Three years after taking the helm at the West Contra Costa Unified School District, Superintendent Kenneth “Chris” Hurst announced Monday that he will retire at the end of December, forcing the board of the beleaguered district to appoint an interim superintendent for the second part of the school year. The news comes months after the board took the unprecedented move of voting not to adopt the Local Control Accountability Plan, which meant it could not approve a budget by the…
Five days before the start of the new school year, parents of Stege Elementary School students left a meeting with district officials Wednesday with many of their questions unanswered. Last month, citing environmental hazards, the West Contra Costa Unified School District announced Stege’s immediate closure for renovations that could take up to three years. Since then, district officials met several times with the community, including a meeting Wednesday in which parents voiced concerns about transportation to the host school, crowding,…
After a Contra Costa man’s death from West Nile virus was reported on July 16, the county Health Department is urging the public to take precautions against the mosquito-borne illness. It was the county’s first reported West Nile death since 2006, and California’s only death among five recorded cases this year. Citing privacy laws, the county has released little information about the death, except that the man lived in the eastern part of the county and that health officials have…
Dipping his brush into light blue paint, Peter Bakke filled numbered panels with the color. The sea was taking shape Saturday on the long wall in front of him, where dozens of other volunteers were applying shades of blue with careful strokes. Working all morning and much of the afternoon, the crew was the last of six to paint pieces of a mural called “Seeds to Harvest,” which stretches across 88 panels on a soundwall separating Richmond’s Parchester Village from…
A lawsuit was filed late Friday against the West Contra Costa Unified School District for teacher vacancies and other alleged violations of student rights. This is the first lawsuit the district faces under the 2004 landmark Williams v. California case, which established students’ rights to books, qualified teachers and safe schools, among other things. It was filed in Contra Costa County court by San Francisco firms Public Advocates and Munger, Tolles & Olson, after the district failed to address issues…
Richmond City Council voted in a special meeting Friday to back a $40 million sale of Point Molate to the East Bay Regional Park District, ending years of discussion about how to develop the sprawling coastline property that once was a Naval depot and a winery. “Twenty plus years of community organizing, continuously bringing to the forefront the hopes and dreams of our residents for a major park at Point Molate, have once again demonstrated that with hard work and…
Eduardo Ramirez, a Philadelphia-based mural artist, was incarcerated for 27 years in a Pennsylvania prison for a crime he did not commit. Since he was exonerated in November, Ramirez has found solace in making and teaching art in his community. “When a person creates, there’s a sense of pride in the act of creating, regardless of what the final product looks like,” he said. His art is on display through Aug. 17 at the Richmond Art Center in an exhibition…
If the West Contra Costa Unified School District doesn’t pass a Local Control Accountability Plan by Aug. 15, it’s not clear what would happen next because the school board’s decision to reject the plan last week was “unprecedented,” said Contra Costa County Schools Superintendent Lynn Mackey. The parent-led plan sets the course for about $64.8 million in district spending, particularly for the most vulnerable students. Without an LCAP, the board could not pass the proposed $509 million operating budget, which…
The West Contra Costa Unified School District board veered into uncharted territory Wednesday when it rejected the Local Control and Accountability Plan, a parent-led proposal that sets the course for the next year’s spending. Without an LCAP, the board could not pass the 2024-25 operating budget, which is supposed to go into effect on July 1. If the board misses that deadline, the Contra Costa County Education Office will step in to help craft a budget. “This is really serious…
For the next five months, beginning today, riders on both BART lines that end in Richmond will have to deal with interrupted service that could cause delays of about 40 minutes. BART is replacing interlockings between the Rockridge, MacArthur, and 19th Street stops today and Sunday. Interlockings enable trains to move from track to track. “It’s essential rebuilding work. We’’re replacing equipment that’s been there since we started service back in 1972,” BART spokesperson Christopher Filippi said. BART will provide…
There’s a skill to jumping double Dutch. The feet have to move fast, almost instinctively, to the rhythmic patter of ropes hitting concrete. At 12, Ah-Miya Miller has it down. “The thing I like about jumping rope is that it keeps my body moving and keeps us in shape, and when you get the rhythm, you can see it’s not that hard,” she said. “It makes me feel excited to know that a crowd is watching me perform double dutch.”…
The Richmond Work Experience Program is accepting applications for 2024-2025, giving young people job experience and help with career building. What was the Summer Youth Employment Program now offers more opportunities. Richmond YouthWORKS is collaborating with about 164 work sites to give Richmond residents between 16 and 24 years old the opportunity to work up to 300 hours at $17.20 per hour. In 2021, the City Council approved a $1.9 million increase in funding for YouthWORKS as part of the…
Richmond’s first-ever Pride Parade will take place on Sunday, packing a lot of fun and entertainment into a three-block route. The parade, organized by Richmond Rainbow Pride, will kick off at 11 a.m. at Nicholl Park and make its way to Civic Center Plaza, where a festival will run until 3 p.m. The community is invited to enjoy food, live music and a celebration of Richmond’s diversity. Richmond council member Cesar Zepeda, who was instrumental in forming Richmond Rainbow Pride…