Vallejo High School Athletic Director Josh Ramos said it dawned on him during basketball season this year that an empty planter in front of Bottari Gym would be the perfect spot to plant a tree and install a plaque in honor of fallen Vallejo Police Officer Jim Capoot.
That tree - a crepe myrtle - was planted Wednesday and the plaque presented to Capoot's widow Jennifer and other family members at a ceremony on campus.
Fallen officer Jim Capoot honored with tree, plaque at Vallejo High SchoolDuring her nearly 30 years as a manager for AT&T, Patricia Romero-Aguasvivas of Vallejo said she never imagined needing public assistance, but circumstances have changed.
Romero-Aguasvivas and several others recently completed a training course designed to give them public speaking skills to both enhance their own marketability and to tell their stories to policy makers, program organizers said.
Local food bank to teach public speaking to welfare recipientsThe Solano County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission meets at 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 in Conference Room 6003 at the County Administration Center, 675 Texas St., Fairfield, organizers announced.
The agenda includes a Probation and Juvenile Detention Facility update, a discussion on time allotments and written reports, a discussion and vote on a resource guide/referral system for youth released from the facility, and a vote on whether or not to recess in July and/or August, they said.
Solano Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Commission meets June 7A bill by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) to protect victims of mass fraud and identity theft, passed the California Senate on Tuesday, his office announced.
Dodd's bill was introduced in response to the recent Wells Fargo scandal where millions of accounts were fraudulently opened without consent, using consumer's personal information from preexisting accounts.
Dodd bill targeting bank fraud, passes California SenateA free two-day event in honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Month is planned for June in Napa, organizers announced.
"June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month and June 15 is Elder Abuse Awareness Day," officials said. "For the first time in U.S. history, the number of people over 60 years old exceeds those under age 15.
Free, two-day Napa event in honor of Elder Abuse Awareness MonthA Vallejo man was hit and killed by a vehicle that then fled the scene Tuesday night, Vallejo police said.
At about 9:33 p.m. Tuesday, Vallejo police officers responded to a report of a man down in the center median of Columbus Parkway north of Tennessee Street, police said.
On arrival, they found Earnest Howard, a 51-year-old Vallejo resident, unresponsive in the street, police said.
Vallejo man killed crossing the street here Tuesday nightIf you paid for food with a credit or debit card at the Chipotle restaurants in Vallejo, Vacaville, Fairfield or Napa, in the past few months, you may want to check your card statements, company officials said.
"Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (Chipotle) is providing further information about the payment card security incident that Chipotle previously reported on April 25, 2017," according to the company website.
Solano County, Napa Chipotle customers exposed to credit card fraudNAPA >> Sara Lynn Krueger and Ryan Scott Warner were convicted Tuesday of torturing and killing Krueger's toddler in 2014, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced.
The verdict came down just before noon, she said.
Sara Lynn Krueger, 27, and Ryan Scott Warner, 29, were both convicted by separate juries, of first degree murder, the special allegation that the murder involved torture, and assault on a child causing death, according to the announcement.
Napa couple convicted Tuesday of torturing and murdering 3-year-old Kayleigh SlusherNAPA >> Queen of the Valley Foundation celebrates its 40th Annual Day for the Queen at Silverado Resort with a tennis tournament and the Murray Memorial Golf Tournament on Friday, July 28, organizers announced.
The annual fundraiser brings the community together for a day of golf and tennis in support of Queen of the Valley Medical Center, they said.
40th Annual Day for the Queen event to benefit Queen of the Valley Medical CenterA Vallejo man was shot late Monday at a gas station for not handing his car keys over fast enough to a group of carjackers, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Kent Tribble said.
At about 11:15 p.m. Monday, a 60-year-old male and his 63-year-old wife stopped at the Shell station at 1604 Lewis Brown Road, and the man exited the car to pump fuel into his blue, 2009 Honda CRV, when he was approached by three black, male adults in dark clothing, Tribble said.
Man carjacked, shot Monday night at Vallejo gas stationAs she prepares for an internship in the Solano County District Attorney's Office this summer, Napa native Courtney Young says she and some of her BYU law school colleagues were given a wake-up call with a recent visit to an immigrant detention center in Texas.
"Awareness of what's going on is the biggest thing," she said.
