community
A record number of people showed up on Thanksgiving to enjoy turkey, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, cake and pie at two Richmond shelters. Among the 30 to 40 volunteers serving meals at the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program was Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris, who spent time at the shelter when he was a child. GRIP and the Bay Area Rescue Mission each served both lunch and dinner to shelter residents, people in encampments, former clients…
It’s Saturday morning and inside a sprawling room at the Richmond Recreation Complex, around 50 volunteers stack boxes of cornbread, sacks of potatoes, cans of chicken broth and other Thanksgiving essentials onto laden tables. Outside, even more non-perishables wait in a U-Haul. They’re prepping for the 10th annual Turkey Drive hosted by The Black Neighborhood, a Richmond nonprofit inspired by the Black Panthers, encouraging empowerment in Black communities. Volunteers are readying the 500 turkeys and 600 bags of food they…
Jeanne Gibson was 18 when she learned to weld massive warships known as destroyers in 1944. She was one of about 12 million women tending the homefront war effort, operating cranes, riveting and welding — work that earned them the nickname Rosie the Riveter. “ Being a Rosie kind of asserted my spine,” Gibson said, referring to the attitude it gave her. “We can do it!” At 99 and half this month, Gibson is eager to get back to work. She…
To the untrained eye, roller derby seems like pure pandemonium — players falling over like bowling pins, knocking into each other left and right. But hours of weekly training have taught them how to dodge, shove, turn and jump on four wheels to control the chaos and rack up points. For members of the Bay Area Derby league, it’s more than just a sport. Players are there to destress, build relationships with each other, uplift their communities, and work collectively…
“The Stakes” is a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders and actions affecting Californians and their communities. Sometime since Friday, when Contra Costa County officials last checked on an anticipated grant for North Richmond, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suspended the promised $19 million, marking the second time the grant has been put on hold since President Donald Trump tried to freeze federal grants in January. The suspension throws into question several community development projects to improve the environment,…
“The Stakes” is a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders affecting Californians and their communities. Contra Costa County should be celebrating a $19 million federal grant it was awarded for environmental projects in North Richmond. But county officials and community groups are being cautious, after the promised funding was nearly frozen in January by a Trump executive order. The North Richmond Community Resilience Initiative was one of 105 projects selected by the Environmental Protection Agency for the Community Change…
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Wednesday that his office is investigating the fatal shooting Tuesday by Richmond police at a railroad right-of-way off of Carlson Boulevard. It is not clear how many officers were involved in the shooting, which left one person, who was not armed, dead. Police have not released that person’s identity. The Richmond Police Department said in a news release Tuesday that it had referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office as required when an…
In June, 55-year-old Niko Wilson decided it was time to complete the patio renovation at her El Sobrante property. Having recently discovered the website Nextdoor, she posted to the social media platform, requesting recommendations from neighbors for help with the project. Within days, she received a private message from Arturo Negrete Cardenas, a San Pablo handyman who offered his services. After visiting the house a few times, Cardenas agreed to install a full patio cover in exchange for a deposit…
The dedicated bike lane on the upper deck of the Richmond-San Rafael bridge has been a bone of contention between cyclists and motorists since it opened as a four-year pilot project in 2019. While its life has been extended to a fifth year, its days may be numbered. Next month, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission may reduce the bike lane to a weekends-only feature, a move the cycling community opposes. Since it opened, the bike lane has remained accessible to…