community

In Richmond Community Survey, few say the city is a good place to raise kids

Andrea Pierce, who has lived in south Richmond for more than 60 years, is contemplating moving to a better environment for her grandchildren. “It is just not a good place anymore,” Pierce said about Richmond. “Even though I have been here 60-plus years, I have watched it change.” Many people align with Pierce’s views. According to the National Community Survey released in 2021, only 1 in 4 respondents found Richmond to be a good place to raise children. Though that…

Zumba more popular than before the pandemic: ‘It’s wonderful. See how we’re sweating?’

Pulsing beats and whirling bodies fill up a cavernous hall at the Richmond Recreation Complex.   It’s not Richmond’s newest nightclub — it’s a Thursday evening Zumba class. Located in Richmond Village, the Richmond Recreation Complex offers Zumba and other activities for adults and children. There are volleyball leagues for middle schoolers and adults and drop-in pickleball, just to name a few.  The complex offers 10 programs, according to data from Richmond’s Community Services Recreation Department. The newly released winter…

Local news gets a boost: Publisher Cityside launches a Richmond site

A new local news outlet plans to start covering Richmond this spring.  The nonprofit journalism organization Cityside, known for the Berkeleyside and Oaklandside news sites, said it hopes to launch a third publication, Richmondside, by the end of March. Chief Content Officer Tracey Taylor said they are opening the new site after receiving an “overwhelmingly positive response” to community outreach.  “We’ll hopefully be able to do very consistent, regular reporting, which helps people understand what’s going on in their cities,”…

What is going on with Hilltop Mall?

Twenty years ago, the Hilltop Mall was the place to be in Richmond. It was a bustling shopping area full of life, and around this time of the year, it would have been extra busy with holiday shoppers. Today, the mall is vacant and isolated, stores are empty and dark, with only Walmart open.  But Hilltop’s owner says the site has a promising future providing three things Richmond needs: employment opportunities, retail space and mixed-use housing.  Prologis, an industrial real…

Richmond powwow honors Native American culture and veterans: ‘It helps the native community be seen.’

The atmosphere was joyous at Veterans Hall in Richmond Saturday, where more than 100 people celebrated Native American culture with drumming, singing, crafts, food and the traditional dancing contest.  This year’s 13th Annual Richmond Contest Powwow  was held during Native American Heritage Month and on Veterans Day, which organizers saw as an opportunity to honor the many native people who have served in the military.  “It is great that we are finally being recognized,” said Jordan Wilson of Stockton, whose…

City shares millions in climate grant money with local nonprofits, including one marked ‘delinquent’

Richmond has received a $35 million state grant for climate-related projects that will be put to use by the city and local organizations, including one whose nonprofit status is in jeopardy. This month, the City Council unanimously approved contracts with the five groups that will share the Transformative Climate Communities grant. Councilmember Doria Robinson was absent for the vote. She is executive director of Urban Tilth, which will control 30% of the grant money and, as of Monday, was listed…

The first ‘Food as Medicine’ fair in Richmond gives people the food and tools to live healthier

Colorful balloons decorated the Corrine Sain Senior & Family Community Center Friday, where close to 200 residents came for the “Food as Medicine Fair,” featuring music, yoga, Zumba, health screenings, raffles, lunch and bags of fresh produce and groceries for people to take home with them.  More than 20 community organizations participated in the fair, the first of its kind for the center, providing information on everything from social justice to cancer. Sponsored by the Community Housing Development Corp. in…

Cleanup brigade makes 23rd Street spiffy for trick-or-treaters

Armed with a trash picker, plastic bag and garden gloves, Ahmaya Maroney, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, snagged the paper, wrappers, bottles and cans that dirtied the sidewalks and gutters along 23rd Street in Richmond Thursday evening.  With a corps of about 25 other community members, Maroney picked up litter in preparation of the annual “Trick or Treat on 23rd Street” on Halloween, which is Tuesday.   “I think it’s really important to pick up trash around the…

Pumpkins in a pool — Richmond celebrates the fall with scarecrows and swimming

Celebrate the arrival of fall at the Richmond Plunge Saturday, when a sea of floating pumpkins will be taking over the swim lanes. “Some people can go to a pumpkin patch, and go through a corn maze, and go on a hay ride. And sure, that’s one way to make that memorable,” said Paula Cooper-Tipton, the aquatics recreation program coordinator.  “But another memorable way is to go jump in the water and swim with your pumpkin.” In its 12-year history,…