The year 2008 was a historic year on many fronts, both for the city of Alameda as well as the nation. The historic Alameda Theater re-opened, and the public garage is now open. Alameda Towne Centre is thriving with its new restaurants and businesses. The Alameda Sun takes its annual look in the past.

January

Firefighters had difficulty accessing a vehicle fire at the Webster Tube. By the time they arrived at the scene, the vehicle was "fully engulfed in flames."

HUD awarded a $20.7 million grant to Alameda Point Housing, which gives employment support services and children's services to Alameda's homeless while giving them housing scholarships so they can get themselves back on their feet.

AUSD received some extremely bad news regarding state funding for public education. AUSD lost $4 million in revenue, and even special education services would receive a cut as large as 11 percent.

Alamedan Joyce Carroll saved a man's life while taking a different route to work one day looking for a newspaper. If she hadn't decided to leave work early and had taken her usual route, the man might not be alive today.

February

The Rosenblum winery was sold to a British conglomerate Diageo. Diageo agreed to keep management local, keep all current employees and stay at Alameda Point.

The AUSD budget was looking bleak with cuts up to $4.5 million, which would devastate the public school system. The Board of Education unanimously opposed the cuts in a resolution.

Two new benches at Washington Park were dedicated to Ichinkhorloo "Iko" Bayarsaikhan, the teen who was the victim of a botched robbery on Halloween 2007. Some 75 people showed up at the dedication.

Sponsored by Girls Inc. and the Alameda Recreational Parks Department, the annual Mardi Gras party was celebrated by young girls and their fathers as their "dates." Girls dressed up and danced to the tunes of DJ Strawberry Fields, as well as enjoyed making traditional masks to celebrate the occasion.

March

Encinal High School students exercised their First Amendment rights at a school-wide student walkout, protesting the state budget cuts for all public schools.

Alameda High School organized a girls' golf team, which won the North Coast Section Champion-ship. Emily Childs won the tournament, just as her father, John Childs, did 22 years earlier. She became the team captain.

The Altarena Playhouse received rave reviews for their production of Chicago. Theatergoers thoroughly enjoyed the performances, which all sold out.

According to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, both Oakland and San Francisco airports will be below sea level by the year 2100. There is little that individuals can do, except drive less to help reduce greenhouse gases. Will Travis, the commission's executive director, said that tidal wetlands are the only hope for California's coasts, since they remove carbon dioxide naturally.

April

Alameda High School students created their own AHS Environmental Club. Their mission is to educate their peers on environmental issues while creating interest and awareness and making Alameda High a "greener" place to learn.

Safeway celebrated its inaugural event to provide rehabilitation services and job training for people with all kinds of disabilities. Many VIPs arrived at the celebration, including Timothy Shriver.

The Alameda City Council approved the construction of seven two-story office buildings on Bay Farm Island adjacent to the ferry landing, in spite of protests by citizens who claimed that the construction would destroy habitat for burrowing owls and create too much traffic. In other news, the City Council also opposed aerial spraying to control the apple moth, claiming that the activists against the apple moth are "misinforming the public."

Measure H, the school parcel tax, barely passed in a special election, even with unclear language regarding the payment of administration officials. Measure H was to ensure that enrichment programs such as music, drama and sports would remain in the public schools.

May

Parents and children raised more than $10,000 for their music programs through raffles, concerts and donating small change. Music teachers worried that they might lose their jobs due to budget cuts, so they planned to raise some $200,000. If the music programs were cut, children would have to leave school an hour early, making it more difficult for some parents to arrange child-care services.

Proposed plans to build 104 new houses on Bay Farm Island 1,000 yards from the Oakland Airport raised many eyebrows. Many businesses moved to the business park to be able to operate at all hours, but those hours were threatened by proposed residences nearby. Building homes next to businesses would be disastrous with the increased traffic and noise level of the trucks, said opponents.

California's drought hit Alameda hard, forcing EBMUD to implement water-rationing in the city. The watersheds used by Alameda received less than half its normal runoff; EBMUD expected a one-third shortage in the coming year.

A local gay man did not wish to renew his vows with his partner of 15 years the second time around, since his marriage became null and void after 2004. Laura Rose, pastor of Alameda's First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, said that a conservative's point of view was a misinterpretation of the Bible. "...If you take the entire Bible literally, we wouldn't be eating pork and we would be stoning people when they divorce."

