Russell Contreras, Author at Daily Hampshire Gazette

Volunteers paint murals on boarded-up businesses in Kenosha, Wis., Sunday, at an “Uptown Revival.” The event was meant to gather donations for residents and help businesses hurt by violent protests in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

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Kenosha on edge as Trump visit looms

by Russell Contreras Associated PressAugust 31, 2020

KENOSHA, Wis. — Some residents in Kenosha fear a planned visit by President Donald Trump after unrest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake may stir more emotions and cause more violence and destruction in the divided southeastern Wisconsin city…

FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2019, file photo, former Vice President Al Gore, left, founder of the Climate Reality Project, and the Rev. William Barber II, president of the Repairers of the Breach, visit Lowndes County resident Charlie Mae Holcombe to talk about the failing wastewater sanitation system at her home in Hayneville, Ala. An anti-poverty coalition led by Barber is scheduled to hold a virtual march Saturday. The Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington aims to build...

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Poor People’s Campaign eyes ‘virtual march’

by Russell Contreras Associated PressJune 18, 2020

FILE - In this April 27, 2019 file photo, dancers enter at the Gathering of Nations, one of the world's largest gatherings of indigenous people in Albuquerque, N.M. A handful of states, including New Mexico and Maine, are celebrating their first Indigenous Peoples' Day as part of a trend to move away from a day honoring Christopher Columbus. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)

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Some states honoring indigenous people instead of Columbus

by Russell Contreras Associated PressOctober 14, 2019

FILE - This June 13, 2008 file photo shows R&B singer R. Kelly arriving at 3the Cook County Criminal Court Building in Chicago. Kelly, one of the top-selling recording artists of all time, has been hounded for years by allegations of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls _ accusations he and his attorneys have long denied. But an Illinois prosecutor’s plea for potential victims and witnesses to come forward has sparked hope among some advocates that the R&B star might...

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New attention placed on R. Kelly sex allegations

by Russell Contreras Associated Press, and Michael Tarm Associated PressJanuary 11, 2019

In this Oct. 3, 2018 photo, the historic railroad station in Columbus, N.M. once targeted by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa sits in the middle of town. The small New Mexico village is rejecting talk of a wall and troops while embracing its legacy along the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last week cited Villa's 1916 raid of Columbus, New Mexico, as an example for why President Donald Trump was deploying active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

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N.M. town invaded by Pancho Villa rejecting talk of troops

by Russell Contreras Associated PressNovember 23, 2018

Protestors holding banners gather after a march opposed to the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump in Trafalgar Square in London, Friday, July 13, 2018. Trump’s pomp-filled welcome to Britain was overshadowed Friday by an explosive interview in which he blasted Prime Minister Theresa May, blamed London’s mayor for terror attacks against the city and argued that Europe was “losing its culture” because of immigration. In rear is the The National Gallery.

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Trump’s remarks about changing European culture draw ire

by Jesse J. Holland Associated Press, and Russell Contreras Associated PressJuly 14, 2018

In this Thursday, May 31, 2018, photo, Sen. Robert Kennedy aide Paul Schrade holds an evidence photo of gunman Sirhan Sirhan's revolver with the eight expended shell casings found in the chamber, and the Weisel, Goldstein, and Kennedy bullets, at his home in Los Angeles. When a gunman open fire toward Sen. Robert Kennedy, the first bullet missed the senator and struck Kennedy aide Paul Schrade in the head. Schrade woke up the next day and found out the Democratic presidential candidate...

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Wounded in RFK shooting, aide still pushes boss’s legacy

by Russell Contreras Associated PressJune 3, 2018

University Prep Academy High School students react in Detroit to an announcement Feb. 16 that all 600 students will see the film “Black Panther,” which features a black superhero in a fictional, un-colonized African nation.

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Stars, educators lead effort for kids to see ‘Black Panther’

by Russell Contreras Associated Press, and Corey Williams Associated PressFebruary 20, 2018

Aztec High School students and area residents gather for a candlelight vigil in Aztec, N.M., Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, after a shooting at the high school. Students hid in their classrooms, some behind locked doors, as a suspect opened fire Thursday inside the school, killing two classmates before he died. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

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Police: Gunman disguised himself, randomly killed at school

by Russell Contreras Associated PressDecember 8, 2017

In this Nov. 17, 2017, photo, the cover page of a FBI report on the rise of black “extremists” is photographed in Washington. The report is stirring fears of a return to practices of the Civil Rights era, when the agency notoriously spied on activist groups without evidence they had broken any laws. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former Alabama senator whose career has been dogged by questions about race and his commitment to civil rights, did not ease lawmakers’ concerns when he was unable to answer questions about the report or its origins during a congressional hearing on Nov. 14.

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FBI report on black ‘extremists’ raises new monitoring fears

by Sadie Gurman Associated Press, and Russell Contreras Associated PressNovember 18, 2017