Last spring my wife and I took a ‘desert trip’ to Palm Springs for a long weekend. The talk poolside was of the upcoming Desert Trip concert; three nights with six rock and roll icons: Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones on night one, followed by Neil Young and Paul McCartney on the following night, […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: What clothing might signify in your life
Growing up in New York City and living in a one-bedroom apartment with my sister, mother and father presented some interesting logistical problems such as where to put our clothing. In that there were two closets, remember closets in those days were three feet wide, two feet deep and tall enough for short people. One […]
School board approves elementary student achievement plans
The Governing Board of the Benicia Unified School District voted unanimously to approve the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for each of the elementary schools after hearing goals presented by the principals. According to Leslie Beatson, the assistant superintendent of educational services, the goal of the SPSA is to raise the academic performance of […]
John McGuire: Attacks on Mark Hughes are without merit
By John McGuire Special to the Herald We are being asked in this election to vote for one of two people running for mayor of the City of Benicia. While I had thought that our community of Benicia was free of the negative campaigning that seems to occur far too often on the federal and […]
Renowned pianist to be featured in first Vallejo Symphony Orchestra concert with new conductor
Oct. 30 will be the start of a new era for Vallejo Symphony Orchestra. It is Marc Taddei’s first show as permanent conductor. Taddei was one of three maestros to audition for the part, and he had his first performance with VSO in January. However, the first orchestra concert of VSO’s 2016-17 season— “Morning”— will […]
Poetry Corner: James Garrett “Old, Gnarled Tree”
There’s a gnarled, old, oak tree, All wrinkled with age. It’s seen the warm sunlight, And the cold winter’s rage. It’s been home to young families, Both below and on top. The wind’s song in its branches, Will not ever stop. Its branches are worn deep, By the ropes of an old swing, As it […]
James Garrett: Six great Benicia High School backs of the ’50s as seniors–Part 2
ROLLAND VAN BLARICOM (pronounced “Raw-land”) Junior season The 1955 team was a Co-Champion of the Solano County Athletic League and had a record of 6-2-1. Rolland Van Blaricom only scored 13 points as a junior. Big things were ahead for him as a senior. Senior season In the second game of the season, the 1956 […]
A Different Drummer: The terrible tale of the toppling table
Don’t you hate when you’re old and you do something stupid or clumsy and people say, “Well, you’ve learned a valuable lesson”? You’re thinking, “Hey, stuff it. I learned this lesson when I was 12. The situation still got the better of me.” My massive walnut coffee table that I’ve been describing for three weeks […]
Poetry Corner: Bud Light “A Salute to the Season”
Ghosts and goblins all around Everybody’s going underground; Chaos in the world abounds People jump at every sound Poltergeists in every room Prophesize impending doom; Skeletons in all our clothes A universe in sad repose Life has reached a frantic pace Everybody needs their space; Pollution causes trees to wilt While nations justify their guilt […]
The Tech Buzz: Fantom ransomware impersonates Windows update
Windows 10 is notorious about automatically installing updates on users’ machines and now there is a ransomware that aims to capitalize on it. The new ransomware, Fantom, is based on the EDA2 open-source ransomware project on GitHub called hidden tear that’s recently been abandoned. Fantom behind the scenes In an attempt to conceal malicious intention, […]