Help make sure every child gets a toy this Christmas.
That was the philosophy behind the latest Toys for Tots drive hosted by Vallejo-based car club Boyz Under the Hood.
"The kids gotta have something," said member Ron Scrivner, as he helped unload a trunk full of presents Saturday morning.
Christmas donations sought for Tots in American CanyonThe American Canyon Fire Protection District, in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps Reserve, is again this year, sponsoring the "Toys For Tots" drive in American Canyon. Anyone wishing to donate new, unwrapped toys for children up to age of 16, can bring them to the sites listed below; through Dec.
American Canyon Toys For Tots accepting donations for 2016 driveA day before most families huddle around tables to give thanks, one Vallejo woman is showing her appreciation to the community by giving back to those who need it most.
Isabel Reyes, mother of the late Eric Reyes, organized a free Thanksgiving meal complete with all the fixings Wednesday for the residents of the Travel Inn Hotel at 160 Lincoln Road East.
Vallejo mother gives thanks by giving backLocal senior citizens appear to have been targeted by criminals threatening their Social Security benefits in an apparent attempt to steal their identities, Napa County District Attorney's Office officials said Wednesday.
"Our office has been notified that local seniors have recently received calls from someone claiming that their Social Security benefits have been suspended," they said.
Seniors targeted with Social Security threatsThough the lead is widening, fewer than 100 votes separate the second- and third-place candidates for American Canyon City Council, said Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur with the release of an updated ballot count on Wednesday.
The fifth unofficial interim results of the Nov. 8 Presidential Election are posted on the Napa County website at http://www.
Lead widens in American Canyon City Council raceThe second of only two new-concept Round Table Pizza restaurants opened about a week ago in Vallejo's Safeway Redwood Plaza shopping center on Admiral Callaghan Lane, company officials announced.
The other Pizza Wings Brew is in Dublin, though the owner of the Vallejo franchise, Gundeep Sethi, plans to open a third in the South Bay, a company spokeswoman said.
Round Table's new concept eatery opens in VallejoHere's what will be open and closed today in observance of Thanksgiving:
• City Hall in Vallejo, Benicia and American Canyon are closed Thursday and Friday.
• Solano and Napa county offices are closed Thursday and Friday.
• The Solano County and Napa City-County libraries are closed Thursday and Friday.
Open/closed over Thanksgiving holidayNAPA >> Vine Transit and the Napa Valley Transportation Authority are celebrating the holiday season by trading free rides for food donations for the needy, agency officials announced.
Starting Friday, and running every Friday through December, Vine Transit will offer free rides to passengers who donate non-perishable food items for its FreeFridayFoodDrive.
Free bus rides in Napa for food donationsThe Benicia Historical Museum kicks off its annual Christmas Tree lot fundraiser on Friday.
This is the seventh year that the Museum at the Arsenal has held this fundraiser, and it's the biggest one of the year. Money generated goes to everything from exhibit installations to overhead.
The lot will be up in partnership with Genesis House, whose clients will assist shoppers in selecting the perfect tree.
Benicia Historical Museum opens Christmas tree lot on FridayThe number of millennials in Solano County is growing, but why this might be is something of a mystery. It doesn't appear to be following the national trend, a new study found.
A local real estate expert says that, as usual, the explanation can be found in the area's location, location, location.
Millennials are landing in Vallejo, but why?The people who run SolTrans, the local bus service for Vallejo and Benicia, say they're aware that shopping locally is good for the local economy. They are therefore offering free bus rides throughout Vallejo and Benicia over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, they said.
"Vallejo and Benicia have some pretty amazing local shopping opportunities," SolTrans officials said in a news release.
Free, discounted bus rides for local holiday shoppingVallejo Fire Department and PG&E officials say the kitchen tends to become the most dangerous room in the house over Thanksgiving, and urges residents to be extra careful.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking is the leading cause of home fires on Thanksgiving Day, and a cooking fire is three times more likely on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year.
Vallejo Fire Department urges residents to be careful in kitchen on ThanksgivingA Vallejo man was taken into custody Sunday night after he was allegedly found in a motel parking log with illegal drugs apparently packaged for sale, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said Monday.
Police got a call about a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Travel Inn on Lincoln Road East around 10:30 p.
Vallejo man caught allegedly trying to sell drugs out of a car in Vallejo parking lotHigh school senior Bethany Donato may not live in Vallejo right now, but she left behind an important legacy when she moved out of the country with her family -- a way to help prepare young children to succeed in school and life.
