Former Emeryville Café Co-Owner Missing Since March 25

The search for Amy Hillyard, co-owner of Farley’s Coffee, remains ongoing more than two weeks after her disappearance on March 25. Hillyard and her husband Chris co-owned Farley’s on 65th from 2011-2016 (slated to become For the Love of Matcha) and still own locations in Oakland and SF.

Hillyard was last seen around 2 p.m. leaving her home in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights neighborhood and is believed to have left on foot. Surveillance footage later captured her near Dimond Park at approximately 4:30 p.m., marking the last confirmed sighting.

Authorities have classified her as “at risk” due to a recently disclosed bout of anxiety and depression which Hillyard was addressing with medication.

Family members and volunteers have organized ongoing search efforts, distributing flyers and canvassing neighborhoods.

Police are asking anyone with information to come forward as the search continues.

Emeryville AI Venture Mapping Human Brain for New Model

The former J.T. Thorpe and Son headquarters at 1351 Ocean Avenue is the site of a new venture to build Artificial General Intelligence (AIG) by reverse-engineering the human brain.

The venture is backed by crypto billionaire Jed McCaleb, who is investing $1 billion through his nonprofit, Astera Institute. Researchers are studying neural activity in animals and humans with the goal of translating those patterns into new AI architectures.

The approach departs from today’s dominant “transformer” models, instead exploring whether brain-inspired systems could offer gains in efficiency, interpretability and performance. If successful, the work could reshape AI development and raise broader questions about the relationship between biological and machine intelligence.

Official Ribbon Cutting for Nellie Hannon Gateway Project

Local officials and community members assembled on March 25 to celebrate the official Grand Opening of the Nellie Hannon Gateway Project.

The $91.5M supportive housing project that also houses the volunteer-led ECAP nonprofit that moved in November of last year.

The 88-year-old Hannon was on hand for the ceremony along with her brother Bobby Miller to acknowledge the completion of the project that dates back to 2017.

The $91.5M project was built on a block of San Pablo Avenue most recently occupied by Doug’s Bar-B-Q and Golden Gate Key & Lock.

Critics Slam Mandela House Transitional Housing as a ‘Failure’

Former occupants of the Mandela House are blasting the program for failing to provide them permanent housing.

The former Extended Stay America on Mandela Parkway was acquired by The City of Oakland a year ago to be used as transitional housing before being converted to permanent supportive housing. The facility was being administered by the nonprofit Housing Consortium of East Bay.

“This is fraud,” said homeless advocate Needa Bee. “They accepted money from the city, the city accepted money from the State, under very specific contract guidelines. And those contracts have been fully violated.”

Body of Deceased Woman Located With Help of Flock Camera System

The body of a Walnut Creek woman in her 60s was located in the Berkeley Marina on March 28. She is suspected of taking her own life following reports from a family member of having “suicidal thoughts.’

Her vehicle was located in Emeryville through the Flock Automated License Plate Reader technology approved for use in the city by council in 2023. Authorities were able to locate her parked vehicle followed by her body in the nearby waters of the Berkeley Marina where she apparently was a frequent visitor.

The surveillance capabilities of the system have come under scrutiny as of late for their misuse by local agencies and further potential for abuse. The technology’s implementation has coincided with a continued drop in crimes reported in the region.