Safety measures under scrutiny

Richmond High School students are hearing a lot more warnings this week about safety measures after the rape of a 15-year-old student, who was attacked on campus following a homecoming dance on Saturday.

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Cool-headed cop has eye on crime reduction

He walked from a work car to his SUV, lifted the hatch and dug into his personal items, sifting in the methodical way he does most things. A bottle of clear hand sanitizer. A handy flash-drive that holds all his reports. A cache of shells and a sleek, black shotgun. Just after 8 a.m., the…

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Patrolling Richmond’s ‘Iron Triangle’

Phillip Sanchez comes to work with a crisp uniform and courteous demeanor. He’s recognized at the local Starbucks, where he likes to start off his day with a coffee and pastry. But the normalcy stops there. Sanchez’ office is one of the most crime-addled neighborhoods in the nation. Officer Sanchez patrols one of nine beats,…

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Troubled tracks?

Max Rivera can’t shake the memory. As he lay in bed during the wee hours of Aug. 15, Rivera heard a commotion. The sounds of rustling and some voices – maybe distressed voices – drifted into his small bedroom from out near the railroad tracks a few paces behind his home. Rivera thought about going…

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SS Red Oak is Richmond’s floating museum

Every Tuesday, Lou Berg comes to the SS Red Oak Victory Ship and helps out with restoring the historic vessel. He took a little time to take Richmond Confidential on a tour of the floating museum, docked at Terminal 2. With very few funds, the volunteers’ ultimate goal is to be able get the ship…

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In tough economy, pain trickles to the bottom

A few hundred yards off the Santa Fe Channel’s waters, beneath the moving silhouettes of the massive tankers that float to dock, lies the little stretch of railroad track that serves as a gathering point for Richmond’s men and women who scavenge for scrap.

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Before Napa, there was Winehaven

Between the San Pablo Bay and a steep ridge lined with eucalyptus trees sits a lone burgundy fortress. Sharp-eyed commuters on the San Rafael Bridge may wonder what this structure is, with its turrets and crenellated parapets.  At its feet, a long, narrow wharf stretches across the water toward San Quentin. The Vallejo ferry passes…

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History to make way for housing

Richmond’s Japanese nurseries were mostly purchased before passage of the Alien Land Law in 1913, which barred Japanese immigrants from owning property. During WWII, the Japanese families who owned the Richmond nurseries were forced from their land and moved into detention camps. Today, the vestiges of these once great enterprises are targeted for redevelopment.

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