Coach John Beam changed my life when I was a 14-year-old kid on the Skyline High football field. I still remember getting flattened in a varsity drill and looking up to see Beam standing over me, demanding more because he saw more. That was his gift. He coached football, but he taught manhood: accountability, discipline, belief in yourself long before you earned it. Beam fought for me in the classroom, pushed me on the field and helped me get to college when the odds weren't in my favor.
Perhaps the best thing about holiday shopping is getting it done, but the process can be much more satisfying if you're supporting Oakland and Bay businesses and entrepreneurs along the way. Look no further than this roundup featuring over 20 holiday markets from Friday, Dec. 5, to Saturday, Dec. 20. Whether you are looking for artwork for your walls, handmade items for your kitchen, niche jewelry, rare plants, ceramics or other handmade gifts, these markets will have everything you need to complete your holiday wish list.
If you witness abuses by federal law enforcement agents in California, you can now report it online to the state Department of Justice. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the launch of an online portal where anyone can report potentially unlawful activity in California by federal law enforcement, including officers or agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, or federalized National Guard soldiers or airmen.
In voting La Loulou the best wine bar in the East Bay, Nosh readers noted the carefully curated wine selection, the bright and fun ambiance, and ... the bathroom?The loo at La Loulou is completely covered in disco ball material with disco balls hanging from the ceiling and a neon sign reading "you look good" above the mirror, putting a punctuation mark on the Piedmont Avenue wine bar's welcoming, playful style.
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is the mayor of Alameda. (photo courtesy of Maurice Ramirez BANG archives) Today's small businesses face many challenges, though, from tariffs and economic uncertainty to finding workers and competing with online retailers. They need your support. So this holiday season (and the rest of the year, too!), explore the many retail opportunities our island offers and grab a coffee, snack or meal along the way. Invest in your community!
The morning of Jan. 17, 2025, federal prosecutors filed into a windowless room at the San Francisco federal building and lined up solemnly behind the podium. They were about to announce a bombshell political corruption case. Hours earlier they had unsealed an indictment charging Oakland's newly recalled mayor Sheng Thao, her romantic partner Andre Jones, and two local recycling moguls, David and Andy Duong, with orchestrating an elaborate bribery scheme.
The monthly magazine and website International Living has just released its Annual Global Retirement Index, which evaluates the world's top destinations for retirees across categories including cost of living, healthcare, housing, visas, climate, and ease of integration. The new No.1 for 2026 is a sun-soaked country in Southern Europe whose thousands of picturesque islands have made it a tourism hot spot, but International Living says it has everything it takes for a permanent stay as well.
Turo, which is like Airbnb for cars, should have ensured the host followed its own policy requiring vehicles to be clean at pickup. A dirty car prevented you from documenting preexisting damage, violating the company's terms (Turo's guidelines state hosts must clean the vehicle before each trip). Alberta's Consumer Protection Act also requires businesses to act in good faith, which Turo ignored by rubber-stamping blurry photos and refusing to address your evidence.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Friday, once again shunning efforts by his European Union partners to isolate Moscow over its invasion of neighboring Ukraine nearly four years ago. The trip to Moscow is the second since last year for Orban, who is widely considered Putin's closest partner among all EU leaders.
Over the years, some Oakland roads have used different speed limits on different sections; Broadway, for example, has a 25-mile-per-hour speed limit between 27th Street and Piedmont Avenue, and a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit between 27th Street and Water Avenue. The change will set the Broadway speed limit at 20 miles per hour all the way from downtown to the beginning of the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood. International Boulevard will be reduced to 25 miles per hour on every block between 1st and 42nd avenues.
The oven at Krispy Joe's is back in business, and Psychedelic Pizza a self-described pizza spot for people who lost their lighter will be serving at the coffee/pastrami joint from 6-11 p.m. on select nights. Follow along on Instagram for details about when you can stop by for a slice. Psychedelic Pizza, 5512 San Pablo Ave. (at 55th St.), Emeryville
The carmaker posted Sunday on X that its main path to getting FSD green-lit for Europe is through RDW, the organization that handles the approval and registration of vehicles in the Netherlands. While Tesla said in its post that RDW has committed to granting Netherlands National approval in February 2026, the authority denied this in a statement posted to its website Monday.
If you are curious about what is new in tech including artificial intelligence, Oakland Tech Week will have a workshop or panel for you to check out. The events are happening all across town through Friday, Nov. 21. One other event I'm excited to check out is Oakland Theater's Project production of "Cabaret." The preview begins this Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22 with opening night on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Dakota Pekerti, who runs Kamu Siapa Kitchen, a Berkeley-based Indonesian pop-up and cooking class series, won't call himself a chef, but he's spent years cooking for others and helping them develop their own cooking skills and concepts. He teaches small classes of up to four people on how to plan a pop-up event, recipe development consultation, Sambalogy (an intensive study of Indonesian Sambal), and meal prep.
