News you don't want to miss for April 20:

1. Fifty-one employees at Safeway's distribution warehouse in Tracy have been infected with covid-19, including one death, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.…

News you don't want to miss for April 21:

1. Those who suffer the effects of poor air quality are at greater risk of complications associated with the coronavirus, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.…

News you don't want to miss for April 22:

1. Oakland is looking at a potentially historic $80 million budget shortfall over the next year, Bay City News reports.…

News you don't want to miss for April 23:

1. BART learned on Thursday that $250 million in recent federal relief funds will allow it to balance its budget for this fiscal year, with $78 million remaining, BART Board Director Rebecca Saltzman said.…

News you don't want to miss for April 24:

1. San Francisco Mayor London Breed provided a hint on Friday that the city's shelter in place order will be extended past May 4, possibly weeks or a month, KPIX reports.…

News you don't want to miss for April 27:

1. Alameda County, along with five other Bay Area counties, announced the shelter in place order will be extended through the end of May, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.…

News you don't want to miss for April 28:

1. The upcoming school year could open early, maybe in July, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday, the East Bay Times reports.…

Trump's Drug Tout Threatens Patients, News, Apr. 8 Sjogren's is a real disease, with real consequences for its sufferers…

The LA Times drops into Richmond and gets it all wrong. Richmond, the second largest city in Contra Costa County, has had remarkable success fighting the coronavirus — so much so that it and the county are national models. Officials acted quickly and decisively to mobilize resources, info, and healthcare services while providing economic protections for renters and homeowners.…

Coronavirus Journal: Virus hitting unincorporated areas in Alameda County hard. The forecast for Alameda County's short-term fiscal health will come into focus this week and it could be sobering news for those who depend greatly on the county's safety net services. County supervisors will learn at a budget workshop session on Thursday the extent of the damage caused by COVID-19 on the local economy.…

Plus, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department updates it budget request. Body-camera video of the fatal shooting of Steven Taylor by San Leandro Police last Saturday shows the officer and the victim were face-to-face just moments before he was shot in the chest. The San Leandro Police Department released what they called a "critical incident video" last week.…

The news media requires financial assistance, which should follow these guidelines. If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it is that the work of journalists and photojournalists is essential. Without it how would we know how our communities are being affected?…

News you don't want to miss for April 29:

1. Alameda County and five other Bay Area counties issued a revised shelter in place order on Wednesday that will allow for some outdoor activities to resume, such as, construction work, landscaping, gardening, golf and tennis, SFGate reports.…

News you don't want to miss for April 30:

1. The five fired Oakland police officers involved in the shooting of Joshua Pawlik in 2018 were reinstated after it was found the Oakland Police Commission violated the Brown Act, the state law for transparency in public meetings, KPIX reports.…

News you don't want to miss for May 1:

1. Oakland's lawsuit against the Raiders and the NFL over the team's relocation to Las Vegas was dismissed by a federal court judge on Thursday, according to Bleacher Report.…

REBBL's Gold Label Mayan Cocoa Elixir has just won the 2020 NEXTY Award for "Best New Ready-to-Drink Beverage."

Its ingredients include maca, reishi, maitake, turkey tail mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms, cayenne, and ashwagandha, among others.…

News you don't want to miss for May 4:

1. Businesses such as bookstores, florists, clothing retailers, among others, can begin to reopen on Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced, according to the Associated Press.…

To celebrate National Nurses' Week, Ike's Love & Sandwiches is offering all healthcare workers with ID 50 percent off the price of their in-store takeout orders tomorrow, May 6.

Boasting over seventy locations in five states — including locations in Berkeley and Oakland — the cult-favorite San Francisco-based sandwich outfit is also donating hundreds of sandwiches throughout the next seven days to healthcare facilities throughout California and Arizona.…

News you don't want to miss for May 5:

1. "UC Berkeley is in negotiations to purchase — and then potentially tear down — a 111-year-old rent-controlled apartment building on Walnut Street where some residents have lived for more than 25 years," Berkeleyside reports.…

Covid-19 propels push for federal cannabis relief; advocates see parallel with Prohibition Major political and social changes often seem impossible until they happen. The Supreme Court's 2015 ruling recognizing gay marriage surprised most observers, including those who had been working toward the goal for decades.…

Having a baby was complicated even before the coronavirus pandemic added a new set of issues to the equation By Amani Hamed Every morning, Shanell Qualls, 26, leaves her two toddlers with her husband and travels to the hospital where she gave birth to their third child on March 9.…

