“Books” and “fitness” were the words of the day for many Richmond families Saturday afternoon as they strolled a sunny Civic Center plaza learning about both. While children combed vendor tents for new and exciting books to take home, and exercised in a play station provided by Kaiser Permanente, parents had the opportunity to measure their blood pressure and gain new information about diabetes. The outdoor activities and information sharing was part of the fifth annual Richmond Tales Fest: An…
Kennedy High’s track team competed in the Woody Wilson Classic at UC Davis Friday and Saturday. The girls’ 4×100-meter relay team finished fifth, while senior Takkarist “Takk” McKinnley took silver in both the 100 and 200-meter dash. Eagles’ head track coach Carl Sumler said he wasn’t concerned if his runners placed, only that they beat their personal records. Both did just that. The girls, composed of LaDejah Dillard, Alesia Miles, Diamond Sitts and Danaya Giddens, shaved four-tenths of second off…
Swett High southpaw Allen Ressler took his A-game the mound Wednesday evening as the Indians defeated the visiting Richmond Oilers 13-1.
A new resource center for homeless veterans to call home opened last week on the corner of Maine Avenue and Harbour Way South. Established by Rhonda Harris, the four bedroom two-story house with a white picket fence around it sits directly across the street from Nystrom Elementary School and can accommodate six veterans. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 25 people and included Secretary of the California Department of Veteran Affairs Peter J. Gravett, Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and…
The Lady Eagles softball team climbed above .500 in league play yesterday by defeating De Anza High 25-15. Marred by pitching that at times looked like bowling, Kennedy scored most of its runs on wild pitches and 17 walks. “We’re definitely not afraid to run the bases,” Lady Eagles’ head coach Amanda Stevens said during the game as she described a trick play designed to score a runner sitting on third base. With nobody out, sophomore Maria Llose took off…
Kennedy High’s head track coach Carl Sumler knew his girls’ 4×100 relay team, and sprint hotshot Takkarist McKinnley would need quick and easy access to physiological energy reserves when they lined up against the nation’s best runners last weekend in Los Angeles. So before they jumped in their vans and headed south down Interstate 5, Sumler went out and stockpiled his suitcase with Oreos, chocolate chips, fruit juices, noodles, salami, mustard and cheese. The sugar rush worked, as the girls…
Kennedy High special education teacher Salvatore Morabito has seen plenty of powerlifters. The 71-year-old Belgium-born weightlifter has been pounding iron since he was eight years old. And now, at the crowning point of his career, the schoolteacher for students with severe disabilities has found the perfect training partner—someone who can out bench press him. “I taught weightlifting for many years,” Morabito said in his subtle European drawl. “[And] as you might guess, I am a strong believer in weight training….
While most high school students were out on spring break working on their suntan, St. Patrick/St. Vincent senior pitcher Austin Fitzpatrick stood tall on Kennedy High’s mound and threw a complete game no-hitter. The Bruins went on defeat the Eagles 14-0. Kennedy’s best chance to score came with two outs in the first inning when Fitzpatrick loaded the bases on walks. But Ernie Timoteo was picked off third base and thrown out at home plate by the third baseman. For…
Kennedy High’s track team is about to experience the wind in their hair SoCal-style. And some stiff competition. Eagles’ head coach Carl Sumler said the girls 4×100 meter relay team, and sprint specialist Takkarist “Takk” McKinnley will travel to Los Angeles this weekend and compete in the 3rd Annual Tiger Invite at South Pasadena High School on Friday, and then lace ’em up again the next day for the nationally recognized 46th Annual Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High School. “There’s…
For those who move from one country to another change can be hard. Families are separated, speech is not understood and finding employment may be impossible. For others the change of address may be seamless. Curiosity brought Rosy Maria Barron to the United States. She was 18 years old when she and a friend arrived to California from Mexico. Now a Palo Alto resident, Barron makes daily 45-mile trips to Richmond to manage her supermarket on Cutting Boulevard.
Play Rugby USA, a nonprofit organization focused on the wellbeing of school children in disenfranchised communities, is getting a jumper in Richmond by piloting an after-school rugby program at Washington Elementary School in Point Richmond. According to Stuart Bagshaw, the executive director of Play Rugby USA’s California branch, the program is now in over 200 schools in New York and in 60 schools in Los Angeles. Students, both boys and girls, wore red and yellow Velcro belts Friday after school…
The Kennedy Eagles baseball team traveled to Hercules Thursday evening and lost to the Titans 17-8. After a disappointing loss to Richmond High last Friday, the Eagles (0-8) jumped on the Titans (8-3) early for a 3-0 lead. By the bottom of the third inning things looked promising for the team in mismatched hats, pants and leggings, as they held a 6-2 lead. But that’s when the wheels fell off the bus for Kennedy, as Hercules sent 13 batters to…
The Richmond Oilers’ baseball team defeated the Kennedy Eagles 6-5 on Friday to win a baseball game for the first time in three years – since the average price of gasoline was $2.81 per gallon. Now it looks as though the high school on 23rd Street has refueled its tank. After the game Oilers’ head coach Rob Collins mustered his team of Spanish-speaking players in left field and said, “Gentlemen, si se puede!” The coach’s declaration got a rousing ovation…