Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Thomas Lyons
Lose something on BART? Here’s how to find it — maybe
BART’s lost and found department, a large room at the 12th Street station in Oakland, is cramped. This is the first thing one notices. Then you’ll see: shelves of cellphones, a bin of passports, a bucket full of car keys, books (and more books), and, on this particular day, two ukuleles tucked in a corner. Of course there are also wallets, jackets, basketballs, purses, a hard hat and a hockey mask.
Lose something on BART? Here’s how to find it — maybe
BART’s lost and found department, a large room at the 12th Street station, is cramped. This is the first thing one notices. Then you’ll see: shelves of cellphones, a bin of passports, a bucket full of car keys, books (and more books), and, on this particular day, two ukuleles tucked in a corner. Of course there are also wallets, jackets, basketballs, purses, a hard hat and a hockey mask.
Richmond storage space not just for 'stuff.' It's a haven for arts, crafts, cooking
Drive down Maine Avenue in Richmond’s Santa Fe neighborhood and you’ll see art pieces reminiscent of a certain playa festival. That’s because Bridge Storage and Artspace was originally partly inspired by Burning Man culture — “or something,” said Operations Manager Elishes Cavness. And, as its name suggests, it originally opened as a self-storage site in 1993.
How Richmond works: Your guide to local government and city operations
Want to make your voice heard by local officials at a public meeting but don’t know how? Got a concern about something happening in your neighborhood but not sure who to turn to? Have questions about which agencies and elected officials are responsible for what in Richmond, the West Contra Costa Unified School District, or Contra Costa County? Richmondside created this guide to make it easier for people in Richmond to understand, navigate and participate in their local government.
Richmond bridge bike lane access to be reduced starting this fall
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) voted Thursday to reduce Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike lane access as part of a three-year test of whether reserving the lane for emergencies during peak commute times will improve traffic flow. The decision, approved by a 15-to-2 vote of the 27-member commission (18 commissioners were present; Amber Manfree, Napa County’s alternative representative, abstained) came after a more than seven-hour hearing.
Richmond bridge bike lane access to be reduced starting this fall
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) voted Thursday to reduce Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike lane access as part of a three-year test of whether reserving the lane for emergencies during peak commute times will improve traffic flow. The decision, approved by a 15-to-2 vote of the 27-member commission (18 commissioners were present; Amber Manfree, Napa County’s alternative representative, abstained) came after a more than seven-hour hearing.
Nobody can break her stride: Meet Richmond’s 73-year-old distance runner
Before carbon-plated running shoes, before compression socks and gel packets, before fancy watches and Strava and those vest-water-bottle-holder gizmos, Sharlet Gilbert knew she was fast. “I took the [Presidential Fitness] test at De Anza High School around some basketball courts, and I was the second-fastest girl in the school,” Gilbert told Richmondside. “I thought, ‘Oh, this is pretty nice.’ ” Now, 55 years later, Gilbert hasn’t slowed down much.
Contra Costa Sheriff’s voluntary cooperation with ICE stirs debate
Tempers flared at a special meeting of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors this week to discuss and provide updates on the county’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The public forum, which was attended by several hundred people Tuesday, is required under the Truth Act for counties that cooperate on law enforcement with federal immigration agencies. The Truth Act, which was enacted in 2016 by California Gov.
They were once convicted of felony charges. Now they help the recently incarcerated to heal
In 2019, Marvin Galdamez landed his dream job working as a bilingual peer advocate at San Francisco’s Hospitality House, a nonprofit that serves marginalized communities in the Tenderloin neighborhood. “They took me in, and, man, I was just on cloud nine,” Galdamez said. “I started making a decent living wage. I had every [insurance] benefit you could think of: life, death.” But on his 19th day on the job, Galdamez’ boss called him in.
In Richmond, a nighttime fish ‘dump’ works to counter salmon’s declining population
In April, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife canceled the state’s commercial salmon season for the third straight year. Experts say warming waters and reduced river flow are the main factors behind California’s plummeting salmon population. But one program, based in Richmond, is trying to counter the decline with a net pen and release program orchestrated by the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA).
