The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) will be hosting a refinery air monitoring workshop next month at Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall. The workshop is part of a series of four events BAAQMD– the agency responsible for protecting air quality in the Bay Area– will be holding over the next three weeks in the […]
Former Richmond mayor, Lt. Gov. candidate to speak at Democratic Club meeting
Gayle McLaughlin, a former Richmond mayor and candidate for California Lieutenant Governor, will be speaking Tuesday at the Progressive Democrats of Benicia’s (PDB) monthly meeting. McLaughlin first became involved in politics in the ‘80s when she served as an activist with the Central American solidarity movement, and civil rights nonprofit groups People United to Save […]
Matt Talbot: Some thoughts from the road
I’ve mentioned before that I drive for one of the car sharing services to help make ends meet while I work on a book about my experiences growing up in Richmond. A few days ago I had a passenger who told me about her niece, who had turned 6 years old a couple months ago. […]
Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park wins back Guinness title
Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter World War II/ Homefront National Historical Park regained its status this month as the Guinness world record holder for having the most people gathered in one place dressed as Rosie the Riveter – thanks in part to several Benicia residents who attended this year’s Rosie Rally and Festival at the park […]
Matt Talbot: One black life that mattered
Two of my best friends growing up in Richmond were the Stanley brothers, Sertha and Ray. Sertha was about a year older than me (the same age as my late older brother Mark), and Ray was my age. For most of my childhood, Ray and I were inseparable. On the other side of the Southern […]
Richmond park to honor Rosie the Riveter on Saturday
Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter World War II/ Homefront National Historic Park will celebrate the era of Rosie the Riveter with a rally and festival on Saturday, Aug. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to come in a Rosie costume, to help take back the World Record title that the park lost last […]
Matt Talbot: Why I care about Richmond
MY FAMILY MOVED TO BENICIA FROM RICHMOND when I was 13 ½ years old, on March 11, 1976. Benicia was a much smaller town then — Southampton existed, but only a couple blocks up from Southampton Road had been built out, and even in Old Town my parents’ house up on M Street had almost […]