Donato said she started Books n' Blankies in April to empower mothers to read to their young children.
Vallejoan Bethany Donato works for child literacy from overseasTwinkling lights are up along First Street, and Benicia is revving up for the holidays.
The city is again inviting shoppers to "skip the mall, shop small" by taking part in the annual Small Business Saturday on November 26. So-called big-box retailers dominate Black Friday, but independent shops are hoping that customers will patronize locally owned, smaller businesses as well.
Small Business Saturday coming to Benicia on Nov. 26The city of Benicia will soon face a fiscal challenge: What to do with all the money a new sales tax is bringing in?
Voters passed Measure C two years ago, adding a one-cent sales tax to local purchases. So far, the tax has generated $700,000 more than anticipated, with a projected $4.4 million dollars coming in this fiscal year, Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani said.
Benicia council to grapple with Measure C surplusNAPA >> Napa County Health and Human Services Agency is getting $11.3 million over the next five years -- $2.26 million per year -- as part of a state grant targeting chronic homeless and those at risk of homelessness, county officials announced Monday.
"This grant represents a dramatic investment in the services that are crucial to community efforts to end chronic homelessness," agency director Howard Himes said.
Napa County gets more than $11 million to fight homelessnessBy Brooke Edwards Staggs
Bay Area News Group
A lot of the details about how California's new recreational marijuana law is going to work are still as fuzzy as one's thinking can be after a toke or two.
Though a good chunk of the state's voters approved a measure legalizing pot use for those 21 and over, the measure still gives employers the right to fire you for it.
OK, so, pot's legal. Now what?The holidays in American Canyon kick off Dec. 2 with the Holiday Tree Lighting, the first of a slew of planned activities -- including another day of snow in the park -- that organizers hope exemplify the "Magic of the Season."
The annual tree lighting has outgrown the senior center, so this year, it's moved to Shenandoah Park, said Parks and Recreation Department Director Creighton Wright.
Let it snow in American Canyon ... againBaseball and softball seasons might be over in Benicia, but that doesn't mean that the Parks & Community Services Department isn't thinking ahead to spring.
Ball fields throughout the city are closed because they are being treated and renovated to get ready for 2017 games, a spokesperson from the department said.
Benicia ball fields closed for resoddingThere was no movement up or down in the unemployment rates in Solano and Napa counties in October, according to the latest state figures, released Friday.
The unemployment rate in Solano County was 5.3 percent in October, unchanged from September, and below the year-ago estimate of 5.7 percent.
Unemployment rates holds steady in Solano, Napa in OctoberA driver crashed into the dining area of a McDonald's on Thursday in Benicia. The Benicia Police Department is treating it as an accident.
An 84-year-old Benicia resident pulled into the lot at 1602 2nd Street around noon when she "inadvertently pushed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal," a Benicia Police Department spokesperson said.
Driver plows into Benicia McDonaldssThe American Canyon City Council race is still too close to call, with Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur's release Thursday of the first, unofficial post-election night summary report.
It's a waiting game you just have to learn to live with, one of the candidates said.
"The waiting is frustrating but there is really nothing that can be done but wait," incumbent councilwoman Joan Bennett said.
American Canyon City Council election results still unclearSeniors from Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo have seen the future, and it's green.
Almost 50 kids from the Engineering Academy traveled to Mare Island on Thursday and visited both the U.S. Forestry Service and the Blu Homes factory as part of Career Day.
The students were introduced to men and women who work in environmental and engineering fields that focus on sustainability.
Jesse Bethel High teens explore green jobsSolano Town Center, AKA the Solano Mall's second annual ShareTheSpirit program, is offering holiday specials for a month, starting Thanksgiving weekend, mall officials announced.
The event includes a new, month-long Gift-A-Day Giveaway campaign, and a Thanksgiving special from their 'Oh, So Simple Rewards' program, they said.
Solano Town Center offers holiday specialsTemporary traffic shifting on Interstate 80 in the Fairfield area is expected next week, Caltrans announced Thursday.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and its project partner, the Solano Transportation Authority, will begin shifting traffic on northbound and southbound Green Valley road at the new Green Valley Road/Interstate 80 (I-80) over-crossing, officials announced.
Overnight freeway closure in Fairfield next weekAMERICAN CANYON >> The West Coast craves its chocolate, and the Barry Callebaut company is obliging by investing another $20 million to expand its American Canyon facility, creating an unknown number of new jobs, company officials announced.
