8-03-21 Articles

Behind those dancing robots, scientists had to bust a move
By Rodrique Ngowi, Associated Press

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP), July 19 ¬ The man who designed some of the world's most advanced dynamic robots was on a daunting mission: programming his creations to dance to the beat with a mix of fluid, explosive and expressive motions that are almost human.

The results? Almost a year and half of choreography, simulation, programming and upgrades that were capped by two days of filming to produce a video running at less than 3 minutes. The clip, showing robots dancing to the 1962 hit “Do You Love Me?” by The Contours, was an instant hit on social media, attracting more than 23 million views during the first week.

It shows two of Boston Dynamics' humanoid Atlas research robots doing the twist, the mashed potato and other classic moves, joined by Spot, a doglike robot, and Handle, a wheeled robot designed for lifting and moving boxes in a warehouse or truck.

Boston Dynamics founder and chairperson Marc Raibert says what the robot maker learned was far more valuable.

“It turned out that we needed to upgrade the robot in the middle of development in order for it to be strong enough and to have enough energy to do the whole performance without stopping. So that was a real benefit to the design,” Raibert says.

The difficult challenge of teaching robots to dance also pushed Boston Dynamics engineers to develop better motion-programming tools that let robots reconcile balance, bouncing and doing a performance simultaneously.

“So we went from having very crude tools for doing that to having very effective rapid-generation tools so that by the time we were done, we could generate new dance steps very quickly and integrate them into the performance,” Raibert says.

The quality of the robots' dancing was so good that some viewers online said they couldn't believe their eyes. Some applauded the robots' moves and the technology powering them. Others appeared to be freaked out by some of their expressive routines.

Others added that what they were seeing was probably computer-generated imagery, or CGI.

Not so, Raibert says.

What was on display was a result of long, hard work fueled by a determination to program the robot to dance to the beat, he says.

“We didn't want a robot doing robotlike dancing. We wanted it to do human dancing and, you know, when a human dances, the music has a beat and their whole body moves to it ¬ their hands, their body, their head,” he says. “And we tried to get all of those things involved and coordinated so that it, you know, it was … it looked like the robot was having fun and really moved with the music. And I think that had a lot to do with the result of the production.”

Teaching robots to dance with fluid and expressive motions was a new challenge for a company that spent years building robots that have functional abilities like walking, navigating in rough terrain, pick things up with their hands and use attached advanced sensors to monitor and sense many things, Raibert says.

“You know, our job is to try and stretch the boundaries of what robots can do, both in terms of the outer research boundary, but also in terms of practical applications. And I think when people see the new things that robots can do, it excites them,” he says.

The advanced Atlas robot relies on a wide array of sensors to execute the dance moves, including 28 actuators _ devices that serve as muscles by converting electronic or physical signal into movement _ as well as a gyroscope that helps it to balance, and three quad-core onboard computers, including one that processes perception signals and two that control movement.
Still, the fact that video of the dancing robots has fired up the public imagination and inspired a sense of awe was gratifying, Raibert says.

“We hoped that people would enjoy it and they seem to. We've gotten calls from all around the world,” Raibert says. “We got a call from one of the sound engineers who had recorded the original Contours performance back in the '60s. And he said that his whole crew of Motown friends had been passing it around and been excited by it.”

Monster wildfire tests years of forest management efforts
By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP), July 20 ¬ Ecologists in a vast region of wetlands and forest in remote Oregon have spent the past decade thinning young trees and using planned fires to try to restore the thick stands of ponderosa to a less fire-prone state.

This week, the nation's biggest burning wildfire provided them with an unexpected, real-world experiment. As the massive inferno half the size of Rhode Island roared into the Sycan Marsh Preserve, firefighters said the flames jumped less from treetop to treetop and instead returned to the ground, where they were easier to fight, moved more slowly and did less damage to the overall forest.

The initial assessment suggests that the many years of forest treatments worked, said Pete Caligiuri, Oregon forest program director for The Nature Conservancy, which runs the research at the preserve.

“Generally speaking, what firefighters were reporting on the ground is that when the fire came into those areas that had been thinned ¬ it had significantly less impact.”

The reports were bittersweet for researchers, who still saw nearly 20 square miles of the preserve burn, but the findings add to a growing body of research about how to make wildfires less explosive by thinning undergrowth and allowing forests to burn periodically ¬ as they naturally would do ¬ instead of snuffing out every flame.

The Bootleg Fire, now 606 square miles (1,569 square kilometers) in size, has ravaged southern Oregon and is the fourth-largest fire in the state's modern history. It's been expanding by up to 4 miles (6 kilometers) a day, pushed by gusting winds and critically dry weather that's turned trees and undergrowth into a tinderbox.

Fire crews have had to retreat from the flames for 10 consecutive days as fireballs jump from treetop to treetop, trees explode, embers fly ahead of the fire to start new blazes and, in some cases, the inferno's heat creates its own weather of shifting winds and dry lightning. Monstrous clouds of smoke and ash have risen up to 6 miles into the sky and are visible for more than 100 air miles.

The fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest merged with a smaller nearby blaze Tuesday, and it has repeatedly breached a perimeter of treeless dirt and fire retardant meant to stop its advance.

More evacuations were ordered Monday night, and a red flag weather warning signifying dangerous fire conditions was in effect through Tuesday. The fire is 30% contained.

“We're in this for as long as it takes to safely confine this monster,” Incident Commander Rob Allen said Tuesday.

At least 2,000 homes have been evacuated at some point during the fire and another 5,000 threatened. At least 70 homes and more than 100 outbuildings have gone up in flames. Thick smoke chokes the area where residents and wildlife alike have already been dealing with months of drought and extreme heat. No one has died.

The Bootleg Fire was one of many fires burning in a dozen states, most of them in the West. Sixteen large uncontained fires burned in Oregon and Washington state alone on Monday.

Historically, wildfires in Oregon and elsewhere in the U.S. West burned an area as big or bigger than the current blaze more frequently but much less explosively. Periodic, naturally occurring fire cleared out the undergrowth and smaller trees that cause today's fires to burn so dangerously.

Those fires have not been allowed to burn for the past 120 years, said James Johnston, a researcher with Oregon State University's College of Forestry who studies historical wildfires.

The area on the northeastern flank of the Bootleg Fire is in the ancestral homeland of the Klamath Tribes, which have used intentional, managed fire to keep the fuel load low and prevent such explosive blazes. Scientists at the Sycan Marsh research station now work with the tribe and draw on that knowledge.

Climate change is the catalyst for the worsening wildfire seasons in the West, Johnston said, but poor forest management and a policy of decades of fire suppression have made a bad situation even worse.

“My colleagues and I have been predicting a massive fire in that area for years. It's an area that's exceptionally prone to catastrophic fire,” said Johnston, who is not affiliated with Sycan Marsh. “It's dry. It's fire-prone and always has been. But what's changed over the past 100 years is an extraordinary amount of fuel buildup.”

Elsewhere, fire crews were engaged in other daunting battles.

In Northern California, authorities expanded evacuations for the Tamarack Fire in Alpine County in the Sierra Nevada to include the mountain town of Mesa Vista late Monday. That fire, which exploded over the weekend was 61 square miles (158 square kilometers) with no containment.

On the western side of the Sierra, the Dixie Fire has scorched 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), threatening tiny communities in the Feather River Valley region.

Meteorologist Julia Ruthford told a briefing that a surge of monsoonal moisture from the Southwest increased atmospheric instability Sunday and Monday, creating plumes topping 6 miles ¬ so big that the fire generated a thunderstorm over itself, hurling lightning bolts and whipping up gusty winds.

For the past two days in Oregon, the fire has danced around Sycan Marsh, where researchers raced to protect buildings with sprinklers and fire lines. The 47-square-mile habitat attracts migrating and nesting birds and offers a unique location to research forest and fire ecology.

The nonprofit operates its own fire engines and maintains federal firefighting certification. It now has three of its own engines and seven firefighters on the blaze and more people are arriving from North Carolina and Florida to try to save the preserve.

“It's an amazing place,” Caligiuri said. “It's very hard to watch it all happening, and seeing all of that work being threatened by this fire is a lot to process.”

Associated Press Writer John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

California advises indoor masks for vaccinated
By Julie Watson and Janie Har
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP), July 28 — California's public health agency has recommended that people wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, while more employers announced that workers must be vaccinated or face testing.

State officials said they were following the lead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reversed course on masking rules on July 28 and advised fully vaccinated people to mask up in public indoor settings in areas where transmission is high or substantial.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Unified School District, with more than 30,000 students, said it will require teachers and staff to get inoculated against the coronavirus or get tested twice a week for the coronavirus. Google announced a vaccine mandate for returning workers. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said more than 2.4 million state and health care workers must provide proof of vaccination or be tested.

The changes come amid spiking coronavirus infections and hospitalizations as the highly contagious delta variant sweeps the country with widely varying vaccination rates. The vaccine protects most people from becoming seriously ill or dying. But unlike with previous variants, new data shows that vaccinated people infected with the delta variant “have the potential to spread that virus to others,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

Virginia McCuistion, who had her mask in her bag while visiting a San Diego beach on July 28, said she agrees with the masking recommendation, but is frustrated the country is once again wrangling over masks because people refuse to get vaccinated. “I think it's selfish,” she said of people refusing shots. “Too many people are not getting vaccinated so that puts us at risk. I've been vaccinated and I'm still worried.”

Although case numbers in California remain well below the winter peak, infections and hospitalizations are rising and health officials fear that not enough people are vaccinated. In California, more than 62% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

California and some of its counties have been stricter than most in the U.S. in battling the pandemic, imposing earlier and longer economic shutdowns. Despite the caution, officials said more than 90% of the state's nearly 40 million residents live in areas where community spread is now high or substantial. California's seven-day positivity rate has jumped to 5.9% from 1.4% a month ago.

“The delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated,” said Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, the state's public health officer. Yolo and Los Angeles are the only counties to mandate masks for everyone, while most San Francisco Bay Area counties have been encouraging people to cover up indoors.

In announcing the vaccinate-or-test policy, Newsom said he wanted to encourage other employers to do the same. The state policy applies to nearly 250,000 state workers and an estimated 2.2 million people who work in private or public health care and long-term care facilities.

San Francisco is now requiring new hires get vaccinated or get an exemption before they start work, while an estimated 35,000 employees already on the job must show proof of inoculation, seek an exemption or risk disciplinary action once the vaccines are given full approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

California State University, the largest four-year university system in the U.S., said on July 27 it would no longer wait for full FDA approval and instead will require faculty, staff and students to be immunized against COVID-19 if they plan to be on campus this fall. In San Jose schools, officials are going a step beyond state guidelines and said everyone will be required to mask up indoors and outdoors.

The federal recommendation is a shift from May, when the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people could skip masking in most indoor spaces.

Nordstrom buys minority share in 4 UK fashion brands
By Anne D'innocenzio
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – Nordstrom says it's acquiring a minority interest in four fashion brands owned by a British company called Asos as the department store chain aims to attract more customers in their 20s.

The brands_ Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT were purchased by Asos in February after their previous owner and British fashion empire Arcadia Group filed for bankruptcy in late 2020. The financial terms weren't disclosed.

As part of the agreement, announced Monday, Asos will retain operational and creative control of the Topshop brands. But Nordstrom will now have the exclusive retail rights for Topshop and Topman in all of North America, including Canada, and own a minority stake globally. The Seattle-based retailer will also become the only store presence for these brands worldwide. And customers will also be able to pick up Asos.com orders at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores starting this fall.

The investment paves the way for the potential of a wider strategic alliance between Asos and Nordstrom, according to a company release.

Nordstrom has been the exclusive distributer of Topshop and Topman in the U.S. since 2012 when the department store retailer became the first to bring the brand to the U.S. market.

Pete Nordstrom, president and chief brand officer at Nordstrom, said in a statement that this acquisition offers “the opportunity to work with them to reimagine the wholesale/retail partnership.“

“Bringing the Asos brands, including Topshop and Topman, to our customers allows us to create newness and excitement for this dynamic customer segment,“ Nordstrom said.

Simple step can thwart top phone hackers
By Alan Suderman
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP), July 28 — As a member of the secretive Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Angus King has reason to worry about hackers. At a briefing by security staff this year, he said he got some advice on how to help keep his cellphone secure.

Step One: Turn off phone.

Step Two: Turn it back on.

That's it. At a time of widespread digital insecurity, it turns out that the oldest and simplest computer fix there is — turning a device off then back on again — can thwart hackers from stealing information from smartphones.

Regularly rebooting phones won't stop the army of cybercriminals or spy-for-hire firms that have sowed chaos and doubt about the ability to keep any information safe and private in our digital lives. But it can make even the most sophisticated hackers work harder to maintain access and steal data from a phone. “This is all about imposing cost on these malicious actors,” said Neal Ziring, technical director of the National Security Agency's cybersecurity directorate.

The NSA issued a “best practices” guide for mobile device security last year in which it recommends rebooting a phone every week as a way to stop hacking.

King, an independent from Maine, says rebooting his phone is now part of his routine. “I'd say probably once a week, whenever I think of it,” he said.

Almost always in arm's reach, rarely turned off and holding huge stores of personal and sensitive data, cellphones have become top targets for hackers looking to steal text messages, contacts and photos, as well as track users' locations and even secretly turn on their video and microphones. “I always think of phones as like our digital soul,” said Patrick Wardle, a security expert and former NSA researcher.

The number of people whose phones are hacked each year is unknowable, but evidence suggests it's significant. A recent investigation into phone hacking by a global media consortium has caused political uproars in France, India, Hungary and elsewhere after researchers found scores of journalists, human rights activists and politicians on a leaked list of what were believed to be potential targets of an Israeli hacker-for-hire company.

The advice to periodically reboot a phone reflects, in part, a change in how top hackers is gaining access to mobile devices and the rise of so-called “zero-click” exploits that work without any user interaction instead of trying to get users to open something that's secretly infected.

“There's been this evolution away from having a target click on a dodgy link,” said Bill Marczak, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, an internet civil rights watchdog at the University of Toronto.

Typically, once hackers gain access to a device or network, they look for ways to persist in the system by installing malicious software to a computer's root file system. But that's become more difficult as phone manufacturers such as Apple and Google have strong security to block malware from core operating systems, Ziring said. “It's very difficult for an attacker to burrow into that layer in order to gain persistence,” he said.

That encourages hackers to opt for “in-memory payloads” that are harder to detect and trace back to whomever sent them. Such hacks can't survive a reboot, but often don't need to since many people rarely turn their phones off.

