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A night of poetry

Donte Clark was the sixth and final poet from Richmond Artists with Talent to perform at the Madeline F. Whittlesey Community Room on Friday night. Midway through his poem, he forgot his lines. After pausing to recollect himself, and with the encouragement of the crowd, he restarted his poem, completed it and earned a standing ovation. “Every now and then I have those moments,” Clark said. “And what are you going to do in those moments? Are you going to…

Oilers fight to stay positive after third straight loss

The Salesian High School Pride handed the Richmond High School Oilers their third loss in a row in a game that ended 28-6 at the Salesian High School fields on Saturday afternoon. Despite the defeat, Richmond coaches and players agreed that the team fought hard against the Salesian Pride, a team that ranks within the top 150 of California high school varsity football programs, according to the CBS sports website MaxPreps. “I learned a lot about my team today, some…

El Cerrito Gauchos declaw Kennedy Eagles

In a game that will be remembered more for its significance as a memorial to a lost player than as a high stakes varsity football encounter, the El Cerrito Gauchos beat the Kennedy Eagles 64-8 in Richmond last night, challenging a team still reeling from the death of offensive lineman Ulises Grijalva, who was shot and killed near his home on August 5. “We tried to play in his honor, and this is not the outcome we wanted,” Kennedy Head…

Kennedy High Eagles honor slain football player Ulises Grijalva

Kennedy High football coach Mack Carminer walked slowly to the 50-yard line on Friday — minutes before the team’s first home game — to hold a brief ceremony in honor of “a fallen soldier.” Followed by members of the school administration Carminer carried the framed Eagles jersey of Ulises Grijalva, a player who was killed on August 5. Taking the microphone, Carminer bowed his head and called for a moment of silence. The sound of teenagers’ laughter and teasing that…

Federal judge grants anti-soda-tax committee exemption from campaign disclosure law

A U.S. district judge told city attorneys this morning that Richmond didn’t “stand a chance of a prosecution” in enforcing its campaign disclosure laws against an anti-soda-tax group. The Community Coalition Against Beverage Taxes filed a lawsuit against the city to prevent it from enforcing a law that would require the group to devote one-third of any mailer’s campaign disclosure section to the words “major funding from out-of-city-contributors.” Judge Charles R. Breyer ruled that the ordinance did not apply to…

Community remembers ‘superhuman’ pediatrician Dr. William Jenkins

When Dr. William Jenkins Jr.’s home was threatened by the Oakland Hills fire of 1991, the last thing on his mind was saving his house. “All he cared about was saving one suit so he could go to work,” said Dr. Brian Blaisch, Jenkins’ former colleague and friend. “And that was literally the real meaning in his life – making sure that he could get to work the next day.” Superhuman, perfectionist, giver, father: These were the words friends and…

Richmond high school exit exam scores released

The results of the state’s high school exit exams, released near the end of August, show that students in the West Contra Costa County School District lag behind the state average in combined English and math scores. On the English Language Arts part of the test, 58 percent of Kennedy High seniors, 66 percent of Richmond High seniors, and 72 percent of De Anza seniors passed. On the math part, 51 percent of Kennedy seniors, 61 percent of Richmond seniors…

Scientists announce research focus for LBNL

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Richmond Bay Campus will focus on biosciences that affect energy production, environment, and human health scientists from the lab and the University of California said Thursday. The scientists explained the highlights of research projects to come for an audience of more than 100 people at the Memorial Auditorium. Research proposals included a range of topics, from local rainwater catchment and filtration systems to biofuel development. Jay Keasling, a professor of chemical and biomolecular…

Eagles and Oilers to see gridiron action this weekend

The Kennedy Eagles and Richmond Oilers will both see action this weekend, as the two teams take on neighborhood rivals. The Eagles host the El Cerrito Gauchos on Friday night, while the Oilers visit Salesian Pride on Saturday for a matinee affair. Eagles head coach Mark Carminer and his staff will try and slow down El Cerrito’s high-powered offense, as the Gouchos come into the game beating San Lorenzo and Newark Memorial by a combined score of 106-14. Prior to…