MONTCLARION: June 21, 2013

Oakland is feeling the love these days. Crime stats aside, the national media have been fawning over our town, with the latest accolade coming from Arianna Huffington’s publication.

“Why are all my friends moving to Oakland?” asks a young blogger at the Huffington Post. We already know the reasons: An amazing park system, great restaurants, museums, the lake and the waterfront, $2 Oakland A’s games and music and art at every turn. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: June 6, 2013

It’s graduation time, and Wendy Tokuda is getting ready to walk. The former Bay Area television anchor and Montclair resident will be part of the June 22 third annual GRADWalk in Golden Gate Park in support of the charity she co-founded some 15 years ago — Students Rising Above. Continue reading →

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: MAY 31, 2013

The pint-size body of water in Montclair Park is more than just a pond. It’s what first drew me to the Montclair Village — the reed-lined shores where ducks preened and bobbed and children caught crawdads with a line and a pole. It seemed something straight from the pages of Huck Finn — or at least from my childhood memories of Minnesota. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 24, 2013

Oakland gets called a lot of things, but here’s a little note worth repeating: real estate firm Movoto thinks we’re the most exciting city in the nation. The firm says Oakland beat out 50 other hip cities to win the award. Take that, San Francisco. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

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.” Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →