Newark Memorial High School in the East Bay began dismissing all 45 of its athletic coaches and assistants at the end of their respective seasons last month, telling them they may be rehired next year as part of a new policy.

As NBC Bay Area reports, the Newark Memorial High School community was blindsided Thursday by the news that all of the school’s coaches and assistants were being let go at the end of their seasons and told to reapply next school year, with no certainty about getting their jobs back. Very little information was provided by the school district aside from the move being part of a new hiring policy.

“Newark Unified School District is strengthening its coaching hiring practices to ensure the safety and well being of students,” said Newark Unified School District’s Superintendent Tracey Vackar, who’s retiring this year, per KPIX. “Releasing coaches at the end of each season allows the district to complete required vetting, background clearances, and mandatory trainings so students are supported by properly qualified adults.”

Per Bay Area News Group, coaches are being released on a rolling basis as their seasons end.

“I can’t help thinking about the negative impact on athletics in general,” Gordon Crosby, who coached swimming and water polo at the school for over 30 years, told NBC Bay Area. “When there are question marks and no consistency in a program, then programs fail.”

“These coaches have been here for so long,” parent Jazmin Padilla told KPIX. “It's surprising. It's a decision that, why all of a sudden are they doing this?”

Per KPIX, while the school has yet to provide any comments to the media, some community members have speculated whether the school district is dealing with legal concerns surrounding a particular coach, prompting routine background checks.

“I think they should just let everybody know if there is,” said Padilla, “just so nobody is doubting or has any thoughts of 'what ifs and buts.’”

Crosby told NBC Bay Area he reapplied for his position but was skeptical others did the same. “Will some coaches say ‘Enough is enough, I’m tired of being jerked around’? Crosby said. “I think it’s hard not to think that way after the way it’s all been handled.”

“I would think that they would have the foresight to see that this is not going to attract quality candidates to a school,” Crosby told KPIX, “but it's going to chase them away.”

Image: Newark Unified School District

Family, friends, former students, local leaders, and the greater Oakland community attended a memorial Saturday honoring revered Laney College and former Skyline High School coach John Beam, who was allegedly killed by a former Laney student in November.

As the Chronicle reports, about 2,200 people were in attendance at Saturday's memorial for longtime coach and mentor John Beam at Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts. Per the Chronicle, Sunday would’ve been Beam’s 67th birthday.

As KPIX reports, Beam helped mentor over 30 NFL players, seven of which were Super Bowl participants, and many were in attendance Saturday.

“He was the embodiment of tough love, though I didn’t realize it at 14 or 15,” said Marvel Smith, who played for Beam at Skyline, per the Chronicle, and went on to play in the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006 and 2009. “He was setting a structure in place to help us long term, and I fully appreciate it now. It molded me into who I am today.”

“You were so much more than a football coach, you were my hero, my mentor and the most important person in my life,” said Kevin Parker, a former player, per KPIX. “You believed in me before I believed in myself and that belief changed who I am.”

Per NBC Bay Area, Beam also mentored students who weren’t football players. “I know that there’s been a lot of challenges in our city, but there’s still a lot of good, and John Beam brought a lot of that goodness out of community members, especially through young people and the rising generation,” said Feke Lauti, a 1997 Skyline High graduate whose older brothers played football.

“This is what a life well lived looks like,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, per the Chronicle. “This is 45 years of love returned. Coach Beam believed in Oakland’s young people when the world told them what they were not. He saw potential where others saw problems.”

“I was born in the middle of football season,” said Beam’s daughter Sonjha, per KPIX. “And if you ask my dad, that was no coincidence. He always said it was perfect timing, early enough in the morning so he could be there with my mom, hold me and then still make it back up the hill to Skyline in time for practice.”

As SFist reported in November, Cedric Irving, Jr., who took one of Beam’s classes at Laney College in 2022, is suspected of fatally shooting Beam. Irving reportedly told police he believed Beam was practicing witchcraft on him. Per SFist, Beam was featured in the 2020 Netflix series, Last Chance U.

In the below video clip, Beam delivers an inspiring speech to athletes during a luncheon.

Image: Laney College

Previously: Alleged Shooter of Laney College Football Coach Reportedly Claimed Coach Used Witchcraft on Him

Nicholas Pellegrino, a 29-year-old San Francisco Catholic high school teacher and track coach, is recovering after his throat was slashed in a train robbery while traveling near Milan, Italy — a survival he and his surgeons call “miraculous.”

As the Chronicle reports, Pellegrino, who teaches religion and coaches track at Archbishop Riordan High School, was traveling through San Giuliano Milanese on July 15 while visiting friends and family in Italy. As SFGate reports, shortly after boarding a train bound for Florence, Pellegrino noticed four men in a nearby row who appeared to be watching him.

“I would look up, and they would look away, but then they’d continue to look back and eye me out,” he told Staten Island Advance, his hometown newspaper. The men then suddenly rushed him, and he was stabbed in the neck in the chaos. They ran off with his luggage and personal belongings, including a crucifix he was wearing.

“I had no doubt in my mind — if I didn’t get help soon, I was going to die,” he told the Chronicle. Bleeding heavily, Pellegrino staggered to the platform at the next stop, pressed his shirt against the wound, and screamed for help.

As Daily Mail reports, paramedics arrived about 15 minutes later and rushed him to a hospital in San Donato Milanese, where doctors determined his jugular artery had been grazed. He lost more than a liter of blood. “Even the surgeons are saying it was a miracle,” he told the Chronicle.

Italian authorities arrested four suspects — men from Tunisia and Morocco — hours later at a train station about an hour away. Police told Pellegrino they believed the same group had attacked a cabdriver the night before and another train passenger earlier that day.

Pellegrino spent four days in the hospital before being discharged. In addition to his injuries, he lost his laptop, passport, and luggage.

Word of the assault quickly spread to colleagues and students. Nate Simon, assistant principal at Riordan, called Pellegrino “an integral part” of the school. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he deals with this terrifying incident,” he said.

A GoFundMe campaign* started by former students has raised over $43,000 to help cover medical expenses and replace stolen items. “I would never have expected that outpouring of money and support,” Pellegrino said. “It shows the impact you have being an educator is more than people might think.”

Pellegrino, who is deeply religious, said the attack has only deepened his faith. “I’m convinced the hand of God worked a miracle to ensure I did not lose my life that day.”

*Content warning: The main photo on the GoFundMe page is a bit graphic, as it shows Pellegrino being treated at the scene.

Image via LinkedIn

This week’s notable humans include Thomas Bennett, who made Miyako Ice Cream a Fillmore gem; Jilchristina Vest, curator of the iconic mural honoring the women of the Black Panther Party; and Denise Ebright, a dedicated teacher and coach recognized on Good Morning America.

Since 1993, Thomas Bennett and his daughter Teresa have run Miyako Old Fashion Ice Cream on Fillmore Street, serving heaping scoops of Mitchell’s ice cream and hot deli lunches for a modest $4. A former model and restaurateur from Philadelphia, Bennett opened the shop to serve Fillmore’s diverse community, believing that success comes not just from what you sell, but how you treat people.

A recent Yelp review of Miyako echoes this sentiment:

The man behind the counter makes this place what it is. It feels so special and he gives the feel of a grandpa who simply cares about each customer. When you order a sandwich, the owner puts every bit of thought and care into each one, picking out each vegetable that goes into your sandwich and carefully making sure it's to your liking.

Over the years, Miyako has survived changing demographics, gentrification, a 2020 break-in, and pandemic hardships. When a freezer broke and thousands of dollars in merchandise were stolen, the community raised nearly $20,000 through a GoFundMe organized by the New Community Leadership Foundation to keep the shop open.

Miyako’s history highlights the struggles faced by Black-owned businesses in San Francisco, where displacement and underfunding are ongoing issues. For Bennett, keeping a neighborhood business alive is about steady support: “Buy a soda. Tell a friend. And come back,” he says.

Jilchristina Vest, an Oakland-based activist, is organizing the first public art installation honoring the women of the Black Panther Party and the #SayHerName movement. Inspired by the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings, she envisioned a mural to celebrate these unsung heroes. Located on the side of her home, the mural features over 250 names of Black women who led, organized, and fought for justice, along with a tribute to the #SayHerName movement addressing violence against Black women and girls.

Vest was born in Chicago in 1966, the same year the Black Panther Party was founded. She found her political and social home in Oakland, where she learned about the Party's history, particularly its deep ties to the West Oakland community:

The Black Panther Party brought me to Oakland. I definitely feel that in my soul. I was born in Chicago in 1966. I was born the same year of the Black Panther Party. Once I came into my twenties, I wore that as a badge of honor. I always said I was a kinder Black Panther because I was born the same year the Party was born. I was born in Chicago, which was a major historical place for the Party as well.

Inspired by this history, she envisioned purchasing a house in the same area, and with the support of her community, made it a reality in 2000. Vest’s journey to homeownership was challenging, but the solidarity of her community helped her achieve her goal. Her story continues to inspire her activism, as she fights to ensure the contributions of Black women to liberation movements are recognized and celebrated.

Additionally, Vest hosts a “Love the People” community block party twice a year, in which Vest and her team provide free food, clothes, and resources to the people — all in honor of the legacy of the Black Panther Party. The next event will be in June 2025.

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A post shared by The Black Panther Party Museum and WBPP Mural (@westoaklandmuralproject)

Denise Ebright has spent decades shaping young athletes and scholars at St. Theresa School in Oakland, where she teaches math and coaches cross country, volleyball, and basketball. A former Division I softball player at Cal and MBA grad from Saint Mary’s, Ebright brings a competitive spirit and deep Bay Area roots to everything she does.

Earlier this month, Good Morning America named Ebright a “Sideline Superhero” for her leadership and impact on the school community. Students, parents, and coworkers nominated her for the national award, celebrating the way she turns teamwork, resilience, and personal milestones into life lessons.

Ebright believes success is about growth, not wins. Over the years, she’s stayed focused on building confidence and community, showing up every day with encouragement and high expectations.

At a school watch party with her eighth-grade volleyball team, her son Cody, and local parents, Ebright beamed with pride as her name was announced. For her, the work has never been about recognition—it’s about creating a place where students can learn, play, and believe in themselves.

Previously: Notable Humans: Walnut Creek Teen’s ‘Key Future News’ Aims To Empower Gen Z

A San Francisco shop owner faces allegations that she sold fake designer goods, following an investigation by the San Francisco Police Department and Homeland Security.

According to a press release sent by the office of SF District Attorney George Gascon, 58-year-old Sarah Chong of El Sobrante owns and operates a store inside the San Francisco GiftCenter & JewelryMart, which describes itself as "Northern California’s leading wholesale jewelry emporium," with "showrooms...open to the trade only and service gift, jewelry, and apparel retailers."

Chong's store sold "Burberry, Dior, Coach, and Gucci items such as handbags, hats, scarves, belts, wallets, sunglasses, and jewelry," the DA's office says, which makes sense as the GiftCenter & JewelryMart proudly proclaims that "There's a lot more to the GiftCenter & JewelryMart than fine jewelry. You’ll also find scarves, sunglasses, handbags, and much more. We've got everything you need to enhance the look you want!"

Sadly, however, the look-enhancing designer items sold by Chong were counterfeit, the DA's office alleges, saying that "items seized from Chong's store had a street value of over $100,000, and would have had a retail value of over $2 million had they been authentic."

Following an operation by "SFPD Inspector Robert Steger in cooperation with Homeland Security Investigations," the DA's office says that "agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the San Francisco Police Department seized hundreds of counterfeit items from Chong's store."

Chong was arrested on July 5 for possessing counterfeit designer goods, and was arraigned Tuesday, when she entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. She's currently free on $15,000 bail, and is expected to return to court on September 29.

Previously: ICE Seizes Fake NFL Gear Ahead Of Super Bowl 50