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2 months ago | 
oaklandnorth.net | Jack Hildebrand |Christine Schiavo
Cava Menzies could feel the warm sun pouring into her bedroom as she sat in silence, eyes closed, legs crossed, engaged in meditation. Menzies, a founding faculty member and music teacher at the Oakland School for the Arts, often draws creative inspiration during morning meditation in her downtown Oakland apartment. But this meditation session in February 2022 brought a revelation.
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Dec 18, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Jack Hildebrand
“The Nutcracker” ballet has been performed at Christmastime for more than 100 years, but not quite the way the Oakland Ballet is staging it this weekend. “Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker” isn’t set in the stuffy Victorian era, but in the looser early 20th century, when women had ditched their corsets and upped their hems, when they had sidestepped convention for free thinking.
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Dec 12, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Jack Hildebrand
On the side of a nondescript Temescal building, a tableau is coming alive in a vibrant array of blues, oranges and reds. An artist on a ladder, spray paint in hand, adds the final touches, catching the eye of a passerby, who yells, “It looks great,” as he drives by. Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith smiles and waves, then returns to her work. “Murals are cool because you’re out here connecting with other human beings,” the artist said.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
oaklandside.org | Xavey Bzdek |Jack Hildebrand |James Mawien Manyuol |Jacob Simas
Many voters in Oakland and across the country chose to cast their ballots by mail or during early in-person voting, long before Election Day. But for thousands of Oaklanders, there’s just no replacing the feeling one gets from heading out to the neighborhood voting center, filling in the bubbles, and dropping the ballot in the box.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Jack Hildebrand |WanYu Yao
Alex Valle did not expect date night to begin blindfolded and on a stage. She sat across a divider from a potential match, a man who introduced himself as “Dennis,” as a lively audience listened to them banter. The experience was “exciting and abnormal,” Valle reported after removing her blindfold, and also short-lived — lasting just five minutes. But that was the plan. Each dater had a dozen or so other meetups scheduled for later that night.
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Oct 18, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Jack Hildebrand |Beck Klein |Inaara Gangji
The Oakland Comedy Festival returns this weekend for its sixth year, featuring dozens of up-and-coming and established talent. Mike E. Winfield, a comedian who has been featured on “America’s Got Talent” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” will headline the event Sunday. Shoshanna Howard, Oakland Comedy Festival host and founder, said the event is all about bringing people together.
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Jun 14, 2024 | 
mustangnews.net | Jack Hildebrand
Along the Bonanza Dark Traverse route, Andrew Okerlund hung in the air with nothing below. A rope was tied between him and a crack in the wall of rocks. Suddenly, he heard his climbing partner, Kevin Hsu, yell. His eyes widened as he saw his partner quickly slipping from the snow and falling backward. Fortunately, Hsu was able to stop himself. The Bonanza Dark Traverse route was one of 100 peaks Okerlund climbed to conquer the Washington Bulger List.
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Apr 16, 2024 | 
mustangnews.net | Jack Hildebrand
This story was originally featured in Mustang News’ April print issue. While the sun is still down, Mott Athletic Center’s lights are on at 5 a.m. Enveloped around the basket sits “The Gun,” an automated rebounder and passer for players practicing shooting a basketball. The net around the hoop captures the ball before firing it back to the shooter. The shooter is Cal Poly senior guard Kobe Sanders.
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Apr 5, 2024 | 
mustangnews.net | Jack Hildebrand
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong and Athletic Director Don Oberhelman held a press conference on Thursday, April 4, at the Performing Arts Center to introduce Mike DeGeorge, Cal Poly’s new head men’s basketball coach. Cal Poly announced DeGeorge as the new head coach on March 26. DeGeorge came to Cal Poly after six seasons at Colorado Mesa where he guided his team to five NCAA tournaments and averaged 23 wins per season along with a birth to the Sweet 16 of the Division II NCAA Tournament.
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Apr 1, 2024 | 
mustangnews.net | Jack Hildebrand
After four seasons at Cal Poly, Kobe Sanders announced yesterday via social media that he will be heading to the University of Nevada for his graduate season. Edit: @tobias_bass pic.twitter.com/QoCUZypLWL— Kobe Sanders (@KobeSanders3) April 1, 2024This announcement was made after his best season at Cal Poly. During the regular season, Sanders ranked third in the Big West in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game. After the season concluded, he was selected as an All-Big West Honorable Mention.