“Adversaries came to the realization they don't need to persist,” Wardle said. “If they could do a one-time pull and exfiltrate all your chat messages and your contact and your passwords, it's almost game over anyways, right?”

A robust market currently exists for hacking tools that can break into phones. Some companies like Zerodium and Crowdfence publicly offer millions of dollars for zero-click exploits.

And hacker-for-hire companies that sell mobile-device hacking services to governments and law enforcement agencies have proliferated in recent years. The most well-known is the Israeli-based NSO Group, whose spyware researchers say has been used around the world to break into the phones of human rights activists, journalists, and even members of the Catholic clergy.

NSO Group is the focus of the recent exposes by a media consortium that reported the company's spyware tool Pegasus was used in 37 instances of successful or attempted phone hacks of business executives, human rights activists and others, according to The Washington Post.

The company is also being sued in the U.S. by Facebook for allegedly targeting some 1,400 users of its encrypted messaging service WhatsApp with a zero-click exploit. NSO Group has said it only sells its spyware to “vetted government agencies” for use against terrorists and major criminals. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

The persistence of NSO's spyware used to be a selling point of the company. Several years ago, its U.S.-based subsidy pitched law enforcement agencies a phone hacking tool that would survive even a factory reset of a phone, according to documents obtained by Vice News.

But Marczak, who has tracked NSO Group's activists closely for years, said it looks like the company first starting using zero-click exploits that forgo persistence around 2019.

He said victims in the WhatsApp case would see an incoming call for a few rings before the spyware was installed. In 2020, Marczak and Citizen Lab exposed another zero-click hack attributed to NSO Group that targeted several journalists at Al Jazeera. In that case, the hackers used Apple's iMessage texting service.

“There was nothing that any of the targets reported seeing on their screen. So that one was both completely invisible as well as not requiring any user interaction,” Marczak said. With such a powerful tool at their disposal, Marczak said rebooting your phone won't do much to stop determined hackers. Once you reboot, they could simply send another zero-click. “It's sort of just a different model, it's persistence through reinfection,” he said.

The NSA's guide also acknowledges that rebooting a phone works only sometimes. The agency's guide for mobile devices has an even simpler piece of advice to really make sure hackers aren't secretly turning on your phone's camera or microphone to record you: don't carry it with you.

United orders 270 jets to replace old ones, plan for growth
AP Wire Service
Jun 29
By David Koenig
AP Airlines Writer

United Airlines is making one of the largest orders ever for commercial airplanes in an aggressive bet that air travel will rebound strongly from the pandemic.

United said Tuesday that it will buy 200 Boeing Max jets and 70 planes from Europe's Airbus so that it can replace many of its smallest planes and some of its oldest and have room to grow its fleet.

It's the biggest order in United's history and the biggest by any U.S. carrier since American Airlines ordered 460 Boeing and Airbus jets in 2011.

At list prices, the deals would be worth more than $30 billion, although airlines routinely get deep discounts. Figures from Ascend by Cirium, which tracks aircraft values, would put the deal around $15 billion. United declined to disclose financial terms.

Combined with previous orders, United expects to add about one new plane every three days in 2023, up from just over one a month next year. That is an ambitious amount of growth for an airline that lost $7 billion last year, when passenger traffic plunged 69%.

U.S. airlines needed billions of dollars in federal aid and private borrowing to stay afloat last year, but they are starting to see blue sky through the pandemic clouds. The number of people flying in the U.S. tops 2 million on many days now _ not quite back to 2019 levels, but a turnaround from the days of fewer than 100,000 flyers in April 2020.

United said it expects to make money in July after excluding certain costs, although Wall Street doesn't expect United to earn an adjusted profit until the second quarter of next year, according to a FactSet survey of analysts.

CEO Scott Kirby said that business travel will pick up after Labor Day, and that both business and international travel will recover fully, although probably not until 2023.

United said it ordered 150 Boeing 737 Max 10s jets, 50 smaller Max 8s, and 70 Airbus A321neos, which usually seat 220 passengers in economy and premium. The larger planes from Europe's Airbus will be particularly valuable in San Francisco and Newark, New Jersey, where limited runways prevent United from adding many more flights, said Andrew Nocella, United's chief commercial officer.

Combined with previous deals, United now expects to take delivery of about new 500 planes between now and 2026. Nocella said 300 will replace many of the airline's 50-seat regional jets and older Boeing 757s, while 200 will be used to grow.

The new planes will have more premium seats and seat-back entertainment screens. United also plans to refresh the interiors of its current planes by 2025.

United will sharply increase capital spending to pay for the new planes, from $4.2 billion next year to $8.5 billion in 2023. The airline is counting on rising revenue to lower its net debt from about $25 billion to less than $18 billion by 2026.

United's order is also, of course, a major boost for the world's two main aircraft makers, especially Boeing. The Chicago-based company saw orders plummet after Max jets were grounded following two deadly crashes. On top of that, the pandemic has hurt sales at both companies.

Boeing “needs to play a bit of catch-up,“ and so it likely gave United a steep discount, said George Dimitroff, an analyst with Ascend by Cirium.

“From here forward, pricing will get firmer,“ Dimitroff said. “I think that United is probably taking advantage of the last of the good pricing.”

Wildfire prevention funding granted
By Dennis Waespi, Board of Directors

East Bay Regional Park District’s wildfire fighting capabilities have just been augmented with a much-appreciated appropriation of $13.5 million from the California state budget.

The appropriation was advanced by Senator Nancy Skinner of Berkeley, Senator Bob Wieckowski of Fremont, and Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of Orinda.

Of the total, $10 million will fund removal of dead and dying trees on district parklands. The die-off is a serious problem that has been evident especially in Anthony Chabot and Reinhardt Redwood Regional Parks in Oakland, Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline in Richmond, and Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley.

The remaining $3.5 million will be used to purchase equipment that will greatly improve the district’s wildfire fighting capacity. This will include the replacement of the district’s aging helicopter. The helicopter uses a “Bambi bucket” to drop water on fires burning in otherwise inaccessible terrain, and it’s also an observation platform that provides firefighters with a fire’s location and direction of burn.

The district is grateful for the support of its East Bay legislative delegation, especially Senators Skinner and Wieckowski, and Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan.

Sudden tree die-off was first noticed in the East Bay in October of 2020. It is affecting many varieties of trees throughout California, including eucalyptus, acacia, bay and pine. The estimated cost of dead and dying tree removal is $30 million, based on current standard tree removal contracts.

According to Aileen Theile, the district’s fire chief, there are more than 1,500 acres of dead or dying trees within the regional parks, as a result of drought and climate change. “These state funds couldn’t come at a better time,” she said, “as we are shovel-ready.”

Dead trees burn hotter and faster, and are more likely to shed embers downwind, jumping fire lines and starting dangerous new fires. Many of the park areas experiencing die-offs are old eucalyptus plantations with high tree density. This is especially true at Anthony Chabot Regional Park.

The park district’s wildfire protection project continues throughout the year, not just in what is becoming an extended fire season. Projects include regular fuels reduction, professionally trained full-time and on-call wildland firefighters, and remote automated weather stations that help to monitor wildfire risks so that fire staff and resources can be deployed efficiently. The district also has mutual aid agreements with virtually every firefighting agency in the East Bay, and with CalFire.

Over the past ten years, the park district has invested $20.5 million in its fuel reduction efforts to keep the East Bay hills safer from wildfire threats.

EARTHTALK

New planet-friendly supersonic jets on the horizon
By Lindsey Blomberg

Dear EarthTalk: Are the new SST jets friendlier to the environment than the SSTs of the 1970s?
¬– P. Barnes, Midlothian, Texas

Nearly 20 years have passed since the last flight of the Concorde, the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane (or supersonic transport, SST). The aircraft cruised the Queen of England and the ultra-wealthy across the seas at Mach 2 speed, or 1,350 mph, while soaring at an altitude of 60,000 feet. In 1996, the Concorde achieved its fastest flight from New York to London in under three hours.

Now a new wave of supersonic flight may be on the horizon with the recent partnership between United Airlines and Denver-based Boom Supersonic. In June 2021, United Airlines announced plans to purchase 15 of Boom Supersonic’s first commercial supersonic jet, the Overture. Boom plans to engineer the Overture to fly up to 88 passengers at a speed of Mach 1.7, or 1,300 mph, at 60,000 feet. Most flight times will be cut nearly in half: Traveling from Paris to Montreal will only take three hours and 45 minutes instead of the usual eight and a half hours; a trip from San Francisco to Tokyo take just six hours rather than the usual 10 hours and 15 minutes.

Boom and United plan a modern, economically-viable, ecologically-sustainable version of the old Concorde, which was “a ludicrously expensive environmental disaster,” according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. “It helps to remember that we’re talking literally about 1960s technology,” Boom Supersonic’s Founder Blake Scholl told CNN Travel. “So much has changed.”

In collaboration with Prometheus Fuels, a California-based company, Boom plans to design a 100% carbon-neutral plane powered by sustainable alternative fuels. The company claims that Prometheus’ technology is able to economically remove CO2 from the air and use renewable, clean electricity from solar and wind to turn it into jet fuel. After successfully running their XB-1 test engines with a blend of more than 80% sustainable aviation fuel, Boom has confidence that sustainable fuels can safely be used in flight. If all goes as planned, the Overture may be flying passengers as soon as 2029.

Virgin Galactic is also throwing its hat into the ring of supersonic commercial air travel. In August of 2020, the company unveiled plans to collaborate with Rolls Royce in developing sustainable commercial high-speed aircraft capable of an astonishing Mach 3, or approximately 2,300 mph. The smaller-scale aircraft will hold 9-19 passengers and utilize state-of-the-art sustainable aviation fuel and “other sustainable technologies and techniques.”

Aerion Supersonic, which publicized plans last year to build a $375 million manufacturing facility at Florida’s Orlando Melbourne International Airport, also expressed its commitment to having carbon neutral emissions and designing their aircraft to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuels. However, due to financial challenges, the company announced in May 2021 that it will not be able to move forward with the facility at this time.

EarthTalk is produced by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss for the nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at https://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https//earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.

Park It
By Ned MacKay

Almost 50 years ago, two women known as “the bike ladies” – Avon Wilson and Lynn Hiden – began advocating for enhanced bicycle safety, especially a safe way for children to ride bicycles to and from school in the Lamorinda area.

Out of their idea, Lafayette, Moraga, and the East Bay Regional Park District formed a nine-member Trails Advisory Committee to develop a final plan/EIR for using the abandoned Sacramento-Northern Railroad as one of the first Rails-to-Trails projects in the country.

Efforts came to fruition on July 4, 1976 with dedication of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail, a seven-mile multi-use path that links the entire region. Over the years, the trail has been enormously popular with walkers, bicyclists and equestrians for both recreation and commuting to school and work.

Original founders, current park district staff, and officials from both cities and the district will celebrate the trail’s 45th anniversary with unveiling of a historic panel at the site of the original dedication.

Open to the public, the ceremony will be at noon on Thursday, August 5 on the trail behind the Glenside community pool between St. Mary’s Road and Glenside Drive in Lafayette. An ice cream social will follow the ceremony.

The Lafayette Christian Church is providing parking for the event in its lot at 584 Glenside Drive.

RSVP to Monique Salas at msalas@ebparks.org.

As mentioned in the last column, the East Bay Regional Park District has received an appropriation from the state budget of $13.5 million to fund wildfire prevention projects in the East Bay Hills.

The appropriation, and the wildfires currently raging throughout the western United States, all underline the fact that we are approaching the most dangerous time of the increasingly lengthy fire season.

Months of hot, dry weather have taken a toll on vegetation throughout the regional parks and other open space. When combined with hot offshore winds, it creates extreme fire danger, especially in areas where open space adjoins residential neighborhoods. We can’t expect the danger to lessen until the hoped-for rainy season arrives in late fall.

So here are a few reminders about fire safety:

• Smoking is prohibited in all the regional parks. The prohibition includes vaping.
• If you barbecue, use the stands designed for that purpose in picnic areas. Dispose of barbecue coals in a fireplace, fire pit or barbecue grill, not in ordinary trash barrels.
• Gas or propane camp stoves and portable barbecues are permissible, but must be placed in an area that won’t scorch or burn lawns or tabletops. They must be at least 30 feet from any flammable material such as grass, weeds, brush or buildings. Be sure you extinguish all burning fuel completely before leaving.
• Park your vehicle only in designated parking areas. Remember that a hot vehicle manifold can ignite tall, dry grass.
• In extremely dry and windy weather, access to regional parks may be restricted, activities may be curtailed, or parks may be closed entirely. To be sure of a park’s status, check the district website, www.ebparks.org, before arriving at the park.
• If you arrive to find that a park is closed, please do not enter anyway. You could place in danger both yourself and the district staff that would have to search for you.
• Out on the trails, keep track of your location. Download a park map from the district website or pick one up at a trailhead information panel.
• If you see a fire, call 9-1-1. If possible, report its size, direction of burn, and whether any structures or park visitors are in danger. Then leave the area immediately.
• During an emergency, please cooperate with any instructions from park rangers, police and firefighters.

Naturalist Erica Stephens will rap about raptors during a program from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 7 at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in San Ramon.

Erica will set up a table near the parking lot at the north end of Bollinger Canyon Road off Crow Canyon Road, with lots of information about how to spot and identify the birds of prey that live in the park and rule its skies.

The program is free of charge; registration is not required. All levels of birding expertise are welcome. Bring your own binoculars; some loaners are available. For information, call 510-544-3249.

And at Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore, it’s Beach Break time from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 8 at the west shore swim beach behind the visitor center.

The naturalists will lead a variety of games, craft making and other activities. The program is free; registration is not required.

Del Valle is located on Del Valle Road off Mines Road about nine miles south of Livermore. There’s a parking fee of $6 per vehicle. For information, call (510) 544-3249.

HISTORY MATTERS

By John Grimaldi and David Bruce Smith

Under the sea
On August 3, 1958, USS Nautilus, the world’s inaugural nuclear-powered submarine, turned into the first seagoing vessel to reach the North Pole from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Iceland.

According to History.com, “Much larger than the diesel-electric submarines that preceded it, the Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. It could remain submerged for almost unlimited periods because its atomic engine needed no air and only a very small quantity of nuclear fuel. The uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots.”

In those days, readings that exceeded 85 degrees north of the equator, along the eighty-fifth parallel – sometimes — became messy; to counter that condition, Sperry Rand built a special gyrocompass to stabilize the risk.

