U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield, is urging the Department of Transportation to issue stronger safety standards for transporting oil by train “without delay.” Garamendi, a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, made his call in a letter he authored after working with U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, and circulated among members of […]
Speakers to explore city’s literary past, and give a picture of its present
Nine residents will describe Benicia’s history in verse and prose Sunday in a Benicia Literary Arts public event at The Rellik Tavern. Then it will be the public’s turn to share stories, said Lois Requist, who has organized the readings. Requist hand-picked the participants, starting with Don Peery, Benicia’s current poet laureate. Two previous laureates, […]
Rep.: Make military’s U.S. flags in U.S.
Defense Dept. puts into effect Mike Thompson’s law calling for stateside production of Old Glory Several years ago, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, the Napa Democrat, stopped by North Bay Industries, a Rohnert Park organization that employs learning-disabled people to make American flags. He asked the nonprofit agency whether any government agency was buying those flags. […]
MCE outreach program to be explained
Council looks at efforts to inform residents of change from PG&E to Marin Clean Energy Benicia residents soon must select from four energy options, details of which the City Council will hear tonight when it reviews the status of the way Marin Clean Energy is telling Benicia’s 13,105 business and residential electricity customers about the […]
Software vendor request, other financial matters on tap for Council
Benicia City Council will get a preview Tuesday of the vendor request city staff has prepared for a citywide finance computer software system. The presentation is for the panel’s review only, Finance Director Karin Schnaider wrote in a report to the Council. No vote is required. But it is the latest step in a long-awaited […]
Benicia Biz Beat: ABC Music welcomes new teacher
POP SINGER AND ACTRESS AMBERLY PALMER is accepting voice students in all singing and performance genres. She is teaching at ABC Music Store, 739 First St. Born in Suisun, Palmer has received education throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Among her entertainment credits are voiceovers and acting in commercials, television and film, as well as […]
Talks to begin on hours of permissible construction
Under Benicia’s municipal code, it’s perfectly legal to hammer and saw away from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. But Benicia City Council will start discussions Tuesday that may change those hours. The city has some of the more liberal construction hours, interim Community Development Director Dan Marks wrote in a report to City Manager Brad […]
As Suisun Marsh Wildlife Center bobcat gains freedom, others move in
Last summer, a Fairfield resident called the Suisun Marsh Wildlife Center to report a kitten had been found in the street. Only it wasn’t a kitten. It was a baby bobcat, Executive Director Monique Liguori said. The resident managed to move the bobcat kitten away from vehicles, then waited to see if its mother would […]
Shipbuilder announces fundraiser for ‘Matthew Turner’ tall ship
As the volunteers and organizers begin adding planks to the brigantine named for Benicia shipbuilder Matthew Turner, they also are organizing an April fundraiser to raise money toward the ship’s completion. The Matthew Turner, patterned after Turner’s “Galilee” that set a record by sailing from Tahiti to San Francisco in 22 days, is under construction […]
Vallejo gem show to mark 55th year
For the 55th year, the Vallejo Gem and Mineral Society will have its annual show at which visitors can see and buy jewelry, cut rocks prime for working and other intriguing items. The club was organized in 1954, and in short order had its first show at the old Vallejo Teamsters Hall, said Dan Wolke, […]