For most musicians, playing at Carnegie Hall would be the highlight of their careers. For trumpeter Shane O’Brien— who has played Carnegie twice—, it is just another stop on the tour for the Benicia native. However, it was still a great experience for him. “Every musician dreams of playing Carnegie Hall,” he said. “It was […]
Photos: Election season begins in Benicia
Council to vote on pension trusts at Tuesday’s meeting
The Benicia City Council will hear an update on California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) actuarial issues at Tuesday’s meeting. According to a staff report by Finance Director Cindy Mosser, the city provides retirement benefits for employees through its participation in CalPERS, which allows the city to spend roughly $5.5 million per year to fund […]
Arts Benicia brings out the glass for new juried exhibition
If its newest juried exhibition is anything to go by, Arts Benicia has a heart of glass. That is a compliment, as demonstrated by the creative ways artists from all over have chosen to incorporate glass. If you need proof, it can be seen in the exhibit “Cutting Edge— Nontraditional Glass,” which opens tomorrow in […]
Council denies mayor’s request for ISO rehearing
In yet another marathon meeting that lasted almost until midnight, the Benicia City Council voted 3-2 to reject Mayor Elizabeth Patterson’s request to rehear the council’s June 19 vote on reviewing a draft Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) for the city. The matter will not be heard again until November at the earliest. Patterson first requested […]
‘Obtainium Cup’ Contraptor Race Sunday On Mare Island
By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News-Gazette A road race will pit the drivers of some oddball vehicles against flying monkeys, robots and zombies Sunday on Vallejo’s Mare Island. The contest is called “The Obtainium Cup Contraptor’s Road Rally,” and this is the seventh year for the organized mayhem. It’s somewhat inspired by the three-day Kinetic […]
Thompson shares insight on those seeking asylum, entrance to US
By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News-Gazette The latest group of people who are trying to enter the United States through amnesty or asylum are coming from conditions that have made them desperate, said United States Representative Mike Thompson. “These folks are unsafe in their home spot,” he said. “They are appealing to the United States […]
Farmar PTA to raise funds for music program with benefit concert at Lucca
Lucca Beer Garden is generally not open Wednesdays, but to help raise money for a good cause, the stage will be filled with the sounds of music for a special concert benefiting the music program at Mary Farmar Elementary School. The Mary Farmar PTA Music Committee will be hosting its Gimme a Beat! Benefit concert […]
SolTrans hosting public meetings at farmers market, library on transit service improvement
Staff Report SolTrans will be hosting a series of meetings and workshops in Benicia and Vallejo to allow the public to provide input with the revision of local service. The goal of the meetings is to help SolTrans improve its local routes, General Public Dial-A-Ride and Local Taxi Scrip services. The first workshop will be […]
Potential school board candidate comes forward; incumbent trustee will not seek re-election
The filing period for Benicia’s school board election is not until tomorrow, but if a panel at Thursday’s Progressive Democrats of Benicia (PDB) meeting was any indication, the race has already begun. Among other things, the panel saw the emergence of a potential challenger and the announcement by an incumbent that she would not seek […]