Our bi-weekly newswire is a roundup of local news stories and high-performing social media posts relevant to Emeryville residents aggregated from around the web.
In this post covering the second half of February and early March, we share stories including another delay of the grand opening of the Emeryville Five Guys Burger, A Black History Month lesson being taught at Anna Yates Elementary by local firefighters, a minor collision of an AC Transit bus, a Public Works snafu and a concerning report about the status of Caltrans storage spaces underneath freeways.
(please note that some stories may be behind a paywall).
Alameda County Fire Department recognizes Black history in fire service for student event
By Crystal Bailey
Students at Anna Yates Elementary in Emeryville celebrated Black History Month with a special visit and history lesson from Alameda County firefighters.
Alameda County Fire Department gave an extensive presentation recognizing the contributions of Black firefighters locally and nationwide in an assembly called “Chief is my belief.”
AC Transit Bus Collision at 64th & Shellmound
Avalon & Artistry residents reacted to a bus crash near 64th & Shellmound on Sunday, Feb. 18. The collision by an AC Transit Line 29 bus caused a light pole to topple over causing minor damage to a parked car.
“The incident occurred when the Bus Operator attempted to slow and stop the coach but inadvertently pressed the accelerator, causing the bus to roll over the curb.” according to AC Transit Media Affairs Manager Robert Lyles.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries caused by the incident.
Five Guys Burger Grand Opening Delayed Again
The highly anticipated Emeryville Five Guys Grand Opening has been delayed again. They were originally forecast to open at the end of 2023. This date was later amended to February 29. Exterior signage permitting was partially to blame.
The cause of the most recent delay is with their fire alarm permitting. “We were told timeline is 2-3 weeks and is done by an outside firm so don’t really have a way to get updates until permit is approved and ready to be issued,” according to franchise owner James Kahn.
Nearly all Caltrans under-freeway lease spaces in Bay Area failed fire inspections
By John Woolfolk
An alarming number of storage sites under Bay Area freeway underpasses failed state fire marshal inspections spurred by last year’s devastating blaze that shut down Interstate 10 in Los Angeles, according to new Caltrans reports that raise questions about the risks of leasing space under California’s highways.
Street Sign Error amuses, confuses Residents
Neighbors recently pointed out a misspelling to a recently installed street sign at Shellmound and 64th. The street sign for Shellmound Street at spelled “Shellmond” (missing a “u”).
The error has been pointed out to city officials with no timetable for its replacement.
Re: street sign
Pretty typical for our inept public works department. They couldn’t draw a straight line if they were given a pencil and a ruler.