Soon-to-be Solano DA intern describes life inside Texas immigrant detention centerThe Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, Health Promotion and Community Wellness Bureau is offering a free program to quit tobacco use, including smoking and vaping, organizers said.
The program - consisting of five weekly sessions - starts Thursday, June 1 at the agency's Vallejo conference room 3117, at 355 Tuolumne St.
Free smoking cessation classes offered in Vallejo by Solano CountyHere's what will be open and closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day...
Closed or not operating:
. The cities offices of Vallejo, Benicia and American Canyon
. The counties of Solano and Napa, where most county offices will be closed#xa0;Monday, May 29, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
What's open and what's not on Memorial DayPre-sale discounted tickets for the annual Solano County Fair are available online though Aug. 1, fair officials announced.
"This Fair's For Ewe!" - this year's Fair's theme - runs from Aug. 2-6 and promises "five days full of family fun, non-stop music, acres of entertainment and free headline concerts included with admission every night," officials said.
Discounted pre-sale Solano County Fair tix availableSolTrans officials said they know public transportation is needed on Mare Island, but the form it's been taking hasn't increased ridership to the level needed to sustain it.
As a stop-gap measure, the SolTrans board extended the Mare Island Route 9 for a second time to allow staff the opportunity to explore options for public transit service on and off the island, and provide the public the opportunity to explore Mare Island through the summer and into the fall, they said.
Bus service to, from Mare Island being reconsideredHere's what will be open and closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day...
Closed or not operating:
. The offices of Vallejo, Benicia and American Canyon
. The counties of Solano and Napa, where most county offices will be closed#xa0;Monday, May 29, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
What's open and what's not on Memorial DayThere will be extra officers patroling local freeways over the Memorial Day weekend, California Highway Patrol officials announced.
"May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in California," they said. "Many traffic collisions in California end in death or injury as a result of individuals speeding or driving aggressively.
Extra CHP enforcement on local freeways over holiday weekendNapa >> DUI Prevention Coalition, Uber, MADD, law enforcement and community groups are teaming up to let people know there are alternatives to drinking and driving over this Memorial Day weekend.
Together they are encouraging Napa residents and visitors to consider the many safe options there are for getting home or to their hotel.
Napa groups hope to eliminate drunk driving with alternative transportation optionsThe makers of the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" are looking for people of all ages, types and ethnicities to be actors, extras and stand-ins for the show, and are holding an open casting call in Vallejo to find them, company officials announced.
The event is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at Vallejo's USA World Classics Museum, 1525 Sonoma St.
Netflix series to film a second season in Vallejo, holding a casting call hereAt 16, Enrique Garcia has no personal memory of the era his family's new Vallejo restaurant evokes, but he said he's enjoying it, anyway.
Open since April 17, the cozy, Roy's Chili And Dogs at 526 Tuolumne St., at Florida Street, has about a half-dozen tables and two counters for eating; the walls sport vintage Vallejo photos and Coca Cola signage and the music are strictly late 1950s, early 1960s.
New Vallejo's eatery offers a little nostalgia with its menuOn Thursday Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) introduced a House Resolution disapproving of President Trump's "irresponsible and negligent handling of classified information," his office announced.
"This resolution comes in the wake of reports that the President shared critical intelligence information with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak," Thompson said.
Thompson leads rebuke of President Trumps handling of classified Israeli intelA lack of available homes for sale in Vallejo continues to drive prices up, though the area remains the least expensive in the Bay Area to buy or rent a home, two new industry reports show.
The number of homes sold in Solano in April fell 5 percent from a year ago, but the median price of homes sold in that time rose 12 percent to $392,000, according to CoreLogic's most recent report.
Vallejo home prices, rents, rising, though still Bay Area's least expensiveAfter 23 years as one of Vallejo's biggest business owners and most generous philanthropists, Ken Ross of Team Superstores is selling his dealership, the Napa resident said this week.
"There are a lot of different reasons," said Ross, 57. "I want to spend more time with my daughter over the next two years, before she heads off to college.
Team Superstores being sold, owner Ross retiringHarry Diavatis, a fixture in the Vallejo area community theater and college sports worlds, passed away Monday night, his family said.
He was 73.
The final curtain came in his sleep, his son, Jason Diavatis, said.
"Born Nov. 30, 1944, (Harry Diavatis was) an amazing, talented, and loving man.
