Judge sets second trial date for Derick Almena
By Jeff Shuttleworth,
October 10, 2019
A judge on Friday scheduled a second trial to begin on March 30 for Ghost Ship master tenant Derick Almena on 36 involuntary manslaughter charges for a fire at the Oakland building in 2016 that killed 36 people. The first trial for Almena, 49, and co-defendant Max Harris, the warehouse's artistic director,...
Judge considering $3 million PG&E-funded wildfire mitigation project in san bruno
By Julia Cheever,
October 10, 2019
San Bruno city leaders asked a federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday to approve a plan for PG&E Co. to pay $3 million to reduce wildfire danger by clearing vegetation and fallen trees from a canyon near the site of a fatal pipeline explosion in 2010. If accepted by U.S. District Judge William Alsu...
Representative Swalwell talks impeachment
October 3, 2019
An estimated 400 East Bay residents attended a townhall meeting Tuesday evening with U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell and John Dean, former President Richard Nixon's attorney, to discuss the impeachment of Donald Trump and relevant precedents set by former administrations. "This president is going...
City offers $10K bonus to lure more officers
By Jeff Shuttleworth,
September 19, 2019
The city of Fremont and the Fremont Police Association announced Tuesday that they have jointly established a new recruiting incentive program that features a $10,000 total signing bonus for newly hired entry-level, academy graduate and lateral police officers. They said the bonus is structured so t...
Therapists at Kaiser stage one-day strike
By Jeff Shuttleworth,
September 19, 2019
Mental health therapists at Kaiser Permanente in Pleasanton staged a one-day strike on Tuesday, saying they are fighting for better patient care and better pay in order to retain employees. Picket lines were set up outside the Kaiser facility at 7601 Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton from 8 a.m. to 4 p...
Oakland School Enrichment Programs
By Valeria Sandoval,
September 12, 2019
Going through a school in upper Oakland cities like Montclair, Piedmont, or Rockridge after the students have been released, you’ll see a lot of different programs going on inside and outside. Kids playing sports, learning a new language, building toys, doing a podcast, and martial arts. Now if you...
Teacher among dead in dive boat fire
By Kyle Martin & Keith Burbank,
September 5, 2019
A teacher at American High School in Fremont died in a boat fire early on Labor Day off the coast of Santa Barbara County, Fremont Unified School District officials said on Twitter Tuesday. Dead is Raymond (Scott) Chan, who was a physics teacher. The fire also claimed the life of his daughter and 3...
Ghost ship jury does not reach verdict
By Jeff Shuttleworth,
September 5, 2019
The reconstituted jury panel in the trial of Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris resumed its deliberations on Tuesday after a lengthy break but didn't reach a verdict and will return on Wednesday. Almena, 49, and Harris, 29, are each charged with 36 counts of ...
Ashia Wahab suspends campaign
By Alli Weseman,
August 1, 2019
Hayward City Council Member Aisha Wahab announced on Monday that she was suspending her congressional run in the 15th district. In an Instagram post, Wahab said she has decided to focus her attention in Hayward. “I am so humbled by the incredible support that I have received from this communit...
Facial Recognition is banned
By Lucas Martin,
August 1, 2019
The pros of banning the threatening use facial recognition software from Oakland I recently watched an episode of Black Mirror--a dystopian technology-focused show on Netflix--which depicted a world similar to ours. In it, the government of the United Kingdom has secretly adopted facial recognition...
Harris thought the Ghost Ship was safe
By Jeff Shuttleworth,
August 1, 2019
Defense attorneys for Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris said on Tuesday that Almena and Harris should be found not guilty of the charges for a 2016 fire that killed 36 people because they had no idea the Oakland building was unsafe. In their closing a...
Mayor issues emergency proclamation
August 1, 2019
The aftermath of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco issued an emergency proclamation early Monday morning in the aftermath of a mass shooting at the Garlic Festival on Sunday afternoon. Four people, including the suspect, were killed and 12 others injured in the attack. Police conti...