Richmond trash piles up as strike stretches to third day
Richmond and other Contra Costa County cities are among a number of Bay Area locales without trash pickup service this week due to a national Teamsters strike. The work stoppage, which began in Boston on July 1 and started in the Bay Area on Tuesday, also includes cities in Washington, Georgia, Illinois, and other parts of northern California.
The Woodstock sanctuary that inspired Bob Dylan is for sale
It might be the most quietly iconic living room in American music history. The year is 1965. Bob Dylan sits cross-legged on the floor in velvet. Behind him, his manager’s wife, Sally Grossman, reclines in a fire-red gown. Records and books are scattered around them — the casual clutter of counterculture. Daniel Kramer’s photograph became the cover of Bringing It All Back Home, and a shrine to the moment when folk cracked open into something stranger.
8 things to do in Richmond this week
Good morning, Richmondside readers! From the arts to job fairs to endurance racing, some highlights from this week’s What’s Up column include: Richmond’s Movies in the Park series, the summer’s second Point Richmond Music festival concert and new exhibits at the Richmond Art Center. Also: WCCUSD is hosting a job fair for educators and support staff, and you can learn more about how the government is cleaning up the Heckathorn EPA Superfund site.
Federal authorities are offering a reward for information leading to an arrest in the armed robbery of a Richmond post office. The robbery of the 1025 Nevin Ave. station occurred at about 12:50 p.m. Tuesday, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The robber can be seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black face mask, and red and black gloves in a video released by the USPIS. In the video, the robber held a handgun while he rifled through the station’s cash drawer.
Where to watch Fourth of July fireworks in Richmond
In Richmond, the Fourth of July comes a day early. Drive, bike, or bus to Marina Bay Park at 5 p.m. on Thur., July 3, for fireworks pizzazz, pops, and community pride.
'It feels like a street party!' What it's like to go to a Point Richmond summer concert
On the second Friday of the summer months, hundreds of people gather in Richmond’s historic Point Richmond neighborhood for a night of music, dancing and community-building that has been happening since 2001. This year, the Point Richmond Music Festival series kicked off on June 13, drawing an estimated 300-plus attendees. People of all ages gathered at Park Place and Washington Avenue to catch performances by Chris James and the Showdowns and Maurice Tani.
Rosie the Riveter park posts Trump-required sign asking visitors to report "negative" exhibits
A new sign required by the Trump Administration that now greets visitors to Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park is evidence, park supporters told Richmondside, of the president’s efforts to rewrite American history.
East Bay ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump expected to draw thousands
This is a developing story. Our reporters will cover some of the marches and rallies today, and we’ll be continually updating this post with news and photos. Check back for updates. Hundreds of protesters are gathered in El Sobrante, El Cerrito and across the Bay Area and nation as part of the “No Kings” Trump protests. Organizers say it will be a peaceful “day of defiance” against creeping authoritarianism exerted by Donald Trump and a complacent Republican-controlled Congress.
The mood is tense at Concord Immigration Court following ICE arrests
Attorneys and their clients attending hearings Wednesday at Concord Immigration Court, just a day after ICE agents detained four people there, were uneasy as they conducted their business. The court, which opened in February 2024 to serve 10 northern and central California counties, including Contra Costa and Alameda counties (except for Oakland), has become the latest of a series of confrontational flashpoints statewide involving federal immigration enforcements.
A historic Antwerp mansion asks for €1.29m on one of the city’s most famous streets
Cogels Osylei is one of Antwerp’s most famous streets, and some would even argue it is the city’s most beautiful, lined with 19th and early 20th-century mansions ranging from art nouveau to classical in style. But Cogels Osylei isn’t just about beauty; it’s about connectivity, too. Major roads and Berchem station are just around the corner, and a short tram or bike ride will get you into the heart of the city in mere minutes.
Look inside Birkenhead’s secret Outsider Art palace
Behind the facade of this unassuming Victorian villa in the heart of Birkenhead, Merseyside, lies a hidden treasure trove of creativity and passion that was hidden for decades. This is Ron’s Place, a conventional flat transformed by Ron Gittins into a dazzling shrine of art, drawing from the wellsprings of ancient civilisations and classical beauty.
