Metro Workshop
ANNOUNCING: Professor of journalism Burt Dragin of Laney College will speak on "The Importance of Local Journalism" at the annual Metro Workshop for staff, board, and new volunteers on Saturday, January 18, 2003, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Fruitvale Pres
.

Brookdale Rec Serves 1000 Kids
Meredith Florian
Entering Brookdale Center, dodging basketballs and happy, noisy children, I felt engulfed bya maelstrom of activity. At the eye of this storm is Center Director and matriarch Daphne"Danni" Gammage, who herself grew up on the playgrounds of Oakland.

Laurel Elementary School Soars in Academic Performance
Kaye Stewart
Dear Laurel Elementary School Community: Congratulations! The CA State Academic Performance Index (API) ranks Laurel ElementarySchool number 13 out of 63 Oakland public elementary schools. Laurel's 2001-02 APIexceeds that of Carl Munk, Sequoia.

Ring in the New Year with New Music at Mills
Shauna Laurel Jones
Walking around the Mills campus, you've heard the sounds of students talking to each other as they head to class, birds twittering above the tree-lined paths, and the soft gurgling of the stream. You've also admired the historical architecture. But w.

Wind in the Willows, Chapter Five
Norman Gee, Artistic Director, Oakland Public Theater
A Rat. A Mole. Friendship. A long trek through the snow. And a group of children from the audience chosen to participate at each show. These are the key elements of the Oakland Public Theater's winter offering, Wind in the Willows: Chapter V, Dulce Domum.

Onions & Orchids
Peter Bond
Dear readers: This writer does search for individuals and businesses worthy of inclusion in this column, but he relies mostly on input from others. So please e-mail your ideas for Onions & Orchids to bpbond\@aol.com.Onions to Dimond Realty at 2715 .

Stop the Killing
Sheila D'Amico
As this column is being written, Oakland has just experienced its 100th homicide in 2002.Most, but not all, involved young African-American men. Most occurred in East Oakland orWest Oakland, but some occurred right in the heart of the Metro readership area.

Thank You! to Our Distributors
You go to your local merchant, and there is the MacArthur Metro. Or you look on your doorstep, and there is the MacArthur Metro. How do these papers appear? Through the volunteer efforts of individuals, many of whom have been delivering Metros for years.
The following volunteers (listed alphabetically with names hopefully spelled correctly) deserve a sincere thank-you. Without their efforts, the 7,000 monthly papers would not reach you.Edie AlleynePeter BondJerry BowlingColleen BrownKathy .