Coronavirus Journal: restrictions are easing across the region and state Bay Area health officials have eased some restrictions in the latest shelter-in-place order that's at curbing the coronavirus outbreak.…

You may not yet be able to bike to work, but that's all the more reason to embrace cycling Buying a bicycle has always been a life-changing experience for many, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, it can bring a heightened sense of freedom and control to one's life. Lydia Felt was previously too terrified to ride a bicycle on roadways.…

East Bay governments plan for revenue declines and budget cuts while bemoaning lack of federal assistance The massive $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act set aside $339.8 billion in federal aid for state and local governments affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.…

There is no good reason to create unnecessary barriers for dental telehealth services As many Californians know from getting braces or filling cavities, dental care can be a huge investment. Cost concerns are at top of mind when considering visiting the dentist; one study found that it was the main barrier to dental care even for adults with private insurance.…

Face Covering Is Now the Law, Feature, Apr. 22 No Mask For Me Until They Force me…

Impossible Foods, whose huge production facility is ion 85th Street in Oakland, has just announced a huge retail expansion, with its mega-popular plant-based Impossible Burger being rolled out this week at over 1,700 grocery stores nationwide.

All of those stores are owned by The Kroger Co., which operates in 28 states under many different brands including Pay Less, Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, Fred Meyer, and many more.…

News you don't want to miss for May 6:

1. Former Oakland Chief of Police Anne Kirkpatrick filed a lawsuit alleging the Oakland Police Commission, which fired her earlier this year, did so as retaliation for Kirkpatrick blowing the whistle on their own wrongdoing, including seeking personal favors, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.…

Gold Label Mayan Cocoa Elixir, made by Emeryville-based REBBL, has just won the 2020 NEXTY Award for "Best New Ready-to-Drink Beverage."

Its ingredients include maca, reishi, maitake, turkey tail mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms, cayenne, and ashwagandha, among others.…

News you don't want to miss for May 7:

Just a few months ago, California was sitting on an overflowing reserve fund. After covid-19, the state is now reconciling with a massive $54.3 billion deficit over the next fiscal year, Calmatters reports.…

An employee at a Dunkin' (formerly Dunkin' Donuts) restaurant in Concord has inspired the company's brand-new DIY Dunkin' Donut Kits.

Norma Valkenaar asked the restaurant's franchisee, Matt Cobo, whether she could bring home some donuts, frosting, and sprinkles so that her young nephews could experiment with customizing their own treats.…

News you don't want to miss for May 8-10:

1. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned she may consider closing some city parks, including Lake Merritt, if social distancing rules are not followed, KTVU reports.…

A travel accessory designed to provide comfort to the user during a trip contains a neck-rest, a travel cape, and an attachment mechanism. The neck-rest is removably attached to the travel cape so that the user can utilize the neck-rest and the travel cape independently. The neck-rest has a stuffing which is concealed within a hollow body of the neck-rest. The stuffing is secured in position with a fastening mechanism such as a zipper. Additionally, the neck-rest also contains a first pocket and a second pocket which are used for storing items used during travelling. For user convenience, the travel cape is designed with a first-arm receiving hole and a second-arm receiving hole. In order to transport the neck-rest and the travel cape a carrying bag is also provided. A plurality of storage pockets on the carrying bag allow the user to store items that are essential when travelling.

A method includes embedding clothing with at least one sensor and at least one control unit; a power unit powering on the at least one sensor and the at least one control unit; the at least one sensor monitoring a sensed condition; the at least one control unit conducting a heat prediction based on the sensed condition; and the at least one control unit controlling threads within the clothing based on the heat prediction to actively adjust properties of the clothing.

This disclosure relates to a garment having zippers for separating the garment into two halves. The garment has a zipper on the front and a zipper on the back. The halves can be mixed and matched according to preference for color, surface ornamentation, or material. Each half has an inside pocket that can be used for storing an additional garment half. The garment may optionally include a hood. In embodiments where the garment has a hood, the back zipper may unzip as the slider is moved in the downward direction, thereby allowing the user to separate the hood and fold the hood into a collar.