For more information, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends “The Ice Diaries: The True Story of One of Mankind’s Greatest Adventures” by Captain William R. Anderson, the first skipper of the Nautilus.

Life lessons
On August 9, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was appointed by President Barack Obama. Eighteen years earlier, President George H.W. Bush’s nomination had propelled her to the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York; in 1997, she was elevated to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

As a child growing up in the projects, Sotomayor was galvanized by television’s “Perry Mason,” to study law; in 1979, she received her J.D. from Yale Law School.

Justice Sotomayor won the Grateful American Book Prize in 2019 for her memoir, “The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor.” One of the co-founders of the Prize, said at the time, “it’s a compelling life-lesson for America’s adolescents. It also embodies the essence of the Prize, which is to encourage seventh to ninth graders to read historical fiction and nonfiction.”

Safety net
On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, and suddenly millions of retirees had a safety net of income.

When Roosevelt became president in 1933, the country was thrashing about with great unemployment, poverty, and mass desperation. Roosevelt devised his “New Deal,” to help those — in particular — who needed assistance. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) — in contrast — provided more vigorous Americans with access to employment opportunities.

For more information about the Great Depression, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends Murray N. Rothbard’s “America's Great Depression.”

This feature is courtesy of The Grateful American Book Prize, which is an annual award given to authors who have created outstanding works of historical fiction or nonfiction for seventh to ninth graders.

Zipline raises funds to boost drone delivery services
By Steve Crowe

Zipline, a leading provider of drone delivery services, has raised $250 million in funding. The company said this raises its valuation to $2.75 billion. Zipline said the funding will help further develop its integrated drone delivery service and fuel expansion into new industries and locations. Zipline has raised more than $480 million since it was founded in 2011.

New investors Fidelity, Intercorp, Emerging Capital Partners and Reinvent Capital participated in the round alongside existing investors including Baillie Gifford, Temasek, and Katalyst Ventures.

Zipline designs, manufactures and operates the world’s largest automated on-demand drone delivery service. The company said Zipline hubs around the world deliver hundreds of shipments to thousands of delivery points every day.

Zipline is perhaps best known for its operations in Ghana. Zipline Ghana is a central part of the Ghanian medical supply chain, operating four distribution centers serving 2,000 health facilities with routine medical supplies and emergency blood and essential medicines. Zipline Ghana can service 24 million people, or 90% of the country’s population.

Zipline has also recently signed new partnerships with Nigeria’s Kaduna and Cross River States to deliver medical supplies, including vaccines, blood and medicines. It entered the Japanese market through a partnership with Toyota Group, expanded its service hours in Rwanda and announced a partnership with Walmart to bring on-demand delivery of health and wellness products to the United States.

“At Zipline, our mission is to create the first logistics company that serves all humans equally. Around the world, our partners are reimagining how patients access care with fast, reliable on-demand delivery,” said Keller Rinaudo, founder and CEO at Zipline. “Together, we have completed hundreds of thousands of deliveries of blood, medicines and vaccines, and today Zipline makes a commercial delivery every four minutes. In the past year, we have seen major growth in every market, including the U.S., and we’re continuing to build on our proven track record and technology to bring instant logistics to more partners, communities and people.”

Zipline said it surpassed 10 million autonomous miles flown, two million vaccine doses distributed and 150,000 commercial deliveries completed.

“Zipline’s delivery service has transformed national health systems and expanded access to care for millions of people,” said Tom Slater, head of US equities team at Baillie Gifford. “With Zipline, we can imagine a world in which anyone could have access to anything in a matter of minutes. The team has created the first automated logistics infrastructure that can support instant delivery at scale and is now rapidly expanding to serve more people and tap into the surging demand for the service around the world.”

Steve Crowe is Editorial Director, Robotics, WTWH Media, and co-chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo. He can be reached at scrowe@wtwhmedia.com.

How dry I am
By The Pickup Artist

This is the seventh edition of Trash Talk, a column devoted to cleaning up our neighborhoods.

Keeping our neighborhoods clean obviously improves their appearance and therefore property values. But it also keeps litter from being washed into the bay, where it may join up with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (see edition 4). Now we must conserve water, which means yet another reason not to pollute what we have.

What can we do to help? We know that taking a shower uses less water than a bath, and letting the water warm up first can waste several gallons. Yes, you can catch it in a bucket and water the garden, if you don’t mind lugging around a 5-gallon bucket. Instead, at our house we use a hot-water pump that circulates the cold water in the pipes back into the water heater, forcing hot water to the shower without wasting any. We have a hot shower in about 15 seconds. Several types of these pumps are available: Some run continuously, while some operate on a timer. Ours is a third option: on-demand – activated by pushing a button. Since our two bathrooms are back-to-back, we have buttons in both that operate one pump.

Also, putting a standard brick in the toilet tank will displace more than one quart per flush, so roughly two gallons per day, depending on how many live in your household. That may not sound like much, but consider how many times you flush every day. It adds up!

Poll Results
There was a tie for first choice among my voting readers for a new name for trash volunteers. Earthletes and Garbologists were the favorites, followed by VITAL and VITAMIN C. The lowest-ranked were De-Litter-ates and Grime Fighters, so I’ll drop those from the list. Just for fun, I’ll add in Trashkateers and open the poll again for those who may have missed it. Use this link https://tinyurl.com/4savrwun to rank your choices. The poll requires a name and email, but you can enter bogus information if you prefer anonymity. It’s just for fun, but I appreciate your opinions.

Feel free to share YOUR creative ideas. I’ll print them in a future edition of Trash Talk.

The quote for today:
“You don't FIND luck. You go out and MAKE it.” – The Pointy-haired boss in Dilbert comic strip.

Answer to the last Trash Talk Question: What are other items were you able to reuse or donate?
I found several tools, some oscillating fans, a couple of what appeared to be new computer monitors, two keyboards, and ten vacuum cleaners. If items were usable, I found new homes for them in shelters and thrift stores. The one that we adopted was a roll-around suitcase. We researched the owner online to try to return it, and found out it was a nurse who had passed away years earlier. There was a container of new, still-wrapped hypodermic needles in it. We thought that diabetics could use them, but for legal reasons, doctors and organizations cannot take them. We contacted veterinarians, Doctors without Borders, etc. We finally found out about the used sharps container at a local hospital and deposited them there. We kept the suitcase for our GO bag, in case of emergency evacuation.

The Trash Talk Question for today: I don’t have an answer, so I am asking my readers to help me understand. On some of my pickups, I see responsible dog owners with plastic bags, cleaning up after their pet. That’s appreciated by those of us who walk the same areas. But I also see a lot of these bags with poop dropped back on the ground! Why would anyone do this? Seriously? You’ve already picked it up and “gift-wrapped” it, so why put it back on the ground? Now it won’t just disintegrate into the soil, but will be protected from the weather by the bag, which will eventually wash out to the bay. It will be there for quite a while before deteriorating. Please take your own trash back with you and dispose of it properly, pet waste included. And send me an explanation if you have one. Thank you.

Send comments or questions to ThePickupArtist-KHCG@outlook.com.

News and notes from around the world
Submitted by The Association of Mature American Citizens

Who knew?
Whatever prompted it in the first place, a law making it illegal for barber shops to cut hair in New York on Sunday has been repealed, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. The law, which had been on the books for more than a century, called for a $5 fine for a first offense, the equivalent of about $75 in 2021 dollars. And a two-time loser would have been fined up to $25 and/or imprisoned for up to 25 days. No one seems to know what prompted the law in the first place, but Republican state Senator Joe Griffo, who introduced the bill to repeal it points out that “Barbershops and salons, like all small businesses, have faced significant, unprecedented and strenuous challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.” It’s unlikely a barber would be cited by police if caught plying his trade on Sunday.

Baby boomlet
A COVID-19 baby boom had been expected but it never happened — at least not on a nationwide scale, reports AMAC. But Andrews Women's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas experienced a mini boom recently, delivering 107 newborns in the space of just 91 hours. It’s what can happen when you’re cooped up at home under isolation with a lot of time on your hands such as what has been a fact of life for nearly one and a half years.

Tastes better than it sounds
Who would have thought that a serving of macaroni and cheese could be so refreshing on a hot summer day? AMAC reports that the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Company churned up a batch of mac and cheese flavored ice cream and it did the trick and got an “overwhelming response.” The folks at Van Leeuwen boasted of its success on social media saying they were sold out in quick time.

— The Association of Mature American Citizens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing membership in Washington, D.C. and in local congressional districts nationwide. More information is available on its website at www.amac.us.

Fairgrounds to host 626 Night Market
Submitted by Alameda County Fairgrounds

Welcome home! 626 Night Market is back at Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton for two weekends in August and one in September. The iconic California festival features hundreds of food, merchandise, crafts, arts, games, music, and entertainment attractions in an epic event spread over 10 football fields of space that appeals to all ages. Check out the festival starting August 6 – 8.

626 Night Market is inspired by the famous open-air nighttime bazaars of Asia, where people come together to eat, drink, socialize, and be entertained. Established in 2012, the large-scale market is named after the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles.

We chose “Coming Home” as our theme for 2021 because “home” is a place of familiarity and nostalgia where you see all your friends and family again after a long time like a family reunion. We severely missed all our attendees, vendors, artists, performers and staff last year when Covid put a pause on 2020. If this is your first time attending one of our events, then we hope that 626 Night Market will become your home too.

626 Night Market aims to unite and empower the community by serving as a platform for showcasing local talent including performers, chefs, and entrepreneurs.

Tickets are $5 plus feeds, and are available online only. You cannot purchase tickets at the gate. Children 3 and under are free. Parking is $10 – Credit card only.

626 Night Market
Friday – Sunday
August 6 – 8
August 20 – 22
September 24 – 26
3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton
(Gate 8 or 12 off Valley Ave)
626nightmarket.com/tickets-bay-area

The Art of Change
Submitted by Bruce Roberts

In our divided world, there are many different opinions on climate change. Some say it doesn’t exist. Some say it exists, and it’s all our fault. Some say it exists, and is an integral part of our planet’s history. Whatever the opinion, the bottom line is that this is the planet we live on, and we’d better take care of it. That is the thought behind the Hayward Arts Council’s virtual show “Climate Change: Love and Compassion for Our Planet.”

From July 23 to September 18, thirty different local artists, using a variety of mediums, have come together to warn of climate change, and to celebrate Earth. Some focus on endangered species, from exotic plants by Jeanne Bertolina, to the “Great Egret” by Marjorie Lynne Wagner, to a brilliant monarch butterfly, photographed by Claudia Schwalm.

For some, drought is a recent omen of change, from “Barren Trees” in acrylic by Maria Luisa Penaranda, to shrinking “Lake Temescal in Drought,” fabric art by Dolores Vitero Presley, to “Golden—the new Green,” a poem by Bruce Roberts. In this fire-ripe season, the eerie background of orange skies overarching our world supports “Odd Day in The Park” and “Daylong Omen,” by Ruey Lin Syrop, as well as “Still Life Under an Orange Sky,” by Slate Quagmier.

Perhaps the clearest message of humankind’s position in this theme is “Hold On,” Pat Doyne’s pen and ink drawing of a tree with large, rambling roots gripping, embracing, the earth below.

Oils, acrylics, photography, and watercolors are well-represented here, as well as mixed media, ink and pencil, etching, and even poetry. One unique piece is created from fabric. All are vivid and thoughtful in celebration of our climate and our planet. So, to colorfully celebrate our planet, and at the same time note its oncoming changes, check out the virtual exhibit of the Hayward Arts Council at https://www.haywardartscouncil.org/environment-gallery.

It is a worthwhile and rewarding show that runs through September 18. Enjoy!

The Art of Change virtual exhibit
Friday, Jul 23 – Saturday, Sept 18
www.haywardartscouncil.org

The Holiday Bowl: A Legacy Landmark
By Charlene Dizon
Photos Courtesy of Jim Sommer

The Holiday Bowl of Hayward played an integral role in gathering the community for one sole purpose: bowling. Since its closure in 2005, Jim Sommer, son of the Holiday Bowl’s founder, has created a documentary spotlighting the facility’s impact upon those who were able to experience its inspiring development.

In 1957, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Ralph Sommer met with lawyer and future business partner Arch MacDonald to discuss potentially opening up a bowling center. George Page, a third partner, also assisted. A change in partnership occurred later on when Page left and Ralph’s brother, CPA Ed Sommer, joined the team. The three forged ahead in what would become the largest bowling center in Northern California.

At the time, no bowling alleys were of proximity to the Bay Area. Sommer and MacDonald found an available property in South Hayward and spent a year building the Holiday Bowl. A 70-foot tall neon sign lit up the 500-car capacity parking lot. The facility held a wide range of amenities such as forty bowling lanes, a full-service restaurant, bar, beauty salon, barbershop, childcare center, and several other services. By September 1958, Holiday Bowl was officially open for business. Ed became the general manager while Ralph oversaw all other aspects. The center prospered in popularity. Jim states, “Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, all forty lanes were filled up with leagues at 6 p.m. and again at 9 p.m. for six days a week.” For the next forty-seven years, Holiday Bowl was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This boom in visitors encouraged the Sommer brothers to open a separate building that would become known as Holiday House.

Holiday House opened in 1965 and consisted of a banquet room connected to the east side of the Holiday Bowl. The room had a capacity of 1,100 people and became a vital venue for remarkable events. Within the same year of the building’s opening, Ronald Reagan’s gubernatorial nomination dinner was held in Holiday House. In 1973, world heavyweight champion George Foreman’s commendation ceremony was celebrated there as well. Dances, weddings and other parties continued for years to come. The Sommer brothers were pleased that Holiday House was able to accommodate all types of events, whether weddings, birthday parties or business meetings.
As the years went on, the flow of incoming families and friends fluctuated. MacDonald passed away in 1988, Ed in 1991, and Ralph in 1995. Jim, who had learned Holiday Bowl’s many duties at a young age, continued to run the facility. “I started working there at ten years old, learning how to wash dishes. I was paid one dollar an hour, which at the time was more than any ten-year-old could wish for,” Jim fondly recalls. Holiday Bowl survived through the remainder of the nineties, yet started to decline in the early 2000s. By 2005, a decision was made to close the facility’s doors.
When the decision was made to close Holiday Bowl, Jim began to document every aspect of the facility. “I taped everything I could,” Jim explains. “I had grown up there, so I wanted to film it for memory keepsake.” Holiday Bowl officially closed in 2005, leaving Jim with video footage and a vacant building. He checked on the site daily for years, ensuring the building was secure and that any graffiti was removed. In 2018, Jim attended his high school class reunion where he reconnected with an old friend, Sujoy Sarkar, who happened to be the boss of the Chabot TV College Station. “I pitched the idea of the documentary to him and he agreed to help bring it to life,” Jim says. Starting in late 2019, the production process was in progress.

