Family Spring Fest, during which children will scramble to find 25,000 Easter eggs, has grown so large that the eggs will be scattered across Benicia High School’s football field instead of City Park. The surrounding track area will be full of other activities for children to do as well, said the Rev. Ken Jensen, pastor […]
Update: VPD says abduction was hoax; attorneys say no it wasn’t
Vallejo police Lt. Kenny Park said late Wednesday that investigators now believe the reported abduction early Monday of Denise Huskins — who later was found safe more than 400 miles away in Huntington Beach — was a hoax that forced rescue agencies to expend valuable resources. But Huskins’s boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, has hired Vallejo criminal […]
Local performers dance, play at Middle Eastern festival
A long-time Bay Area Middle Eastern dance festival attracts teachers and performers from throughout the United States as well as from Germany, France and Israel. And from Benicia, as well. Rakkasah West, which takes its name from an Arabic word for dancer, began 35 years ago, and last weekend it turned Richmond into a Mecca […]
VPD declares abduction hoax, may file charges
The reported abduction of a Vallejo resident from a Mare Island home early Monday appears to have been a hoax, Vallejo police Lt. Kenny Park said late Wednesday. “There is no indication that this was a random act of violence,” Park said of the alleged kidnapping of Denise Louise Huskins, which made national news. Instead, […]
Council hears report on citywide scan
At the current rate it is providing services — a rate residents have come to expect — Benicia’s resources eventually will be spread too thin, the City Council heard Tuesday. The Council heard the results of a study of municipal operations from a consultant and city staff, the initial step in a multi-phase Sustainable Community […]
Huskins safe, police report
Missing Vallejo woman found in Huntington Beach A 30-year-old woman believed abducted early Monday from a Mare Island home she was sharing with a co-worker has been reported alive and safe in Huntington Beach, a police officer from that city announced Wednesday. Hunting Beach Police officer Jennifer Marlett issued a department statement saying detectives were […]
State task force to describe refinery safety at public meeting
Area residents can learn more about refinery safety Thursday at a California Interagency Refinery Task Force forum at Crockett Community Center. One of the speakers will be Gordon Schremp, California Energy Commission specialist, who will describe how crude and refined oil products are moved in and out of the Bay Area.
HPRC eyes Mills Act, Historic Plan funds
The Historic Preservation Review Commission will pick one or two of its members Thursday to review a grant application that could help Benicia fund an overhaul of its Downtown Historic Conservation Plan. The commission also will be asked to endorse putting the Von Pfister General Store building on the National Register of Historic Places.
‘Full-court press’ as police search for abducted Vallejo woman
Authorities say Denise Louise Huskins, 30, believed held for ransom Vallejo Police Department has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies to join their “full-court press” search for Denise Louise Huskins, 30, who was reported kidnapped for ransom early Monday morning. A 30-year-old man called Vallejo police about 1:55 p.m. Monday, saying Huskins […]
City Council to start budget work, eye organizational scan
One of City Manager Brad Kilger’s tasks has been to put city operations on fiscally resilient footing. Tuesday he and Assistant City Manager Anne Cardwell will present the results of research they’ll use to reach that goal. The Council also will take its first steps toward developing the city’s 2015-17 budget that needs to be […]