Two events were reported involving handguns. No one was badly injured. At a party at Chef's Wok on Webster Street, a fight broke out at party of 300 to 400 people. It moved to the street, and two gunshots were heard. Two people were injured with stray bullets. In the second event a man solicited a prostitute but then felt she might rob him, so he hid his father's gun under his coat. She found the weapon and a struggle ensued. The gun went off, but no one was injured. The police were notified and investigated the incident.

June

Work fell behind on the U.S. Navy's effort to clean the radioactive sludge from Alameda Point, the former Naval Air Station. Work was to have been finished in April. Members from the Alameda's Remediation Advisory Board (RAB) took a tour of the site by bus, but were not allowed off the bus. The board members complained that they had access to the site before Patrick Brooks, BRAC's environmental coordinator, took over the project. The Navy's plan to contain the radioactive site was to layer it with three feet of soil, which would still not prevent animals from burrowing. The Navy would need a lateral slurry wall, which might not be able to be earthquake safe.

Alameda schools lost $4.2 million annually, since a $4 million shortfall is expected in the coming years. Because of this, the student breakfast price was raised by 25 cents and lunch was raised by 50 cents. Earhart Elementary School became a California Distinguished School, picked from 343 schools statewide.

An oil spill in the San Francisco Bay closed down Crown Beach. The oil collected from the spill could fill four 55-gallon drums. Kevin Neff, a U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer, said it was "highly unlikely" that a ship that had crashed in November could have caused the oil spill, contradicting earlier reports.

Quochuy "Tony" Tran, 17, of Oakland, pleaded not guilty in the preliminary hearing for the murder of Ichinkhorloo "Iko" Bayarsaikhan, killed on Halloween night in 2007. Tran is to be tried as an adult.

July

Two Alameda fire engines were dispatched to aid the fire in Butte County, dubbed Butte Lightning Complex, per a statewide aid agreement. Some 30 percent had been contained thus far, although it still threatened 1,200 homes.

An Alameda driver committed a hit and run by the bowling alley, killing 78-year-old George Marceline. Dionsio Molina, the driver, had no memory of the incident, so was sent to Alameda Hospital to undergo tests; doctors believed that he suffered a head injury a couple days prior to the incident.

Ploughshares Nursery, an Alameda non-profit, grows native California drought-tolerant plants for sale, but there's a twist. The non-profit employs the homeless, giving them classes on everything from managing a nursery, watering plants, as well as basic job skills. The non-profit started with just 30 species, and has grown to over 100 native California drought-resistant plants.

Growing Youth, a non-profit of Alameda Point Collaborative, employs high school students who work 15 to 20 hours a week, to help farm and grow healthy food for struggling families. The non-profit gives the students valuable job and leadership skills, while helping the families of Alameda who either do not have a car to drive to the nearest grocery store, where the nearest store is a long walk or a bus ride away. They deliver food from 6 to 15 families each week.

East Bay community college students were to vote on who would pay the $50 bus pass, in a bill signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Normally, low-income students are exempted, but a $50 bus pass was designed for full-time students. It saves students $1,292 per year on bus passes. Students will vote next spring.

August

A group of bicyclists from BikeAlameda took city officials on a bike tour to help inform them on the state of bike paths in Alameda. The tour took them to see which streets needed repairs and better signage, as well as where to place bike racks in convenient locations.

An investigation was underway for the shooting of 19-year-old Troy Lancaster on Aug. 4. Michael James Edgar was arraigned for allegedly shooting and killing his friend, and charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a gun. The Alameda police say that others were involved in the crime, and were in the process of tracking down these individuals. A former Alamedan, Avani Jariwala, along with her teammates, participated in the Junior 8 Summit (J8) this year, a forum for young people around the world to discuss political issues, as well as propose solutions to these issues. Jariwala will represent the United States at this year's J8 Summit.

The proposed plan by the Navy to clean up radioactive waste at Alameda Point is insufficient, said a local engineer and geologist. The plan will leave the Point vulnerable to future earthquakes, as well as global warming and other environmental issues.

September

The Alameda City Council endorses Prop. 11, which takes the drawing of legislative districts out of the hands of state legislature and puts an independent board in charge. Supporters say that this redistributing of power will put an end to "gerrymandering," in which politicians draw California's districts to suit their own political ends. A critic of the proposition, Linda Sutton, a writer for the California Progress Report, said that it "creates a new state bureaucracy with an unlimited budget."

