Five negotiators from the Public Employees Union Local One met outside the West Contra Costa County School District building in the parking lot last week to protest what they called unfair increases to the amount employees pay for benefits. The more than 1,600 union members in the WCCUSD have not a had a wage increase in the past three years and, beginning in January, will have to pay more for health insurance as well as dental and vision plans. For…
Kenneth Walker, a senior at Kennedy High School, is one of the school’s great success stories, an accomplished young man who will attend UC Berkeley next fall.
At 11 a.m. on a sunny Wednesday morning at King Elementary School in Richmond, the school doors were locked and the crackling sound from the security guards’ walkie-talkies echoed down the empty hallways.
It was a brisk Saturday morning at Dejean Middle School when Kelli Tharpe stepped into Room B102 at the seventh annual Parents as Partners and Leaders Conference. She waited in line patiently and made small talk with other anxious parents. “I’m out here to support my children in Helms Middle School,” Tharpe said. “I think it’s great that the district is encouraging parent involvement and going about it the right way.” Tharpe is among several parents that have decided to…
Kennedy High Eagles fans had a lot to cheer about Friday night, as Kennedy dominated John Swett High School’s Indians 42-6. After an evenly matched first quarter, with the Eagles leading by a point 7-6, the Indians began to slip when a fumble abruptly stopped their momentum down the field and was recovered by the Eagles’ Danny Pompa for a touchdown. During halftime Head Coach Mike Carminer motivated his players, repeating the phrase “We haven’t got to our level of…
As Jayla Rush sits reading quietly over the court case brief for the murder trial of People v. Buschelin, she is being coached by Maggie Pettigrew, a USC Hastings 3rd year student.
State Senator Loni Hancock stood in front of a crowd of more than 100 middle school students in Dejean Middle School Monday.
During the Board of Education meeting last Tuesday night, one of the primary concerns among administrators was the results from elementary schools on closing the achievement gap. “This year we plan to focus on the language arts skills and writing comprehension,” said Mimi Melodia, Principal of Lincoln Elementary. Lincoln Elementary was one of six schools that was acknowledged by the Board of Education for improving their overall API scores. Currently at score of 719, Lincoln Elementary has seen an 60…
Summer Brenner sits quietly at a coffee shop table amid the rumbling of the city outside and smiles as she gently thumbs through a copy of her 2009 children’s book Richmond Tales: Lost Secrets of the Iron Triangle, a story featuring an array of young characters who journey through time to discover the lost history of the industrial city. “I believe it gives insight into children’s lives growing up there, especially those that feel disconnected from their homeland,” Brenner said….
Richmond’s Police Activities League is gearing up for a star-filled “Red Carpet Experience” at the Craneway Pavilion this Saturday. The night of music and fashion supports health and wellness charity programs through Bay Area organizations including the Richmond PAL, Berkeley Youth Alternatives and El Cerrito High School’s James Morehouse Project. The concert lineup features Guest DJ Jermaine Dupri, and R&B singers Faith Evans and Robin Thicke. This past Sunday, young men from the PAL center went to the Men’s Wearhouse…
In a game that marked the debut of two new coaches and a new trophy — the Sylvester Greenwood Cup — Kennedy ran all over Richmond Friday night at Kennedy High to give Mack Carminer a blowout 73-18 win in his first contest against the cross-town rival Oilers. Sophomore Jonathan Whitley and senior Kenny Walker led the way, and after a 30-yard pass from quarterback Octavious Holley to Whitley, Kennedy led 19-0 early. The Eagles repeatedly drove deep into Richmond…
Tashaka Merriweather steps onto the artificial turf field on a brisk, Wednesday afternoon. Sporting his customary black shades and windbreaker, Merriweather starts directing this team to begin the practice drills with the loud, shrill sound of his trusted whistle. As a coach, Merriweather wants to bring the values he learned as a college football player — hard work and good technique — to help his team succeed in games and in the classroom. It’s evident at practice as he works…