Hundreds of photos and newspaper articles were collected. Previous customers, employees, and neighbors were contacted for interviews. Each individual openly shared their memories of the joy that Holiday Bowl brought to Hayward. The project spanned from November 2019 to January 2021, with a three-month production hiatus during the pandemic. By June 2021, the documentary had been completed and copyrighted. Jim held a launch party at the Dark Horse Lounge in Hayward to celebrate. Today, the Holiday Bowl building no longer stands. The 70-foot-tall sign has been taken to another location, and the Sommer family no longer owns the property. However, the documentary remains as a testament to the landmark’s legacy. “Many generations grew up at the Holiday Bowl. I watched little kids come in, and years later they came back with their own families,” Jim shares. “It will surely be missed by everyone, and I am thankful we were able to commemorate its mark on Hayward.”

For those who wish to view the documentary, Holiday Bowl: History of a Hayward Landmark, please visit https://www.holidaybowlhayward.com/store for DVD and streaming options.

Hot August Niles Car Show
Submitted by Niles Main Street Association

We are turning up the heat with Hot August Niles Car Show – the ultimate destination to drool over the Whale tails, Gullwing doors, foldable windshields, the split rear windows, seven slot grilles and suicide doors. From the 1932 Ford Model 18, 1940’s Pontiac Silver Streak to the ‘81 DeLorean DMC-12 and everything in between, we will have it all.

If you belong to the Classic Car Cult and would like to showcase your crazy piece of metal on four (or more) wheels, Hot August Niles Car Show on August 8 is the place to be.

You can register for the event online. The fee is $30, and vehicles must be registered by 9 a.m. on the day of the event. Any vehicle parked in the event location without a registration is subject to towing at the owner's expense.

For questions, email Niles Main Street Association at info@niles.org or call NMSA Board Member Gary Mills at (510) 656-9192.

Hot August Niles Car Show
Saturday, Aug 8
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Niles Historic District, Fremont
https://www.niles.org/niles-car-show-2021

Union City City Council
July 27, 2021

Proclamations and Presentations:
• Presentation from Metropolitan Transportation Commission on the Southern Alameda County Regional Rail Integration Study.
• Proposed passenger rail service at Union City BART Station.

Oral Communications:
• Encourage a concept of Union City as a complete rail corridor to include ACE, Capitol Corridor and BART services.
• Stop the Quarry Lake Parkway project which would pave over open space and instead look at more environmentally friendly transportation solutions.

Consent Calendar:
• Approve the minutes of the regular City Council meeting held on July 13, 2021.
• Second reading and adoption of an ordinance approving the development agreement for the Seven Hills Estates Development.
• Adopt a resolution canceling the regular City Council meeting of August 24, 2021.
• Adopt a resolution approving local support for Union City Transit to participate in the Clipper START Pilot Program Extension through June 30, 2023.
• Adopt a resolution authorizing the second amendment to the contract with Waterworks Industries, Inc. for the 11th Street Fountain Repair Project, to Increase the total compensation by $50,000 and extend the term by an additional year for a total contract amount of $169,150.
• Adopt a resolution to enter into a consulting services agreement with Community, Design + Architecture, in the not to exceed amount of $1,601,900, for preparation of the Hillside Specific Plan and related environmental impact report.
• Adopt a resolution approving amendment No. 1 for consultant services agreement with William R. Gray and Company, Inc., DBA Gray-Bowen-Scott in the amount of $150,000 for progress reporting and reimbursement process for Alameda County Transportation Commission funded projects for a total contract amount of $224,000.
• Adopt a resolution designating Voting Delegate and Alternate Delegate for League of California Cities Annual Conference set for September 22-24, 2021.

City Manager Reports:
• Report and proposed City Council to enter into a consulting services agreement with Ascent Environmental, Inc., in a not to exceed amount of $252,380, for preparation of the Sixth Cycle Housing Element update and Safety Element update, and Related Housing Element overview.
• Presentation on the results of Union City's Resident Satisfaction and Priorities Survey.

Action Item:
• Resolution authorizing an agreement with Ascent Environmental, Inc., in a not to exceed amount of $252,380, to prepare Housing Element and Safety Element updates.

Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci Aye
Vice Mayor Pat Gacoscos Aye
Emily Duncan Aye
Jaime Patiño Aye
Gary Singh Aye

Meddling with planting media
By Daniel O’Donnell
Atlanta is home to the World of Coca-Cola Museum. Deep inside the tourist attraction is a vault that houses the original Coca-Cola formula. Visitors are treated to a short dramatic show about the extensive security around the vault, the history of the formula, and the unveiling of the elaborate vault door. It is not uncommon for large companies to keep secret their recipes for fried chicken, signature sauce, hamburger seasoning, or flagship products. Fortunately, there are enough people online willing to share their versions of these recipes that there are plenty of options for learning to cook restaurant style dishes at home. Food and drink are not the only recipes shared online; there are plenty of growing medium/potting soil formulas for gardeners as well.

A growing medium is what plants are planted in when they are not grown directly in the ground, but instead grown in a container or raised bed. Creating a successful potting soil is not difficult. A growing medium must account for all of a plant’s soil needs. These include the correct balance of air and water holding capacity, the soil density in which particular plant roots like to grow, the proper pH level, and the scarcity or abundance of nutrients. Thus, a planting medium/potting soil recipe should be created for the specific needs of the types of plants being grown in it.

Knowing what a plant likes is the key to and reason for making your own potting soil. Succulents, for example, grow best in a porous and sandy planting mix, whereas many California natives prefer a denser medium. Many tropical and sub-tropical house plants grow best in a well-draining fertile potting soil, while orchids grow best in a mix that is 80% fir bark.

If making your own planting medium seems daunting or too time consuming, there are plenty of commercial soil mixes available. Knowing the recommended ingredients for specific plants will make choosing the best potting soil easier. For those who do want the satisfaction of making their own mix, reading the commercial soil labels might bring some inspiration. Whether purchasing or creating, here are some of the most important ingredients.

Clay and loam are two of the three types of soil that provide a foundation in which plant roots can anchor themselves. Using soil is important because it will have an abundance of micro- and macro-organisms as well as trace minerals.

Compost provides microorganisms and other nutrients. It makes the nutrients available more slowly than synthetic fertilizers. This mimics the way plants feed when planted in the ground.

Coarse sand will increase drainage. This is good for succulents, herbs, and palms that like a quick-draining and dry soil. Avoid using finer sand because it creates a dense mix, unless for a tall plant that is top heavy or located in a windy location. A denser potting soil will help anchor the roots and keep the plant from falling or blowing over.

Lava rock will not help anchor a plant but has some benefits over coarse sand when used for drainage. It is lighter, has a high mineral content, and holds more air in its porous cavities.

Perlite is a white volcanic glass that has a high-water content. It is only a glass in the technical term as it is not shiny but rather looks like small Styrofoam balls. When used in a planting medium it keeps the soil loose and provides excellent drainage and aeration. It can also provide humidity for house plants as the water it retains steadily evaporates. However, its high fluoride content can cause houseplants’ leaves to brown at the tips, and it is not a renewable resource—so use it sparingly.

Fir bark is the most popular bark for growing orchids. It makes a good additive in many soil mixes. It retains water which slowly re-enters the soil. It breaks down over time which creates air pockets providing nitrogen and other nutrients. It is also acidic which can raise the pH of the soil to an ideal level for many plants.

Many soil recipes call for the use of peat moss, which is not a renewable resource. An appropriate substitute is chopped up sphagnum moss. It loosens the soil, retains water, and has a neutral pH.

The list above provides some of the building blocks for a successful planting medium. Other things like banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, and many other natural ingredients can be added throughout the next few years to extend the life of potting soil.

The taste of Coca-Cola has captured the US market for well over 100 years. However, Coca-Cola was not invented overnight. It took many years to perfect the formula. Your own planting medium may or may not be ideal on the first attempt, but trying different recipes over time will, like the Coke recipe, eventually make your plants bubble over with joy.

Daniel O'Donnell is the co-owner and operator of an organic landscape design/build company in Fremont. www.Chrysalis-Gardens.com

It’s A Date

CONTINUING EVENTS:

Mondays, August 2 – Sept. 27
Let’s Keep It Moving!
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Zoom -Exercise while seated or standing
To register: http://bit.ly/AgeWellClasses
(510) 790-6602

Tuesdays
Practice Your Spoken English
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Talk with native English speakers about everyday topics in a friendly, welcoming setting
Via Zoom
https://aclibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/search/index

Wednesdays
First Presbyterian Church of Newark Virtual Youth Group
7 p.m.
Youth and young adults, students welcome
Contact: brian@newarkpress.org for Zoom Meeting ID#
www.newarkpres.org

Thursdays
San Lorenzo Street Eats
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Food trucks
500 Via Mercado, San Lorenzo
https://www.thefoodtruckmafia.com

Fridays
Castro Valley Street Eats
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Food trucks and live music – support The Chabot Theater
Parking lot behind Trader Joe’s
2490 Grove Way, Castro Valley
https://www.thefoodtruckmafia.com

Fridays
Fremont Street Eats
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Food trucks and live music
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
https://www.thefoodtruckmafia.com

Saturdays
Virtual Telescope Viewing R
9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Free on Facebook Live
Join resident astronomers live from Chabot’s observation deck
https://chabotspace.org/calendar/

Saturdays
Comedy Shows R$
8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Improv by Made Up Theatre’s comedy troupe – Live and Online!
Proof of vaccination or negative Covid test required for entry
4000 Bay St., Suite B, Fremont
(510) 573-3633

Mondays – Saturdays
Grab & Go Craft Kits
Fremont Main Library, Centerville Library, Union City Library
Check library website for hours
Crafts are a fun way to let kids be creative

Second Saturdays, July – December
Talkin’ Dirt
8/14, 9/11, 10/9, 11/13, 12/11
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Free webinar on gardening, hosted by LEAF
Via Zoom
https://bit.ly/3hsOGKG

Sundays
Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church Family Service
10 a.m.
Via ZOOM
For link, call (510) 471-2581
https://sacbc.org/

Sundays
First Presbyterian Church of Newark Worship Services
9:30 a.m.; Worship Service In-Person or Online
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9NxtyzVaehQJHwLlpwPWlw
35450 Newark Blvd., Newark
www.newarkpres.org

Sundays
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church Service
10 a.m.
In person or via Zoom
2791 Driscoll Rd., Fremont
www.stanneschurch.org

Third Thursday each month
Chronic Pain Support Group
12:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Request link: njordan@fremont.gov

Thursday, March 18 – Monday September 6
Immersive Van Gogh
9 a.m. – 11 p.m. (times vary)
Walk-in exhibit with digital projections and music
SVN West San Francisco
10 South Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Tickets: $24.99 – $39.99
www.vangoghsf.com

Sundays, June 27 – August 15
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Afternoon discussion – change frustrating conversations into better ones!
In person or via Zoom
2791 Driscoll Rd., Fremont
(510) 490-0553

Thursday, July 8 – Sunday, October 3
Olive Hyde Art Guild Members Juried Show
Virtual juried show of local artists
Virtual exhibit: https://www.fremont.gov/3871/2021-Exhibition-Calendar
In-person Gallery Dates: July 29 – October 3
Thursday – Sunday, 12 noon – 5 p.m.
https://olivehydeartguild.org/

Friday, July 16 – Sunday, August 8
The Four Poster $R
Fri/Sat: 8 p.m.; Sun: 6 p.m.
Streaming available anytime
Two-person play chronicling a couple’s married life
Castro Valley Community Theatre
3683 Quail Ave., Castro Valley
(510) 733-5483

Friday, Jul 23 – Saturday, Sept 18
The Art of Change virtual exhibit
Mixed media art on drought, species extinction and other issues
www.haywardartscouncil.org

Thursday, July 29 – Thursday, August 19
Central Park Summer Concert Series
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Presented by Washington Hospital, Lanner USA, and Fremont Bank
Concert Schedule:
August 5 – Journey Revisited (Journey tribute)
August 12 – David Martin’s House Party (Premier Party Band)
August 19 – East Bay Mudd (R&B hits)
Central Park Performance Pavilion
40204 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
https://www.fremont.gov/concerts

Friday – Sunday
626 Night Market $R
August 6 – 8
August 20 – 22
September 24 – 26
3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Festival with food, merchandise, games and music
Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton
(Gate 8 or 12 off Valley Ave)
626nightmarket.com/tickets-bay-area

Fridays, August 6 and August 20
Music at the Grove
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
August 6: Big Bang Beat
August 20: Cisco Kid
Gates open at 4 p.m. – bring a low-back chair or blanket and enjoy the sounds of summer
Shirley Sisk Grove
Cedar Blvd at Newpark Mall, Newark

Wednesdays, September 15 – November 17
2021 Citizen Police Academy
5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
A free look at how the Newark Police Department operates
Deadline to apply is 8/25
www.newark.org/departments/citizen-police-academy
Questions: Beverly Ryans, (510) 578-4352 or beverly.ryans@newark.org
37101 Newark Blvd., Newark

UPCOMING

Tuesday, August 3
Manage Your Debt and Expenses
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Learn how to manage your debt in this online class, hosted by SparkPoint Fremont
Register at https://conta.cc/3xtWEde
fremont@aclibrary.org
(510) 745-1400

Wednesday, August 4
Minority-Owned Small Business Resources
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Resources, info, and links to assist minorities. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48474

Thursday, August 5
Online Marketing
12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Learn how to use Canva for marketing material. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48584

Friday, August 6
Olive Hyde Art Guild Reception
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Mingle, meet local artists, and enjoy artwork in person!
Olive Hyde Art Gallery
123 Washington Blvd, Fremont
https://olivehydeartguild.org/

Friday, August 6
Walk with a City Official: Councilmember Rick Jones
9 a.m.
Part of the City of Fremont’s new health and wellness campaign
Brookvale Trail Park
3801 Nicolet Ave, Fremont
https://fremont.gov/ActiveFremont

Saturday, August 7
Stuff The Bus
10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Donate needed school supplies to help local families in need.
Walmart
40580 Albrae Street, Fremont
(510) 470-0336

Saturday, August 7
Suicide Prevention Workshop R
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Free virtual workshop for families who have a relative living with mental illness
http://www.nami-trivalley.org/html/spworkshop.html

