As Omicron has surged and disinformation persists, service groups and churches are urging the Black community to get vaccinated.
Category: Health & Environment
Posted inHealth & Environment
Power out across Oakland following high winds
Thousands of Oakland residents and businesses were without electricity Saturday morning as PG&E crews worked to clear debris and restore service.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Having problems ordering your free rapid COVID-19 tests from USPS?
Roommates, large families, and live-work residents have encountered some challenges accessing tests from the federal government.
Posted inRoad Safety
What is Oakland doing to enforce traffic laws? You asked, so we explored
Oakland’s roadways are dangerous, and many residents we surveyed believe a lack of enforcement is partly to blame. Others are skeptical that policing can reduce collisions.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Asthma affects thousands of Oakland kids. These residents are working to prevent it
Too many Oakland children struggle to breathe. We spoke with community members fighting the problem from different angles.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Swap your cloth mask for a KN95 or N95. Rethink socializing. And more expert omicron advice
We asked UCSF’s Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo how Oakland can stay safe in the face of the latest COVID-19 variant.
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
Need to get rid of your Christmas tree or other large items? Here’s how
The city of Oakland will be hauling away old trees through Jan. 14.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Omicron prompts Alameda County and Berkeley health officials to require masks in all indoor settings
Now face coverings will be required in offices, gyms and houses of worship.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Omicron is surging in the Bay Area. Experts say Oakland has the tools to stay safe
Doctors say Bay Area cases are rising quickly due to the omicron and delta variants, but this time, residents have added protection from vaccines and boosters, masks and social distancing.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland and Alameda County reach agreement on lead-paint money
The city would get 60% of the $24 million lawsuit settlement under a deal headed for final approval this week.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Oakland residents weigh in on pros and cons of I-580 truck ban
Caltrans and the local air quality district plan to study the impacts the 70-year-old ban has had on East Oakland.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Salmon in Lake Merritt? More rainfall is causing some fish to wander into Oakland’s lagoon
The fish are returning to East Bay streams for the first time in decades, and some are winding up in the unlikeliest of places.
Posted inRoad Safety
Heavy rain brings a flood-watch warning for Oakland
The National Weather Service issued the warning for much of the Bay Area, starting Monday at 4 p.m.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Is my fireplace illegal? And other burning questions about wood smoke in Oakland
Fireplaces and fire pits are the largest sources of unhealthy pollution in the winter. Here are the rules and recommendations around burning wood and sparing the air.
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 inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland and Alameda County won money to fight lead poisoning. They still haven’t spent it
The city and county are tussling over who should get what portion of a lead paint lawsuit settlement, and how it should be used.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Fixing Oakland’s roads: A conversation with transportation director Ryan Russo
OakDOT was created in 2016 with money and a mandate to make the city’s roadways safer. We sat down with the agency’s director to better understand its current priorities and challenges.
Posted inHealth & Environment
The problem and potential of Oakland’s parks
From the hills to Lake Merritt, the city is home to beautiful parklands. But who gets to enjoy them is determined by long-standing racial and class divides.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Cameras, cops, and red light-running: Can Oakland solve its collision problem?
We decided to take a look at the history of camera enforcement and other possible solutions.