The fires that ravaged areas of California this month have had a devastating impact on the Wine Country. Buildings were destroyed, lives were forever changed and people were left to recuperate from their losses. Benicia High School saw the repercussions of the fire and became good Samaritans to their nearby cities. When the fires first […]
Letter: City meetings are the real Comedy Central
Comedy central at its best What am I talking about? One guess could get you the answer. It was the Planning Commission’s Oct. 12 meeting and the City Council’s Oct. 17 meeting. The first two-thirds of the Planning Commission meeting went as usual, but when it got to the cannabis issue, it all fell apart. […]
Voice of the Village: Aging and attitude
By Lois Requist Special to the Herald Last week, you may have seen Judie Donaldson’s remarks here about the revolution in aging. That got me to thinking. I grew up in Idaho, around quite a few older relatives—aunts, uncles, grandparents. They didn’t move so fast, in fact sitting down may have been what they […]
Benicia Old Town Theatre Group promises ‘Wonderful Time’ with fall play
For 53 years, Benicia Old Town Theatre Group (BOTTG) has specialized in bringing offbeat, off-the-wall and overall less conventional plays to Benicia. That will not change Friday with the opening of its fall play “Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her.” No, you wiseacres, that is not a typo. As the “Wish You Were […]
Throwback Thursday: Herald headlines from the week of Oct. 22, 1942, 1967 and 1992
Compiled by Nick Sestanovich 75 years ago Hundreds See Mrs. O’Leary Dedicate Opening Of New Martinez-Arsenal Ferry Service (Oct. 22, 1942) With the American Flag flying fore and aft, the Martinez-Benicia ferry “City of Seattle” in command of Capt. Fred M. Wold, arrived at 9:30 a.m. at the Benicia Arsenal wharf for the dedicatory ceremony […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Dueling columnists
What? You’ve gotta be kidding! Well, it’s a great sounding title for a future fun column. But it’s only a curious lead-in to my standing praise for Steve Gibbs and his column “A Different Drummer” which appears here in the Herald on Sundays, regular as clockwork since Steve was a boy…almost (Steve says it launched […]
Council pushes back water rate, historic building discussions for future meetings
To raise water and sewer rates while deciding the fate of two historic buildings was the question the Benicia City Council had to answer at its Tuesday meeting. The council began reviewing why the water and sewer rates had increased. According to a staff report, water conservation efforts, financial forecasts, Benicia not being able to […]
Secondary principals to present student achievement plans at Thursday’s school board meeting
The principals of Benicia Unified School District’s middle and high schools will go over the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) at each of their sites at Thursday’s school board meeting. SPSAs are put together by school site councils to develop goals that support the academic performance of all students and are aligned to BUSD’s […]
Planning Commission gives direction to council on cannabis
Cannabis has been on the minds of Benicians since California residents voted to legalize the substance back in November. There have been numerous City Council meetings on the subject, and it has been a source of debate amongst city officials and representatives. The Planning Commission decided where cannabis business could be located and use at […]
Water rates, building demolition on council agenda tonight
Water rate increases and the potential demolition of a historical building are up on the dock for the Benicia City Council at tonight’s meeting. First up for the council will be the water rate increases. The city of Benicia recommended the water and sewer rate increase after an 18-month dialogue and review by independent financial […]