Posted in Montclarion Columns on May 10, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: May 10, 2013
Alarms, patrols and reinforced doors. These are a few of our favorite things as we pony up money to protect our homes. But what if we pooled our resources and formed a Crime Protection Assessment District? Sound familiar? It wasn’t that long ago that we agreed to a tax to fight fires. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on May 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: May 3, 2013
Who would have thought that denuding would be the hot topic in Oakland? Sexier than crime prevention and more topical than the weather, when Caltrans starts clearing the trees along scenic Highway 13, tongues wag. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on April 19, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: April 19, 2013
Did you hear the one about the pothole that was so big — it had its own gift shop? I know … potholes are no joking matter, but I couldn’t resist a little David Letterman humor as Oakland prepares for its annual pothole blitz. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on April 12, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: April 12, 2013
I’ll never forget the first night we met — you with those ugly brown pincers and me in my bare feet and PJs. You must have been as nervous as I was. You reared up your tail and made a strange clicking noise that sent me scrambling for the light.
That was 10 years ago in a living room encounter that still gives me goose bumps. But lately, you and your scorpion sidekicks have been slipping into other Montclair homes. There’s been chatter on the Montclair listserv about scorpions in bathrooms, garages, even a hat removed from storage. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on April 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: April 5, 2013
Some people know, early on, where their talents lie. In the case of Oakland’s Rebecca Ferris, her interest in hair goes back to her childhood, according to big brother Mitch. “We (my two older brothers, myself and our dad) would go to sleep and wake up with rollers and make up on,” he remembers. “I think she was around 8 years old when she did that. We have photos somewhere.” (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on March 15, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: March 15, 2013
I did something naughty the other night. I plucked a piece of art off the wall and took it home without paying.
Did the devil make me do it? No, but Project Utopia did. This Oakland exhibit lets you pick out one piece of art to take home at no charge. My friend and I jumped on a matching set of watercolors by San Leandro artist Jorge Luis Iniguez. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on March 7, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Photos by Jane Fuerch
MONTCLARION: March 8, 2013
Spring blossoms … two little words that rank high on the list of what makes people happy in March. These delicate paper-like blooms are nature’s answer to tax season. Things are looking up, and you should be too.
The neighborhoods of Oakland are bedecked in pink and white blossoms. Some trees are in full bloom as I write this. Others have already peaked, like the blossoms on Olive Avenue (delicious irony). (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on March 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: March 1, 2013
Spring is in the air — spring baseball, that is. Even the Cactus Wrens are tweeting about it. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on February 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: FEBRUARY 15, 2013
Disturbing the peace. It’s a crime usually associated with rowdy teens and motorcycle gangs. Increasingly, you can add dogs to the list.
Despite an Oakland ordinance that prohibits incessant barking, more and more neighbors are complaining about just that — dogs left inside to growl, yap and whine while their owners are away. (more…)
Posted in Montclarion Columns on February 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
MONTCLARION: February 1, 2013
It’s Feb. 1. Can spring be far off?
Hundreds of baseball fans lined up outside 10 windows Sunday for the chance to buy $2 tickets to eight Wednesday A’s games. Thanks to two friends who got tickets for all of us, my girlfriends and I will be soaking up the sun in the cheap seats and drinking $10 beers — because we can. (more…)
