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As a note, I ran into Rep. Barbara Lee at the Montclarion Albertson's while shopping late with my mother. Rep. Lee informed us that she'd been flying the red-eye back and forth from here to Washington DC. Lots of work to be done, as this article will reveal. Lee hits ground running in 110th Congress By Josh Richman MEDIANEWS STAFF Rep. Barbara Lee clearly doesn't believe in starting slowly. While five Bay Area members of Congress have yet to introduce a bill in the 110th Congress convened last week and four more have introduced one bill each so far, Lee already has introduced 17 pieces of legislation. For Lee, D-Oakland, the early blitz is partly a matter of staking out her turf. "These are critical issues, not only to the people of my district but to the entire nation, and I am not going to wait for an invitation to stake out my position or take a leadership role," she said Tuesday. "These are issues that I have been working on, many of them for years, an

THE TOWN CRIER: GINNY PRIOR Of The Montclarion Beast dwells in murky waters of Lake Merritt I've always suspected something was lurking, just below the murky green surface. Now it's been confirmed -- Oakland's Lake Merritt has a monster. Like Scotland's Loch Ness and Lake Champlain's Champ, this creature eludes all but the most vigilant observers. Richard Bailey, the resident expert, has seen the great head of the beast -- with its glowing red eyes and spiked horns. "It's got six or seven humps like you'd see on the Loch Ness," he proclaims, adding that the creature measures more than 10 feet in length. Frightening? You bet! But Bailey says it's also a tourist attraction, if you don't get too close. He's sent out a letter to the City Council asking that the creature be protected as an endangered species. Perhaps the company Monster.com would like to buy the naming rights.

Plummer ends five-decade career in law enforcement Outspoken Alameda County sheriff started with Berkeley police in 1952 By Chris Metinko STAFF WRITER - THE MONTCLARION After more than 50 years in one career, it's not uncommon to think about what one would have done differently. Monday, on his last day on the job, Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer had his own thoughts. After a retirement ceremony that included helicopter flyovers, bagpipes and what seemed like thousands of handshakes, the former Berkeley and Hayward chief of police sat in his office afterward and voiced that one regret. "I wish I would have hit some people harder during the riots," said Plummer, speaking of the riots in Berkeley in the late-1960s. "I regret that." It was a fitting answer for a man who has made a 54-year career not just out of law enforcement, but also out of speaking exactly what was on his mind -- usually using the kind of spicy language shied away from by most public offi

Starting today, Rich Lieberman, the Oakland-native and Skyline High graduate commonly known as "Big Vinny" from his two-year stint as the character "Big Vinny" for Round Table Pizza, has joined the Blogsphere. Currently, Rich appears in the online column section for Matier and Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle. Rich has a long history in Bay Area media circles and knows what's going on with whom and where. Rich's new Blog is called "Big Vinny's Bay Area" and features items, jokes, and news from one of the best connected people in the Bay Area. Visit http://bigvinnysbayarea.blogspot.com

This video is simply a call to help save the Oakland Stables, which always seem to be on the City of Oakland's chopping block when the budget is low. For more information, go to Oaklandcitystables.org

City leaders condemn remarks to De La Fuente Some say inauguration incident shows tension between Latino, African-American communities too seldom discussed By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated: 01/12/2007 03:15:50 AM PST OAKLAND — About a dozen community and civic leaders gathered Thursday to denounce the treatment of Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente at Monday's public inauguration of Mayor Ron Dellums, saying that racism has no place in Oakland. Gilda Gonzales, CEO of the Unity Council, called what happened when De La Fuente beat back a challenge from occasional ally Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland) "shameful and damaging. "This level of racism hurts us all," Gonzales said, adding that it is unacceptable for the city's highest-ranking Latino elected official to be shown disrespect and verbally assaulted. The crowd at the Paramount Theatre erupted in jeers when De La Fuente won a 6-2 victory

Smitty's Originally uploaded by lunchmeat . As silent as the media has been about this, I figured I should report that Smitty's -- a local watering hole on Grand Avenue -- was the focus of a robbery two weeks ago on Tuesday. My good friend who owns an establishment on Grand Avenue told me that just before closing two people walked in with guns and held up the patrons, while a third person was behind the wheel of the car. To my knoweldge, they are still at large. I've not been to Smitty's in a long time -- over a year at least, I guess. But given occurences like that one, it makes you wonder if it's a good time to start going. I think I'll stick to home movies. Just kidding. Actually more people out should deter crime, right? It's best for all to be watchful and observant as there have been a large number of robberies and assaults along Grand Avenue. Why all of this is happening, in my view, is due to a large class of underemployed -- not u

Victory for downtown! Originally uploaded by mcjohnnyz . I had to post this because it actually is the best photo of Pat Kernighan I have seen to date. It captures her as natural and happy. It's not a campaign photo at all. I can't agree with "Mcjohnnyz's" assertion that Aimee Allison is anti-growth, however. And the tag of "extremist" is a bit, well, extreme.

aimee_RonDellums.JPG Originally uploaded by oaklandcentric . Well, from this photo you'd think she got his support but then with his hands clasped rather than loose, perhaps that's a tell-take sign. At any rate, one wonders how the District Two election would have turned if Ron came out for her and Aimee was a Dem rather than a Green Party member.

Pretty Colors Originally uploaded by mcjohnnyz . This is the new face of Oakland, well, sort of. But if you've been here since 1974 and saw that facade contain various types of businesses, then it is. For a long time before it was the bar called Radio that door was the entry to a total dive no one would be caught dead it. It was a haven for people who were totally on the edge, and a total smoke-filled room to boot. Now, at least it's a clean joint just next to the Tribune Tower.

Oakland Ice Sculpture Originally uploaded by mcjohnnyz . No, I missed this party due to family matters -- Mom in town -- but mcjonnyz didn't. Thus this photo of the amazing Oakland Ice Sculpture that graced the middle of the party room. I wonder if it's melted?

Oakland Temple 2 Originally uploaded by Chapter 1 . Regardless of your religious background or interest, it's hard to argue with the sheer beauty and grandure of the Mormon Temple off Lincoln Avenue in the Oakland Hills. It was the first structure I noticed when I moved here from Chicago at 12 years old. It has the look and feel of permanence. While the Palm trees always reminded me of LA, they just seem to fit the style of the building.

Jetset Originally uploaded by theclipshow . Someone managed to capture me doing what I do best -- talking. This was at last year's very successful event called "The Vloggies." The Vloggies is a first-of-its-kind awards show for video-bloggers, which I guess includes me. The person who took this elected to entitle it "Jetset" which I guess explains how someone I don't know sees me. That's interesting. At any rate, Oakland should have its own vlog meetup. It would be nice to know who's doing what around here. It would also be very cool to have an awards show in Oakland as well. Maybe I could coax Irina Slutsky -- the creator of The Vloggies -- into having it here in 2007.