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Catherine "Kate" Rauch has been contributing to Berkeleyside for several years, and also happens to live in Berkeley, near downtown. Her work as a journalist has encompassed everything from 10 years as a daily news reporter for the East Bay Times, based in Richmond, to freelancing for a range of news sources including the Washington Post, Newsday, the Seattle Times, SF Chronicle and Oakland Magazine. Kate likes general assignment work and jumping into a variety of topics and stories, but has a background as a health writer, which includes writing for WebMD, Babycenter.com, Caring.com, UC San Francisco Medical Center, Kaiser and Sutter Health. Her awards include a first place in health and science writing from the Washington State Press Association, a first place in spot news from the Peninsula Press Club, and a second place in feature writing from the California Association of Newspaper Publishers. She's also worked as an anthropologist in rural Alaska. She has an MS degree from the Columbia School of Journalism and a BS from UC Berkeley in cultural geography.
A group of activists believes that the proliferation of 4G and 5G sites will increase radiation output and increase cancer cases. Widely accepted science does not back them up.
The public health division uses contact tracers to figure out who has become exposed to the novel coronavirus. Then those people are asked to self-isolate to stop further spread.
Unions want to be able to continue building and argue their workers can follow social distancing rules.
Individuals and groups have set up systems to connect volunteers with people who need help. So far there are more volunteers than people seeking assistance.
Theaters are selling fewer tickets, museums are seeing fewer visitors, and restaurants are seeing a significant drop in business.
Berkeley’s parking meters get cleaned once a week, including by Marlonn Wright who says his work is getting noticed more due to the heightened awareness about preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Hand sanitizers now abound in senior residences. Friends and family members who are sick are being asked to stay away and to communicate through Skype or other electronic means.
A group of local residents celebrated three years ago when plans for a Verizon cell site in their neighborhood were dropped. Now, many of them are back at it.
A number of property owners are challenging how the city assesses special taxes. They believe they have been overcharged and are seeking redress.
Air quality in the city has been improving steadily over the day Monday, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s monitor in West Berkeley. As of noon, the rating was listed as moderate.
The sale transfers 314 units around downtown that mostly house students and could bring over $4 million in transfer taxes to the city.
After power was shut off to UC Berkeley and thousands of homes and businesses starting at 11 p.m. on Oct. 9, Berkeleyans found ways to cope.
On a recent Saturday, neighbors heard a commotion. Police had arrived, there was shouting and two brothers who’d lived all their lives in a small stucco house on Evelyn Ave. were being forcibly evicted to the street.
The site, known for its mid-century homes, isn’t under protective status, but current residents hope the new owner will “be respectful and honor the Common.”
While many gym members don’t like the idea that a major investor in the fitness facilities threw a fundraiser for Trump, they said canceling their memberships might hurt those who work there.
When the homeowner did not voluntarily repair his house, a court-appointed receiver spent around $550K to fix it. The City Council will review the situation on Tuesday.
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