The Island

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ACLO up in the air?

I want to tell you about an emerging story regarding one of Alameda’s biggest cultural institutions, the Alameda Civic Light Opera. Sounds like years of bad economic times have caught up with them, resulting in the cancellation of their children’s summer camp and questions about the status of their 2010 season. A reader checked in earlier [...]

Help wanted: Census takers!

Times are tight, but someone’s hiring: The U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau is hiring a million people nationwide – Walmart numbers, people – to go door to door for eight weeks this spring to complete and collect decennial census forms from people who haven’t yet mailed them in. The pay is (a decidedly non-Walmart) $22 an [...]

Teacher layoff notifications okayed

The Board of Education undertook the grim task Tuesday night of approving notifications to dozens of teachers that they could be laid off at the end of the school year. The district could cut the full-time equivalent of up to 102.7 teaching positions for a savings of more than $6.2 million. Some 46 temporary teachers could [...]

The Blotter

* Monday, March 1 * BURGLARY: Police arrested Denise Renee Porter, 35, address not given, and Jason Santiago Inocencio, 22, no address given, on burglary charges. Police said Porter was arrested on probable cause when she was observed walking in front of a school on the 2200 block of Encinal Avenue and that Inocencio was stopped and detained [...]

Running around town

Looking for a good reason to get in shape over the next few months? How about three? First up: Back to Life Chiropractic’s St. Patty’s Day Dash, which takes place this Saturday, March 13 at Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach. This second annual 5K run/walk (and half-miler for the kids) is a benefit for the [...]

JURY GRANTS $1.95 MILLION JUDGMENT IN TELECOM SUIT

Updated 3:12 p.m. Wednesday, March 10 A jury has granted a $1.95 million judgment to a company that sued the city over money it said it was owed from Alameda’s former telecommunications business. The judgment came after a three-week trial in federal court. Alameda Municipal Power General Manager Girish Balachandran said city officials are considering appealing the [...]

City’s got civic center vision thing

City leaders are moving forward on a plan to revamp Alameda’s civic core that could be put in motion in the next 15 to 18 months, Interim City Manager Ann Marie Gallant has said. The plan envisions new uses for the former Chun gas station, Towata Flowers and Carnegie library, and for the space now occupied [...]

Proposed anti-bullying books available for review

School district officials have released a list of books they’re considering to complement the district’s existing elementary school-level anti-bullying curriculum. The 39 books on the list, which includes books from the California Department of Education’s recommended K-12 reading list for 2009 and books from private collections, include tomes intended to teach tolerance for students with different [...]

Info on bus changes out this week

AC Transit is setting up information tables across the two East Bay counties it serves to let riders know about some major service changes they’ve made that will go into effect on March 28. They’ll have a table set up in the main branch of the Alameda Free Library from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. this [...]

UPDATED Ferry passenger apparently goes overboard, drowns

Updated at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, March 6 The San Francisco Appeal is reporting that the identity of the woman who apparently went overboard off a Friday morning ferry has been released. The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman as Shayla Hudson, 28. They said the woman didn’t have a fixed residence. Lt. Junior Grade Jeremy Pichette [...]

Teachers protest state cuts; dozens of layoffs possible

Alameda’s teachers gathered in front of schools Thursday to ask parents to call their legislators and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to demand the not make further funding cuts to education. The gatherings were part of a statewide day of action set up to protest state budget cuts to education. The gatherings come two days after Alameda’s Board [...]
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