By Andrew Kelly Special to the Herald There is no simpler, more poignant way to put it: BUSD Superintendent Charles Young has failed his district. He is putting the education of thousands of Benicia’s youngest on the line all because of his relentless approach to cost-cutting. He has openly talked about cutting back on the […]
Voice of the Village: A connection the for homebound and other seniors
By Lois Requist Humans need connection. Isolation and loneliness, especially in older people, can lead to a decline in health and a lack of desire to get up in the morning. Faith in Action, who is the fiscal sponsor of Carquinez Village, and has been active with services for seniors for many years, is offering […]
Bruce Robinson: Social justice just for socialists
“Is the Pope Catholic?” is something people often used to ask when they wanted to reject someone else’s ridiculous rhetorical question. Today, though, the Pope’s identity as a Catholic may not be so absolute. Pope Francis hasn’t been in the mainstream press much lately, but he caused quite a stir in early February of […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Parking Lot Songwriter
My song, “I’ve Been Better and I’ve Been Worse,” was literally written in the Raley’s Benicia parking lot, maybe 2005 or earlier. True story. At the end of a hard working day, a polite, energetic young male checkout clerk greeted me, the next in line with, “How are you?” as he buoyantly began to ring […]
Benicia Letters Once More: Shattered Love
The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters […]
Bob Livesay: Benicia is losing an unsung hero
By Bob Livesay Special to the Herald That unsung hero is Sue Fisher Jones. Sue is retiring as the public affairs/community relations manager for Valero and going home to Oregon. Sue was a very important part of the community of Benicia. She will definitely be missed. In her position, Sue has been very well-known and […]
Hiking Back in Time: Round Valley
Welcome back to a monthly column focused on local day hiking destinations, that with a little imagination, will take you back in time to when our local Native Americans lived in a garden of Eden we now call home. I hope you will have fun exploring, discovering, educating others and protecting our Native Village sites. […]
A Different Drummer: What goes best on wood?
That question has come up too infrequently for me to become an authority, but I still need to know a lot about it. I’m not a woodworker, but I am a homeowner with fences, chairs, stairs, decks, railings, cabinets and retaining walls. Each different wood lives in different environments ranging from indoor cozy to outdoor […]
Tim Bittle and Michael Nolan: Vote ‘No’ on Regional Measure 3
By Tim Bittle and Michael Nolan Special to the Herald The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Solano County Taxpayers Association urge all Solano voters to vote no on Regional Measure 3. Regional Measure 3 would raise bridge tolls another $3 each! That’s on top of the extra 12 cent per gallon tax recently added […]
Voice of the Village: Engage at every age
By Judie Donaldson I know that this will seem un-American, but I’m a Mother’s Day scrooge. It isn’t that I oppose mothers being lauded and honored. Quite the contrary. I’d just like it to happen in an authentic manner, rather than through a commercialized “Hallmark card day” or as an excuse for another mattress sale. […]