By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor Benicia has a new poet laureate. Lois Requist has officially been chosen as the successor to Ronna Leon, whose term expired Saturday. “I’ve worked with Ronna, she walked and talked with me and influenced me to apply,” Requist said Monday following the announcement of her selection. The city’s fourth poet […]
Hot lap at Sonoma
One writer’s ride on a wild road course By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor THE TAGLINE FOR THE RACEWAY AT SONOMA is “Think outside the oval,” but the reality of that line doesn’t fully hit you until you witness it firsthand — which I had the opportunity to do Sunday morning before the Sprint Cup Series […]
Banging the Drum in Benicia
Rocker Jeff Campitelli to offer hometown lessons By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor He’s toured with Joe Satriani for decades. Now renowned rock drummer Jeff Campitelli is offering his talents on a smaller stage — in his hometown, Benicia. This fall Campitelli will begin teaching the art of banging the skins to individual students through 851 Music […]
The Wright Stuff
Benicia High’s incoming principal hopes to offer ‘stability, consistency, strong leadership’ By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor Damon Wright’s path to becoming principal of Benicia High School was anything but traditional. Wright, 39, was born into a military family in Virginia and lived in Japan for five of his early years. From third grade through high […]
Park closure concerns heard by EDB, too
❒ Sales tax receipts up in 4th quarter of 2011 By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor As with so many city groups and panels, the subject of the imminent closure of the Benicia State Recreation Area reared its head Wednesday before the city Economic Development Board. Acting Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani shared the latest updates […]
Amid uncertainty, board to mull ’12-’13 budget
By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor A public hearing, discussion and adoption of the 2012-13 budget is atop the agenda at Thursday night’s Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting. Tim Rahill, the district’s chief business official, will ask the board to adopt the budget that uses information from Gov. Jerry Brown’s May Revise, which […]
EDB to hear update on effort to keep SRA open
■ State ‘optimistic’ on Deaner garden access By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor Benicia’s Economic Development Board on Wednesday will hear a status update on the State Recreation Area, said Mario Giuliani, acting Economic Development manager. Giuliani said the EDB will review a staff report that was to be presented to the City Council on Tuesday. […]
Incoming Matt Turner principal is city resident
■ Leslie Beatson ‘can’t wait to get started’ By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor Matthew Turner Elementary School will see a new face in the principal’s office beginning in the fall, as Leslie Beatson replaces 10-year district veteran Barbara Sanders. Beatson’s hiring was announced before the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees June 7. On […]
Tourism Committee to hear recap of weekend at high-profile event
By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor Sunset Celebration Weekend came and went earlier this month. On Thursday the Benicia Tourism Committee will be briefed on what the event meant for the city. A gathering of representatives from various cities organized by the regional magazine Sunset, the event took place in Menlo Park on the weekend of […]
With class shift, BHS stirs staff, students
Petition presented to trustees to leave AP Art History with longtime teacher; at school board meeting, new high school principal announced By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor At a district school board meeting where the old Benicia High School principal was officially dismissed and the new one officially announced, it was nonetheless the quiet shifting of one […]