Sotheby’s Paris conjures the classical world of Cy Twombly
To coincide with the Paris+ par Art Basel international art fair, Sotheby’s Paris has unveiled the third edition of its pop-up selling exhibition at the Galerie Beauvau, dedicated to artist Cy Twombly. Exhibition and sale, Cy Twombly & Friends, runs until 29 October 2023 and is created in collaboration with Galerie Chenel and celebrated photographer François Halard – both of whom pay homage to Twombly through curated antiquities and intimate interior photography of the spaces he inhabited.
Holly Hendry's 'Slackwater' sculpture weaves its way across the roof of Temple Station
Artist Holly Hendry has unveiled ‘Slackwater’ – her first public commission in London, an impressive snaking sculpture that sits atop Temple tube station in The Artist’s Garden on the banks of the Thames. ‘Slackwater’ derives its name from the phenomenon that occurs when an incoming tide meets the fluvial flow, causing the water to be momentarily still, then whirlpool against the current before forging its path upstream.
Legendary French actor Alain Delon's art collection heads to auction
#auctionwatch Alain Delon is one of France’s most recognisable actors, playing neo-noir antiheroes through the 1960s and 70s. With his brooding good looks, he came to embody the essence of ‘French cool.’ However, a lesser-known aspect of his life is his remarkable personal art collection, carefully curated over the past six decades – and now headed to auction with Bonhams at the sale, Alain Delon: 60 Years of Passion.
Jacquemus designs a branded beach
French fashion house Jaquemus has opened the doors to its beachfront pop-up in the sun-kissed seaside town of Saint-Tropez – complete with its very own branded beach. The launch of the pop-up store on Ramatuelle’s Plage de la Bonne Terrass is in collaboration with local icon Indie Beach Restaurant. It comes hot on the heels of Simon Porte Jacquemus’ much-anticipated collaboration with Nike and the recent openings of pop-up boutiques over the border in Como and Portofino.
Items from the Gettys' Temple of Wings head to auction in Christie's latest blockbuster sale
Christie’s presents its second instalment of The Ann and Gordon Collection, with items from the philanthropist couple’s storied Berkeley Hills property, Temple of Wings, going under the auctioneer’s hammer today. As members of the billionaire industrialist Getty family, the couple were active philanthropists and socialists with a vast art collection to match. Their Greco-Roman style Temple of Wings estate was their family home and a living gallery for their expansive art collection.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward's art and antique collection heads to auction
Nearly 400 items from the personal holdings of legendary actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward head to auction at Sotheby’s today – the final instalment of its three-part auction, ‘The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.’ A Life & Legacy features memorabilia from Joanne and Paul’s careers and the art and objects they surrounded themselves with in their personal lives. It follows Sotheby’s Important Watches and High-Speed sales, devoted to Newman’s extensive legacy in the car racing world.
Robin and Rupert Hambro's extraordinary art and jewellery collection heads to auction
This June, Christie’s offers a fascinating window into the collecting habits of socialites and aesthetes Robin and Rupert Hambro, showcasing an eclectic assemblage of art and objects pulled from their residences at Ebury Street, Copse Farm, and Saint-Rémy in Provence. Robin Hambro brought a designer’s sensibility and a keen eye for fashion to her interior arrangements, skilfully juxtaposing tradition and modernism with creative flair.
‘Thrones’: a pop-up Paris exhibition by Downtown+ celebrates iconic seating
Chairs and seats from the 1950s to the present day co-star in Downtown/Laffanour Galerie’s inaugural Downtown+ showcase, Trônes, exploring the intersection of art and design via the cinematic paintings of Tim Wilson. Gallery director Luna Laffanour and curator Romain Bitton invite viewers to wander through vacant apartments at 72 rue de l’Université, where the New York artist’s works hang alongside iconic sculptural 20th-century furniture and contemporary seating.
High-Speed heritage auction spotlights Paul Newman's racing legacy
#auctionwatch This week, RM Sotheby’s presents over 100 lots from the estate of Paul Newman in its sale High Speed: Paul Newman’s Racing Legacy, with racing artefacts and treasured keepsakes from his extraordinary life up for sale. The story goes TV Host David Letterman received an unusual phone call from an old friend one evening. ‘Dave? I’ve got a deal from a guy in Maine. It’s a custom Volvo 960 station wagon, OK? But it’s different.
