Here are the hot stories in the Bay Area for Thursday, April 29, 2010: Instructors mark themselves absent at Oakland schools, taking to curbs to show their displeasure over contract negotiation with their school district; one family's early-morning drive through the Tri-Valley led to a call with a dispatcher and a surprise arrival; and plans for California's high-speed rail may have to go back to the drawing board or even further, if auditors' recommendations released today are correct.

Oakland teachers on strike

School's in today, but thousands of teachers — and many students — are out.

Across the city, teachers in bright green T-shirts held picket signs outside their schools, while principals, employees of other unions, substitute teachers and volunteers did their best for the children who did come to class.

"We're all empathetic with this," said Bev Hansen, principal of Skyline High School, as she headed to the school auditorium where students gathered for a makeshift day involving video clips, discussions and physical education. "Our nation needs to get its priorities straight."

About 60 of Skyline's roughly 2,000 students showed up to school, and some tried to leave soon after the first class started. The school district has yet to report its attendance figures.

The Oakland teachers union is holding a one-day strike and noon rally a week after the

school board unanimously imposed a contract that offered no changes to compensation or benefits.

Read more of Katy Murphy's Oakland Tribune story at InsideBayArea.com

Read the live chat transcript of the day's strike-related tweets and links

View a slide show of photos from the scenes of today's strike

Read Murphy's education blog The Education Report

Records: Dellums did not take pay cut

Mayor Ron Dellums told reporters at a June 16 news conference last spring he would take a 10 percent pay cut to