Ann Leslie Davis

The Birth of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp

Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp is being celebrated this year around the world for turning a hundred. Few may know that the lovable character cemented his sentimental everyman shtick in turn-of-the century Niles Canyon, thanks to a tiny studio there and Chaplin’s first great love.

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Faces of the East Bay

In the Philanthropic Swim

In the Philanthropic Swim

Rockridge residents John Bliss and Kim Thompson may live far removed the gritty flats of East and West Oakland. But this philanthropic couple see themselves as one with the citizens of Oakland, particularly those who are struggling financially, and they’re leading a campaign to get their “financially blessed” peers to invest in the community like they have by funding city programs to teach kids how to swim.