Ahamad Fuwad

A baseball team in red jerseys are lined up on a bench with their backs to the camera, all looking at the wide open baseball diamond.

Kennedy High School students may start the school year in another location because of toxic chemical plume

Kennedy High School students will begin their school year on schedule, with several backup locations under consideration while further testing for a toxic chemical on campus is conducted. Richmond’s Kennedy High School was closed on Monday after preliminary test results indicated levels of tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, underground. At a town hall meeting Thursday night, Jeff Carter, West Contra Costa Unified School District interim associate superintendent of business services, said the district is “planning for no delays to the…

By on August 7, 2026
JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL sign, steel on pebbles.

Update: Kennedy High students may start school year in temporary location after toxic chemical was found on campus

West Contra Costa Unified School District is considering temporarily relocating Kennedy High School students after closing the campus Monday because a toxic chemical was detected in “underground vapors,” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said Tuesday. School is on summer break and set to restart on Aug. 18. WCCUS will hold a town hall meeting with Richmond and state Department of Toxic Substance Control officials from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Richmond Auditorium. It will be live-streamed on YouTube. Cotton said…

By on August 4, 2026
A new BART train sits on a track at night. To its left, a few people standn on the platform.

Riders prepare for delays this weekend and next week, as BART’s summer track work heats up

Riders taking BART to San Francisco International Airport this summer have had to deal with the inconvenience of delays and transfers because of ongoing track work at night.  This weekend is no exception, with BART telling riders to prepare for delays of up to 30 minutes because of train control system work.  BART will close one track between Millbrae, SFO and San Bruno from 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday night. While BART will return to a normal schedule on Monday,…

By on July 31, 2026
In November, Richmond residents will vote whether or not to raise the “documentary transfer tax” that property owners are required to pay on real estate sales. Photo by Catherine Schuknecht

Richmond City Council says no to an ethics commission that could investigate officials.

After a tense debate, Richmond City Council on Tuesday shot down a proposal to create a ballot measure for an independent ethics commission with subpoena power to investigate elected and appointed officials.  The resolution to create a ballot measure for the Richmond Government Accountability, Transparency and Ethics Act was defeated in a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Eduardo Martinez and Councilmembers Claudia Jiménez, Sue Wilson and Doria Robinson voting against it.  Robinson called the proposal “a witch hunt,” saying, “I really…

By on July 24, 2026