AP

County seeks tighter safety measures in wake of new findings

As Richmond  Fire Department and Chevron firefighters complete joint search-and-rescue training operations at the Chevron refinery this week — a sign of cooperation between the two agencies at a time when residents and regulators are demanding answers about refinery safety — Contra Costa County is taking steps to tighten its industrial safety standards. The county’s Board of Supervisors last week appointed Supervisor John Gioia and District 5 Supervisor Federal D. Glover to  consider amendments to its Industrial Safety Ordinance and…

Richmond music video in support of Obama goes viral

A music video recorded by a coalition of Richmond-based artists, featuring an inmate and a parolee in support of President Barack Obama’s campaign for reelection, has gone viral on YouTube, attracting more than 80,000 views with at least 60,000 people having watched it in the past week. The song, titled “Change,” features the vocals of R&B singer Waymond “Suave” Anderson, who is serving a life sentence at the California State Prison in Lancaster following a 1997 conviction for murder. In…

Community schools idea growing in Richmond

School, that place all students have to go for classes, could also become the place where students and community members go for a wide range of essential services such as healthcare, academic help and job placement. The idea to turn schools into “full service community schools,” or schools that offer more services to students and the community, was presented Wednesday night to the West Contra Costa Unified School District School Board. “A lot of schools have a community service aspect,”…

Oilers eke out volleyball victory over Eagles

Kennedy High girls volleyball team walked into the gym for their first game of the season clad in brand new bright red jerseys, that arrived an hour before the game. The team’s new coach has never played volleyball and many on the team were still untested, but in spirit they were well prepared to face their cross-town rivals Richmond High. Gathered on the court just before the game, the cry rang out through the gym, “Eagles! Eagles! You know!” The…

Baxter Creek again listed among Bay’s dirtiest waterways

The bushes rustle as Herb Warren emerges toting a trash picker and plastic bucket. The 65-year-old retiree ambles through the plants, snatching up the pieces of littered plastic, food wrappers and bottles along the stretch of Baxter Creek running through Booker T. Anderson Park.

In Richmond politics, the Obama family brand resonates with the community

Nat Bates was elected for a record seventh time in 2008 and one of his campaign signs featured his face next to the face of another man looking to make history in the same election. This year, Bates’ reelection signs once again link him to the same man. A blue sign in the window of the West Contra Costa County United Democratic Campaign office shows Barack Obama, Nat Bates, and a message: “Let’s do it again.” Jeff Ritterman was also…