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According to the East Bay Daily News , the small venue called Freight & Salvage will become much larger in 2009, in a 14,000 square feet space on Addison Street. It will grow to 420 seats and allow Freight & Salvage to stay open until 2 AM.

And so ends an era of politics, fear, violence, and murder. Black Muslim Bakery in Oakland officially sold By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated: 11/30/2007 08:46:41 AM PST OAKLAND - A - U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge has approved the sale of the defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery's North Oakland headquarters for use as a nonprofit center serving people with AIDS and other critical illnesses. In a hearing Thursday afternoon, Judge Edward Jellen authorized court-appointed trustee Tevis Thompson to sell the property at 5832 San Pablo Ave. for $1,052,000 cash to NCK LLC, a partnership buying the property for Vital Life Services. The money will go toward satisfying the bankrupt bakery's creditors, including an investment fund holding the mortgage on the building, the Internal Revenue Service, and the state Franchise Tax Board, among others. Jellen also approved a back-up offer of $1,051,000 tendered by Paulette Arbuckle, a North Oakland woman whose real

Click To Play This interview was conducted in 2003, just as the effort to restore the Oakland Fox Theater had embarked anew. Here, Phil talks about the importance of the involvement of minority contractors in the restoration of the Fox Theater. He also talks about how he and others have worked to draw more retail, and how now-former Mayor Jerry Brown helped in drawing institutional dollars to Oakand. Chauncey Bailey was murdered earlier this year.

This article below is from KNTV San Francisco -- somehow the Oakland Tribune missed this. But at any rate, I wonder if the residents would feel that way if they had to pay for it? I think the survey may have been rigged to get a positive outcome. 64% Back A's Fremont Ballpark Proposal Researchers: Fremont 'Strongly Supports' A's Ballpark Village POSTED: 2:12 pm PST November 14, 2007 UPDATED: 3:53 pm PST November 14, 2007 FREMONT, Calif. -- Residents of Fremont strongly back a proposal for a new Oakland A's "ballpark village" project, according to results released by a research firm hired by the team. A's organization officials said they hired EMC Research to determine the public's reaction to the plan, released the results Wednesday. According to the telephone survey of Fremont residents, a strong majority supports a new ballbark village complex in the city. Sixty-two percent said they supported the project. Thirty-two percent said they were opp

Cathedral near Lake Merritt could stimulate urban uplift By Rebecca Rosen Lum, Staff Writer - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND - Light is the pivotal feature of the 110-foot high Cathedral of Christ the Light sanctuary. As the lakefront cathedral complex has taken shape, it has also generated plenty of heat. The cathedral itself has been compared to a nuclear reactor, a basket wrapped in glass, an architectural symphony and, in the words of Bishop Allen Vigneron, "A great soaring vault." Architectural merits aside, Oakland's business community says it is also helping to generate something the district needs: economic development. "I think it's an absolutely phenomenal project," said Joe Haraburda, director of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. "It will become another landmark that people will visit and (will help them) come to appreciate Oakland for the diverse place it is. It will stimulate more interest in Oakland — yes, in development, too." W

This is great advice and direction if you wish to serve on Boards and Commissions in Oakland. (Scroll down for the list.) The City of Oakland has over forty Boards and Commissions on which more than four hundred citizens serve as members. The system of boards and commissions provides an opportunity for residents who have special experience, expertise, and interests to participate in the City's decision-making processes by advising the City Council on numerous issues. These groups provide a forum for greater community participation and input into local government to facilitate quality decisions. Although each City Board or Commission has a different purpose and function, all serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council by addressing community needs. Board members and commissioners perform an invaluable service in assisting the Council to fulfill its obligations to the citizens of Oakland. If you wish to serve on a Board or Commission, read more and download an application a

Some who are against the Oak to Ninth project will claim this as a victory, but that's wrong. This doens't throw out the Oakland City Council's approval of the project, as reported elsewhere. Judge tosses Oak-to-Ninth impact report New development project write-up in works taking into account court's concerns By Kelly Rayburn, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated: 11/21/2007 02:42:49 AM PST OAKLAND — Two sides are claiming victory this week after a Superior Court judge issued a ruling on two lawsuits that challenged Oakland's massive Oak-to-Ninth development project. The legal battle pitted the city and project developer Oakland Harbor Partners against the Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt and the Oakland Heritage Alliance over questions of whether the city adequately considered the impact the project will have on the surrounding environment. The two groups filed separate lawsuits. Judge Jo-Lynne Q. Lee ruled on them simultaneously Friday. I

As it seems, more and more, cities and counties and states must take care of their roads, freeways, and right-of-ways, else they could be massively sued. City of Berkeley Responsible For Hole In Fence That Man Passed Through, Leading To His Death - Daily Californian After a man was killed by a train while trying to take a shortcut across the tracks Thursday, railroad investigators say the city of Berkeley was responsible for fixing a hole in the fence he intended to pass through. While walking and talking on his cell phone, Berkeley resident Scott Slaughter, 31, was fatally struck at 8:15 a.m. by a Chicago-bound Amtrak train just east of the Berkeley station under the University Avenue overpass. Instead of walking farther to a pedestrian crossing at Hearst Avenue, Slaughter attempted to cross two sets of tracks to pass through a hole cut in the fence on the other side, said officials at the Alameda County Coroner’s Office. “He was on his way to Truitt & White lumberyard, where

