“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: What would you like to see at the Hilltop Mall site? “Having been part of when that mall first opened, and knowing that a lot of people don’t go to malls anymore because it is too hard to compete with online shopping, having more community outreach programs like services for the surrounding…
On a bright October morning in Lucas Park, dozens of community members — some with silver hair and some younger — move around in dirt, sweat and chatter. Loosely divided into small groups, the volunteers hold onto pots and branches to lift up small trees — each around 8 feet tall — and carry them to designated locations. And then they circle around with shovels, and dig. This was an Arbor Day activity for Groundwork Richmond, an environmental and youth…
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…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Why do you think chronic sadness is so prevalent among WCCUSD high school students? “I’m a student athlete and I work. Sometimes I feel like I ignore my own feelings so I can get through the day.” (Alejandra, high school senior) “The environment is not safe, so definitely the schools aren’t safe…
Richmond isn’t a widely known birding destination. While some birders know it’s a thrilling place to explore, others are working to draw in people who don’t have much nature in their lives. For some, it’s even become a calling. Zaira Sierra, a birder, grew up in the Iron Triangle. As a child, she emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. and now brings visitors to observe hawks and other raptors in the Marin Headlands. “It’s really become a passion and a…
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,…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: What type of business would you like to see more of in Richmond? “Get us a small town pharmacist here. … A bakery, little floral shop would be nice. Give businesses an incentive to open here.” (Sam Charles, barbershop owner, pictured above) “I would like to see more entertainment-type businesses. That’d be…
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: Will you get the new COVID-19 booster when it becomes available? “I don’t think I’m going to take it because I don’t need it. In the place I work, they don’t require me to take the vaccine. I can go to stores to buy things and they don’t ask me to prove…
On a crisp afternoon in early September, Melanie Estrada was walking alone on her usual route in a quiet Richmond suburb, picking up kids from school to bring them to after school care at the May Valley Community Center. Suddenly, she heard a loud crunch. Across the street, Estrada saw a mountain lion passing through the hillside’s tall brush. It was brown with dark gray spots on its shoulder, muscular, and 4-to-5 feet long. “I know we’re not supposed to…