snacked…

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Bus tour brings ‘Seinfeld’ to UC Berkeley campus

By SAMSON REINY BERKELEY, Oct. 14 –- With the financial markets in ruin and the economy at a near stand-still, people are looking for a break.  And perhaps, more than ever, they need a good laugh. So when Sony, who owns the syndication rights to the hit TV sitcom “Seinfeld,” teamed up with a New…

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Your crisis questions: an economist answers

By MELANIE MASON, MARTIN RICARD and KRISTINE WONG Oct. 6–Bailouts, credit crunches, bank buyouts. In these shaky economic times, it seems like every day there’s a new phrase to learn and another concept to wrap our heads around.  For a breakdown of what is going on in our faltering economy, we turned to Martha Olney,…

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