The company finished a first wave of expansion in March, officials said.
Local firm expanding chocolate production by millionsCity council members will explore the possibility of making American Canyon a "sanctuary city," and unanimously adopted a 45-day moratorium on outdoor marijuana cultivation at Tuesday's meeting -- both issues in response to the recent general election.
"Ours is a very diverse community and we have many immigrants; some documented, and some not," Councilmember Joan Bennett said from the dais.
American Canyon, sanctuary city? Pot police? Who knows?A Vallejo man got a very different encounter than he'd planned Tuesday night, when a handful of men stormed the motel room he'd rented for a session with a prostitute, and evidently made off with his car and other belongings after beating him unconscious, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said.
Vallejo man attacked in motel room for his wallet, carA man left a Vallejo convenience store Tuesday night with nothing but his own hand-written note and the Vallejo Police Department after him, after a failed robbery attempt, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said.
There were two clerks on duty at the 7-Eleven at 2800 Georgia St. when a black man, about 24 to 26 years old, approximately 5-foot-6 and about 170 pounds came into the store, Robinson said.
Guts and language barrier prevents Vallejo store robberyA Vallejo man was in custody Tuesday night after leading police on a car chase through town, police said.
Officers tried making a traffic stop on a green, 1996 Mustang at Ohio and Calaveras streets, but the driver failed to yield, choosing instead to lead officers on a chase through a residential neighborhood "at speeds up to 60 miles per hour," Lt.
Unlicensed Vallejo diver nabbed after brief car chase Tuesday.People in Vallejo and elsewhere are reacting to Tuesday's election in some unhealthy ways and an event is planned here to try and help people wrap their minds around it.
But, if you're itching for a protest or a riot, Wednesday's Vallejo Community Circle on Immigrants is not the place for you, organizers said.
Vallejo Latinos, others, concerned with election results, holding talk WednesdayThe bugs have been worked out of the new SolTrans local Route 20 schedules, and are now designed to improve reliability on the recently extended route and provide a better customer experience, agency officials said.
The new plan went into effect Monday, agency officials said.
New maps and schedules can be found at www.
SolTrans tweaks troubled new Route 20When it comes to fire forensics, 33-year Vallejo resident John DeHaan, literally wrote the book -- the textbook that is most used nationwide by those going into the field of arson investigations.
Basically, DeHaan is a real Sherlock Holmes, surrounded by books, pamphlets and plaques, in his unassuming offices on Georgia Street downtown Vallejo.
Vallejo man whose book on fire/arson investigation is most studied, to retireAMERICAN CANYON >> The first phase of the Napa Logistics Park project is complete, its developers announced Monday.
DivcoWest -- a 13-year-old real estate investment company -- and Orchard Partners, a diversified real estate investment and development firm, are partners on the project, which city officials expect to generate jobs and revenues.
American Canyon's new warehouse park's phase one is doneA Vallejo man in his mid-30s was arrested and hospitalized after rolling his car and being partially ejected on a Vallejo freeway off ramp on Sunday, CHP and Vallejo Fire Department personnel said.
The man rolled his silver 1996 Toyota Camry onto its roof at about 7 a.m., and tried crawling out on his own, but couldn't, Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Kevin Brown said.
Vallejo man partially ejected from rolled car, arrested and hospitalizedA Vallejo man was in custody Sunday night after police found there was a domestic violence warrant for his arrest when they responded to a domestic violence call at a Vallejo residence, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said.
Johnnie Reed, 32, of Vallejo, was arrested in the 100 block of Michigan Street, Robinson said.
Vallejo man with domestic violence warrant, arrested for domestic violenceA Vallejo felon was arrested Sunday after police found a loaded, stolen gun in his car, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said.
Officers contacted Kevin DeCarlo, 20, of Vallejo in the 800 block of Eastwood Street at abut 10 p.m., because he was parked facing the wrong way and more than 18 inches from the curb, he said.
Vallejo felon arrested Sunday with loaded, stolen gun in his carA Vallejo man with a $25,000 warrant out for his arrest was in custody early Monday after someone spotted him and called police, Lt. Herman Robinson said.
Police responded to the 100 block of Carolina Street at about 12:45 a.m. Monday, where Ricky Petty, 55, of Vallejo was found, and officers discovered there was a $25,000 warrant for his arrest out of Solano County Superior Court on assault with a deadly weapon charge, Robinson said.