A nursing cover for a user, the nursing cover including a closed loop band having a front portion and a top opening through which the user is allowed to penetrate and a plurality of flexible boning supports disposed on the front portion. The plurality of flexible boning supports provides structural integrity while the user nurses an infant underneath the front portion to prevent the nursing cover from interfering with the infant being nursed by the user, to allow better circulation of airflow for the infant underneath the nursing cover and to provide a better line of sight for the nursing mother to view her infant underneath the nursing cover.

A convertible swimsuit top may include a top portion, a mid-portion, and a slider. The top portion may include a lower edge and a row of protruding teeth along the lower edge of the top portion. The mid-portion may include an upper edge and a row of protruding teeth along the lower edge of the top portion. The row of protruding teeth along the lower edge of the top portion and the row of protruding teeth along the upper edge of the mid-portion may be configured to engage and disengage one another via the slider. The row of protruding teeth along the lower edge of the top portion and the row of teeth along the upper edge of the mid portion may extend for less than the entire length of the lower edge of the top portion.

A system and method for identifying areas of a processing plant in which a glove is damaged. The system includes utilizing color-coded sets of gloves in different areas or processing steps within the plant. All the gloves used in a particular plant are provided with a unique identifier. If a piece of a glove is located in the product within the plant, the color of that piece indicates the area or process of the plant in which the glove was used. If a piece of a damaged glove is located in the product at a remote destination, the unique identifier in that piece is matched with a registry to determine the plant in which the glove was used. The color of the piece then helps the plant to identify where the damaged glove was used. The system and method are particularly helpful in the food processing industry, especially meat processing.

A data security pocket and garment is disclosed for better positioning and protecting data and information contained in a card or device for housing such information from its theft or misappropriation when it is placed in the pocket portion of the invention. The pocket portion of the invention is specially positioned on and secured to a portion of the garment or clothing surface near or adjacent to the arm-pit area with which it is used in combination, with its own design, to provide a more protective pocket environment for placement and transportation of a card, chip or other data/information carrying or storing device or means. The pocket and the garment in combination make up four layers from which the pocket is constructed, secured and positioned. These layers include the top pocket layer (12); the top security layer (14) and the bottom security layer (16), each fabricated from security anti-RFID material; and the garment, clothing or base layer (18). These layers are connected one to the other so that the pocket portion has a first accessible opening (40) and a second accessible opening (42) when secured in proper position on the garment (18). Further provided is the trim security flap cover (22), also fabricated from security anti-RFID material, and the upper cover enclosure (20), each of which is secured above the pocket portion on the garment layer (18), and which pivot and close over the top pocket layer (12). Coupling is provided for both the upper cover enclosure (20) and the top pocket layer (12); and the trim security flap cover (22) and the top pocket layer (12). In another aspect of the invention an auxiliary security area (39) is provided on the top pocket layer (12) adjacent or near the coupling for the trim security flap (22).

A preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates a baseball cap-type hat having a head covering portion as well as a forward facing bill. A sweat or liquid absorbing element preferably a terry cloth towel is removably attached to the bill or permanently affixed using hook and pile fastening means. In a preferred embodiment, the hook and pile fastening means half attached to the bill includes an opening to provide a storage compartment in which a key, coin, or other small object may be stored. If desired, the towel may be permanently stitched to the underside of the bill of the cap. In a further alternative, the towel may be made of a hyper-evaporative material.

A head guard is provided which has a fabric layer and a padding layer. The padding layer can be attached to the fabric layer. The head guard is stretchable between a relaxed configuration and an expanded configuration. The expanding configuration has a convex shape such that it can conform to a head of a wearer. The head guard can be worn by a wearer in combination with a helmet.

A helmet for rotational energy management can include an outer energy management layer comprising an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. The inner surface can comprise a first slidable finish comprising a first glaze comprising a thickness less than or equal to 2 millimeters (mm). An inner energy management layer can be disposed within the outer energy management layer and further comprise an outer surface oriented towards the outer energy management layer and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. The outer surface can comprise a second slidable finish that directly contacts the first slidable finish. The second slidable finish can comprise a second glaze comprising a thickness less than or equal to 2 mm. A space between the first slidable finish and the second slidable finish can be devoid of a lubricant and devoid of any interstitial slip layer.