Cedric Irving Jr., the man accused of fatally shooting legendary Oakland football coach John Beam last week, is facing murder charges. At a press conference inside the René C. Davidson Courthouse Monday afternoon, Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson announced the charges against Irving, which include murder and enhancements for the use of a gun, which would add time to any sentence he might receive if found guilty.
Darrick Chavis bought the four-unit rental property on Princeton Street and Fairfax Avenue this spring, inheriting its tenants, who pay below-market rates after living in the rent-controlled homes for years. Almost immediately, Chavis offered his new tenants buyouts if they'd leave. In Oakland, landlords can only raise rents by nominal amounts each year in rent-controlled buildings - but if a tenant moves out, they can establish any new starting rate for the next renter.
In today's episode: Oakland faces a potentially massive legal judgment over its efforts to block a coal terminal in West Oakland. The state finds Oakland Unified discriminated against Jewish students. A popular Lake Merritt hangout spot is getting new parking restrictions after gun violence. The old Lake Merritt Lodge is reopening as a shelter for survivors of domestic violence and trafficking.
SAT 11/8 from 5-7pmDazzling Holiday Light Celebration, FREE Invite family and friends to stroll the street and enjoy 3 blocks of sparkling lights plus complimentary hot beverages, cookies and entertainment! This event marks the beginning of the holiday season on Fourth Street so come and mark the year with pictures together under the lights. Free Activities include: -Live, jazzy funk music by The 3 Elements -Night Magic Shows with Brian Scott (5:45pm & 6:30pm)
One student could not write his name. Over three sessions, which turned out to be all the time they had together before he left the facility, they practiced reading and writing his first name, last name, date of birth, and address. "I don't know what's to come for him, but at least I know he walked out with those skills," said Leyva. For her, part of defining success includes "creating the possibility for them to believe that they can learn."
As an undergrad at Cal in the late 90s, Vik's was one of the "must visit" spots. At the time, it was about 10 years old - Vik's Chaat opened in 1989 as a small food counter in Vik's Market, which itself opened in 1987. Back then, it was in a warehouse. In 2009, Vik's moved to a bigger location in West Berkeley, complete with bright pink and orange painted walls on the outside.
The old Lake Merritt Lodge on Harrison Street was recently bought by the nonprofit Restorative Pathways, which is planning to use the historic yellow building as a homeless shelter. The 120-person shelter will primarily serve survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, with floors for parents with children, single adults, and youth ages 18 to 24. Unlike some of the organization's other shelters, which are safe houses with nondisclosed locations, this facility will be "step two or three" for clients who are "stabilized but still"
Waste Management of Alameda County is suing Oakland in Alameda County Superior Court over a complex contractual dispute with millions at stake. Oakland has used Waste Management to collect trash for many years. In 2015, the city inked a deal with the company to collect and process trash and compost from residences and businesses. The City Council selected a different firm, California Waste Solutions, to handle recycling.
Oakland's Morcom Rose Garden, a collection of thousands of showy shrubs and vines tucked away in an amphitheater setting in the Grand Lake neighborhood, was recently vandalized by thieves who stole 51 rose bushes. The Oct. 16 theft wasn't the first time plants at the city park have been damaged or stolen. However, according to Nancy Friedman, a volunteer gardener who helps tend and prune the collection, this most recent incident was especially upsetting.
Polls open today at 7 a.m. for a special election in which voters have one decision to make: how to vote on Proposition 50, a Congressional redistricting measure.Polls close at 8 p.m. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters provides a map of voting centers. Oakland polling sites include: Sankofa United Elementary School, 581 61st St. Parks Chapel AME Church, 476 34th St. Beth Eden Baptist Church, 1183 10th St.
As immigrant raids by federal agents have ramped up this year, Bay Area residents have sought assurances from city governments and local law enforcement agencies that they will not cooperate with these efforts. Mayor Barbara Lee, for example, has reaffirmed that Oakland is a sanctuary city, which bars police from cooperating with ICE and prohibits contracts with companies that work with the agency.
Daylight Saving Time has ended and with that comes an inevitable uptick in crime. Statistics suggest that as evenings get dark earlier, robberies and burglaries increase under cover of night. It was one of the many safety issues that Oakland police Capt. Aaron Smith discussed with citizens at Sunday's "Coffee with a Cop" event at Peet's Coffee & Tea in the Oakland hills' Montclair Village district.
