Compiled by Nick Sestanovich

75 years ago

150 engage in fight at dance (Dec. 10, 1942)

Approximately 150 men including soldiers, sailors and civilians engaged in a free-for-all fight at the I.D.E.S. weekly dance last Friday night with result that the city has ruled against any more public dances except those sponsored by the Women’s Service Organization.
Local police and firemen on police duty and military police attempted to break up the brawl. In the melee, one man received a broken arm and another had a finger cut off necessitating calling an ambulance to take the wounded man to the hospital.
According to the report the men had been drinking heavily.

50 years ago

Humble Power Line Changes on Route OK’d (Dec. 7, 1967)

The realignment of a 230,000 volt electric transmission line to serve the Humble Oil refinery as it passes across City of Benicia property was approved by the city council Tuesday night. At the same time, the council granted approval to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. crews to immediately enter the city-owned property to start survey and construction work. The approval was granted after the council was told that PG&E, after a series of meetings with representatives of Southampton Development Co. and Benicia Industries, Inc., had agreed to shift the route of the high-tension lines to an area north of Lake Herman.
Councilman Roy J. Charboneau introduced the resolution approving the realigned route as designated on maps provided by the utility firm and giving the firm the right of entry.
Affirmative votes were cast by Mayor C. Carsten Johansen and Councilman Charboneau, James Lemos, John F. (jack) Cody and James Reed.
Last March the council approved a route which would bring the line south of Lake Herman across some of the property the city acquired when it bought the Clifornia-Pacific Utilities Co. water system a few years ago. This property later was transferred to the Southampton (H.R. Watchie) interests under a purchase agreement.

25 years ago

Library sells 600 special bricks (Dec. 6, 1992)

By Tim Hearden

When the Benicia Public Library started selling bricks to pave the patio of its new L Street location last summer, its goal was to sell 500 bricks engraved with the names of library donors.
It didn’t sell 500 bricks, though. It sold 600.
Library director Carol Starr sent the order forms Monday to the Kendar Corp. in Seattle, setting into gear a two-month process of engraving names on bricks to pave the patio rose grden between the new library and the Senior Center.
Businesses groups and individuals earned the right to have their names engraved on the bricks by making donations of $100 or more to the new library. About 100 donors stepped forward in the last week of the campaign to meet the Thanksgiving deadline for ordering bricks, and the project raised $59,500 for the library.
The project was part of the library’s effort to raise $300,000 for new books and materials that will be stocked when the new library opens in May. Starr said the library has already raised about $271,000..

The full articles of these and other stories are available on microfilm at the Benicia Public Library.

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