Compiled by Nick Sestanovich

75 years ago

Ackerman Resigns As Police Chief (May 13, 1943)

Chief of Police J.E. Ackerman has resigned as chief of police, effective as of May 15. His letter of resignation was sent to Councilman Paul S. Wetmore, who presented it at a special meeting of the city trustees on Monday morning.
At the same meeting William Davena, Jr. was named to succeed Ackerman, as chief of police and will also continue as fire chief at a combined salary of $275 a month, commencing May 15.
Before coming to Benicia in September, 1941, Ackerman was a member of the police department at Antioch.
Ackerman has not made a statement as to his future plans, but it is reported he will go into private business.

50 years ago

Hot-Rodders Face Local Crackdown (May 9, 1968)

Hot-rodding up and down First Street by automobiles and motorcyclists could come to a screeching halt if the Police Department implements an action taken by the City Council Tuesday night. The council reacted strongly to three letters of protest, including one from the Chamber of Commerce, calling attention to traffic and noise conditions on First Street over a long period of time. Councilman-Police Commissioner James Lemos said police had taken enforcement action against cyclists and that he felt that the situation “is pretty well taken care of by now.”
Recently-elected Councilman Warren H. Humbert said the situation still I serious as far as the cars are concerned.
Mayor C. Carsten Johansen said the whole council some time ago had recognized the problem and had hoped to resolve it with the installation of radar equipment to monitor speeders.
“It hasn’t alleviated the situation,” the mayor said, “and I think this deserves more study. We should seek some other method of curbing it.”
Councilman Lemos conceded that speeders are still driving up and down the main thoroughfare, but added “citations are being handed out.”
Mayor Johansen concluded the discussion when he said the matter would be taken up with the chief of police, the assistant chief and the traffic officers..

25 years ago

Henderson singled out as only Distinguished School in Solano (May 9, 1993)

By Tim Hearden

A year after Benicia High School earned recognition as a California Distinguished School, Henderson Elementary School learned Wednesday that it, too, had been selected for the same distinction.
Officials from the California Department of Education visited the school March 31. Henderson will be one of 206 schools honored May 20 in Anaheim. Each school will be presented with a plaque and a California Distinguished School flag.
Henderson was the only school in Solano County to be named a Distinguished School this year.
“All of us, obviously, are excited,” Henderson Principal Marian Susnjar said. “We think it’s wonderful.”
“We started out small (and) started very quickly to add students with the buildout of Southampton,” she said. “When you’re assimilating all these new students and still try to carry a superior program, sometimes you get lost in that effort. But this sends a very positive message to the staff.”
Of the schools recognized, 27 were selected for high performance or substantial improvement in the Grade 8 California Achievement Program. The rest, including Henderson, were chosen for their exemplary educational programs.

The full articles of these and other stories are available on microfilm at the Benicia Public Library.

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