community

Richmond on the watch

The Richmond community has over 200 neighborhood watch groups and its expanding with training sessions to teach residents how they can start their own neighborhood watches.

School Board approves charter renewal, discusses district test scores

After months of debate and community campaigning, the West Contra Costa Unified School District board members voted 4 to 1 in favor of renewing the charter of Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) before a large and passionate crowd. The board was also presented with data from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) on test score performance within the district. Nearly 35% of WCCUSD students overall met or exceeded standards for English Language Arts (ELA),…

Richmond event gives female entrepreneurs advice on funding their businesses

Female entrepreneurs from across the Bay Area came to Richmond to attend “Finance Your Business! for Women Entrepreneurs,” free evening workshop on October 28. The event was hosted by the Richmond Main Street Initiative in partnership with the Mission Economic Develop Agency (MEDA), a San Francisco-based organization which helps provide resources for low-to-moderate income families, particularly Latinos, in the Bay Area. Representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, the City of Richmond, Pacific Community Ventures, San Pablo Economic Development Corporation, the nonprofit…

Halloween comes early for Richmonders, dogs at Point Isabel

Richmond’s “Barktoberfest” last weekend at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline offered the area’s canine population the same chance to celebrate.

Barktoberfest’s October 26 costume parade was accompanied by competitions for categories such as the best small, medium, and large dog costumes. This year, about 50 dogs trod along the waterfront and showed off their attire with their tails wagging cheerfully. Some dressed in rainbow costumes while other dogs and owners wore matching superhero attire.

California backs Council, developer preference for Zeneca cleanup plan

California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) on Friday announced its selection of a cleanup plan for one of Richmond’s most notorious brownfields: an industrial site located on the city’s south shoreline, once occupied by a succession of corporate tenants including Stauffer Chemical Co. and pharmaceutical company Zeneca Inc. The plan will excavate contaminated soil and install barriers in areas where tainted soil will be left in place. It would take about eight fewer years to implement and involve tens…