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Fremont takes Kennedy in season opener

It was just the first game, but Kennedy head coach DeUndrae Perteete has already found something to work on: rebounding. The team had just eight boards the entire night. And because Kennedy (0-1) forgot to bring some Windex and paper towels to clean the glass Wednesday night, Fremont (1-0) rolled on to a 57-39 victory. The quarter-capacity crowd saw Kennedy use its speed and hustle to stay close for most of the game. And after three quarters the Eagles only…

Bandwidth: Hip hop artist YSD makes waves in Richmond

Meet Young Shorty Doowop, or Y.S.D., one of Richmond’s rising stars — a female rapper and R&B artist who’s been writing her own songs since childhood. She performs around the Bay Area, dishing up beats from her first album, “I Love All My Fans: The Mixtape” and a new single, “Flexin’ on Em” (which comes with its own dance). She’s been featured on KMEL 106.1 FM, danced in music videos with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, and sells her “I…

Sureño gang members stand trial for Norteño shooting

The trial for a 2009 double homicide in a Richmond restaurant opened Wednesday in Martinez with District Attorney Aron DeFerrari describing a brutal execution motivated by rivalry between Norteño and Sureño gang members, and attorneys representing the defendants describing their clients as having been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Steven Miranda and Ignacio Ruiz are charged with two counts of murder plus conspiracy to commit murder and gang offenses for their roles in the shooting of Alvaro…

Of the Street

The ground of my second-floor room trembled as trains rumbled over the tracks and horned their approach at every minute. Dogs barked continuously from someplace in a distance and what sounded like a series of rapid gunshots went off. All within the first five minutes of my arrival.

Richmond High girls soccer falls to Mt. Diablo 3-2

If coaching was solely about wins and losses, Felipe Franco would not be here. Although his Richmond High School girl’s soccer team was defeated 3-2 by the Mt. Diablo Red Devils Tuesday night, Franco was reminded about why he enjoys the job. “You know what I like about coaching? They enjoy doing this,” Franco said about his team. “They know that they lost, or may lose the game, but they put a lot of effort in.” The match was the…

RPAL boxing program helps youth overcome fears, gain confidence

Three young Richmond boxers from the Richmond Police Activities League boxed last Saturday at an exhibition hosted by the RPAL. The exhibition, which welcomed fighters from different boxing clubs and gyms, featured 15 bouts with varying age and weight divisions. RPAL’s Anthony J. Bryant, Vonnie Davison and Delleon Brown are all local talent groomed by John Island, the head coach and coordinator of the boxing program. For some it was their first bout. “These guys were already ready, they train…

Wading with the oyster catchers

Point Pinole is perfectly silent except for the squawks of birds flying overhead and the occasional cringe-inducing crunch under foot. The low tide exposes a muddy stretch of shoreline, the rocks red and Martian-like under the setting sun. Despite its fleeting resemblance to the Red Planet, the question here isn’t whether there’s life, but whether there could be more. There’s plenty of living things at Point Pinole – just look closely at the rocks at low tide or turn over…

Maps show support for City Council winners

More than 31,300 voters in Richmond cast a ballot this year, a 10 percent decrease from the last presidential election, according to numbers updated on the Contra Costa County’s election division site on Nov. 17. In 2008, more than 35,000 voters in the city cast a ballot, which was 84 percent of registered voters. This year the voter turnout in the city was just under 72 percent. Below are maps that show where the three City Council winners– Nat Bates,…

Salute restaurant continues tradition with free meals for the homeless

As Menbere Aklilu looked across the office in her restaurant, she sighed deeply and said she promised herself she wouldn’t cry this time. This time, it was her second year hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at her restaurant, Salute.  Last year, she provided 300 foods to the homeless and this year, she was offering the same dinner twice in the day, doubling the meals to 600. But the promise did no good. Her eyes quickly filled with tears and she began…