City Council mulls waiver, release of counsel’s legal view on Elizabeth Patterson and Valero Crude-by-Rail Project Benicia City Council will decide Tuesday whether the public should see a legal opinion on whether Mayor Elizabeth Patterson has expressed impermissible bias about Valero Benicia Refinery’s request to extend rails onto its property so crude oil can be […]
Mental illness group to conduct online survey on ‘holiday blues’
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is conducting a survey of those who suffer from the “holiday blues.” Information obtained from the inquiry could help NAMI Solano County, based in Fairfield, and other levels of the alliance and its affiliates build public awareness and provide public education about mental health issues, the group said […]
Citing child poisonings, First 5 adds e-cigarettes to tobacco policy
The First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission has added electronic cigarettes to its Tobacco Education, Prevention and Investment Policy because of increased instances in Solano County of accidental child poisonings caused by those products, Matthew Davis, public communications officer, said. Davis said the commission made the move after Solano County received reports of a […]
Citing budget, Superior Court to trim operations after holidays
The Superior Court of California, Solano County will curtail its operations on three post-holiday days, Brian K. Taylor, court executive officer, said. The limited operations are caused by budgetary shortfalls, Taylor said. “The court finds it necessary to institute these changes in light of the state budget crises, which resulted in five years of budget […]
Rising tide: City girds for climate effects
Event to preview city measures for mitigating rising strait waters How might climate changes affect Benicia in the future, and what can residents and property owners do to mitigate its impacts? Residents will get a chance to hear answers to those and other questions at the Open House on Climate Change Adaptation Nov. 20. Attendees […]
Chevron hit for $329K in fuel over-oxygenation
Chevron Corp. over-oxygenated fuel at its Richmond and Montebello terminals in separate incidents 2010 and 2011, and has paid $329,700 in penalties to the California Air Resources Board, ARB spokesperson Melanie Turner said this week.
Paying respects: Volunteers turn out to tidy up veterans’ gravesites at City Cemetery
Ashley Howe, Benicia city recreation supervisor, said a few weeks ago she wanted to take on a community service project. She contacted several organizations and formed a committee to plan a cleanup of Benicia City Cemetery. She hoped to have it done by Veterans Day, knowing that some Benicians would travel to the municipal cemetery […]
Lake County organic farmer, author to speak on permaculture
A Lake County District supervisor who is an organic farmer will talk about permaculture Sunday at Benicia Public Library in the latest presentation in a series organized by Benicia Community Gardens. That group also is accepting applications through Saturday for a free seed demonstration.
SolTrans joins Clipper network
Solano County Transit riders can now use Clipper cards to pay for their rides, Mona Babauta, executive director, said. Last week, SolTrans joined the Clipper network that issues an all-in-one fair payment card that is accepted by nine transit operators in the San Francisco Bay Area, Babauta said.
A boost for veterans history project
Congressman: Save soldiers’ stories for ‘posterity’ In 2000, Congress started the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center to preserve the personal accounts of American war veterans, so that future generations could hear directly from those who experienced combat. Such first-person accounts were seen as a way to help others learn […]