Mabry's Barbershop
Madeline Smith Moore
No candy-cane barber pole announces this establishment, but there can be no mistake as to the kind of shop it is. An electric clipper is skillfully painted on the window, along with a colorful sign that touts Style Cuts, Razor Shaves, Tapers, Fades, Afros, and more. It's Friday afternoon.

PHOTO #2 [group photo]: West Side Church students from Washington and FruitvaleChurch adults at rededication of church nursery after completion of students' upgradingwork.
Out-of-State Volunteers Help Local Church
By Gordon LavertyIn the first week of August about 20 students from West Side Church of Richland, Washington, came to Oakland to help Fruitvale Presbyterian Church and a local public school.Led by associate pastor C. J. Olson, the visiting studen.

A Guessing Game
Which of the objects in this photo got a "notice of violation" from the City of Oakland? A) Theabandoned auto, B) the slummy little house with the filthy windows, C) the yard with theweeds, or D) the brand-new fence that borders the property? If you answered D, you'd be correct.

Future Looks Good for the Dimond District
Maryann Miller
Realtor Al Khatibi has seen many changes in this community since the mid-'70s, when he was shaking martinis at the Horseshoe Bar and Restaurant on MacArthur Boulevard. Back then he was studying business management at UC Berkeley by day and cracking jokes with faithful patrons by night.

Work on Laurel Streetscape
John Frando
A concrete-saw operator noisily slices through a lane of MacArthur Boulevard as cars andbuses squeeze past orange cones and construction warning signs. Work on the Laurel Streetscape Improvement Project has progressed another block, and CivilE.

Letters to the Editor
I would like to take this opportunity to comment on an item in your August "Onions and Orchids."
The Dimond District has been without a walking officer for several months, and while different groups and City Council are attempting to rectify this matter, it should be noted that the Dimond District has other police personnel at their disposal to.

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.Orchids to the volunteers, espec.

Creek Protection at Stake
Hugo Evans, Friends of Peralta Creek
The Friends of Peralta Creek formed in January because of concerns about preserving thePeralta Creek corridor along Rettig Avenue. The Oakland General Plan calls the Rettigcorridor the "only natural open space in the area," and recommends it be .