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After years of dark, Richmond’s main street gets festive lights back

With the flick of a switch Wednesday night, Macdonald Avenue transformed into a downtown vision that many in the city have long wanted to see. “I always dreamed of having lights on Macdonald,” Finance Director James Goins said, standing at the corner of Macdonald and 11th. The East Bay Performing Arts Center and Richmond Main Street Initiative collaborated this year to host the annual Downtown Holiday Festival. This was the first time the newly renovated arts center held the event,…

Lady Eagles race past KIPP King

The hottest show in town isn’t Hollywood’s new James Bond movie, but rather the Kennedy High girl’s basketball team. And with an 85-39 defeat of KIPP King of San Lorenzo Monday night, the Eagles didn’t disappoint. Now entering its sixth year as a charter school, KIPP King (4-1) never stood a chance. By half time Kennedy (4-1) raced off to a 20-point lead. Concerned that players were focused more on individual stats than team play, Eagles assistant head coach Tim…

Mormon church in Richmond draws in Latino converts

In the last decade, the Mormon church has increased its membership by nearly 2 million people, making it the fastest-growing religion in the world. At the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Richmond, its members demonstrate the success the church has made in Latin America, the place of origin for many new converts.

A preseason loss serves to organize a young Kennedy team

Kennedy’s preseason opener was a 1-0 loss against Salesian on Thursday evening. “It’s the first time Salesian has beat us in a long time,” Kennedy Coach Aaron Colacion said. He attributed the loss to the team’s need to refine basic skills like passing and moving the ball down the field. In the first half Salesian was winning in the midfield, keeping possession with short passes. Though neither team scored, it was clear the Eagles would have to stay sharp to…

Contra Costa passes realignment budget

Contra Costa County officials approved a budget of more than $20 million at a meeting in Martinez today to both continue operations in the jails, probation department and courts, as well as develop community partnerships geared around reentry. More than a year after California transferred responsibility for low-levels felons to county jurisdiction, the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) unanimously approved $15.4 million of the total budget to continue operations and expand some county departments. The move came just in time before…