The very first Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona prototype is up for grabs
The very first prototype of Ferrari’s 365 GTB/4 Daytona is up for auction via Sotheby’s Sealed this week. Previously exhibited at the Museo Ferrari, Chassis number 10287 is a crucial piece of Ferrari history and the first of its kind. The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was introduced at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 to replace the 275 GTB/4.
Clarke Gable's Jaguar XK120 and cache of unseen Ferraris headline Lake Como auction
Some of the world’s best and most sought-after automobiles will descend on Italy’s Lake Como this week for RM Sotheby’s much anticipated Villa Erba 2023 sale, organised in collaboration with Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Among the prize lots are silver-screen icon Clarke Gable’s Jaguar XK120 and a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti. Held every two years, Villa Erba ranks among Europe’s foremost ’boutique’ sales, drawing car collectors from around the globe.
Works by the ’father of British Studio Pottery’ and a Living National Treasure go to auction
c and Shoji Hamada were among the most influential voices in 20th-century craft, having forged a friendship that spanned geography and propelled the mingei folk art movement – which eschewed early modern industrialisation in favour of simple handmade design – to international fame. Now, 100 years on, the works of these two great craftsmen are on sale at Bonham’s as part of The Art of Craft auction.
Meet the women who photographed Britain
An expansive Photo London show turns the lens on the female photographers capturing social history from the 1930s to present Pioneering female photographers are celebrated at this year’s Photo London with the exhibition, Writing her own Script: Women Photographers from the Hyman Collection on show at Somerset House.
Alain Prost’s Ferrari F40 is up for auction with no reserve
#Auctionwatch: a very special Ferrari F40 is going under the hammer tomorrow via Sotheby’s Sealed, with a guide price of €3m – but no reserve. And it belonged to a racing titan. This special F40 was delivered new to four-time Formula 1 World Champion Alain Prost during his first season as a Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 driver in 1990. Ferrari’s legendary F40 was built from 1987 until 1992 with styling by Pininfarina in Kevlar and carbon fibre.
Holly Hendry: inverting space and inspiring wonder
In her studio, Holly Hendry towers over a scale model of her new sculpture that will sit atop Temple Tube Station on the banks of the Thames in London, contemplating its plasticine strands and cardboard walls. ‘The best place to see the work is in the studio because it’s in the process of being made, shaped and formed into circulations, veins, bowels and edges…’ says the British artist, who lives and works in the capital.
Kenzo lived here, and now you can too
Kenzo Takada, late founder of the Kenzo fashion brand, was known for his bold use of colour. Yet his unique vision and vibrant style extended beyond the realm of fashion and into his personal life, as evidenced by his stunning Parisian home, in a quiet corner of bustling Bastille on the Rive Droite. Three years after the designer’s death, The Kenzo House is now on the market with Christie’s.
Susie Hilfiger's furniture collection heads to auction
#auctionwatch: The little-seen Connecticut home of Susie Hilfiger is for sale, including the furnishings, which head to auction tomorrow via Stair Galleries. Hilfiger lived at Denbigh Farm for over 30 years, having bought the Greenwich estate in the mid-1990s with her former husband, all-American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, when he was at the height of his powers. She resisted publishing photos of its interiors or giving interviews about the Connecticut property and its sprawling grounds.
Ron Gilad plays with perception at Milan show, 'Enlightenment'
Designer Ron Gilad explores the paradoxical experience and perception of light at Milan Design Week with his sculptural presentation, Enlightenment. The special project is presented by Nemo at its events space BORGONUOVO19 as part of the lighting brand’s 30th anniversary. Gilad’s unseen works and installation directly challenge preconceptions about how and where light should be used as a medium, playfully eliciting reaction and response from the viewer.
'This is Denmark' spotlights the titans of Danish design
What is the essence of Danish design? Curators design journalists Laura Traldi and Elena Cattaneo’s exhibition probe the question inside Milan’s Alcova through the new exhibition, This is Denmark. Produced in collaboration with Royal Danish Embassy, The Confederation of Danish Industry and Creative Denmark for Milan Design Week, the exhibition runs from 17 to 23 April 2023 within the nomadic indie platform’s latest pop-up space – a former abattoir.
