Government

Half-Steppers board bus, Junior Olympics final destination

For the past year the Richmond Half-Steppers have been going up and down the state of California to qualify for the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games. This year 10 boys and eight girls qualified. According to coach Johnny Holmes, the boys relay team is ranked third in the country.

Peaceful protest held at immigration detention center

Nearly 100 residents from across Contra Costa County held a peaceful protest last week at the West County Detention Facility where illegal immigrants are held prior to deportation. Organized by the East Bay Interfaith Immigration Coalition, families and friends of immigrants, students and religious leaders shared stories, sang songs, held banners and prayed that Congress will one day take the necessary steps to repair a failed immigration system that they say is tearing families apart

Half-Steppers’ final tune-up for Junior Olympics

Half-Stepper head coach Johnny Holmes stood around Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park track Wednesday evening waiting for Moses “Bullet” Baker, age 8, — the first leg of his nationally ranked relay team—to arrive for practice. Teammate Josh Johnson, 8, was waiting, too, and had already loosened up when coach Holmes spotted him. This would be their last chance to iron out their hand-offs and make sure everything was correct before they jumped on a bus Friday night for New…

Community members, leaders meet, cross lines

Roughly 100 residents of Richmond and unincorporated North Richmond gathered at the Civic Center Monday to hear an assortment of city, county and industry leaders weight in on how to ease the unemployment and crime that plagues their communities.