In a widely expected move, the Board of Education approved a new master plan for the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) at its Feb. 23 meeting. The vote was 4-1 for approval, with only Board Member Trish Spencer dissenting. The master plan is a possible road map for the district to follow in case certain financial situations arise. In the last few months, many Alameda residents have been extremely curious about the plan and what it means for the district.

According to sources in the Alameda Fire Department, the city of Alameda will soon be spending $40,000 in taxpayer dollars to Harold C. Cohen's Arlington, Va. consulting firm, TriData, a division of System Planning Corporation. Cohen would spend 60 days studying the possibility of replacing the city's ambulance service with a private provider. Domenick Weaver, president of the firefighters' union, told the Alameda Sun that the city's aim is to get six firefighters who provide the service today — two firefighters on each of the city's three ambulances — off the city's payroll.