Compiled by Nick Sestanovich

75 years ago

New highway to Vallejo is planned (April 16, 1942)

A new highway 38 feet wide and virtually free of curves will be built between Benicia and Vallejo this summer, it was announced here this week.
The road will commence at the Arsenal Gate, proceed along L street, crossing property owned by St. Catherine’s Academy, and following a route north of and paralleling the present road out West K Street.
Just outside the city limits the new road will cross the old one, going in a direct line across the flats above Southampton Bay, cutting out Ryerson Hill and joining the present highway near the Mausoleum and cemeteries east of Vallejo.
The road from the cemeteries to Highway 40, where the new road ends, will be improved to the width of the new road, and will be concrete for part of that distance.
Many cuts and fills will be necessary to build the road, eliminating heavy grades and turns. The road will have a crushed rock cushion and will be black surfaced.
The City of Benicia has cooperated with the Division of State Highways in obtaining rights of way to speed preliminary work on the big project. The right of way for the road will be 110 feet wide.
Bids are to be called in Sacramento on May 8.

50 years ago

School vote set Tuesday for trustees (April 13, 1967)

Benicia voters will go to the polls next Tuesday, April 18, to choose between six candidates to fill two seats on the board of trustees for the Benicia Unified School District. The three polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Earl A. Manor and Dr. John R. Van Buren, incumbents, are seeking re-election. They will be opposed by Edgar Lecair, an engineer; Lois Robbins, a housewife; Daniel Pitta, a police captain, and Mrs. Lillian Wilt, an announced write-in candidate.
In the Solano Junior College district, Mrs. Gladys B. Wold of Benicia, is an unopposed candidate to succeed herself.
The three polling places are Benicia High School, 1101 Military Highway; Robert Semple School, 2015 E Third St., and Benicia Grammar School, 350 East K St.
The pre-election campaign has been pretty much a low-key affair with all candidates conducting their candidacies by appearing before PTA groups and local civic and improvement organizations. The campaign has not been marked by any flood of posters, bumper strips and virtually no hoopla.

25 years ago

Volunteers here catch Perot fever (April 14, 1992)

Dissatisfaction with the political status quo was evident Sunday afternoon as about 150 Solano County residents signed up with the campaign to put Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot on November’s presidential ballot.
The new recruits volunteered to help garner the 134,871 signatures needed by Aug. 2 to get Perot’s name on the California ballot– equal to 1 percent of all the state’s registered voters.
“I don’t see any problem with 1 million signatures being gathered throughout the state, based on the response we’ve gotten,” John Nichols, joint coordinator of the Solano County campaign, said.

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

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