MONTCLARION: July 25, 2014

For whatever reason, the culinary wave that’s been washing over Oakland has largely missed Montclair. Could that be changing? Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: June 27, 2014

This is the tale of two Oakland entrepreneurs. Both are millennials — young, bold and determined to make a difference. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: June 13, 2014

Oakland is the new Brooklyn. I heard it again the other day from two people who live — of all places — in Brooklyn. The food scene, the attitude and Oakland art have created a buzz that’s undeniable. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: June 6, 2014

Is Montclair losing its post office? This is the question David Sarber posed in a recent email. Even though he no longer owns a camera shop next door, Sarber has seen what he calls “a subtle but steady” decline in services at our village postal branch. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 30, 2014

The need for caffeine can make motorists do dangerous things. The other day I was sitting in Montclair, grande mocha in hand, watching the traffic patterns of a Village fueled by coffee shops on almost every corner. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 23, 2014

I’m going out on a limb with this. I sincerely hope no one’s offended. Of all the Greek wines I tried last weekend, there’s one I will not buy again.

I do not like retsina. I do not like this Greek wine. I don’t like it with Dolmas. I don’t like it with lamb. I won’t even drink it with green eggs and — you get the point. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 16, 2014

“A dream is a wish your heart makes.” That’s what Dick Callahan told my students recently at Saint Mary’s College. The longtime public address announcer for the Oakland A’s knows something about dreams — as one of only 30 people in the world who do what he does — announce major league baseball games. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 2, 2014

The night has a thousand eyes. Two of them were locked onto Melissa the other night. The hills mom, who just moved here from Oklahoma, was out looking for owls with her flashlight when she spotted a strange set of eyes in a tree. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: April 24, 2014

His friends call him “grandpa” or “old survivor.” He’s a towering figure in Oakland — his frame straight, tall and furrowed by age.

He lives along Horseshoe Creek — in the hills near what’s now Merritt College. And if he could talk, he’d have some incredible stories to tell. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: April 10, 2014

The year was 1985. I was a young, brash reporter for the number-one morning radio show in the Bay Area — KSFO.

One of my early assignments was to cover a story involving the Oakland Zoo. They’d just been named one of the top 10 worst zoos in the country. At the time, it was pretty shocking, and a rap they probably didn’t deserve. Continue reading →