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Two more robberies in Oakland: Residents stabbed, pistol-whipped in Oakland home invasion robberies By William Brand and Angela Hart Oakland Tribune Article Last Updated: 09/11/2008 06:45:31 PM PDT OAKLAND — Police are investigating two apparently unrelated violent home invasion robberies Wednesday in Oakland's Dimond district. One of the incidents occurred about 10:15 p.m. in the 3600 block of Laguna Avenue, where a man, 35, and a woman, 24, were stabbed. Residents of the house told police three men wearing masks confronted them. It was unclear how they entered the house, but the victims tried to resist and were overpowered. At least one resident was tied up. The bandits escaped with $2,000 in cash, a video game and a cell phone. They fled in a white vehicle, possibly an SUV, police said. The stabbing victims were taken to a local hospital, where they were in stable condition, police said. The man was stabbed in the back and pistol-whipped. The woman was stabbed in the leg. The ot

In mid August, Ann Haley, who for six years was the head of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority staff, elected to step down.  My sources -- and there are several -- tell me that she was actually fired. There was no good reason for her dismissal, but it's well-known that Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Board Chairperson and Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente was not happy with her performance. But in fairness to Haley, the Authority's structure and placement of many matters in the hands of SMG, the stadium management organization that still remains un-supervised, gave her little real power.  Plus, it placeed her in the role of dealing with the whims and requests of the elected officials that seem to insist on maintaining a system that is unprofessional in it's operation in the view of this observer.   But to add insult to injury, many insiders are asking the question why would the Authority have -- of all people -- long-time Deborah

  On September 6, 2008 Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said that the taxpayers were paying too much for Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, the mortgage loan companies bailed out by the Feds. Problem: taxpayers never did that.

I have it from a good unnamed source that the Oakland Raiders -- rumored by some to leave after the current lease expires in five years -- plan to remain in Oakland through 2016, when the original Raider bonds expire. The news comes as welcome on the day that Oakland opens a sold-out Coliseum and hosts the hated Denver Broncos. But the obvious question of if the Raiders retention will mean a new stadium is not settled. As the current Coliseum is vastly behind schedule for an upgrade and a mostly-privately-owned stadium could bring big bucks to the "Coliseum Redevelopment Area" surrounding the Complex, combined with corporate sponsorship, the targer appears to be an ungrade of the stadium. It's also clear that what I told GAP Founder and Oakland A's owned Don Fisher two years ago is coming to pass: the Fremont A's deal is a loser because of its design based on land-sales performance. While that scheme works in a great economy, it becomes more and more te

'A Soul Food Experience' is the name of the new restaurant that just opened in East Oakland. The area to which the restaurant opened is known to be somewhat drab . With a renovation plan of the neighborhood staring next year, it looks like A Soul Food Experience is getting a head start on bringing change and new flavor to the community. I found this article from the Oakland Tribune, you can read the full story below. Soul food the new flavor in East Oakland By Kamika Dunlap Oakland Tribune Article Last Updated: 09/07/2008 05:30:44 PM PDT OAKLAND — Rubie Daniels is looking to add a new flavor to East Oakland with the old delights of Southern-style African-American cuisine. Daniels is the owner of the recently opened A Soul Food Experience, which serves rib and chicken dinners, black-eyed peas, peach cobbler and other recipes that capture the culture and spirit of the black tradition. "This place is one of a kind," said Daniel, 68. "We're the bright spot in

This video was created at a rally for Barack Obama in Berkeley Thursday that drew 1,000 people. I asked Obama supporters why they backed Obama and what they thought about the GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin.

You can read the original story here . But this is a very disturbing story for me. I found a follow up on the Oakland Tribune. Here's the follow up I read about tonight: Councilman to meet with officials about MacArthur hot spot By Kamika DunlapOakland Tribune Article Launched: 09/02/2008 04:54:24 PM PDT OAKLAND — The fatal shooting of 18-year-old Kennah Wilson and her unborn child Friday night in East Oakland has left many residents searching for answers. Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland) plans to meet Thursday with officials from code enforcement, the city attorney's office, the Oakland Police Department and the redevelopment agency to address problems emanating from the 82nd Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard hot spot, where Wilson and her baby were killed. "We are trying to understand all this insanity going on," Reid said. "People want answers and they want to see something done." On Friday night, Reid went to the crime scene to talk with Wil