The Oakland Public Library hired a mediation consultant to address safety concerns and burnout. They found that librarians are increasingly faced with dangerous situations they’re not trained to handle.
Author Archives: Brian Krans
Posted inHealth & Environment
Those loud popping noises you just heard—fireworks or gunshots?
How to tell the difference between the sounds of gunfire and holiday explosives in Oakland this Fourth of July.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Timeline: How the Alameda County Registrar of Voters ran—and fumbled—the November election
Two months after Election Day, a school board race is still undecided. Lawsuits and a possible recount loom. The Oaklandside reconstructed how we got here.
Posted inArts & Community
A glorious day of archery at Oakland’s annual turkey shoot
No sentient turkeys were harmed at the Redwood Bowmen Archery Club’s reopening celebration on Sunday, held on its recently revamped course.
Posted inHealth & Environment
What you need to know about getting the omicron booster in Alameda County
Experts recommend scheduling an appointment before the fall and winter months.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Photos: 4-alarm fire on 35th Avenue damages multiple structures, displacing residents
Oakland firefighters responded to multiple vegetation fires that broke out near the I-580 on Friday afternoon.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Pop-up COVID-testing sites are appearing in Oakland. Are they legit?
Several new testing sites run by a company called “Stop. Swab. Go.” are getting mixed results, and raising eyebrows.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Alameda County is facing its largest COVID surge yet
Symptoms among the vaccinated are mostly mild. But hospitalizations are increasing and officials fear hospitals could be stressed in the coming weeks due to omicron.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Patients, workers maintain Children’s Hospital still suffers under UCSF
UCSF leaders say they’ve invested in the Oakland hospital, but local officials joined workers during a town hall meeting to express concern about the 2014 merger’s impact on Oakland patients.
Posted inHealth & Environment
1 in 5 young children have received first vaccine dose in Alameda County
Heading into the holidays with rising COVID-19 case numbers, here’s how children can get vaccinated.
Posted inHealth & Environment
FDA decision means 140,000 Alameda County kids now eligible for COVID vaccine
Children ages 5 to 11 are now approved to get Pfizer’s vaccine.
Posted inHealth & Environment
No, wildfire season in Oakland isn’t necessarily over yet
This month’s rains helped tamper down fire danger, but experts say the East Bay is not out of the woods yet.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Listen: Remembering the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Firestorm
To mark the fire’s 30th anniversary, we produced a 30-minute podcast looking back at the historic blaze that forever changed how the East Bay looks at wildfires.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Red flag warnings: What they are and why they matter
Oakland fire officials and Bay Area weather experts say getting residents to take the alerts seriously is an ongoing challenge—and has never been so important.
Posted inHealth & Environment
‘We are in a race’: with delta variant cases spiking, Oakland continues vaccination push
COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are rising and health care workers are trying to keep up through outreach in communities like Fruitvale.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Oakland’s fire-fighting goats are finishing up their seasonal work
The herds, which are managed by the city of Oakland and East Bay Regional Park District fire departments, are nearly done with their annual munch-fest, which helps clear dry grass and debris from the East Bay hills.
Posted inHealth & Environment
East Oakland residents oppose Walgreens’ decision to close store
With a month’s notice, Walgreens said it will close its 81st Avenue pharmacy next week. Residents, city officials, and health care workers want more time to prepare the community.
Posted inHealth & Environment
East Bay health experts worry about Delta variant as the vaccination campaign continues
COVID-19 infections are increasing in Oakland and Alameda County, including in long-term care facilities.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Noise, fire danger, fun: Oakland residents sound off on fireworks
An explosive Fourth of July is part of Oakland’s culture. But fireworks traumatize pets and pose a major fire risk.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Oakland community leaders call on Alameda County to declare gun violence a public health emergency
Groups want officials to invest $100 million of new federal pandemic relief funding into Black and brown communities.
