Three people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation with “mild to moderate” injuries, according to Berkeley Fire.
Zac Farber
Before joining Berkeleyside as managing editor in April 2021, Zac was editor of the Southwest Journal, a 30,000-circulation biweekly community paper in Minneapolis, MN. While there, he led coverage of the killing of George Floyd, launched a special reporting project that tracked the coronavirus pandemic’s toll on the community, and spearheaded improved reporting on the city's Somali and Latino communities. Zac was also an editor at Patch Twin Cities, a web producer at WCCO-TV and a web editor and staff writer at the Finance & Commerce newspaper.
Posted inCrime & Safety
Update: Berkeley woman, 31, charged with arson after Albany Hill fire
Two fires were reported in Albany Sunday afternoon. A security guard told police a Berkeley woman may have set one of them.
Posted inCrime & Safety
Arsonist in People’s Park set tent on fire with man inside, police say
A man living in the park has been hospitalized after someone lit his tent on fire Tuesday morning and hit him multiple times with a golf club, police say.
Posted inCommunity
We’re growing! Berkeleyside is adding 2 new journalists to the newsroom
Ximena Natera, a veteran visual journalist, will be our first-ever staff photographer. Iris Kwok, a recent Cal grad with bylines around the Bay, will report a new climate beat.
Posted inCommunity
Berkeleyside’s Ally Markovich wins SPJ NorCal award for speaking ‘truth to power’
She won a James Madison Freedom of Information Award for her deep dive into sexual misconduct allegations against a Berkeley High teacher.
Posted inCity
Heavy winds bring fallen trees, mass power outages to Berkeley
Downed trees and fallen traffic signals prompted police to warn people away from a few North Berkeley neighborhoods in the middle of the night.
Posted inBerkeleyside
Berkeleyside welcomes education reporter Ally Markovich onto staff
She will continue to bring to our newsroom her thoughtful, tenacious coverage of the Berkeley school district and other local education institutions.
Posted inCity
‘So much history’ lost in West Berkeley tattoo shop fire
A preliminary investigation by the Berkeley Fire Department points to an electrical malfunction.
Posted inCrime & Safety
Woman hospitalized, 2 displaced after South Berkeley apartment fire
The fire started around 6 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment building near the intersection of Sacramento Street and Ashby Avenue.
Posted inHousing & Development
Berkeley’s homes are selling highest above asking price in U.S., report says
A new report finds that Berkeley houses sold for about 19% more than asking price on average from January to March — the highest nationwide.
Posted inCommunity
As mass tree death worsens, East Bay parks get $10M for removal
About 1,500 acres of trees in the East Bay Regional Park District have been affected by a new die-off pattern that’s seen as dangerous during fire season.
Posted inCity
Residents asked to shelter in place briefly after North Berkeley gas leak
Repairs were completed on the damaged gas line by around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.