An integral helmet, in particular a so-called full-face helmet, that is preferably designed with a shell construction, comprising a helmet upper-shell unit with an integrated neck unit and a chin protection unit with a jaw clamp, wherein the chin protection unit is detachably connectable to the helmet upper-shell unit so as to form the integral helmet, wherein the chin protection unit is designed for connection to the neck unit as an open chin bar unit with end areas that are separated from one another at a distance so that, in the assembled state, the end areas form a completely closed unit together with the neck unit. Also, a method for connecting and/or disconnecting, without the use of tools, a chin protection unit having a jaw clamp to, or from, a helmet upper-shell unit having an integrated neck unit, so as to form an integral helmet, in particular an integral helmet.

A protective glove including a cable joined with a spool that is joined with the glove. At least one protective pad can be joined with the hand portion to protect the cable and a wearer's hand. The spool can include a rotatable dial to wind and/or unwind the cable onto or off from the spool to increase and/or decrease the tension applied to the cable. In turn, this adjusts at least one of a lateral dimension and a longitudinal dimension of the hand portion of the glove to custom fit the wearer's hand.

Provided is a shirt garment,—a short-sleeved, or long-sleeved, waist-length, hip-length, or tunic-length—shirt, which is made of material that is a relatively non-absorbent or hydrophobic substance able to wick perspiration off of the wearer's body, and which also contains an integrated section on the front of the shirt, and at the bottom one-third, to bottom one-half of the front of the shirt, but which may extend beyond this region, which is made of a relatively absorbent or hydrophilic substance, which, when grasped by the wearer, and lifted upward by the wearer and towards the wearer's face, is capable of wiping off the sweat from the wearer's face, eyes, eyebrows, and forehead, thereby absorbing sweat from this area, all the while the wearer continues to engage in his or her physical activity. In a second scenario, and using these same principles, the absorbent layer is detachable, and while detached, is used by the wearer to wipe sweat away from the wearer's face, brow and neck. It is then re-attached all the while the wearer continues to pursue the physical activity.

A combined collar stabilizer and button closure tool adds a utility that facilitates securing a button to an accessory that fits into the collar pocket of a shirt, and provides an aesthetically pleasing, straight, crisp, well-groomed appearance of the shirt collar. The combined collar stabilizer and button closure tool increases the efficiency and eases the process required to secure the button closure of a shirt for buttons with a range of diameters needed for buttons of various sizes. The combined tool is made of a substantial material without limiting pliability, is a single form, consists of two distinct ends, and is shaped to substantially fit within the collar stay pocket. One end of the tool is angular in shape and accommodates the angle of the collar pocket tip. The other end, proximate to the end of the collar pocket, is designed to facilitate the closure of a button closure system.

The disclosed herein is a personal rain protection device that serves as an umbrella combined and connected with a vest. The umbrella and vest combination can function in all types of rainstorms. The vest aspect is located at the torso of a wearer and extends from the users shoulders. The vest element also includes relatively light weights at the tail end of the vest to protect against succumbing to powerful wind gusts. The present invention, including the umbrella, is not handheld, but rather it is worn along with the vest to which the umbrella is attached to.

A swimsuit (1) has an outer shell (2) made of a flexible stretchable fabric and forms a tubular trunk portion (6) and two tubular thigh portions (7), the swimsuit (1) comprising two back stiffening lines (8) continuously connected to the outer shell (2) and extending each in a generally longitudinal direction of a one of the thigh portions (7) from a rear region (9) of the thigh portion (7) across a rear region of the trunk portion (6), in which said back stiffening lines (8) have a tensile stiffness greater than a tensile stiffness of said outer shell (2).

Clothing articles (e.g., aquatic “board” shorts) are generally comprised of at least one unitary woven fabric panel having multiple seamlessly adjacent different fabric weave sections. These seamlessly adjacent different fabric weave sections may be selected from plain fabric weaves, twill fabric weaves and/or Dobby fabric weaves. Aquatic activity shorts are provided which include a one piece rear fabric panel providing a seamless back rise.

Articles of apparel include: (a) a garment structure having one or more fabric elements structured and arranged to provide a close fit to at least one predetermined portion of a body (e.g., area(s) of the body for which enhanced position sensing and/or feedback are desired, such as the lower back, the arch of the foot, etc.); and (b) a body position feedback system engaged with or integrally formed as part of the garment structure. The body position feedback system may apply higher tensile or constricting forces to selected portions of the wearer's body, which can help stimulate or interact with nerves and deep tissue receptors located in various portions of the body. The increased forces at selected locations of the body give the wearer sensory feedback regarding the position or orientation of these parts of the body and can improve or accelerate development of “muscle memory.”