Street life: the urban paintings of Michael Leonard
While you’ve likely seen the work of British artist Michael Leonard, it’s less likely that you’ve ever heard his name. Leonard turns 90 this year and has a career spanning half a century. He’s an intimate worker of space and the people who inhabit them, from the suburban sitting room to the urban construction site, all depicted in a style he boldly claims as his own.
'Gimme Shelter' - the ancient Welsh origins of the pop-up house - The Spaces
Antonia Dewhurst’s show, Gimme Shelter, at the Ruthin Craft Centre reimagines the ancient Welsh folklore of the Tŷ Unnos, or ‘One Night House’, as a series of innovative micro-structures. The tradition of Tŷ Unnos states that if a house could be built on common land between sunset and sunrise, and have smoke emerging from its chimney at dawn, then the house could be kept – along with the land enclosed by a hammer throw from its four quarters.
Rustic pioneer cabin lists for $55,000 in California
Location is king at this rustic, off-grid wooden pioneer cabin in Twentynine Palms, California, listed for $55,000 via Stephen Buchanan of 29 Palms Realty. The Wonder Valley cabin dates from 1956 and is one of the famous five-acre ‘Jackrabbit’ homesteads within an hour’s drive of Palm Springs and 150 miles outside Los Angeles.
Get Today Right
1 Beyond Retail 8M ago33w ago Monthly It didn’t all change in March 2020. Not really. The UK high street has been in the throes of a gradual revolution for decades. From the rise of ecommerce, to the birth of mobile, social commerce, and a growing emphasis on experience, change has been underway for a while. In fact for many, the pandemic has acted as a wake-up call. Digital transformation was no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a matter of survival.
100 rare pieces of postmodern design go on show in Paris
Eclecticó Studio is sharing 100 rare and unusual postmodern design pieces from the 1980s and 90s this spring to mark Paris’ Art and Design Week, offering a different perspective on the divisive design movement. Archetypes of Desire takes place from 28 March to 2 April 2023 on le boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, between PAD and Art Paris. The exhibition spotlights four distinct aesthetic design directions within the postmodern movement, featuring prototypes and design objects by less famous creators.
Miami architect Rene Gonzalez shares his vision for Surfside’s luxe Surf Row Residences
Architect Rene Gonzalez has built his reputation designing environmentally-responsive buildings, creating some of Miami’s most distinctive and future-proof residences since founding his award-winning eponymous practice in 1997.
Tales of the City: artist Ed Gray's paintings of London celebrate everyday encounters
Ed Gray is a painter of city life in all its grime and glory. Enthused with the spirit of Hogarth, Dickens and Lowry, his paintings reveal the ever-changing relationship between people and the built environment and offer an empirical exploration of civic identity. Like mudlarking on the banks of the Thames, Gray’s work divulges a history hidden beneath the surface that is revealed only to those with the sharpest of eyes.
New York Marine and General Insurance Company v. Fire Equipment, Inc.
New York Marine and General Insurance Company v. Fire Equipment, Inc. Plaintiff: New York Marine and General Insurance Company Defendant: Fire Equipment, Inc.
The Revival at Asbury
By Thomas Lyons, Northern Seminary There is a revival happening on Asbury University's campus. A chapel service in Hughes Auditorium started on Wednesday, February 8th and has not yet ended. In the days since there has been an organic rotation of public confessions and repentance, worship (of all sorts), proclamation (preaching and testimonies), prayer, and public scripture reading. The stage is largely empty, with worship teams off to the side.
André Leon Talley’s collection goes to auction at Christie’s
Christie’s New York is offering a unique and personal collection, which includes an array of André Leon Talley’s iconic clothing, jewellery, art, books and personal mementoes – which reflect the fashion editor’s decades-long relationships with fellow icons such as Karl Lagerfeld, Diane von Furstenburg, Tom Ford, Diana Vreeland and Anna Wintour.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Thomas
Contact Thomas, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack