East Bay (California)

East Bay (California)

When the movie "Sinners" came out in theaters, I caught it at the Grand Lake Theater four times during its original run. Now, I'm ready to go watch it again. The nearly century-old theater is showing it for a second run ahead of the Academy Awards, after a record-shattering 16 Academy Awards nominations including Ryan Coogler for Best Director. We want to know what kind of events you want to hear about.

In an unpredictable world, businesses must be prepared to face unexpected challenges, such as natural disasters or economic shifts. The recent one-year anniversary of the Southern California Wildfires have underscored the importance of being financially prepared for such unforeseen events. With so many economic headwinds facing California like rising insurance costs, cost of housing and a shortage of skilled labor, on top of new trade policies nationwide, the ability to adapt quickly is crucial for maintaining resilience and ensuring long-term success.

Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder now accused of running a multinational drug-trafficking ring and orchestrating the killing of a federal witness, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Santa Ana during a brief hearing on Monday, Jan. 26, days after his headline-grabbing capture. His attorney strongly denied reports that Wedding surrendered to authorities in Mexico, but didn't immediately challenge the government's request to keep him in custody before trial. Wedding, wearing a jail jumpsuit, appeared

Oakland Unified School District leaders see attendance rates as critical to their plan to address a $100 million budget gap. Increasing attendance by even 1% overall could add $5 million in revenue. That's because state funds, which make up the biggest pot of money for the district, are based on a funding formula that uses students' average daily attendance rates. Raising attendance a few percentage points could mean millions more for a district searching for a way out of its structural deficit.

A 24-year-old man has been charged with robbing a local store owner, in an incident where the 72-year-old victim was run over by his assailants' car as they made off with $7,000 worth of cartons, court records show. Police describe them as a band of determined robbers who followed a man and his wife from a wholesale cigarette supplier in San Leandro to a parking lot in Concord.

Known for their Neapolitan-meets-New York-style thin-crust pizza using slow-fermented dough that's crispy and chewy at the same time after being baked in electric ovens. Pies range from $17 for a cheese pie, to $25 for the "meatza." There are red pies and white pies, such as a pesto with mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, parmigiano, and lemon oil.

The Clipper system serves BART, AC Transit, and 22 other Bay Area transit systems, with more than 1.2 million cards in use in December 2025, the last month for which Clipper data is available. Since the Clipper Card upgrade rolled out on December 10, users have been venting to The Oaklandside. Some people have said they've been unable to access the digital cash balance they had before the upgrade; others have said their cards became inoperable or they had difficulty adding money to them.

The party included food trucks parked alongside 9th Street, as well as a stage at the corner of 8th and Washington Streets where DJ LadyRyan emceed. The program included performances by DJ Veyn, Oakland multidisciplinary artist Jen Johns, and Oakland-based hip-hop and jazz collective Sol Development accompanied by Richmond rapper, DJ and producer Mani Draper. LaRussell headlined with the Oakland-based Collab Choir.

While some school districts have simple zone systems in which students are automatically enrolled in their neighborhood school, Oakland has a choice system that allows families to apply to any school in the city. That can mean more work as families go on multiple tours and sift through information about dozens of school programs, specialties, and enrichment offerings - while trying to navigate what can feel like an opaque enrollment process.

It was a good run, but my body's all messed up now," he said. "I realized that I was sort of sacrificing my health and well-being for the sake of the business. And I really want to spend more time with my son. This opportunity came along, and it was a really hard decision to make.

So happy he is standing up for himself and speaking publicly finally!!!!

NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) Thousands of people rallied on Saturday in Serbia as university students announced a new stage in their struggle against President Aleksandar Vucic's tenure after leading more than a year of mass demonstrations that shook his autocratic government in the Balkan country. Protesters in Novi Sad, chanting thieves, accused the government of rampant corruption that they believe also led to a November 2024 train station disaster in the northern city that killed 16 people and triggered the nationwide movement for change.

As of Wednesday, automated speed cameras in Oakland had been installed at 18 locations across some of the city's most dangerous road sections. That's according to city officials, who held a press conference this morning at the corner of Broadway and 27th Street to celebrate the start of the cameras' 60-day warning period, after which ticketing is set to begin.

One of the things that Tiyo Shibabaw is looking forward to the most about moving her Oakland-based Burmese restaurant, Teni East Kitchen, to a new location in March is space for a steamer. "It's a bigger kitchen," she says. "The kitchen we currently have is very small, I would love to offer steamed vegetables and seafood." In fact, whole steamed fish is likely to be one of the new additions to the menu at Teni East Kitchen once it moves from its current location

Enrollment in Oakland Unified School District is on the rebound, but continued gains are uncertain as the district faces large unresolved deficits. During the first regular school board meeting of the year on Wednesday, OUSD's executive director of enrollment Kilian Betlach reported increases in transitional kindergarten enrollment, enrollment gains from charter school closures, and a collapse in enrollment by newcomer students. This year, OUSD's enrollment exceeded projections by more than 500 students, which means roughly $7 million more in state funding for the district.

After years of playing home matches at the Coliseum, the Oakland Roots may soon have a new location where they could build a temporary and then permanent soccer stadium. The Port of Oakland has reportedly selected the Oakland Roots Sports Club as one of two competing finalists to redevelop Howard Terminal, a 55-acre waterfront property near Jack London Square. The other finalist is the Industrial Realty Group, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and investment firm that has proposed using Howard Terminal for maritime trade.

Debbie lived fully, authentically, and with purpose. When she was diagnosed with brain cancer, she adopted the motto "no day but today," inspired by one of her favorite musicals, "Rent." While going through treatment, she wrote, read, traveled, danced, exercised, baked, ate what she wanted, and cherished her time with family and her large circle of friends, all of whom loved her distinctive laugh.

Spanish singer-songwriter Julio Iglesias has been accused of sexual and physical assault by two women who previously worked for him. The results of a joint investigation by elDiario.es and Univision Noticias were published on Tuesday, detailing the allegations from both anonymous women. After three years of reporting, the outlets gathered that the women experienced sexual assault, workplace harassment and verbal and physical abuse while working for Iglesias at his homes in 2021.

As a "Big Picture School, MetWest follows a nontraditional model, where students spend three days a week doing core learning and instruction, and spend Tuesdays and Thursdays participating in internships and career learning with a mentor. Their internships are in fields ranging from automotive to education, healthcare, and videography. "At Big Picture Schools, we believe not all the learning happens inside the schools but outside as well,"

Belinda Ricklefs, a ballroom dance and Lindy hop instructor in the Bay Area since 1975, and the founder of Sunday Swing at the Lake Merritt Dance Center and Live Oak Park, passed away on Nov. 7, 2025, at her care home in Pinole. She was 89. Born in Los Angeles in 1936, Belinda lived a long and varied life. She started dancing at age 5, and did her first jitterbugging as a teenager at Friday night socials in a church basement. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Asian History (and was a Phi Beta Kappa member) in 1957.

"We've got quite a road ahead of us," she said, and "it's unknown what we'll find as we keep clearing debris."

Nomadic Bookshop hasn't had its grand opening yet. Still, the shop is already creating buzz. The name is likely familiar to many bibliophiles, who may remember the independent publisher of the same name that specialized in queer and BIPOC titles. And neighbors are thrilled to have a new small business along the 23rd Street stretch. The Oaklandside visited the bookshop on a recent Wednesday morning, about a month into the store's soft opening, joining around a dozen others who'd stopped in, curious about the storefront.

Editor's note: Nosh covers food and restaurant news across the East Bay, and each week we publish one article covering all the restaurant openings and one article covering closings. Have a tip for Nosh? Submit it here. Subscribing to the Nosh newsletter is the best way to stay up to date on all of the openings and closings, breaking news, deeper developments, and events in the East Bay food scene.