Saturday, August 7
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Farrelly Pool
2 p.m.
Celebrate the completion of Farrelly Pool’s remodel. Refreshments and snacks to follow
864 Dutton Ave, San Leandro
(510) 577-3462

Saturday, August 7
Ohlone College Open House R
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Self-guided tour. Learn about admissions, academic pathways, and more.
https://bit.ly/3rIFK8w
Questions? Contact Rob Smith @ spa@ohlone.edu
Ohlone College Fremont Campus
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 659-6005

Saturday, August 7
Covid Vaccine Clinic R
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Free Pfizer vaccine to all community members ages 12+
https://www.ohlone.edu/rtc/resources/vaccination
Circle Promenade
Ohlone College Fremont Campus
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont

Saturday, August 7
Meek Mansion Open Day
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Visit this local treasure for self-guided tours of the first floor
240 Hampton Rd., Hayward
www.haywardareahistory.org

Sunday, August 8
Field to Food
Various times
Join us in the farmyard
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
awvisit@ebparks.org

Sunday, August 8
Fremont-San Jose Toy-Anime Con
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Booths and cosplay contest, kid friendly
Fremont Elks Lodge
38991 Farwell Dr., Fremont
https://d.facebook.com/events/291168289418231

Monday, August 9
Walk with a City Official: Councilmember Jenny Kassan
6 p.m.
Part of the City of Fremont’s new health and wellness campaign
Azeveda Park
39450 Royal Palm Dr., Fremont
https://fremont.gov/ActiveFremont

Monday, August 9
Milpitas Rotary
12 noon
Cal Fire Chief Nick Ciardella
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/364zWgd
Meeting ID: 830 1305 6992
Passcode: 113524

Tuesday, August 10
Mission Peak Community Meeting R
6 p.m.
Community feedback welcome. In person and online
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92211919302
https://tinyurl.com/mpcm20210810
City of Fremont Teen Center
Central Park
39770 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont

Wednesday, August 11
How to Write a Business Plan
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Learn how to think clearly about your business. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48602

Wednesday, August 11 – Thursday, August 12
Perseid Meteor Shower Watch Party $
11 p.m. – 3 a.m.
Special in-person viewing of this dazzling display, weather permitting
Chabot Space & Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland
(510) 336-7300
www.chabotspace.org

Thursday, August 12
Online Reputation Management
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Advice and tips to successfully monitor and uphold a positive online reputation. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48476

Thursday, August 12
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
9 a.m. – 12 noon
Interactive discussion with nationally-recognized experts
Register at Bach.health/ACEs
40910 Fremont Blvd., Fremont

Thursday, August 12
Vegetable Gardening: More Food, Fewer Pests R
4 p.m.
Free webinar. Learn techniques to prevent pest and disease problems
https://bit.ly/37b5MrG
www.cleanwater.org

Saturday, August 14
McConaghy House Open Day
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Visit this 1888 farmhouse for self-guided tours of the first and second floors
18701 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward
www.haywardareahistory.org

Saturday, August 14
How to become a Self-Published Author
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Online art demo by local writer Luanna K. Leisure
Email artinccv@gmail.com to register
www.LuannaLeisureBooks.com

Saturday, August 14
Davis Street Annual Health Fair
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
3081 Teagarden St., San Leandro
ksherman@davisstreet.org
(510) 347-4620

Saturday, August 14
8th Annual Larry “O” Car Show
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Classic cars, raffles and prizes, bbq, live music, family activities
Ruggieri Senior Center
33997 Alvarado-Niles Rd., Union City
(510) 675-5492

Saturday, August 14
UCEazy Essay Writing for College R
11 a.m.
Online panel discussion on developing your essay skills for college applications
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/379gi2v
info@uceazy.com

Sunday, August 15
Desi Comedy Festival $
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Featuring comedians of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan descent
India Community Center
525 Los Coches St., Milpitas
https://bit.ly/3xcuDpG
www.DesiComedyFest.com

Sunday, August 15
Berry Picking
9:30 a.m.
Bring your own berry basket and gather blackberries
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
awvisit@ebparks.org

Sunday, August 15
Wonderful Wool
Various times
Spinning, carding, felting and weaving…
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
awvisit@ebparks.org

Monday, August 16
Walking Tour – Boxart!
6:30 p.m.
Learn about Fremont history as depicted on utility boxes
Meet at Veterans Memorial Park
34071 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
info@museumoflocalhistory.org
(510) 623-7907

Wednesday, August 18
Urban Cycling 101
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Learn basic rules of the road, how to equip your bicycle in this online workshop.
Register at: https://bit.ly/3iH0Ujp
fremont@aclibrary.org
(510) 745-1400

Thursday, August 19
Downtown Hayward Street Party
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Classic car show, food, beer, wine, live music, family fun
Downtown Hayward
B Street from Foothill to Watkins
https://www.hayward.org/
(510) 537-2424

Friday, August 20
Harry Potter Movie Night R
Half Blood Prince
Gates open 7:30 – Movie starts at dusk
Drive in movie night
Lone Tree Cemetery
24591 Fairview Ave., Hayward
RSVP to: (510) 582-1274

Saturday, August 21
Hot August Night on the Rails $
7:30 p.m.
Ride through the canyon on a beautiful summer night
Sunol Depot departure
6 Kilkare Rd., Sunol
https://www.ncry.org/

Saturday, August 21
Bay Area Latin Jazz Festival $
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Music, food, dance, booths
Rowell Ranch
9725 Dublin Canyon Rd., Castro Valley
Bayarealatinjazzfestival.com

Saturday, August 21
Classic Car & Bicycle Show $
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Free admission. Food and drink available
Fremont Elks Lodge #2121
38991 Farwell Drive, Fremont

Sunday, August 22
Field to Food
Various times
Join us in the farmyard
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
awvisit@ebparks.org

Sunday, August 22
Mariachi Festival
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Mariachi bands, ballet folkloric performances, food, beverages, community resources
Shirley Sisk Grove
Cedar Blvd at Newpark Mall, Newark

Sunday, August 22
Cruzando Fronteras $
7 p.m.
Enjoy the sounds of Jarabe Mexicano and the dancing of Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles
Bankhead Theater
2400 First St., Livermore
(925) 373-6800
www.LivermoreArts.org

Wednesday, August 25
Marketing Your Services During Challenging Times
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Learn how to maintain a strong online presence. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48593

Wednesday, August 25
Passport to Paradise $
5:30 p.m.
Annual gala to raise funds for Davis Street
Sequoyah Country Club
4550 Heafey Rd., Oakland
http://davisstreet.org/
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/passport-to-paradise

Friday, August 27
Raya and the Last Dragon R$
8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Outdoor family movie night—popcorn will be delivered to your space!
Sunnyhills Albert Augustine Park, Milpitas
https://bit.ly/3jyWr4l

Saturday, August 28
Walk with a City Official: Councilmember Teresa Cox
10 a.m.
Part of the City of Fremont’s new health and wellness campaign
Irvington Park
41825 Blacow Rd., Fremont
https://fremont.gov/ActiveFremont

Sunday, August 29
Wonderful Wool
Various times
Spinning, carding, felting and weaving…
Ardenwood Historic Farm
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
awvisit@ebparks.org

Sunday, August 29
ICC Youth Leadership Series R
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Discussion by amazing mother/daughter duo Kirthiga and Ashna Reddy
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3ygmvps

Wednesday, September 8
Age Well Center, South Fremont – Ribbon Cutting
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Tour the new facility while enjoying light refreshments
47111 Mission Falls Court, Fremont
(510) 790-6600
agewellcenters@fremont.gov

Sunday, September 12
Opera in the Vineyard $
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Enjoy wine while listening to professional opera singers
Retzlaff Vineyards
1356 South Livermore Ave., Livermore
www.LVOpera.com

Monday, September 13
Milpitas Rotary
12 noon
Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez
Via Zoom: https://bit.ly/364zWgd
Meeting ID: 830 1305 6992
Passcode: 113524

Wednesday, September 15
Introduction to the Restaurant Business
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Key steps to minimize costly errors – in Spanish. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48461

Sunday, September 19
Fables & Feet
2:30 p.m.
Explore fables of India in this introductory workshop to kathak
DC Dance Center
1555 Washington Ave., San Leandro

Sunday, September 19
Before Bollywood
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Introductory workshop to kathak, a classical dance from North India
DC Dance Center
1555 Washington Ave, San Leandro

Wednesday, September 22
A Better Way to Grow Revenue with a CRM
12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Learn about Client Relationship Management (CRM) software. Free webinar by the SBDC.
https://nc.ecenterdirect.com/events/48641

To the Editor:

Supervisorial District Revisions are coming

Alameda County will unveil new boundaries for supervisorial districts in late 2021, and public interest is strong. A redistricting workshop sponsored by the county drew nearly 50 people, and another will be held on August 11, 2021: https://redistricting2021.acgov.org/meetings/

Redistricting happens once every 10 years, to adjust for population changes so each supervisor represents around 330,000 residents. A major change in the district boundaries will be required, to comply with the FAIR Maps Act of 2019. This is a state law prioritizes keeping communities together, while respecting natural boundaries like the East Bay hills.

Historically, the county had townships that shared common interests. For example, Eden Township included San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward, Castro Valley, and Fairview. Eden Township was later split into three supervisorial districts, diluting its voice to a helium squeak.

Here in Fremont, some observers feel districts have been drawn to suit the needs of the incumbent politicians, not to represent our communities. For example, Fremont was left divided in 2011. Three-quarters of Fremont was combined with Livermore and Dublin, while the northern remainder was combined with Union City, Hayward and Newark.

Ten years ago, former Supervisor Haggerty foresaw that big changes would happen after the 2020 census. He talked about keeping the Tri-Cities together in one district consisting of Fremont, Union City and Newark, with the Tri-Valley (Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin) in another district:

“I do believe that probably 10 years from now the supervisors will be looking at a very radical change in the way the lines are drawn as today. I don't think the Tri-Valley currently supports enough population to have its own Tri-Valley District, and then I know the Tri-City District. I do believe in 10 years that will happen. So, we'll see what happens 10 years from now.”

Supervisor Haggerty was right, and we've now arrived at a critical juncture. The Tri-Valley has a quarter-million people, nearly enough for a combined district. The Tri-Cities have 360,000, which qualifies for a seat on the board. Residents of the Tri-Cities, Eden and the Tri-Valley should reconsider how these boundaries have divided us, and unite to fix them.

Kelly Abreu
Fremont resident

Faces of Ohlone: Pagan serves on and off campus
Submitted by Tina Vossugh

Facilities Operations Assistant/Help Desk Dispatcher Nicole Pagan knows a thing or two about serving the community in which she works and lives. She started her career at Ohlone College in 2017 working for Campus Police and is now in a new role in the Facilities Department. Outside of work, Pagan gives her all to teaching dance students.

My earliest memories at Ohlone are with my grandpa picking olives on what I now know as Olive Lane. I was in charge of holding the massive white bucket while he was up on the ladder tossing olives down to me. Afterward, we’d grab a sandwich at The Cheese Taster Deli, and then we would go home and put them in brine. My brothers and I would also come to campus with my dad and watch the soccer and baseball games, hike Mission Peak, and I vividly remember the first pow-wow I ever attended here.

I am a Niles girl born and raised. That little town has my heart. After high school, I headed up north to Humboldt State University. I helped establish their current dance degree during my time there, and I was the first graduate from the program. I received a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey school and spent a summer in New York, immersed among some of the most talented people on earth.

I started dancing at the age of three and completely fell in love with it. Dance has taken me all over the country and provides a positive and creative outlet. It’s taught me about accountability, camaraderie, and sacrifice. I try to encourage these qualities in the students I teach. Whenever I am rushing out of the office, I head to the dance studio for a few hours.

Most of you know me as the voice behind the emergency “I forgot my keys, I got a parking ticket, there’s a bat in the elevator” phone calls at Campus Police. I started at Ohlone in December of 2017 as a dispatcher, and now I am the voice behind the emergency “my AC isn’t working, the toilet keeps flushing, we have ants” calls. I feel at home with the Facilities Department, and I can honestly say that I have never worked with a harder working group than the crew at Building 10. Whenever you see one of them, tell them ‘Thank You’ because this campus would not be functional without them.

I thrive off human interaction and feel incredibly fulfilled when I can help someone. I’ve so enjoyed finally putting faces to names in my new role, and I look forward to meeting more of you soon. Come say hi!

New library director named in San Leandro
Submitted by Paul Sanftner

Following a national recruitment, San Leandro City Manager Fran Robustelli has selected Brian Simons as the city’s new Library Director. Simon will take helm of the city’s library system August 26.

Simons started his library career in 2001 and quickly moved up the ranks to fill various posts including Head of young Adult Services/Reference Librarian and Library Director. For three years Simons was Executive Director for the Brown County Library in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In this role, he supervised 115 employees, established a new fundraising effort for a countywide library of nine facilities and a bookmobile, and oversaw a $7,400,000 annual budget.

“Mr. Simons will bring a wealth of experience leading library systems with similar size, diversity, and scope of the San Leandro Library system,” Robustelli said. “In particular, Brian has experience in developing community strategic planning processes, advancement of services to increase access to the entire community, creating efficiencies through Lean and Six Sigma projects, rebranding the library as a center for community advancement, successfully developing and mentoring staff, as well as experience in marketing and communication for a wide range of services.”

After learning about his appointment, Simons said, “San Leandro provides a rare opportunity to be a part of an already well supported set of library facilities with smart, hardworking library staff members, and at the same time, the community is future focused, looking to elevate not just the library, but the community itself to something greater.”

Simons continued: “I look forward to connecting with the community so we can learn how best to facilitate individual and collective growth, understanding, innovation, and realized opportunities so the library can really become the heart and soul of the San Leandro community. These are exciting and important times for San Leandro, and I'm honored to be a part of this community as the next Library Director.”

Local League of Women Voters chapter names new president
Submitted by Shirley Gilbert

A seasoned leader in League of Women Voters and city government activities, Angelina Reyes, has been elected president of the Tri-City League’s Fremont-Newark-Union City chapter for a two-year term.

Reyes takes up the reins from Syeda Reshma Inamdar, who held the office for eight years. Inamdar has accepted the position of chairperson for the Alameda County Council of the League.

Reyes has served the League in several capacities: she developed the Eden chapter’s website (representing Hayward, Castro Valley, San Leandro and San Lorenzo) as well as the first Smart Voter program which is now known as Voter’s Edge California. She assisted the Eden League with candidate forums and voter service, often presenting the pros and cons of state propositions. She’s been a delegate to the California State League convention and has attended a national conference in Washington, D.C.

