North Richmond
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin first saw Henry Clark, as so many have, at the gates of Richmond’s Chevron oil refinery. It was a blustery day in June 2003 and Clark was calling for environmental accountability from the oil company – as he has for many years – in front of an impassioned crowd of community members holding signs attacking refinery flares and “dirty air.” “He spoke prior to me” at the event, recalls McLaughlin, who had arrived armed with statistics…
Environmental health advocates have often linked asthma rates in Richmond to nearby industrial polluters like the Chevron refinery. But while science has established some strong correlations between air pollution and asthma episodes — such as in studies conducted by the California EPA Air Resources Board or published in scientific journals such as Current Opinion on Pulmonary Medicine — the jury’s still out on causation. “The connection between asthma and air quality is complicated,” says Abigail Kroch, Director of Epidemiology, Planning & Evaluation at Contra…
It was a vision that would change the way they celebrated Christmas forever. Burgundie Spears was a sophomore in college when she decided to give up her own Christmas to begin collecting clothing, toys, and food for “Christmas in Richmond,” an annual event—which became a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit in December—that helps those in need. “The organization was literally birthed out of my spirit,” Spears, now 27, said of the faith-based organization. “It didn’t make sense to start something while we…
“This one is called Laser,” said Flora Ninomiya, stroking the smooth petals of a small yellow rose she cultivates in a greenhouse along Brookside Avenue.
Olympia oysters, whose slender, two-inch shells can be found in historic Native American sites across the Bay Area, are believed to thrive in the shallow water below the tide. But more than a century after nearly disappearing, the Olys could make a comeback at Point Pinole.
The seventh North Richmond Shoreline Festival was held Saturday at Point Pinole to celebrate the area’s ecology and culture.
The Peres Elementary Dental Clinic has come a long way from its modest start as a janitorial closet with a dentist chair. Twelve years, $500,000 and 412 square feet later, a new dual dentist chair clinic has emerged. Following a major reconstruction, the 12-year-old clinic reopened on Friday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Dr. Daniel Tanita, the dentist who will continue to maintain it. With brand new equipment, Dr. Tanita and the nine other volunteer dentists will now have…
There was a significant drop in gun-related violence this summer, which the agency credited to its Summer Gun Violence Interruption Initiative.
As Richmond Fire Department and Chevron firefighters complete joint search-and-rescue training operations at the Chevron refinery this week — a sign of cooperation between the two agencies at a time when residents and regulators are demanding answers about refinery safety — Contra Costa County is taking steps to tighten its industrial safety standards. The county’s Board of Supervisors last week appointed Supervisor John Gioia and District 5 Supervisor Federal D. Glover to consider amendments to its Industrial Safety Ordinance and…