News you don’t want to miss for Sept. 25:
1. The Humanist Hall event space in Oakland has been holding large gatherings since July, sometimes in excess of 100 people in violation of the county’s health orders, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The owner of the hall said he believes the coronavirus is nothing more than a “bad flu.” $$
2. A large coronavirus testing event in the Fruitvale District returns this weekend after it was postponed earlier this month due to poor air quality cause by the wildfires, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. About 4,000 free tests for adults and children in the predominately Latino district will be given over the weekend. Organizers hope to glean information about the spread of the virus within area’s population. $$
3. Berkeley’s Shellmound was added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation list of endangered historic sites, KTVU reports. The location, currently serving as a parking lot, could be the site of a new development.
4. East Bay natives Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal will headline an online fundraiser on Saturday afternoon to help Oakland’s Fairyland, Boing Boing reports. Other celebrities will help out by reading children’s stories. Fairyland’s finances have taken a significant hit during the pandemic.
5. More than a quarter of all the jobless claims in the U.S. last week came from California, the East Bay Times reports. The U.S. Labor Department estimates 230,400 workers in the state filed claims last week, which is an increase of 4,000 from the week prior. $$
6. The Pac-12 Conference flip-flopped and will play a shortened seven-game college football season scheduled to begin on Nov. 6, ESPN reports. The conference initially said it will postpone the season until sometime after Jan. 1 due to concerns over the coronavirus. In addition, men’s and women’s college basketball can resume on Nov. 25.
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