In terms of her municipal government experience, Reyes was employed for 15 years as the City Clerk of Hayward where she was an election official in charge of maintaining official city documents and fulfilling legal requirements. She has shared her election expertise throughout California at conferences and in university presentations.

In other volunteer activities, Reyes served as parliamentarian in the Washington Township Women’s Club and previously was president and scholarship chair of the Hispanic Community Affairs Council. In that capacity, she helped raise and distribute donations that paid for the college education of scores of Hispanic youths.

Reyes lives with her husband in Newark where she serves on the Newark Days committee and previously was a member on their Redevelopment Agency Oversight committee. Her experience in both local government activities and League leadership make her the ideal president to carry on the important work of the local League.

The mission of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters is to encourage informed and active participation in government, work to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influence public policy through education and advocacy. For more information and to join visit their website at http://lwvfnuc.org/.

New trustee joins Ohlone College board
Submitted by Tina Vossugh

During a special Ohlone Community College District Board of Trustees meeting on July 28, Elisa Martinez was sworn as the board’s newest trustee.

Martinez fills the vacancy left by former Trustee Vivien Larsen, and represents and serves Area 1 which encompasses the City of Newark and precincts of Fremont and Union City west of Highway 880. The term for this position runs through November 2022.

A resident of Newark, Martinez has served the Newark Unified School District (NUSD) as a board member since 2018. In 2020, she was elected as the NUSD Board President and led the board during the COVID-19 pandemic. During her short tenure on the NUSD board, she quickly became a senior board member and actively participated in many board governance trainings, learning about parliamentary procedures.

Prior to her service on the NUSD Board, Martinez was an involved participant in the Birch Grove Parent Teacher Club, the Local Control and Accountability Plan, English Learner Advisory Committee, and the Birch Grove Merger Advisory Committee. She also served on several board committees, including Audit and California Special Education Local Plan Areas, as well as overseeing contract negotiations with the Newark Teachers Association and the California School Employee Association.

The Ohlone Community College District serves the cities of Fremont, Newark, and a portion of Union City, and includes all facilities and functions for Ohlone College. The district is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees who are selected by voters in local elections. The board appoints the District Superintendent/President and establishes policies to assure the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the programs and services and the financial stability of the district.

For more information about the Ohlone College Board of Trustees, visit www.ohlone.edu/board.

New trustee joins Ohlone College board
Submitted by Tina Vossugh

During a special Ohlone Community College District Board of Trustees meeting on July 28, Elisa Martinez was sworn as the board’s newest trustee.

Martinez fills the vacancy left by former Trustee Vivien Larsen, and represents and serves Area 1 which encompasses the City of Newark and precincts of Fremont and Union City west of Highway 880. The term for this position runs through November 2022.

A resident of Newark, Martinez has served the Newark Unified School District (NUSD) as a board member since 2018. In 2020, she was elected as the NUSD Board President and led the board during the COVID-19 pandemic. During her short tenure on the NUSD board, she quickly became a senior board member and actively participated in many board governance trainings, learning about parliamentary procedures.

Prior to her service on the NUSD Board, Martinez was an involved participant in the Birch Grove Parent Teacher Club, the Local Control and Accountability Plan, English Learner Advisory Committee, and the Birch Grove Merger Advisory Committee. She also served on several board committees, including Audit and California Special Education Local Plan Areas, as well as overseeing contract negotiations with the Newark Teachers Association and the California School Employee Association.

The Ohlone Community College District serves the cities of Fremont, Newark, and a portion of Union City, and includes all facilities and functions for Ohlone College. The district is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees who are selected by voters in local elections. The board appoints the District Superintendent/President and establishes policies to assure the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the programs and services and the financial stability of the district.

For more information about the Ohlone College Board of Trustees, visit www.ohlone.edu/board.

Church welcomes new pastor
Submitted by Alvin Minard
Photo courtesy of Youngmi Jung

The First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Fremont is proud to announce that Pastor Youngmi Jung will replace Pastor Hee-Soon Kwon, who retired.

Pastor Youngmi became the minister of FUMC July 1, 2021. Recently, she served as pastor of a church in Novato. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Pastor Youngmi graduated from its university and worked in a shipping company. She later migrated tp San Francisco and began her theological studies at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, then transferred to Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, where she graduated.

With her husband serving at Grace United Methodist Church in San Ramon, Youngmi is one of two pastors in the family. Her family also includes two adult step-children and one daughter. While United Methodist Churches in the U.S. and Global Methodists from Africa, the Philippines, and Europe are still in deliberate conversation over LGBTQ issues, the California-Nevada Conference is more inclusive and supportive. Pastor Youngmi believes all human beings are God’s sacred creations created equal in God’s image. She supports all God’s diverse works of creation and commits her ministry to welcome all people.

Pastor Youngmi believes that God has led her to this church at this point in time. She likes creative, engaging, and deeply spiritual worship that includes drama, liturgical dance, and silence. Her emphasis is on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and she encourages us to pause and notice how God is at work among us and in the community. Even though our congregation is already diverse, she would like the congregation to be more representative of the community we live in. She is passionate about small group ministry, cultivating discipleship, mission outreach, and racial/social justice.

The congregation held a “Getting-to-know-you-party” for Pastor Youngmi after worship service on July 11, when they got a chance to talk with her and meet her daughter. The church is currently holding hybrid services, both in person and via Zoom. Join any Sunday, in person or via the website, which has a Zoom link.

First United Methodist Church
2950 Washington Blvd., Fremont
www.firstchurchfremont.org

Red Cross Club fundraiser for homeless
Submitted by Jessica Le and Ananya Garg

During the current pandemic, the homeless community has struggled to get necessary hygiene supplies and remain safe. There is a way you can help them directly. American High School Red Cross has partnered with Abode Services, a homeless shelter in Fremont, to raise funds and create supply relief kits for the people in need in the Tri-City area. Our goal is to raise $1,500 to create 300 of these kits which will hold first aid supplies, hygiene products, hand sanitizers, and more. 100% of donations to the Go Fund Me will go into creating relief kits. We urge you to participate, whether it be through publicizing or donating! Any amount donated will be greatly appreciated.

The deadline is August 13th, 2021. You can donate at https://gofund.me/3125a263.

Feel free to contact co-presidents Jessica Le (jessicaaile11@gmail.com) and/or Ananya Garg (agarg.ananya@gmail.com) with any questions.

‘Satyam_Goyal_pic1’: Satyam Goyal with his device, the smart crosswalk sign
‘Signs_Traffic_Safety’: Raising awareness for traffic safety through various slogans and signs

Making roads safer one device at a time
By Fatema Bhaiji
Photos Courtesy of Satyam Goyal

Just in his hometown of Fremont, 86 pedestrian-related accidents occurred in 2015 (abc7news).

Satyam Goyal, a senior at American High School, seeks to minimize that amount by creating and installing a device that addresses the problem of crosswalk safety in uncontrolled intersections. As part of his Eagle Scout Project for Boy Scouts Troop 273, Goyal created what he later named “the smart crosswalk sign.” Goyal installed the first two of his signs at a crosswalk near Ardenwood Elementary School which has been used by several young students and their parents since the installation.

This device makes use of radio frequency with a receiver and timer inside both signs. Two transmitters are located on opposite ends of the road that are the buttons for pedestrians to press. Once someone clicks the button, the transmitter turns on. Then, the other sign receives the signal via a small attached box. This signal turns the flashing light on so that the sign can warn vehicles that there are pedestrians crossing. Using more technology, Goyal wants to explore the possibility of using Artificial Intelligence and computer vision to detect pedestrians approaching to get rid of the need for pedestrians to press the red button; to make crosswalks smarter and safer for both the cars and pedestrians.

Goyal explains: “We have volunteers and crossing guards help students and parents cross the road… what I’ve noticed is that it’s a very dangerous job.” In order to be seen by vehicles on the road, crossing guards must put most of their body onto the road, which puts them at risk. Recalling that sometimes there aren’t enough volunteers to assist, causing cars to navigate crosswalks without their help, Goyal emphasizes the importance of an alternative that doesn’t put another person’s life at risk and can be used if there is a shortage of volunteers.

Not only does this device help increase the safety of those walking across streets, it is cost-effective. Goyal built the device for only $200, whereas it can cost the city tens of thousands of dollars to build similar infrastructure.

The initiative doesn’t end at implementing the device in Goyal’s hometown, but extends to raising awareness of traffic safety. Goyal describes how he and his boy scout troop held multiple events to raise awareness of traffic and pedestrian safety including a booth at “Maze Day,” a school registration day, one week before school starts. “We were able to hand out these pamphlets with the help of Boy Scouts… [they] included safety tips and regulations,” says Goya. At “Back to School Night,” they used a similar approach but included slogans that gave one-line safety tips such as: “One text or call can wreck it all,” aiming to convey important messages.

Goyal’s main goal is to reach out to at least five schools this summer and install one of his devices at their location. He eventually would like to offer the device to the entire Fremont Unified School District.

For more information on Goyal’s progress or for more information about the device, visit his website or contact him through email:

Website: walksafe.info
Email: crosswalksafety@gmail.com

Time to celebrate with a splash!
Submitted by Paul Sanftner

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned to celebrate the completion of the Farrelly Pool remodeling project in San Leandro and everyone is invited. Sponsored by the City of San Leandro, the festivities are set for 2 p.m. Saturday, August 7. Refreshments and snacks will follow the ceremony. Those planning to attend are asked to comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines which will be enforced. Everyone must wear a mask to enter the facility. Admission is free.

Farrelly Pool celebration
Saturday, Aug 7
2 p.m.
Ceremony marking the pool remodel
864 Dutton Ave., San Leandro
(510) 577-3462
Free

Cases for a cause: a sophomore’s passion turned business
By Nanki Kaur

Azhahini Krishnamoorthy has always been an ardent admirer of the arts, whether visual or performing. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the American High sophomore decided to turn her passion for design into a business, thus creating Hini’s Cases, where she’d sell hand-designed phone cases. “I wanted to start a business that would incorporate [the arts], and I wanted to sell a product that everyone would enjoy as well,” Krishnamoorthy says. She also notes that her love for “donating to charity, helping others, and giving back,” greatly influenced her decision to start her charity-based business.

Hini’s Cases operates its business venture entirely online, using the social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, where customers can find a range of trendy, pre-designed phone cases to choose from. In addition, customers also have the option to order a custom case, which allows them to request an entirely new design or incorporate photos, text, and different colors into an existing design.

To order, customers reach out to Krishnamoorthy through any of the platforms mentioned above with their design requests. Orders within a ten-mile radius are delivered directly to the customers’ doors, while all other U.S. orders are shipped. Once they’ve ordered a product, customers may choose a charity that receives 50% of the profit. In the past, Hini's Cases has donated to various non-profits, including COVID-19 relief funds, the American Red Cross, and UNICEF.

While social media has had a significant role in boosting the business’s success, Krishnamoorthy mentions that relying entirely on the platforms has made it challenging to promote her business “in person.” But she quickly found that using social media had its benefits: “Social media has helped me connect with other small business owners that I've never met in person before. [I can] learn from them, learn different things, and it’s an overall good experience for me.”

Currently shipping only within the U.S., Krishnamoorthy hopes to expand her business internationally in the future. However, the ultimate goal is to convert to a non-profit organization, to further the contributions Hini's Cases makes to the community. “After [the business becomes] a non-profit organization, one hundred percent of the profits will be going to charity!”

Her advice to other teens aspiring to become small business owners is to “figure out what you love doing, and what you enjoy, and find a way to incorporate that into your business so that if you have a setback or face a challenge, you won't get demotivated and you won't feel sad about it because that’s what you love doing.” She adds, “Don’t expect your business to become successful right away, it takes time, and you need to be patient and persevere!”

Instagram: @hiniscases
Facebook: Hini’s CASES
Email: hiniscases@gmail.com

Fremont’s Got Talent: Part II
By David R. Newman

Fremont standup comedian Kabir Singh received a standing ovation during his first audition on America’s Got Talent (AGT) back in June, and now he’s setting his sights on the AGT Live Show on August 10. If all goes well, Singh is hoping to become the first comic to win it all—one million dollars and a show in Las Vegas, not to mention worldwide fame.

The YouTube video of his AGT audition has over 2 million views, and he’s getting performance requests from around the world, including India, where he spent part of his childhood. Singh admits he would love to go back, even though his memories of his time there are not the most pleasant. “I got my ass beat every day. They didn’t want me there.”

Singh’s father, a Botanical Engineer consultant, traveled constantly for work, bringing the family with him. From Lahore, Pakistan (where his parents met), to Winnipeg, Canada (where his two sisters were born), to Portland, Oregon (where Singh was born), to San Diego; Houston; India; Rochester, New York; and finally ending up in Fremont.

While Singh had ample energy as a little boy (“I was bouncing off the roof”), it wasn’t until India that he discovered his comic brilliance, mainly as a survival instinct. While his dad could have easily placed young Kabir into a private/Christian school, he opted to throw him in with everybody else at a local school, in order to get the true “experience of India.” This meant that many of Singh’s classmates were the children of the servants that worked for his family. “It was complete culture shock to me,” Singh exclaims. “Here I was, this American kid who spoke fluid English and dressed differently. I stuck out like a sore thumb! I got bullied a lot! It was rough. Even the teachers would slap you!”

Singh realized that the only way he was going to survive was to be super funny and outgoing. “I gained a lot of confidence and gained some lifelong friends. The same people who beat me up on Day One were crying when I left two years later.” From the ghettos of India to the suburbs of Fremont – for Singh, the worst was behind him. “If you can make it in New Bombay, what’s junior high in Fremont? At that point, I owned my skills. I was hilarious.”

Singh continued to grow his skills, taking improv and drama classes at Horner Middle School and Mission San Jose High School. After a year at Ohlone College, a friend of his (Sammy Obeid, who has also appeared on AGT) invited Singh to watch a comedy competition at Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale. For Singh, who had never experienced standup comedy before, it opened a door to a whole new world. “That was the day I fell in love with standup comedy.”

After a year on the road with Obeid visiting every comedy club imaginable, Singh returned to Rooster T. Feathers as a competitor and won the competition. “It was an amazing experience!” recalls Singh. “I was addicted. Let’s do this!” Two years later he moved to Los Angeles to try and make it onto the comedy scene. That is where Gabriel Iglesias saw him performing one night at the Hollywood Improv and loved him, which earned Singh a set on Comedy Central’s Stand Up Revolution. This was the big break he was hoping for. “In the comedy world, to get on Comedy Central in the 3rd or 4th year of your career is insane! People don’t usually get breaks like that until year 10 or 12.”

