AP

RPD sting brings in prostitutes off 23rd street

Officer Amit Nath and Officer Gary Lewis of the Richmond Police Department stand in wait near their squad cars in a nearly empty parking lot on the corner of Barrett and 25th Street. It’s around 8 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and the street lights are on, but they’re so dull they barely cast shadows of Nath as he walks away from the open door of his Crown Victoria, to better hear the radio feed through his ear piece. Lewis…

Defendant admits to double homicide in court

Nathan Burris, who is defending himself against first-degree murder charges in a 2009 double homicide on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, began Wednesday in court by asking for a mistrial — and ended the day by confessing to the shootings of Deborah Ross and Ersie Everette.

Gunfire disrupted Richmond homecoming, not school spirit

In the week after gunshots disrupted Richmond High School’s homecoming events, school officials, police and parents said they were glad the situation wasn’t worse. Eight minutes were left in the football game against the Kennedy Eagles when a gun was fired near 23rd and Maricopa just beyond school property. After responding to the scene, police made the decision to stop the game and the homecoming dance. Students who had just arrived in their finest dress were held in the gym…

Limit on campaign contributions may be increasing the spending of outside groups

The City Council’s attempt earlier this year to limit campaign contributions to council candidates seems to be working, last Thursday’s campaign finance deadline shows. But the limits might also be increasing the spending of outside groups on the election. Under the ordinance passed this summer, candidates must not accept more than $40,000 in campaign contributions to be eligible for up to $25,000 in public funds from the city. So far, none of the candidates have accepted more than the $40,000…

Emotional testimony in Richmond-San Rafael bridge double homicide case

Isaac Stephen Ross took the witness stand in Martinez Superior Court Tuesday to testify against Nathaniel Burris in the 2009 double homicide on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in which Ross’s sister Deborah and her friend Ersie “Chuckie” Everette Jr. were killed. Burris, who is representing himself, is facing first-degree murder charges and Senior Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett has said he’ll seek the death penalty. Leaning heavily on a wooden cane Ross slowly made his way to the stand, escorted…

Election 2012: Proposition 30

West County school leaders are anxiously awaiting the vote on the state’s Proposition 30, a tax increase proposal written by Governor Jerry Brown that if passed would mean millions of dollars for the West Contra Costa Unified School District — money the district says it desperately needs. “If the election is not successful for Prop 30 we estimate that the cuts will be $12 million for our school district,” said Sherri Gamba, the district’s associate superintendent of business services. That’s…

Election 2012: Proposition 37

On a sunbaked October afternoon, as shoppers munched on sliced apple samples and children dug into bags of kettle corn at the Main Street Farmers’ Market at Nevin Plaza, artist Malik Seneferu took a break from daubing paint on canvas to explain why he plans to vote for the state’s Proposition 37, which requires labeling food that is genetically engineered or contains genetically modified organisms. “People may say that GMOs are safe, but safe and healthy are two different things,”…