After former Benicia Unified School District groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson successfully sued Monsanto over claims that a nearly daily use of its product Roundup gave him cancer, community members have wondered if the district would cease using the product. For BUSD, that decision came before the verdict was announced. Johnson served as an integrated pest manager […]
New restaurants join familiar favorites for Taste of First Street
Benicia foodies, if you want to designate Tuesday as a night to eat out, you have many dining options and Benicia Main Street will allow you to sample 18 of them for its annual Taste of First Street. Benicia Main Street began Taste of First Street 11 years ago as a promotion for its numerous […]
Benicia Democrats endorse Birdseye, Dean in local races
Staff Report At its Tuesday meeting, the Progressive Democrats of Benicia interviewed candidates for the Benicia City Council and Solano County Board of Education. Club members cast their votes and announced the results on Wednesday. Of the three candidates running for City Council, Planning Commission Chair Kari Birdseye and former Councilmember Christina Strawbridge. Ultimately, Birdseye […]
St. Paul’s Community Meal program celebrating 20 years with picnic
When St. Paul’s Episcopal Church considered the possibility of doing a community meal program in 1998, questions arose over whether it would be a hit. “Nobody wanted to believe that Benicia had a need for such a meal,” Program Coordinator Debi Hall said. Twenty years later, the Community Meal Program is still going strong and […]
Council to receive update on Benicia Marina lease
For the sole business item on the Benicia City Council’s agenda, the council will receive an update on the Benicia Marina, a history of its development and a summary of the current operating agreement at the council’s Tuesday meeting. According to a staff report by Assistant City Manager Alan Shear, the city obtained the […]
Schwartzman will not seek re-election; no incumbents in City Council race
For the first time since 2007, no incumbents will be running in the Benicia City Council election. Councilmember Mark Hughes announced on Friday that he would not seek re-election, and Alan Schwartzman told the Herald today that he would not be running either. After 13 years on the council preceded by six […]
Time to hit the books: New library exhibit focuses on physicality of books
Typically, the main room of the Benicia Public Library is where one will find books and the Marilyn Citron O’Rourke Gallery is where one will find art. Mixed media artist Carol Dalton appears to have asked the question “Why not both?” and thus, the room is where visitors can find various book parts repurposed as […]
Jury awards ex-BUSD employee $289 million in Monsanto trial
A Vallejo man who worked as a groundskeeper for Benicia Unified School District won a case against agribusiness corporation Monsanto after alleging that use of the company’s widely used weed killer product Roundup gave him cancer. A jury for the Superior Court of San Francisco ordered Monsanto to pay Dewayne Johnson $289 million in damages. […]
School board to vote on resolution removing obsolete books
On Monday, students throughout Benicia will be returning to school, but nearly 2,000 outdated books in Benicia High School’s library will not be joining them. Over the summer, Benicia Unified School District officials and student volunteers weeded certain books out of Benicia High’s collection, and the school board will be voting to declare these […]
Councilmember Mark Hughes will not seek re-election
After 13 years on the Benicia City Council, Mark Hughes announced Friday that he would not seek re-election in November. In an email sent out Friday, the councilmember said he had given a lot of thought to the decision but ultimately decided to focus on his family. “Spending more time with […]