Singh loves traveling and performing and has been to most of the major clubs in the country. His success on AGT has launched him to a new level of stardom, giving him the opportunity to perform at clubs where he previously wouldn’t have gotten booked. “I’m calling it The All of a Sudden Tour,” Singh laughs. He enjoys making comedy accessible to all, making it just as relevant in small towns as it is in places like Las Vegas and New York.

Of course, Fremont is still home. It’s where his mom lives, his biggest fan (sadly his dad passed away in 2010). It’s where he has honed his craft, at places like Tommy T’s Comedy Club and Kirby’s Sports Bar. Says Ricky Rodriguez, co-owner of Kirby’s, “We’re super proud of him! We’ve seen him grow over the past five years here, mastering his craft, refining his jokes. He just keeps getting better!”

While the pandemic was tough on many comics, Singh persevered, performing when he could. He had taken his mom’s advice and started saving up some money before everything shut down. Now, as businesses open up again, Singh is keen on connecting again with his people. “It’s not an easy feat to get people out to comedy clubs,” he says. “There’s usually a two-drink minimum, plus food, etc. so it can add up. I really appreciate the people who come to see me. I try to put on the best show I can, every time.”

Kabir Singh
www.kabirkabeezysingh.com
https://www.facebook.com/KabirKabeezySingh

Upcoming Shows:

America’s Got Talent Live on NBC
August 10
8 p.m.

Friday, Aug 13- Saturday, Aug 14
Alameda Comedy Club
2431 Central Ave., Alameda
https://www.alamedacomedy.com/
(510) 318-1538

Thursday, Aug 19
Kirby’s Sports Bar
42312 Fremont Blvd, Fremont

(510) 657-9060

Sunday, Aug 29
San Jose Improv
62 South 2nd St., San Jose
https://improv.com/sanjose/
(408) 280-7475

BART returns to near-regular service
Submitted by BART Communications

As part of its overall Welcome Back Plan to help riders get to work, school and appointments across the Bay Area, BART has stepped up train service, extended station closing times and updated its system map.

The new schedule, which went into effect Monday, August 2, is very similar to the one before the COVID-19 pandemic but with some targeted service expansions but also some areas that will not return to pre-pandemic levels such as the extra commuter trains on the Antioch-SFO (Yellow) line during peak hours, BART officials said. Sunday service will continue to run at 30-minute frequencies and a 9:00 p.m. closure to accommodate BART’s critical cable replacement project and other infrastructure rebuilding work.

Also included as part of the schedule change is increased frequencies of trains and extending of closing times to midnight Mondays through Saturdays along with a dramatic increase in direct trips to SFO on weekdays.

Schedule change details:
• Weekday service: 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight with 5-line service and 15-min frequencies on all lines from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and 3-line service with 30-minute frequencies from 8:00 p.m. to midnight.

• Saturday service: 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight (previously 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) with 5-line service from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and then 3-line service from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. Saturday service has been designed to better meet the needs of the majority of riders. It starts with 5-line service, giving morning riders more options. Trains are more evenly distributed to cut down on wait times and improve transfers. While a few sections such as Castro Valley to Dublin/Pleasanton and Pittsburg Center to Antioch are still at 30-minute frequencies, the rest of the system has four or more trains per hour. For the first time ever, BART has doubled the service on the Yellow line, providing 15-minute frequencies as far as Pittsburg-Bay Point until about 8:00 p.m.

• Sunday service: Hours will remain 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with 3-line service and 30-minute frequencies. However, the first trains of the morning begin earlier than before offering trips in the 7:00 a.m. hour. The Yellow and Blue line trains will continue to run close together, instead of spaced apart, throughout San Francisco on Sundays to accommodate single tracking that will take place on select Sundays. During single tracking, the end of the Dublin-Daly City (Blue) line is now at 24th Street Mission. This is an improvement for downtown San Francisco riders during single tracking because the forced transfer is moving from Montgomery to 24th Street Mission. BART will improve Sunday service in February 2022.

• More trips to SFO: BART is rolling out a dramatic increase in direct service to SFO going from four trips per hour during peak hours to eight trips per hour, all serving downtown San Francisco and Oakland. BART’s system map has also been updated to eliminate the purple line shuttle between SFO and Millbrae. In March 2021, BART improved service to SFO and Millbrae by eliminating the need to transfer to the shuttle train. The Richmond-Millbrae + SFO (Red) line offers direct service to SFO via Millbrae during 5-line service, and the Yellow line offers direct service to Millbrae via SFO during 3-line service.

• Long trains: These will continue to run during all hours for the time being, but at some yet-to-be determined point, BART will begin to make trains shorter during hours of lower ridership to right size the maintenance requirements driven by car operating hours.

Updated BART system map
In the new system map, one noticeable change is the elimination of the Purple line connecting SFO Airport and Millbrae as a shuttle. Instead, the map has replaced it with a newly configured Red and Yellow line service pattern. This service improvement also eliminates the need to show San Bruno and SFO as a transfer station.

To simplify the map further, the main map covers Mondays — Saturdays until evenings, and the inset map covers evenings and Sundays. This delineation helps eliminate the need to include confusing text boxes about service before/after 9:00 p.m. and the dashed red line. The inset map is also a bit larger than its former iteration.

To read more about BART’s 15-step Welcome Back Plan for riders, visit their website at www.bart.gov, then type “Welcome Back Plan” into the search field and select the link.

Frogs bid adieu to Oakland Zoo
Submitted by Isabella Linares

After raising them for two years from a tadpole stage, Oakland Zoo officials recently released an “army of frogs” into the wild at Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park.

The July 27 release, which takes place every year in partnership with San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, is part of the zoo’s effort to stem the declining population of Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs (SNYLF). The goal is to establish a healthy breeding population in the wild. The latest release, consisted of 626 yellow-legged frogs across three different species – all of them categorized as “threatened.”

In response to their rapidly declining population, 33 SNYLF were flown 50-miles via helicopter to a release site in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park.

The threats facing the SNYLF population are two-fold: non-native invasive fish have been introduced into their lakes by humans for recreational fishing, with those fish preying on the SNYLF. The second issue is the devastating Chytrid disease, responsible in the global amphibian decline. Chytrid is caused by a fungus that grows on the frogs’ skin, making it difficult for the frogs to regulate their water and salt intake, and in turn, can lead to cardiac arrest.

A tremendous amount of work goes into the frog breeding programs at Oakland Zoo, before the frogs are viable enough to be released back into the wild.

The process begins with tadpoles collected from the wild and brought to the zoo, to be nurtured in a carefully maintained, optimal environment to complete a full life cycle. This includes anti-fungal chytrid treatments during their “froglet” stage to inoculate them against that virus once they return to the wild. Once treatment is complete, they are pit-tagged (similar to microchipping a dog or cat) for monitoring. After tagging, they receive their inoculations, swabbed one last time for chytrid, and if all is clear, they get ready for their flight to their release site. This entire process takes one to two years.

Eleven Oakland Zoo staff, interns, and volunteers work seven days a week, 365 days a year, on all three yellow-legged frog programs as well as the Zoo’s Puerto Rican crested toad program.

“What makes this effort so worthwhile is knowing that all of the hard work and countless hours we’ve invested here at the zoo gives these frogs the best possible head start in hopefully ensuring that their populations in the wild will survive,” said Samantha Sammons, Conservation Biologist at the zoo.

This conservation effort will continue at Oakland Zoo, in partnership with San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and National Park Service, as long the species remains threatened. After the latest release, the Oakland Zoo Biodiversity Center is holding another 230 adult frogs as they await their release later this summer. Plans are in place to retrieve 100 more tadpoles of various yellow-legged frog species by the beginning of August.

Oakland Zoo
9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakland
(510) 632-9525
www.oaklandzoo.org

Grand re-opening of the Olive Hyde Art Gallery
Submitted by Seema Gupta

Closed for over a year due to the pandemic, we are so happy to share that the Olive Hyde Art Gallery in Fremont is re-opening its doors with Olive Hyde Art Guild Members Juried Show. The exhibit will be on display through October 3, 2021, and can be viewed in-person at 123 Washington Blvd, Fremont. The Gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, 12 noon to 5:00 p.m.

An in-person Artists Reception will be held Friday, August 6 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., and is open to the general public. A festive evening is planned in the courtyard with live music from NSQ – Newark Saxophone Quartet, and drinks and hors d’oeuvres, courtesy Olive Hyde Art Guild.
Members Juried Show is a biennial exhibit featuring a variety of 2D & 3D artworks created by the Olive Hyde Art Guild members. This year’s guest juror was Marianne McGrath, an independent curator and founder of MKM Art Consulting, LLC.

Featured artists for the exhibition are Edward Wilson, Mary Sullivan, Lisa Stambaugh, Lynne Sparling, Ileana Soto, Barbara Schlein, Janice Schafir, Maria Grazia Romeo, Emelie Rogers, Norma Robinson, Gerald Patrinos, Parul Parekh, Gail Noeth, Mitchell Neto, Farshid Namei, Patricia Moran, Denise Oyama Miller, Lina Melkonian, Susan Longini, Ruth Li, Robyn Leimer, Maureen Lardie, Peter Langenbach, Maureen Langenbach, Marilynn Host, Susan Helmer, Seema Gupta, Dmitry Grudsky, Adriane Dedic, Abhijit Datta, Thomas Cory, Sandra Clark, Michele Lin Chung, Scott Capen, and Najeeb Abdulrahiman.

You are invited to vote for MJS People’s Choice Award via OHAG website (link below). The deadline for entries is Thursday, August 5 and the winner will be announced at the reception on Friday, August 6. Only one vote per person/email address please!
https://olivehydeartguild.org/members-juried-show-peoples-choice/.

We look forward to everyone getting together again on August 6! Enjoy the Gallery exhibit by Guild artists and the Awards Presentation at 8 p.m.

Members Juried Show
Thursday, July 29 – Sunday, October 3
Thursday-Sunday: 12 noon – 5 p.m.

Artists Reception
Friday, August 6
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Olive Hyde Art Gallery
123 Washington Blvd., Fremont
(510) 791-4357
olivehydeartguild.org

Ohlone College partners with Stanford to debut CS Bridge Program
Submitted by Tina Vossugh

Ohlone College partnered with Stanford University this summer to offer the Computer Science Bridge Program—a three-week program that gives local high school juniors and seniors with little to no programming experience an opportunity to learn to code. While Stanford University has been running this program internationally since 2014, the Ohlone partnership is the first time it’s been offered in the United States.

The program, taught by Ohlone College’s Doug Case and Stanford’s Ali Malik, is based on Stanford’s CS106A Programming Methodology course in Python. Sixty-eight students successfully completed the free, three-week virtual course and demonstrated their newfound skills by submitting final projects including games like Tetris, Hangman, and Tic-tac-toe, and graphical demos.

“It’s been a great partnership between Ohlone College and Stanford, and I’m pleased that we were able to be the first to collaborate and offer this program to students in the United States,” says Doug Case, Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Ohlone. “I thoroughly enjoyed co-teaching this course with Stanford Ph.D. candidate Ali Malik. We started with the existing curriculum and made some modifications, and between us usually gave two shorts lectures each day. It was great to see the students advance in their programming skills so quickly.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instruction was delivered via Zoom, which posed an additional challenge for students with no programming experience. The course is designed to incorporate not only lectures but also programming and Q&A times. Section leaders met with dedicated groups of 8-10 students and walked through programming concepts that were introduced in the lectures.

A total of 10 section leaders worked with the cohort of students—five Stanford undergraduates, and five Ohlone College students who had just completed their studies in computer science. Ohlone student and section leader Malaika Sud was happy to see how engaged her group of students were. “Their eagerness to learn increased day by day with each new aspect of CS they were introduced to—they'd ask more questions, provide more input when we’d code together, and come up with unique ways to approach the problems we’d been given.”

The CS Bridge program is founded on the belief that computer science is for everyone. The cohort of students who participated in this year’s program consisted of a 50/50 male-to-female ratio with some students coming from under-resourced backgrounds and schools.

Sud, who is transferring to UC Santa Cruz this fall, wanted to pay it forward this summer by being a part of the program and inspiring other students. “Regardless of your background or identity, you can easily find a place in computer science that fits your interests,” says Sud. “Even if you don't plan to continue studying CS for a career path, it can still be relevant to your future endeavors and can be applied to so many things including art and game design.”

https://www.ohlone.edu/computer-science-summer-bridge-program

Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower in-person at Chabot Space & Science Center
Submitted by Mary Catherine Frantz

The public is invited to enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower from the Chabot Observation Deck with staff astronomers available to answer questions. Limited tickets are available for this event.

The annual Perseid Meteor Shower peaks in mid-August and is one of the most popular meteor showers of the year. The Moon will set early in the evening on August 11, so viewers can anticipate dark skies and potentially good viewing conditions. Under ideal conditions, observers may see up to 100 meteors per hour.

The Perseid Meteor Shower is caused by small particles left behind by the periodic comet Swift-Tuttle. As the comet orbits around the Sun, it leaves behind a trail of dust, rocky grains and pebbles that form a particle stream also orbiting the Sun. Each year, the Earth passes through the particle stream during the middle of August. As those particles enter and burn up in Earth's atmosphere, we can see a meteor shower.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for youth or free for Chabot Space & Science Center members. Advanced tickets required; purchase online at https://chabotspace.org/calendar/perseid-meteor-shower/.

While Chabot Space & Science Center plans to reopen in November 2021, the Center is offering a limited number of virtual and in-person events on Chabot’s Observation Deck. Check the website for mask and social distancing guidelines.

Perseid Meteor Shower watch party
11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug 11 – 3 a.m. Thursday, Aug 12
Chabot Space and Science Center observation deck
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland

Happy (School) Days Are Here Again
By Hugo Vera

Following an entire school year and a half of mandatory distance learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, local public schools in the east and south bay area are on the cusp of returning to in-person activity. School Districts such as Fremont Unified (FUSD) and the Milpitas Unified (MUSD), which collectively serve more than 40,000 K-12 students, have revealed comprehensive plans detailing changes students and parents can expect to see this fall.

School districts in both Alameda and Santa Clara County look to capitalize on the fact that, per CDC data, more than 70% of their respective residents are fully vaccinated. Regardless of this impressive record, practices such as social distancing and limiting contact points will still be implemented. At schools such as Milpitas High School, students will still be required to wear face masks regardless of vaccination status, and classroom sizes capped at 32 students or fewer to allow three-feet distancing between students and six-feet distancing between students and teachers. Students will also be able to take “0-period” or “7th-period” classes before/after the regular school day in an effort to alleviate classroom congestion.