Although it's one year -- actually less than that -- away, the website for the Fox Theater is now live and operational. It's an informative publication at http://www.oaklandfox.com and shows how the "Fox Theater Restoration Project", under the direction of California Commercial Group and Phil Tagami, is coming along toward its October 2008 completion. Visit the site, and donate to the construction effort . When you do, this is what you get... $250 Friend of the Oakland Fox: 2 Grand Opening Gala Tickets $500 First Nighter: 4 Grand Opening Gala Tickets $1,000 Key Grip: 8 Grand Opening Gala Tickets, Lobby Recognition Plaque and more! $2,500 Best Boy: 8 Grand Opening Gala Tickets, Tile on the Fox Walkway of Stars and more! $5,000 Stage Manager: Reserved Table at Opening Night Gala, VIP Access for 4 guests and more! $10,000 Promoter: Your Name or Logo on the Promoter Banner, 2 Tickets to exclusive Green Room Reception and more! $25,000 Headliner: Your

Well, this was one Cal - USC game I expected us, Cal, to win. We came up on the back-end of a 24-17 score to a team we should have beat. But as much as people will talk about the game, they'll talk about the rain more. That was perhaps a one-in-a-lifetime experience to be at a Cal-USC game where the rain not only played a role on the field, but off. It was everywhere. Fortunately, I had my umbrella and stood and walked the entire time. That's more than I could say for a lot of people, who undoubtedly have colds by now. Watch "the rain come down."

As I was leaving a visit to the then-new Oakland headquarters of Obama for America, I literally ran into Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. He was kind enough to stop and talk with me on camera about the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and the youth vote, and his issues of concern.

A great article that needed to be written! It's amazing how stupid we are not to try to develop a diverse work force. Blacks see bleak future in Silicon Valley Census shows dot-com bust harder on African Americans, Latinos By Mike Swift, MEDIANEWS STAFF Article Last Updated: 10/15/2007 06:57:51 AM PDT When Geoffry Brown was laid off from a marketing job with a San Jose software company in 2003, he could not know what lay ahead: several years of unemployment, a divorce and, ultimately, a pay cut when he went back to work. "Nobody wants to hire a 46-, 47-year-old guy. Could I say that being black had anything to do with it? I won't go that far," Brown said. "But I will say I didn't have some of the (employment) networks some people had." Brown questioned whether he should leave Northern California for a place with cheaper housing and a more vibrant African-American culture. During the tough years after the 2001 tech bust, many blacks in Silicon Valley w

If it's true that law follows society, then this is a sure sign of the end of the conservative era and the start of a period of fairness. BERKELEY Judge allows race as factor in enrollment Decision is first since Prop. 209 to let school district integrate Bob Egelko, SF Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, April 11, 2007 Berkeley's public schools, the first in the nation to desegregate voluntarily, can consider the racial composition of a student's neighborhood in an enrollment system designed to keep each campus racially diverse, an Alameda County judge has ruled. The decision by Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith could lead to the first California appellate ruling on a school district's ability to maintain a voluntary integration program under Proposition 209, the 1996 initiative that banned race and sex preferences in public education, employment and contracting. The case may also be affected by a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of school i

Shattuck Barnes & Noble May Be Closing Doors Major Chain’s Potential Closure Follows Departure of Independent Telegraph Icon Cody’s Books in July BY Sameea Kamal Contributing Writer - Daily Californian Thursday, March 1, 2007 One major chain bookstore in Berkeley could soon close because of some of the same factors that have led smaller independent bookstores to close their doors. The Barnes & Noble on Shattuck Avenue will close, store department manager Jeff McGinnis said. Company representatives did not return calls for comment and McGinnis did not comment on when or why the store was closing, but city officials said that the bookstore may have been struggling to stay afloat with the current expansion of online book retailers. In July the iconic Cody’s Books closed its primary location on Telegraph Avenue, while the owners of Black Oak Books, also on Shattuck, put the store up for sale in January. City officials said they were unsure about the reasons for the closure, and Mic

This is terrible news that must be reported. What are medical institutions doing with the money made from record health care costs? It's not being spent on safe buildings at all. I hope more people spread this story. Half of hospitals won't meet seismic deadline Report warns of possible medical building closures, earthquake risk By Rebecca Vesely, STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 01/18/2007 02:51:27 AM PST Half of California's hospitals requiring seismic retrofitting won't meet a 2013 state deadline, which could lead to hospital closures or put patients at risk if a large earthquake hits, according to a report issued today. The problem is especially great in the population-dense Bay Area and Los Angeles, where 80 percent of the hospitals needing retrofits are located, according to the study by the California HealthCare Foundation and the RAND Corporation. The biggest issue is cost of compliance, expected to reach a staggering $110 billion, according to the report.