A Berkeley man has died more than a month after he suffered a head injury when he crashed his scooter on the Cal campus, authorities said. UC Berkeley Police said the man was found unconscious on Dec. 1 near Moffitt Library in the center of campus, after witnesses said he fell off his scooter at high speed and hit his head. The man was unconscious but breathing at the time, Sgt. Jacob Westlie wrote in an email, and was taken to a hospital.

Mamacita, a fast-casual Mexican spot, has opened in Emeryville's Public Market following C Casa's departure in February, the E'ville Eye reports. Mamacita serves staples like tacos, burritos and quesadillas, but reviewers on Yelp are most thrilled about the pozole. (Both red and green are on offer). Mamacita, 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville

City law requires the council to approve all contracts above $250,000. But Oakland's city administrator, Jestin Johnson, has the power to issue contracts up to that amount without informing the council and the public. The mandatory annual report is meant to provide transparency into these purchases. The report also requires Johnson and his team to explain if any contracts were issued without a competitive bidding process, and how many awards went to local businesses.

We are kicking off 2026 with two events to keep you on the dance floor. If you like to move to the sounds of cumbia and salsa, Eli's and Mad Oak are where you need to be. The Eli's event is a one-off, but you can become a regular at the salsa night at Mad Oak, which takes place three times a month.

Speaking to Paris Match, d'Ormale explained Bardot was also suffering from severe back pain and underwent two operations before she died at her home in Saint-Tropez on December 28. She was 91 years old. She was conscious and concerned about the fate of animals until the very end, he said. It was cancer that took her away, d'Ormale continued, adding that Bardot had resisted very well until recently.

Protecting students from immigration raids was a priority for state legislators this year, resulting in several new laws, including one prohibiting school staff from allowing immigration officers to enter campuses or providing student or family information. The most controversial of the new laws is one meant to target antisemitism, although amendments made during the legislative session resulted in a bill that defines discrimination more broadly.

More than a dozen NSAs from European countries, Canada and offices of the European Council, European Commission and NATO held talks focused on three tracks on Saturday. One track will go over the documents, in the second track we will work on a prosperity package, and the third is more military and political issues, Rustem Umerov, a top Ukrainian envoy, said as he opened the gathering in Ukraine's capital.

Standing on the street and looking at the turquoise house tucked into Oakland's Laurel District, you wouldn't suspect there's an overflowing urban farm around back. It far surpasses any average homeowner's idea of a "garden" - 1,400 square feet of fruit trees from persimmons to papayas to bananas, a large variety of vegetables including four types of peppers, many native seeds from California poppy to scarlet flax and hummingbird sage. There are seven chickens, two beehives, an outdoor shower, a pond, and a hot tub.

The other day, we got a report that the children at the school could no longer drink the water at our school,

A blown transformer appears to be to blame for the partial closure of the Caldecott Tunnel, which could extend into the weekend, Caltrans officials said Friday. The mechanical issue which was caused by a string of powerful storms that slammed into the Bay Area this week shut down bores 1 and 3 of the Caldecott Tunnel on Wednesday evening, causing delays on Highway 24, a key connector between Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

The cause of death has been revealed for a 26-year-old English free climber and content creator who died last year while scaling Spain's tallest bridge, Castilla La Mancha. Photographer Lewis Stevenson's death in the early morning hours of Oct. 13, 2024 occurred due to blunt force head injuries and uncontrolled descent from height, according to coroner documents from Monday's written inquest, as obtained by BBC News and People.

While no one seems to know for sure how it came to be called Boxing Day, it definitely has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. Perhaps the most widely held understanding of its origins comes from the tradition of wealthier members of society giving servants and tradesmen a so-called Christmas Box containing money and gifts on the day after Christmas. It was seen as a reward for a year's worth of service.

Introducing the delicious dozen. These are the 12 most popular Nosh stories of 2025 covering the most exciting East Bay food news of the year. Included in the stories below, you'll find tales of hidden gardens, childhood friends teaming up to open a restaurant in their old neighborhood, and a two-mile, single-street culinary journey. Bookmark this page, and come back to dig into one of these stories anytime you need a break from holiday treats, presents, or people over the final week of the year.