Government

Fred Jackson, North Richmond leader, dead at 73

As odes from well-wishers flow from Washington D.C. to the Bay Area, North Richmond mourns one of its greatest products. Fred Jackson was born in rural Mississippi and came to the Bay Area in 1950. Over the next 61 years, he would establish a reputation as one of the region’s most consistent humanitarians and community leaders, amassing an innumerable collection of accolades and commendations along the way.

Mayor, police chief pledge tougher stance on blight and banks

Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Police Chief Chris Magnus pledged Tuesday to crack down on any banks that are neglecting foreclosed properties in the city. And they said they’ll push harder to enforce a city ordinance that fines banks $1,000 a day for vacant properties with code violations. At a meeting at the Nevin Community Center, Magnus said empty, foreclosed houses have become havens for crime and that the banks and mortgage companies that own them are deliberately obscuring their…

Richmond police utilize social media

When Michelle Milam first set up Richmond Police Department’s Facebook profile in January, she couldn’t help but wonder how many people were going to “like” the page. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Richmond Police Facebook page had 634 fans, with 14,711 unique views over the last month. The average Facebook user has only 130 friends, according to the social media site’s statistics. “A big part of it is to build those one-on-one relationships,” said Milam, the department’s crime prevention manager….

Green economy means greenbacks for RichmondBUILD graduates

Sixty-six graduates of the RichmondBUILD Green Careers Academy were awarded certificates of completion Friday morning at their training facility on 23rd Street. The green academy trains residents in energy-efficient home construction, hybrid automotive technologies, solar installation and environmental literacy