Oakland Tribune back issues from January 2008:
Oakland sees two homicides in first hours of 2008
Jan 01, 2008 ... One man was shot to death in West Oakland and another fatallystabbed at a party in East Oakland this morning in the city's firsttwo homicides of 2008. The year's first homicide occurred at 3:08 a.m when anunidentified man who had been shot several times was found by apassing ...
Victims injured in fight involving various weapons
Jan 01, 2008; ... SAN JOSE (BCN) -- Possibly four victims were injured early thismorning after an altercation involving various weapons broke out inSan Jose, according to officials. Officers responded to the area of Flickinger Avenue and HostetterRoad just before 2 a.m. and found a ...
Officers shoot and kill man in East Oakland hours before New Year
Jan 01, 2008 ... A man who ran from a car stopped by police Monday night was shotto death by two officers who said they thought he was reaching for agun, investigators said. The man turned out not to have a gun. Authorities were trying toidentify him today. Police said the man was driving a ...
San Francisco's first homicide of '08 claims male victim
Jan 01, 2008 ... SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- Police are investigating San Francisco'sfirst homicide of the year that occurred this morning in the city'sSouth of Market neighborhood. The fatal ...
Here's looking at you kids: Oakland revels in the New Year
Jan 01, 2008; ... OAKLAND -- Good bye 2007. Hello 2008. "Where are my shakers?" said the bartender at The Alley on GrandAvenue, with its old-fashioned cigarette machine and jukebox. Thestaple of Oakland's bar scene is gearing up to usher in the end ofthe Gregorian calendar beginning with Tony ...
New year ringing in many state laws
Jan 01, 2008 ... SACRAMENTO -- Thinking about lighting up a cigarette with thekids in the car? Bad idea. Dreaming of rounding up a few of your karaoke partners andpassing yourselves off as your favorite oldies group? Dream again. Want to have special chips surgically implanted into ...
Holiday closures New Year's Day Today
Jan 01, 2008 ... Banks Closed City offices Closed County offices Closed Courts Closed Federal offices Closed Garbage One day late Libraries Closed Mail delivery None Post office Closed ...
Hands-free phone driving law looms
Jan 01, 2008; ... WALNUT CREEK -- Tired of seeing drivers with cellular phonesglued to their ears, one hand on the wheel, as they speed past ormake an unsafe lane change? So is the state of California. In 2008,those drivers will face a traffic ticket and fine. Although the new law doesn't go into ...
Fremont streets expected to deteriorate
Jan 01, 2008; ... FREMONT -- Without a major cash infusion, Fremont's streetpavement conditions in 10 years will deteriorate to the level thatcurrently exists in Oakland. The city's Pavement Condition Update, released in December,concluded that Fremont will have to nearly triple the annual ...
Firm helps local pair through tough times
Jan 01, 2008; ... NEWARK 2007 WAS a challenging year for Mark Martinsen, who held threepart-time jobs and went to school full time while battling healthproblems. But 2008 could be three times tougher. He and his wife, Victoria, are expecting triplets in February. Mark, 23, is ...
Ka-ching! Buyers can now keep gift card leftovers
Jan 01, 2008; ... SACRAMENTO -- Californians will now be able to convert leftovergift card balances into extra pocket change. Starting today, a new state law will let residents redeem giftcards for cash if the balance is less than $10. The new law puts California ahead of three other states ...
Pair of burglars foiled in Union City
Jan 01, 2008 ... UNION CITY -- Police arrested one person early Monday and weresearching for another after a home was burglarized while thehomeowner was inside. The incident occurred shortly before 6 a.m. in a single-familyhome in the Meridien Circle area, police Sgt. Tom Gorrie said ....
More than 100 pets need adopting from Furry Friends
Jan 01, 2008 ... About 120 pets are available at the nonprofit Furry FriendsRescue showcase. At Furry Friends Rescue, an animal-rescue service that offerspets for adoption at local stores, about 40 dogs and 80 cats areavailable. The pets vary in age, size, color and personality. Petsavailable ...
Area football coach, Fremont man dies at 70
Jan 01, 2008; ... ROSEVILLE -- Lester Davis, a decorated Bay Area college footballcoach, died of complications from diabetes and cancer on Dec. 19.The longtime Fremont resident was 70. "Les was a good man who gave freely," said Jane Davis, his wife."He wanted to win, but also wanted to help ...
Pit bull euthanized for attacking tot, grandma
Jan 01, 2008; ... The pit bull mix that savaged the face of a 20-month-old girl andattacked her grandmother Sunday night had been involved in anotherattack more than a year before, authorities revealed Monday,prompting animal control officers at the time to warn that the dogcould be considered dangerous ....
In'38, horse beat humans in historic swim across Bay
Jan 01, 2008; ... PLEASANTON -- Blackie may not have been a Kentucky Derby winner,but for swimming across San Francisco Bay he had no equine equal. His legendary plunge into Bay waters on Oct. 1, 1938, was a stuntmuch heralded in its day, and Alex Spotorno of Pleasanton will neverforget it ....
Tree sit supporters print newsletter
Jan 01, 2008 ... BERKELEY -- A committee representing the tree sitters has begunreleasing a weekly report detailing police activity at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, oak grove where people have beenliving for more than a year. The Oaks Arrestees Defense Committee released its first ...
Fremont streets expected to worsen
Jan 01, 2008; ... FREMONT -- Without a major cash infusion, Fremont's streetpavement conditions in 10 years will deteriorate to the level thatcurrently exists in Oakland. The city's Pavement Condition Update, released last month,concluded that Fremont will have to nearly triple the annual ...
Notre Dame stuns MV on Dowling free throws GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jan 01, 2008; ... Margaret Dowling softly converted her second free throw with twoseconds left to give Notre Dame of Belmont a 55-54 upset overpreviously undefeated Monte Vista, the No.6 ranked team in NorthernCalifornia by Cal-Hi Sports, in the semifinals of the NewarkMemorial tournament Friday night ....
Serra roars into tournament final
Jan 01, 2008; ... Serra High coach Chuck Rapp emphasizes two tenets with hisbasketball team: Play hard and play together on defense, and sharethe ball on offense. Rapp has nothing to complain about after his Padres blasted SantaTeresa 80-40 in the semifinals of the Sobrato Tournament. Serra ...
Kelley's 32 key Woodside win
Jan 01, 2008; ... SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO -- Who's No.1? At the South San FranciscoTournament that would be Woodside High, which ground out a 59-51 winover Hillsdale in the title game of the fourth annual event, onFriday night. By jersey number, that would be Woodside senior point guard PatKelley, ...
Ryan's gone, Kiffin may hire dad
Jan 01, 2008; ... ALAMEDA -- Lane Kiffin admitted Monday that he miscalculated thestrength of the Oakland Raiders defense, which is one reason why RobRyan will be officially out as defensive coordinator sometime thisweek, free to accept the same position with the New York Jets. Sources indicate ...
49ers delay making decision on Nolan
Jan 01, 2008; ... SANTA CLARA -- Discussions about Mike Nolan's future as SanFrancisco 49ers coach went into overtime Monday as the teampostponed -- then canceled -- a news conference at teamheadquarters. Nolan remained in meetings for hours with owner John York andteam executive Jed York. The ...
Cal lives life of Riley once QB enters game
Jan 01, 2008; ... FORT WORTH, Texas -- Just hours before the beginning of a newyear, we may have seen the beginning of a new era for Cal football. Backup quarterback Kevin Riley put together a breathtakingperformance in relief of starter Nate Longshore on Monday,completing 16 of 19 passes for 269 ...
Coach says offseason crucial
Jan 01, 2008; ... ALAMEDA -- Raiders coach Lane Kiffin convened a meeting with hisplayers Monday morning, fewer than 24 hours after a season-endingloss against the San Diego Chargers. In the meeting, Kiffin made sure his players understand that a 4-12 season isn't acceptable, that changes are in ...
I'd fix, not trash, the BCS system
Jan 01, 2008; ... GO AHEAD AND knock yourself out celebrating a new year. I'm morea big-picture guy. Bring on a new era. I hereby volunteer to become the executive director of the BCS.Heaven knows these lamebrains need a new direction. Don't get me wrong: I'm pro-BCS. It's just that I'd be a ...
Perfect ending to Warriors' storybook year
Jan 01, 2008; ... HOUSTON -- Hollywood screenwriters couldn't script a more perfectgame to encapsulate 2007 than the Golden State Warriors' 112-95victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday at the Toyota Center. One night after coming from behind to beat Denver, the Warriors(19-13) rallied from 11 ...
Alameda's Grosscup knows Heisman
Jan 01, 2008; ... WHEN ASKED on his 71st birthday last week where he was 50 yearsago, Lee Grosscup easily recalled one of the highlights of his life. He'd just completed one of the greatest passing seasons incollege football history, recording a 175.5 quarterback rating atthe University of Utah ....
More 3-4 defense likely in Bears future
Jan 01, 2008; ... FORT WORTH, Texas -- Kevin Riley's performance in the ArmedForces Bowl on Monday may have not been the only glimpse into Cal'sfuture. The Bears defense used primarily a three-man defensive line forthe final three quarters, and it was nearly flawless shutting downAir Force's ...
Cheechoo caps perfect trip
Jan 01, 2008; ... ST. PAUL, Minn. -- For a New Year's Eve game, the seriouscelebrating inside the Xcel Energy Center lasted only about 10seconds. Or exactly the time that elapsed Monday night between the third-period goal that tied things up for the Minnesota Wild and the quickstrike by Jonathan ...
Fans think Booty's fool's gold
Jan 01, 2008; ... PASADENA -- This is what a great many people think of John DavidBooty, who in two years as USC's starting quarterback has lost onlythree games: He's a flop. Threw four interceptions in the second half againstStanford. The broken middle finger? Well ... He's a ...
Raiders will draft No.3 or No.4, pending coin flip
Jan 01, 2008; ... ALAMEDA -- The Raiders won only four games this season. However,they gained some consolation by edging out the Kansas City Chiefs ina tiebreaker for which team selects higher in the NFL draft inApril. The Miami Dolphins (1-15) earned the No.1 pick, followed by theSt. Louis Rams ...
49ERS REPORT CARD
Jan 01, 2008 ... Chris Weinke had all of one week of practice with the first team,and the results were no surprise: a meager 104 yards passing. RUSHING OFFENSE GRADE: B Running back Frank Gore provided much of the little offense the49ers mustered, running for 94 yards against a stacked ...
RAIDERS REPORT CARD
Jan 01, 2008 ... A forgettable performance for JaMarcus Russell in his first NFLstart. His first pass was intercepted and parlayed into the game'sfirst touchdown, and he later fumbled in the end zone, resulting inanother Chargers score. RUSHING OFFENSE GRADE: B Dominic Rhodes had 88 yards ...
Hudson likely out for season
Jan 01, 2008; ... OAKLAND -- Warriors reserve point guard Troy Hudson told BANG-East Bay on Friday that his injured left hip requires arthroscopicsurgery, a move that threatens to bring his first season with GoldenState to a premature end. Hudson said he will undergo surgery shortly after Jan.1 to ...
Hands off: Cell phone law to ring in summer
Jan 01, 2008; ... WALNUT CREEK -- Tired of seeing drivers with cellular phonesglued to their ears, one hand on the wheel, as they speed past ormake an unsafe lane change? So is the state of California. In 2008,those drivers will face a traffic ticket and fine. Although the new law doesn't go into ...
Family tries to cope with loss during holidays
Jan 01, 2008; ... WALNUT CREEK MARIE AND JIM COON are trying to enjoy the holiday season,although their hearts are heavy from the loss of Jim's son, who diedin Iraq eight months ago. Army Pfc. James J. Coon was killed by a sniper in Balad, Iraq, onApril 4. To his stepmom, he was "Jimmy." To ...
E.M. Health attempts to borrow away debt
Jan 01, 2008; ... Editor's note: This is the second of a three-part series examining a $1million city loan to a YourBlack Muslim Bakery affiliate that was never repaid. See videos andpost comments at InsideBayArea.com. By Cecily Burt and G.W. Schulz CHAUNCEY BAILEY PROJECT ...
Tracy faces jammed political year
Jan 01, 2008; ... TRACY -- Even the crystal ball might have a hard time predictinghow things are going to shape up in Tracy this year. With an aquatics center and youth sports park both in limbo, asearch for a new city manager going on, oh-by-the-way, two councilseats and the mayor's job are up for ...
Man recalls historic swim
Jan 01, 2008; ... PLEASANTON -- Blackie may not have been a Kentucky Derby winner,but for swimming across San Francisco Bay he had no equine equal. His legendary plunge into Bay waters on Oct. 1, 1938, was a stuntmuch heralded in its day, and Alex Spotorno of Pleasanton will neverforget it ....
New year bringing places to shop
Jan 01, 2008; ... With a variety of large-scale centers and several big-boxretailers set to open in the upcoming months, 2008 could beconsidered The Year of the Shopper in Manteca and Lathrop. Construction has already begun on the Promenade Shops at OrchardValley, a 746,740-square-foot open-air ...
Interim business dean appointed to Cal State East Bay full time
Jan 01, 2008; ... HAYWARD -- California State University, East Bay, officials arepinning their hopes on Terri Swartz leading the prized college ofbusiness to reaccreditation. Swartz, who took over as interim dean for the university'sCollege of Business and Economics after John Kohl abruptly ...
Sex offenders forced to wander
Jan 01, 2008; ... SAN PABLO -- S.T. is a registered sex offender with a wife, threekids and a cozy apartment near Hilltop Mall. But every night heroams the dark streets in a pea coat, a wool cap and a GPS trackerstrapped to his left ankle. He'd rather stay home. But that could mean running afoul ...
New UC Berkeley parking garage to add 1,000 spaces
Jan 01, 2008; ... Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on a $35million parking garage at the University of California, Berkeley,that adds 1,000 underground spaces on the south side of campus. The lot is restricted to university students and staff onweekdays but open to the public ...
Bay Area football coach dies at 70
Jan 01, 2008; ... ROSEVILLE -- Lester Davis, a decorated Bay Area college footballcoach, died of complications from diabetes and cancer on Dec. 19.The longtime Fremont resident was 70. "Les was a good man who gave freely," said Jane Davis, his wife."He wanted to win, but also wanted to help ...
Berkeley gets OK for path through school
Jan 01, 2008; ... Berkeley is preparing to finish the second phase of a bike paththat eventually will connect the popular Ohlone Greenway to centralBerkeley at Strawberry Creek Park. Bicyclists currently can ride all the way from El Cerrito throughAlbany into Berkeley on the greenway, but it ends ...
Hands off: Cell phone law to ring in summer
Jan 01, 2008; ... Tired of seeing drivers with cellular phones glued to their ears,one hand on the wheel, as they speed past or make an unsafe lane change? So is the State ofCalifornia. In 2008, those drivers will face a traffic ticket andfine. Although the new law doesn't go into effect ...
Grieving parents get some relief
Jan 01, 2008; ... SAN CARLOS -- After giving birth to Jessica, Shoneen Erskine andher husband John took turns holding the little baby crowned withlittle tufts of brown hair for two hours at Lucile PackardChildren's Hospital in Palo Alto. Both parents kept unwrapping and wrapping her in her blanket ...
As water rises, Senegal's landscape changes
Jan 01, 2008; ... THIAWLENE, Rufisque, Senegal -- Mbaye Dieng awoke to find waterrising in his bedroom. He ordered the small children to be placed onthe roof for safety, tried to retrieve as many belongings aspossible and then waited for help. For some, Dieng's ordeal is reminiscent of Hurricane ...
Cougar tracks found on campus
Jan 01, 2008; ... BELMONT -- Mountain lion tracks were found Sunday just inside achain-link fence on the athletic fields at Ralston Middle School,according to Belmont police. A resident found the tracks near a baseball diamond on thesoutheastern corner of the property and notified police, ...
Assembly candidates amass war chests
Jan 01, 2008; ... MILLBRAE -- Mayor Gina Papan said Monday she has raised about$100,000 in the first months of her run for state Assembly. That makes her the third candidate to amass a six-digit bankrollin what promises to be a heavily contested June Democratic primary -- assuming incumbent Gene ...
Mexican ice cream offered at S.S.F. cafe
Jan 01, 2008; ... SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO -- "Hey. Welcome to the Puddle!" greets NancyRosales as customers enter her small eatery. The brightly painted, tangerine-colored walls make you think ofordering orange sherbet, but you won't find any in this ice creamshop and cafe, known as The Puddle of the ...
East Palo Alto police department launches system to trace gunshots
Jan 01, 2008; ... EAST PALO ALTO -- The Police Department unveiled its newest crime-fighting tool Monday -- a web of sensors that can instantly pinpointthe location of a gunshot. Mountain View-based ShotSpotter Inc. is conducting a free test ofits technology in a one-half-square-mile section of ...
Skyway to nowhere: Partial Bay Bridge span complete
Jan 01, 2008; ... At more than $1 billion, it was the biggest construction contractthat Caltrans had ever awarded. It was a project spawned by tragedy,long delayed and fraught with controversy. Now it's done, and not even local officials will be there to markthe end of the Bay Bridge East Span ...
Schwarzenegger proposes initiative to address state's lack of engineers
Jan 01, 2008; ... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed an education initiativethat aims to boost by almost 50 percent the number of California-trained engineers during the next decade by building newpartnerships with schools, the military and businesses. The goal of the Engineer Initiative is to ...
Dog euthanized for attacking 20-month-old girl, grandmother
Jan 01, 2008; ... The pit-bull mix that savaged the face of a 20-month-old girl andattacked her grandmother Sunday night had been involved in anotherattack more than a year before, authorities revealed Monday,prompting animal control officers at the time to warn that the dogcould be considered dangerous ....
Cycling champ deems local portion of race most critical
Jan 01, 2008; ... PALO ALTO -- The opening time trial set in Palo Alto for thisyear's Tour of California cycling race will be the most crucialsegment of the eight-day competition, reigning champion LeviLeipheimer said. In a recent interview with MediaNews, Leipheimer, 34, said heconsiders the ...
Chris Brown's star continues to rise in Oakland
Jan 01, 2008; ... IN CONCERT, Chris Brown rolls with more bells and whistles thanthe Stones. We're talking about fancy laser devices, multiple stagesetups, elaborate costuming, scads of dancers, video segments, etc. Truth be told, he doesn't really need any of those things. Browncould forgo all ...
Year of hopeful fashions, ecotrends and ambitious resolutions
Jan 01, 2008 ... THE past year came and went like Paris Hilton's jail sentence. Wewere served a hodgepodge of nostalgia in the world of fashion, eco-awareness was the most popular trend, tabloid magazines became theworld's primary news source and then there was a guy named Sanjaya. But that's all ...
A look back at the 'wisdom' of 2007
Jan 01, 2008; ... WE OFTEN WISH that we had a crystal ball that would reveal thefuture. But reviewing the past can be just as fascinating asprophecy. Who would have stood on the first day of January 2007 andimagined all that we would learn throughout the year? Here's a lookback at some of the ...
Make this the year you walk around the big city
Jan 01, 2008 ... MAKE 2008 the year you rediscover San Francisco. Walk itsbeautiful, steep, crazy streets and remember why it's one of theloveliest cities on earth. If walking tours seem daunting, take courage. Travel guru TomDowns offers a splendid and incredibly detailed guide, "Walking ...
Wesla Whitfield bids farewell to Empire Plush
Jan 01, 2008; ... WITH THE NEW YEAR come changes. Last night, Bay Area cabaretveteran Wesla Whitfield rang in 2008 with fans and revelers at SanFrancisco's Empire Plush Room. She's in the midst of her record-breaking 27th gig at thevenerable cabaret -- a wonderfully intimate boite with a ...
Unfit for any audience, a look at the 10 worst films of 2007
Jan 01, 2008 ... 'TIS THE SEASON for critics to brighten our lives with year-endlists of their favorite films, to celebrate the cinematicachievements that have blessed our big screens -- however fleetingly-- with tales of star-crossed love, psychotic mayhem and qualityFrench medical care. But we have ...
'Lighthouse' dinner, 'Blonde' exuberance highlight '07
Jan 01, 2008; ... LAST WEEK, I offered up my Top 10 list of 2007's best Bay Areatheater. If you missed it, visit the Theater Dogs blog(www.ibabuzz.com/backstage), where it lives in perpetuity. That's all well and good, but there was way too much good stuffin 2007 to contain in a polite numbered ...
The year in people: 2007 saw near-daily celeb meltdowns
Jan 01, 2008; ... SOME PEOPLE just can't stop themselves. You could call them addicts, or obsessive-compulsives. You couldsay they're self-destructive or simply not very bright. But some people just aren't able to learn from their mistakes.They just can't help getting pregnant ....