Rob AriasIn this edition of our Semi-Monthly Newswire, we share five stories relevant to Emeryville that you may have missed including:
- Inna Jam Closing After 15 years
- Chauncey Bailey Killer Released
- 76 Gas Station Ram-Raided
- Flurry of Announcements for Pixar
- Casual Car Pool looking to make comeback
Inna Jam Winding Down Operations after 15 Years
Emeryville-founded Inna Jam is winding down operations after 15 years. Founder Dafna Kory made the decision to move on last year giving fans of her product time to stock up on their favorites.
Inna was heralded for its straight-forward approach to making jams. “People would always say it reminds them of the jam that their grandma or aunt or mom used to make, in its freshness and clarity,” Kory told KQED Food Editor Luke Tsai.
Inna will continue making its jams and shrubs through the end of September when it will fully cease operations.
Chauncey Bailey Killer Released After 17 Years
Devaughndre Broussard, the convicted killer of Oakland Journalist Chauncey Bailey, has been released from prison after serving 17 years of his 25 year sentence.
The August 2, 2007, daytime assassination of the 57-year-old Oakland Post editor shocked the region with Emeryville and North Oakland playing a prominent role in the story.
Bailey was targeted for doing investigative reporting about the internal workings and corruption of Your Black Muslim Bakery and its leadership.
It was later revealed that Broussard killed Bailey under the orders of Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV, son of Your Black Muslim founder Yusuf Bey. Bey IV is serving a lifetime sentence for his role in Bailey’s and two other murders.
Broussard, 19 years old at the time of killing and now 37, the was paroled to the Central Coast and prohibited from traveling to the Bay Area. “We hope he has reformed and becomes an asset to the community,” Bailey’s sister Lorelei Waqia provided in a brief statement to The East Bay Times.
76 Gas Station on Powell Ram-Raided
The 76 Gas Station on Powell was the recent victim of a so-called “Ram-Raid,” or ”Cash-and-Grab” on June 9. The tactic has become a familiar one to local businesses but the perpetrators getaway tactic was a new one to local authorities.
KTVU crime reporter Henry K. Lee obtained surveillance footage from the incident for his video segment.
The video shows stolen Honda Civic used to repeatedly ram the building to gain entry allowing the perpetrators access to an ATM machine. Unable to breach the machine, they settled on several cartons of cigarettes. An employee, who was present at the time of the burglary, apparently locked himself in the bathroom in fear of his own safety.
The footage show a vehicle using what appears to be a fire extinguisher to obscure the visibility of an Emeryville Police Patrol car that arrives on the scene in order to evade them.
The report notes the caravan of multiple cars fled in the direction Oakland. There have been no arrests.
Pixar Announces Incredibles 3 & Coco 2 Ahead of Elio Debut
June has been a busy month for our neighbors at Pixar. Last week, they announced that an Incredibles 3 was in the works with Elemental Director Peter Sohn at the helm. Incredibles 1 & 2 director Brad Bird stay on board to write the screenplay and co-produce. They have also green lit a sequel to the 2017 hit “Coco” with director Lee Unkrich set to return.
Meanwhile, the Animation Studio is preparing for the Friday release of “Elio.” The film follows the adventures of a troubled 11-year-old boy who is mistaken for Earth’s leader by an intergalactic organization. He must navigate a cosmic crisis to find his place in the universe. Pixar may have another hit on its hands with early reviews of the film garnering an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The studio has also teased Toy Story 5 (2026), and new feature length films Hoppers (2026) and Gatto (2027).
The studio is on a bit of a roll with the success of Inside Out 2 as well as their first original series “Win or Lose” available on their Disney Plus streaming service.
Efforts Underway to bring Back Casual Carpool
With traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels and bridge tolls continuing to climb, efforts are underway to bring back Casual Carpool.
Emeryville commuters were in the enviable position of being the last stop before the Bay Bridge and many relied on the service that saved drivers time and money.
The loosely organized service was a causality of the pandemic when concerns over transmission in tandem with a shift to remote work made it untenable. Now, organizers are trying to kick-start it back up.
“Over 8,000 cars cross the Bay Bridge during peak hour and RTO mandates will add over 322,000 more commuters into San Francisco by September 2025,” its states on their website. “So, it’s time to bring back Casual Carpool!”
Grassroots efforts are underway to bring back the service by asking interested parties to take their survey by July 13 and help spread the word. Their plan is to relaunch after they’ve successfully built a base of support.
