Hannah Frances Johansson

People of Richmond: Why do you think teens are so sad?

“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…

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,”…

Transforming the floating home community at Point San Pablo Harbor

When Kathleen Clancy and Bob Keller moved their houseboat into the Point San Pablo Harbor 33 years ago, the first person they met was a man they remember by his license plate, “CPTBLUD” (Captain Blood).  “It was like walking into an old western,” Clancy said. She remembers the day was gray, and the place was deserted. Decades before the couple moved in, John Wayne shot his 1955 film “Blood Alley” at the harbor.  Now it is home to around 35…

Two resign from city board over council’s pro-Palestinian resolution

Two members of the Richmond Design Review Board, Leah Marthinsen and David Plotkin, resigned Monday afternoon in response to the City Council’s resolution supporting the people of Gaza, passed in late October.  “The resolution clearly isolates and endangers the Jewish community in Richmond, which includes my family,” Plotkin wrote in his letter of resignation, which former Mayor Tom Butt included in his e-forum on Monday. “My children do not feel safe in their own home.” Richmond made national news as…

People of Richmond: What type of business does the city need more of?

“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…

Richmond Farmers Market prepares to open second location, in Marina Bay

The Richmond Certified Farmers Market Association plans to open a new market in Marina Bay Park early next year.  “It’s more than a dream now,” said Councilmember and former Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, who represents the Marina Bay neighborhood and has been a key advocate for the market. “It’s a work in progress that we expect to happen in a matter of months.” The Richmond Farmers Market, which has operated the original Friday venue for 40 years, also will be in…

People of Richmond: Are you getting the new COVID vaccine?

“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…