“A lot of students that are attending classes right now have told us that they’ve been vaccinated, but we’ll still be using practices to spread students out more than we normally would have,” said Milpitas High School Assistant Principal Skyler Draeger during a June 8 MUSD meeting on the matter.

In Alameda County, the Fremont Unified School District announced it will utilize MERV 11-13 air purifiers on all its campuses to combat the spread of airborne pathogens while also equipping its custodial staff with electrostatic disinfectant sprayers. During lunch breaks, which often yield the highest concentration of students and faculty in one setting, meals will be distributed at multiple points across all FUSD and MUSD campuses to foster social distancing.

This comes just weeks after the announcement that all 6.2 million California public school students will be eligible for school lunches at no cost, regardless of family income, this coming school year due to a surplus in the state’s educational budget. FUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack calls the announcement “great news” and is hopeful it will serve as further incentive for students to feel confident about returning to in-person education.

“While students will still be able to resume online learning in compliance with Senate Bill-130, we in the school district believe the best environment for the educational, social and emotional well-being of our students is an in-person learning environment and we’re happy to provide that,” says Cammack.

Despite district and educators’ preference to revert to in-person learning, representatives of local school boards, including MUSD and FUSD, have stated that the grace period for those wishing to continue distance-learning will be sufficient and in proportion to when the United States reaches herd immunity. Distance-learning will still be utilized for summer school (just as it was last year) and COVID-19 testing is expected to be routine among elementary schools in the area.

Cammack has stated that students can still opt for distance learning for the entirety of the 2021-22 school year and that considerations for returning all K-12 classes to in-person won’t begin until next spring at the earliest. “We understand the concerns of students and their families, but with the information we have from the CDC and the Alameda County Public Health Department, we’re confident we can instill the appropriate mitigation so in-person learning can resume safely.”

Suicide Prevention Workshop for Family Caregivers
Submitted by The City of Fremont, Human Services Department

This free, virtual workshop is for families that have a relative living with a mental illness and at risk of suicide. You will learn about statistics, facts and basic information; how to communicate with someone that is contemplating suicide; focus on suicide risk; hear directly from law enforcement perspective on 5150s involving suicide; and the importance of practicing self-care. This training is from NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). This free workshop will be conducted on Zoom. Link will be provided after you register.

Suicide Prevention Workshop for Family Caregivers
Saturday, Aug 7
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Via Zoom
Register at: http://www.nami-trivalley.org/html/spworkshop.html

Volunteer recruitment, retention, and recognition
Submitted by Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Those that “do for others” most definitely include volunteers dedicated to supporting causes dear to them and who show up to fulfill tasks that otherwise may overwhelm nonprofits, especially smaller organizations with limited staff resources.

A persistent and urgent question nonprofit leaders should ask themselves is, “What are we doing for our volunteers?” While nonprofits know that volunteers are as important as the communities they serve, often insufficient emphasis is placed on volunteer recruitment, retention, and recognition.

Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition’s August 11 presentation will focus on how best to nourish one of a nonprofit’s most valuable assets: its volunteers. Our panel will include volunteer coordinator Deepa Chordiya of LIFE ElderCare, Daily Bowl Founder Paddy Iyer, and prolific Tri-City area volunteer Janice Gebhardt. Our discussion will include best practices for keeping volunteers engaged and feeling appreciated.

As always, this Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition meeting is free and will take place via Zoom. Registration is required. The evening will be hosted by Tri-City Nonprofit Coalition co-founders Kathy Kimberlin, Lisa Stambaugh, and Tina Fernandez Steckler, and will also include an icebreaker and a 5-minute spotlight segment on local nonprofit Rcoz.

Register today at https://tinyurl.com/TCNPCAugustZoom or use the QR code.

Volunteer recruitment, retention, and recognition
Wednesday, Aug 11
6:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
https://tinyurl.com/TCNPCAugustZoom

Upgraded Citizen Access Permitting Portal
Submitted by The City of Fremont

The City of Fremont has upgraded its Citizen Access online permitting portal! It has a new look, improved navigation, and better functionality that should make it easier to use. Citizen Access (www.Fremont.gov/CitizenAccess) allows residents, businesses, and visitors to submit permit requests for Planning, Building, and Engineering permits;access permit records; pay permit fees; check on the status of in-progress records; schedule building inspections; and report code enforcement violations online.

Any person who submits a permit request must have a Citizen Access account and an email address, even if they visit the City's Development Services Center to apply in person. All communication with the applicant is done via email.

For information on how to create a Citizen Access account and apply for a permit, please visit the City's Online Permits webpage at: https://www.fremont.gov/3619/Online-Permits

VAX UP COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Offered at Ohlone College
Submitted by Ohlone College

Get your COVID-19 vaccine for FREE by visiting the Ohlone College Fremont Campus on Saturday, August 7th between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We've teamed up with Haller's Pharmacy to provide the community a convenient way to receive the vaccine. These will be community-facing clinics for all 12+ year old community members. Pfizer vaccines will be administered.
To register, please visit www.myturn.ca.gov and use the zip code 94539 to find the clinic.

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
Saturday, Aug 7
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Circle Promenade
Ohlone College Fremont Campus
43600 Mission Blvd, Fremont

Randall World Languages School Ribbon Cutting set for August 9
Submitted by Scott Forstner

The $21 million Randall World Languages School Modernization will be unveiled to the Milpitas community in a Monday, August 9 ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 4 p.m. on the 1300 Edsel Drive campus.

“Our regionally elected officials, community leaders, residents, MUSD staff and, most importantly, the families we serve are invited to come celebrate the opening of our new buildings,” said Randall Co-Principal Kristan Prolo. “This is an event not only for our Randall families but the entire Milpitas community.”

Funded through the $284 million Measure AA bond, and overwhelmingly approved by local voters in November 2018, the Randall modernization project includes a new state-of-the-art multi-purpose building, administration building, kindergarten structure, and pick-up/drop-off loop. Superintendent Cheryl Jordan states, “We are committed to exceeding the needs of our bond obligations and serving our diverse communities. Our team took full advantage of the limited usage of our campuses last year to accelerate the completion of this project and others across the district.”

“These new buildings will support our growth and vision of a World Languages School as we begin the process of adding Middle School grades and a 3rd language in the coming two years,” added Prolo, who teams with Co-Principal Claudia Cadenas for the 2021-22 school year.

The ribbon-cutting event will coincide with the physical return to campus, popsicles for students, and seeing their class assignments. Families are encouraged to attend, enjoy a treat, take pictures, and celebrate these amazing new facilities.

Randall’s Language Program will equip students with a strong foundation of biliteracy and bilingualism while setting them on potential career pathways in interpretation and business/health sciences terminology. Co-Principal Cadenas commented: “These skills will prepare our students to enter the workforce as fully bilingual and biliterate workers, a highly desirable quality for any business or medical field.”

To learn more about Milpitas Unified School District visit their website at www.musd.org, the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MilpitasUnified, or on Instagram and Twitter at @MUSDFamily.

Randall World Languages School Ribbon Cutting
Monday, Aug 9
4 p.m.
Randall World Language School campus
1300 Edsel Dr., Milpitas
www.musd.org

Alameda County Fire Department Log
Submitted by ACFD

Wednesday, July 28
• At 12:32 p.m. crews responded to a vegetation fire on Dublin Canyon Road in Castro Valley. About 1/4 acre burned before firefighters put it out. No injuries were reported; the cause of the fire is unknown.

• At 12:55 p.m. crews responded to a structure fire off Baumann Avenue in San Lorenzo with smoke seen on the rooftop. The call was quickly upgraded to a second alarm. Crews held the fire to the roof, preventing it spreading to the building’s interior. No injuries were reported.

BART Police Log
Submitted by Les Mensinger and BART PD

Saturday, July 24
• At 12:41 p.m. a man identified by police as Mark Unpingco, 35, of Fairfield was detained at Bay Fair station in San Leandro for suspected drug activity. A record check revealed three outstanding warrants issued by Fremont Police Departments and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. A search uncovered narcotics and illegal drug paraphernalia. He was arrested and booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Monday, July 26
• At 6:01 p.m. a man identified by police as Cornelius Godfrey, 28, of Oakland was arrested at Bay Fair station in San Leandro on a $20,000 misdemeanor warrant for violating a restraining order and domestic violence. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.

• At 9:26 p.m. a person identified by police as Aunesha Monroegans, 21, of San Francisco was arrested at Hayward station on suspicion of public intoxication and booked into Santa Rita Jail.

Tuesday, July 27
• A man identified by police as Ernest Trujillo, 47, of San Jose was arrested at Milpitas station on suspicion of trespassing on transit property and public intoxication. He was booked at Santa Clara County Main Jail.

• A man identified by police as Daniel Nugent, 28, was arrested at Bay Fair station in San Leandro on an outstanding no-bail misdemeanor warrant. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Wednesday, July 28
• A man identified by police as Gerson Guerra-Garrido was arrested at San Leandro station on an outstanding felony warrant. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.

• A man identified by police as Robert Armstrong, 26, was arrested at South Hayward station on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. He was booked at Santa Rita Jail.

Thursday, July 29
• At 2:37 p.m. a man identified by police as Michael Washington, 46, of San Francisco was arrested at Milpitas station on an outstanding warrant. He was booked at Santa Clara County Main Jail.

CHP Log
Submitted by CHP Hayward

Friday, July 30
• At 2:34 a.m. CHP officers responded to a call about a vehicle blocking the lanes of I-880 southbound near Winton Avenue in Hayward. Arriving units found a still-running, but unoccupied Honda CRV in the No. 4 Lane. They found the injured driver lying in the lane about 300 feet south. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by arriving medical personnel. CHP searched the area for another vehicle that may have been involved in the incident, but found nothing. The victim’s identity was not immediately released. An investigation is continuing; anyone who witnessed it, or has information is asked to call the CHP at (510) 489-1500.

Fremont Fire Department Log
Submitted by Fremont Fire Department

Tuesday, July 27
• At 9:53 a.m. firefighters responded to a report about a vegetation fire in a drainage canal behind a daycare facility in the 700 block of Brown Road in the Warm Springs area. A structure was slightly threatened with damage to about 10-feet of a surrounding redwood fence. The daycare facility was evacuated as a precaution. The fire was contained to about one-half acre; no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was undetermined.

Fremont Police Log
Submitted by Geneva Bosques, Fremont PD

Friday, July 23
• At about 11:45 p.m. a male was inside his apartment in the 41000 block of Fremont Blvd. when an unknown male broke into the unit holding a small knife. Then the resident screamed, the suspect quickly fled the scene. Several people nearby chased after the suspect who was soon found by responding officers. The suspect, identified by police as Jeffrey Odell, 29, was arrested.

Saturday, July 24
• At about 12:06 p.m. officers responded to a report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, officers located a victim with multiple stab wounds. Detectives determined the wounds were non-life threatening and made in self-defense. A man, identified by police as William Gunther, 37, of Fremont was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and domestic violence.

• At about 9:16 p.m. a stabbing occurred in the area of Papillon Terrace in the Irvington area. A male suspect showed up to a birthday party with a family member and a fight broke out. The suspect punched and stabbed the victim several times. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Monday, July 26
• At about 9:59 p.m. officers located a stolen vehicle in the area of Fremont and Washington boulevards in the Irvington area and made a high-risk traffic stop. The first occupant, identified by police as Stevi Lenning, 32, of Pollock Pines was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle. The second occupant, identified by police as Richard Lenning, 41, of Sacramento was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant for attempted murder issued by El Dorado County.

DUI patrols, checkpoint planned in Hayward
Submitted by Sgt. Tasha DeCosta, Hayward PD

Hayward Police Department (HPD) will have additional officers on patrol throughout the city starting at 6:00 p.m. Friday, August 6 who will be specifically looking for drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Additionally, starting at 7:00 p.m. they will operate a DUI/driver license checkpoint at an undisclosed location in the city. Both operations will continue until 2:00 a.m. the next day.

DUI checkpoints and patrols are done in locations with a history of DUI-related collisions and arrests. During the checkpoint, officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing.

A DUI charge is not cheap. Drivers charged with DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license and possible jail time. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hayward Police Log
Submitted by Hayward PD

Sunday, July 18
• At 7:29 a.m. officers responded to a report of a robbery near the intersection of Jackson and Watkins streets. The suspect was located and taken into custody.

• At 10:14 p.m. an unknown person entered a business in the 700 block of A Street and simulated having a handgun, then robbed the business and fled the scene. Police are investigating.

Wednesday, July 21
• At 9:17 p.m. an unknown person approached a male near the 28000 block of Huntwood Avenue and forcibly robbed him and fled the scene. An investigation is continuing.

Saturday, July 24
• At 6:08 a.m. an unknown person approached a victim near the 300 block of W. Jackson Street and brandished a handgun, robbed the victim and fled the scene. An investigation is continuing.

• At 10:19 p.m. officers responded to the 22000 block of Wildwood St. on a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. Officers located the suspect and took him into custody.

Police in San Leandro share updates with community
Submitted by San Leandro PD

During the Monday, July 26 San Leandro City Council meeting, officials from the San Leandro Police Department (SLPD) presented their ongoing initiatives and departmental updates to council members and the community.

The department highlighted its ongoing work using the Six Pillars for 21st Century Policing guidelines generated by President Obama’s Task Force in 2015 which outlines best practices for progressive, engaged, and effective policing.

SLPD officials shared their goals and progress on each of the Pillars:
• Building Trust and Legitimacy
• Policy and Oversight
• Technology and social media
• Community Policing and Crime Reduction
• Officer Training and Education
• Officer Safety and Wellness

The department also presented SLPD’s “Our Path Forward” campaign highlighting the importance and renewed efforts of community engagement and safety partnerships. The department highlighted its community outreach efforts and plans to redouble those efforts as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

Additionally, the department gave an overview on crime statistics and trends, as well as the police department’s strategies and responses. There has been a significant uptick in gun crime, and while the department has made significant arrests and seizures of guns, there is more work to do.

Interim Chief Susan Manheimer said, “As we emerge from this global pandemic amid significant focus on social justice and police reforms, we want to share our initiatives that are focused on embracing and aligning with our community’s values. We know that working together with our community we can effectively combat crime and enhance the quality of life for all who live, work, and recreate in this great city.”

A copy of The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Community Policing can be downloaded at https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finalreport.pdf.