.News & Opinion

May 13, 2025

‘Blood Be Water’ traces a journey of transformation

When Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa looks back at his childhood, here’s how he remembers it: “Growing up, I didn’t have the most stable family, and I was alone a lot. I had a lot of free time. So I really looked toward connecting with my community and my...
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Apr 29, 2025

Want to get involved? Get on a board!

El Sobrante resident Thomas Lang wanted to give back to and help improve his unincorporated neighborhood. So he began attending meetings of the El Sobrante Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), and in 2017, joined the nine-member board. Since...
Berkeley game store welcomes all to play
Apr 22, 2025

Berkeley game store welcomes all to play

The clash of steel upon steel rings out across the valley floor. Banners ripple in the air as a low, relentless drumming urges thousands of dusty boots onward. A bugle cries out, sending nesting birds skyward. The...
Oakland journalist reports threats after sharing public records
Apr 22, 2025

Oakland journalist reports threats after sharing public records

Kevin Jones and I have hosted the Doomloop Dispatch podcast for nearly a year now. Last week, we reached our 50th episode, with an interview with journalist Eric K. Arnold. Our episodes generally focus on being counter-narratives...
Trivia nights keep bars alive
Apr 15, 2025

Trivia nights keep bars alive

It’s a Tuesday night in Berkeley, and Dom Barrientos, Great Notion Brewing’s tap-room coordinator, is mingling. The bespectacled impresario is welcoming every guest to Fourth Street’s liveliest living room. Great Notion, a Portland-based brewery upstart, set up...
Startup Art restarts annual indie celebration
Apr 8, 2025

Startup Art restarts annual indie celebration

Returning after a full-stop for five years due to the pandemic, the annual Startup Art Fair sets ablaze one of the area’s finest events for viewing and purchasing the artwork of contemporary independent artists. With 60 artists...
Campuses confront free speech crackdown amidst DEI backlash
Apr 8, 2025

Campuses confront free speech crackdown amidst DEI backlash

I once argued in a position paper in journalism school that perhaps hate speech ought not to be protected by the First Amendment. My professor pushed back, saying it was a slippery slope. If the rights of...
Eli’s Mile High Club faces a financial crisis
Apr 1, 2025

Eli’s Mile High Club faces a financial crisis

Eli’s was once one of Oakland’s liveliest neighborhood nightspots, putting on shows by local and nationally known blues artists almost every day of the week. It has changed hands several times over the years and, while the...
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