Vallejo man arrested on $25,000 warrantA Vallejo man was arrested early Monday in Vallejo in a vehicle reported carjacked out of Richmond on Sunday, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said.
Officers stopped a black Ford Mustang at about 1 a.m. at Valle Vista and Tuolumne, that was reportedly taken in a Richmond carjacking on Nov.
Vallejo man arrested early Monday in possession of a carjacked vehicleKaiser Permanente Medical Center-Vallejo honored its military staff on Veterans Day. The Friday event took place beneath the flagpoles at the main entrance and was attended by employees, local politicians, soldiers from Travis Air Force Base, and others who wanted to thank them for their service.
Eight men and women were cheered as they accepted bronze "Allie" coins of gratitude for serving their country.
Kaiser Medical Center honors its veteransAt least a few people wiped away tears during the keynote speech by Air Force veteran Ellen Hatfield at the American Canyon Veterans Day ceremony Friday.
Organizers of Friday's event said they expected at least the 300 or so who showed up last year. This is the third year the event's been held at the Community Center Gym, instead of Veterans Park, in deference to the unpredictably of November weather, Parks and Recreation director Creighton Wright and Mayor Leon Garcia said.
American Canyon Veterans Day event brings some to tearsCity officials hope to get ahead of the newly voter-approved statewide recreational marijuana law, by imposing a temporary ban on outdoor cultivation as part of their commitment to keeping America Canyon a safe community, according to Tuesday's meeting's agenda.
The city in January banned medical marijuana dispensaries for similar reasons.
Not so fast on recreational pot use, American Canyon officials sayThere will be more ferry service to and from Vallejo starting in January, ferry officials announced this week.
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) Board of Directors this week approved adding six morning and afternoon/evening trips to the Vallejo ferry schedule starting Jan.
Increased ferry service to, from Vallejo starts with the new yearIn the hope of addressing the too-high number of people in Vallejo in danger of developing diabetes, Touro University has launched a free Touro Diabetes Prevention Program, they announced.
"Are you at risk for developing diabetes? Tired of managing your weight on your own? We understand it can be tough.
Help prevent diabetes with free Touro programAMERICAN CANYON >> Come January, this city will be home to a new Tractor Supply Co. store, a U.S. rural lifestyle retail chain which will employee 15, and add a regional shopping option, company officials said.
W.R. Newman & Associates started work on the store at 418 Napa Junction Road -- the firm's 50th in California -- in early June.
New Tractor Supply Company store taking shape in American CanyonThis year's Vallejo Education Business Alliance (VEBA) Gala features the head of the entire Cal State University system board, and organizers want her to know that Vallejo supports its institutions of higher learning, event organizers said.
The funds raised from this third annual event will provide college scholarships for Vallejo students, but, it's even more important this year, alliance member and former Vallejo City Councilman Tom Bartee said.
California State University system big wig, coming to Vallejo's Cal MaritimeThe proverbial fat lady has not yet sung and the city council race here is not yet over, with just 14 votes separating the second- and third-place finishers in the American Canyon City Council race, Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said Wednesday.
A seat on the council seemed assured Wednesday for newcomer, attorney Mariam Aboudamous, 29, who has unofficially gotten the most votes, so the race now appears to be between incumbents Kenneth Leary, 65, and Joan Bennett, 77, who are in second and third place respectively as of Wednesday.
It's not over 'till it's over in American Canyon City Council racekstclair@timesheraldonline.com
Benicia's Incumbent Mayor Elizabeth Hughes has won her run for re-election, beating her opponent Mark Hughes by only 109 votes.
The Benicia City Council is also getting a bit of a shakeup, with Planning Commission member Steve Young capturing 26 percent of the vote and unseating incumbent Christina Strawbridge at 23 percent.
Bulletin: Patterson edges out HughesIncumbent City Councilmember Joan Bennett lost her seat on the American Canyon City Council to newcomer, attorney Mariam J. Aboudamous, 26.4 percent to 24.9 percent, according to the most recent Napa County Registrar of Voters information.
Aboudamous unofficially has the most votes, at 1,626, followed by incumbent Kenneth Leary's 1,547.
Bulletin: Longtime American Canyon City Councilwoman loses seat to newcomerAMERICAN CANYON >> As they awaited early election results on Tuesday, the candidates for American Canyon Mayor and City Council each expressed a philosophical attitude most hope will be shared by the rest of the country whatever the outcome of the general election.