Local business owner Philip Jaber opposed the reconstruction of the vacant "Building 1000" at Towne Centre to allow Orchard Supply Hardware to become the new tenant. He said that new big businesses "should complement, not compete," with current small businesses in Alameda. He also objected that the plans should have gone directly to the Economic Development Committee (EDC) before going to the Planning Board. City Planner Douglas Garrison explained that the EDC is not involved with design reviews.

The new principals of Otis Elementary School, Wood Middle School, Encinal High School and the Alameda Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) each have progressive plans for their respective schools. Mike Cooper, the new principal for Encinal High School, knew he wanted to teach after a week of substitute teaching in the beginning of his career. Wood Middle School's principal Gilbert Cho's goals are to create a more structured environment both for the teachers and for the administrative staff.

October

Measure A could appear on the Nov. 2009 ballot, outlining SunCal's proposal to build townhouses and single-family homes on Alameda Point. SunCal said it will keep to the historical architectural landscaping of the Point which will be consistent throughout the old base.

Alameda signed a Sister City contract with dignitaries from the city of Jiangyin, China. The celebration included traditional dancing and singing from Alameda Christian Schools, as well as a dragon. Protestor Arthur Lipow distributed flyers stating "Friendship with the Chinese People - Not the Chinese Government." Alameda also has sister city relationships with Arita-Machi of Japan, as well as Lindingo of Sweden. Alameda's official "Friendship City" with Wuxi of China is not recognized by the Sister Cities.

Several students from Encinal High will visit Washington DC in January with the Close Up program and witness the inauguration of the next president of the United States. Not all of the students had the money available, so a silent auction fundraiser was made for their benefit so the students could witness the first woman or African-American become president.

Due to the economic crisis, the Island City of Alameda "noted early in the first quarter of fiscal year 2007-2008 that revenues would be approximately $4 million less than the city had projected," said City Manager Debra Kurita. If Measure P did not pass, the police department could lose an officer, a sergeant and a lieutenant, and the city would lose all of the public school crossing guards.

The First Congregational Church of Alameda opposed Prop. 8, which denies same-sex couples the right to marry. The Rev. Laura Rose, who married her partner within her own church, reminded people that a church can choose not to perform same-sex marriages under the law and still maintain their non-profit status. Until November, same sex couples in Alameda continued to marry.

November

Buildings in Alameda with a "soft story" might soon be required to notify the tenants as well as be recorded in the title of the building. This is essential to be prepared for the next big quake, if one of the floors of a building are not made as strongly as the floors above it. If the owner of such a building loses an appeal after the findings made by the city, they will have two years to retrofit that building.

The city council officially declared a marijuana moratorium on the "Purple Elephant" marijuana dispensary on Webster Street. The "Purple Elephant" allegedly passed the permit process telling the city that they were a "retail" business.

With outstanding debt of $33 million, Alameda Power and Telecom planned to sell its telecom branch to Comcast, with the city council's approval. Comcast offered $17 million for AP&T; without it, they would not be able to make the payment of $33 million in June 2009.

The AUSD Board of Education voted to approve a new charter school in Alameda, which will most likely open in September 2009. The school board denied previous proposals for a charter school in Alameda, but the revised proposal was finally approved. The only issue remaining at hand is the location.

December

A Google search brought up more than 800 "locksmiths" with fake addresses located in Alameda. State law requires that every locksmith needs to be licensed. An unlicensed locksmith could charge a sizeable sum, and then the victim sometimes needs to pay a licensed locksmith to help repair the damage.

A new ferry, Gemini, will serve the public in January 2009 by being one of the environmentally friendly ferries in the Alameda-Oakland Ferry Service. WETA, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority made sure that the ferry exhaust is 85 percent cleaner than EPA emission standards, there are two solar panels on board, and the design of the ferry itself helps reduce fuel usage.

During a power outage, people found that the Alameda Free Library's emergency exit doors were locked when people were ordered to vacate the premise by Library staff. The California Fire Code states that, "Exit doors shall not be locked, chained, bolted, barred, latched or otherwise rendered unusable." Emergency lighting also seemed unlit during the incident.

- Compiled by Amy Jacobs