Posts Tagged ‘richmond’
A Richmond council hopeful who dances to a different drum
Mike “Raccoon Eyes” Kinney is not a typical candidate for Richmond city council. He wears 17 medicine bags around his neck and a beret on his head. Ask the lifelong Richmond resident why he’s running for office for the first time, and expect an impassioned soliloquy, with pitched intonations and kinetic gestures that cut through…
Read MoreRichmond leaders hail completion of J.O. Ford Elementary construction project
City and school district officials joined more than 100 residents and students to officially open the new facilities at J.O. Ford Elementary School in Richmond on Saturday, including new classrooms and playgrounds and modern, colorful facade. “When our kids can go to a first-class, world-class facility like this,” Councilman Jim Rogers told the crowd, “we…
Read MoreRichmond police ramp up presence to head off escalating tensions
A flare up of deadly shootings in Richmond and unincorporated North Richmond has police and anti-violence workers mobilized in an effort to quell further violence. A version of this article appeared first in the Contra Costa Times. On Monday morning, 22-year-old Orlando Yancy was killed in a drive-by in unincorporated North Richmond, the second homicide…
Read MoreBlacknell sentenced to life without parole for 2009 crime spree
Joe “Fatter” Blacknell III was sentenced to life in prison plus more than 200 years without possibility of parole for the March 2009 murder of an up-and-coming East Bay rap artist and a September 2009 shooting and carjacking spree in Richmond and Oakland. Blacknell, now 21, was arrested after a brief foot pursuit with Richmond…
Read MoreJailhouse interview with Joe ‘Fatter’ Blacknell, who faces life in prison for ’09 slaying
How do you say hello to a convicted murderer? The thought darted through my head as I strode through the Martinez Courthouse jail facility’s winding corridors of concrete and steel. In moments I would be face-to-face—albeit divided by two-inch thick Plexiglas—with Joe Blacknell III, the young man described by police and District Attorney’s Office officials…
Read MoreRichmond leaders reflect on Cinco de Mayo beatings in 2002
The Cinco de Mayo celebration on the 23rd Street corridor has become one of Richmond’s grandest events But it wasn’t always that way. Ten years ago, the street and the holiday became synonymous with an incident that would become a turning point in the city’s history, ushering in a new generation of political leaders and…
Read MoreWhere is this in Richmond? Challenge 1
Richmond Confidential is introducing a new guessing game. The eight images above have been carefully shot, giving you just enough information to try to guess where and what this is. The only thing you can count on is that this place is in Richmond.
Read MoreAccused takes stand in trial of killing of Gene Deshawn Grisby-Bell
For Tyris Franklin, the rest of his life could depend on what was going through his 16-year-old mind when he shot Gene Deshawn Grisby-Bell four times, killing the unarmed student-athlete. “I don’t remember what happened,” Franklin said Thursday, testifying on his own behalf. “Things just boiled up and boiled up to where I had no…
Read MoreRichmond General Plan approved
After six years, Richmond’s long-awaited General Plan update was passed by the City Council early Wednesday after a lengthy City Council meeting. The vote was 5-2, with Councilmen Corky Booze and Nat Bates dissenting. The plan was passed as recommended by city staff, with two modifications and a series of recommendations proposed by Mayor Gayle…
Read MoreRichmond’s hip hop community comes together for industry photo shoot
The baseball field at Kennedy High School was abuzz with activity Saturday. But the sounds weren’t the cracks of bats or the smacks of leather. They were laughs, and rhythmic staccatos of some of the city’s finest hip hop voices. More than 70 people, mostly local rap artists, gathered at the baseball field for an…
Read MoreTop McLaughlin aide resigns, joins 2012 electoral field in Richmond
The race for Richmond City Council 2012 just got more interesting. Longtime mayoral aide and local activist Marilyn Langlois has resigned her post in Gayle McLaughlin’s office to run for a chance to govern beside her former boss. “I will still be very close with the mayor and volunteering in the community,” Langlois said by…
Read MoreRichmond, it’s time to get ‘Silly’!
The night before the unique Richmond festival that is his brainchild, Michael Beer was at Nicholl Park making his pitch to a pack of pre-teen skateboarders. “What other parade would honor skateboarders alongside Gospel Choirs and low-rider car clubs?” asked Beer, the creator of Richmond’s “Silly Parade,” which will kick off for the third time…
Read MoreVeolia hires and trains two Richmond residents in wastewater management
In an effort to build better a more amicable relationship with the community, Veolia, the company that manages the wastewater treatment plant in Richmond, has instituted an internship program geared at employing local residents. The company is already through the first stages of selecting two interns, said Jamal Muhammad, the Community Outreach Coordinator for Veolia.
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