Early results Tuesday had Garcia winning handily and both incumbents also leading.
American Canyon candidates wax philosophical while awaiting election resultsNAPA >> What's to become of the Old Sonoma Road property will be discussed at a meeting next week hosted by Napa County, officials announced.
The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Monday at Harvest Middle School, 2449 Old Sonoma Road, in Napa, they said.
This is the first of three meetings designed to collect input from neighbors and those impacted by the planning project, officials said.
Napa community meeting Monday about Old Sonoma Road propertyBenicia has resumed using goat herds to control vegetation and hopefully reduce the risk of wildfires.
The Benicia Fire Department is employing herds from Goats R Us throughout the city, primarily near property lines that border open space. The herds started grazing on Sunday.
The goats are just part of the City's Vegetation Management Program, which also includes disking, or the use of heavy equipment to remove plants.
Goat herds return to BeniciaVice-Mayor Mark Hughes is challenging incumbent Elizabeth Patterson in Tuesday's Mayoral election.
Hughes has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Economics from the University of San Francisco and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Golden Gate University, he said. He recently retired from PG&E after 36 years, and has several titles including Director of Human Resources and Director of Safety, Health & Claims, he said.
Mark Hughes challenges incumbent for Mayor of BeniciaElizabeth Patterson has been the mayor of Benicia since 2007 and is seeking re-election on Tuesday.
When asked her favorite thing about Benicia, she had a lot to say. "How can you compare a sunset in Benicia, a favorite thing, to the Peddler's Fair, another favorite thing, to Art Walk or Wine Walk or the Coastal Cleanup?" She also mentioned restaurants, opening days for soccer and little league, the Blessing of the Fleet, and "just quiet time.
Incumbent Mayor Patterson seeks re-electionPolice are looking for thieves who struck a gas station clerk with their vehicle in American Canyon.
At approximately 9 p.m. Wednesday, two men entered the Arco Gas station at 3462 Broadway St. next to the Napa Valley Casino.
The suspects each grabbed a case of Red Bull energy drinks and left the store without paying.
American Canyon Thieves hit clerk with vehicle while escapingBattalion Chief Steve Brassfield was tapped by Napa City Manager Mike Parness to replace Mike Randolph as Napa Fire Department chief, when he retires at the end of the year, it was announced.
He will step into his new role on Jan. 1.
Randolph's retirement on Dec. 31 after nearly 28 years of service was announced in September.
New fire chief named in NapaMario Saucedo says he looks forward every early November and the annual visit from the loved ones he's lost. Tradition says the dead come to join the living during the annual Dia De Los Muertos festival.
A Dia De Los Muertos -- Day of the Dead -- event is planned for Saturday afternoon in downtown Vallejo.
Welcoming home to Vallejo the dearly departedAMERICAN CANYON >> The completion of another part of the Vine Trail in American Canyon was dedicated earlier this week, with a ribbon cutting attended by several local and regional big wigs.
"We had quite a dignitaries list including Congressman Mike Thompson, Assembly Member Bill Dodd and staff from State Senator Lois Wolk's office, in addition to the Mayor, Vice Mayor Joan Bennett and Council Member Mark Joseph," Parks and Recreation Department Director Creighton Wright said.
More Vine Trail through American Canyon completed, dedicatedPostal customers are still upset about "snorkel boxes" installed at the new Vallejo facility at Valle Vista Avenue and Couch Street.
"This is the worst, the stupidest design I've ever seen. But I expect no less from the federal government."
So said a Vallejo resident named Jim who declined to provide his last name at the city's new main post office where the so-called "snorkel boxes" were installed wrong last month and are still not fixed.
Vallejo's new main post office 'snorkel box' snafuAMERICAN CANYON >> Negotiations between the city and its Teamsters Union-represented workers, broke down last week and dozens of them filled City Council Chambers for Tuesday's meeting to express their displeasure at officials they see as enriching management and neglecting workers.
Two council members and City Manager Dana Shigley said they're confident an acceptable solution will be found.
American Canyon unionized city workers at negotiation impasse, demand raisesRichard LeMieux went from the high life to homeless and back and wrote about it in a book called "Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey."
Now a homeless advocate, he's the keynote speaker for a discussion on homelessness at Vallejo's Touro University from 6:30 to 8 p.
Riches to rags and back free presentation at Vallejo's Touro University