Beloved local theater, sports figure Harry Diavatis passes awayRep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) strongly condemned President Donald Trump's latest budget proposals, saying they cut basic services for families and communities.
The President's plan builds on cuts he first proposed in his "Skinny Budget," and it breaks his pledge to avoid cutting Medicaid and Social Security, Thompson said.
Mike Thompson, others, react to Trump's latest budget planNapa's Queen of the Valley Medical Center on Tuesday was set to be one of a few Bay Area hospitals in which families will be given an infant CPR kit and training in newborn CPR, officials from the American Heart Association and REACH Air Medical Services announced.
The kits headed to Santa Rosa's St.
Napa hospital among several in Bay Area to get free infant CPR kits, trainingThe California Department of Transportation will begin replacing damaged or missing center divider posts called "channelizers," on State Route 12 between Rio Vista and Suisun City, agency officials announced.
The three-day project to replace worn and damaged "channelizers" started on Tuesday and is expected to be completed by Thursday, they said.
Intermittent Highway 12 closures scheduled for center divider workA Sacramento woman was killed and her husband injured in a single-vehicle crash on a Solano County freeway Monday night, California Highway Patrol officials announced.
Just before 11:30 p.m. Monday, Marivel Dulay, 56, was the front-seat passenger in a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero being driven by her husband Gaudencio Dulay, 58, heading east in the No.
Sacramento woman killed on Vacaville freewayGeraldine Lonsdale learned Monday that on top of her other accomplishments, she was selected valedictorian of her class, news she shared with Soroptimist International of Vallejo members and others gathered at that group's annual scholarship awards luncheon.
With the last of Public Works Week visible out Zio Fraedo's picture windows along the Vallejo waterfront, Lonsdale and five other female Vallejo students were each awarded $5,000 scholarships at Monday's event - something the group's been doing annually since 1939, members said.
Six young Vallejo women win $5K scholarships from SoroptimistsOn behalf of the Vallejo Police Department, Chief Andrew Bidou invites the public to its "Coffee with the Cops" event set for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 27, at the Mira Community Cultural Center, located at 51 Daniels Avenue.
This event is designed to promote better community relations and interaction between the members of the community and the Vallejo Police Department, he said.
Coffee with the Cops comes to the MiraMaking healthy food choices is harder when you have only limited access to healthy food, which is why the people behind the effort to turn Vallejo's B&J Food & Liquor into B&J Market, were so pleased on Friday, when the change became official.
"Eating healthy has a big impact on the four main chronic diseases - heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cancer - that contribute to increased health care costs," said Robin Cox, senior health services manager with Solano County Public Health.
Vallejo's B&J Food & Liquor is now B&J Market, includes healthy optionsSolano County officials are looking for volunteers to staff the county's exhibit at the California State Fair July 14-30 at the Cal Expo fairgrounds, 1600 Exposition Boulevard, Sacramento.
"Volunteers are an essential component of the Solano County exhibit, interacting with visitors and helping showcase the bounty that is Solano County," Solano County Senior Management Analyst and Public Communications Officer Matthew Davis said.
Volunteers needed to represent Solano County at the California State FairUnemployment in Solano and Napa counties continued a downward trajectory in April, the latest state figures reveal.
Solano County's April jobless rate was 4.7 percent, down from 5.2 percent in March and below the year-ago estimate of 5.4 percent, the figures show. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 4.
Joblessness continued falling in Solano, Napa, in AprilReps. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), Diane Black (R-Tenn.), and Peter Welch (D-VT-AL) on Friday, introduced two pieces of bipartisan legislation to expand access to telehealth services under Medicare, Thompson's office announced.
Rural and underserved communities often struggle with inadequate access to healthcare due to provider shortages and lack of resources.
Thompson, others, push for expanded telehealth servicesPeople who drive into Vacaville should be aware that the Meridian Road Bridge, located across Interstate 80 in Vacaville, will be closed for retrofit work starting at 6:30 a.m. Friday, May 19 with construction expected to last up to four months, county officials said.
County residents and businesses are advised to use the I-80 Midway Road Bridge just east of the Meridian Bridge as a general detour during the closure.
Road closures in VacavilleHow do you learn history, teamwork, community involvement and several disciplines of art, all at the same time?
Randall Goni's Jesse Bethel High School ceramics class did it by getting involved with the Capitol Street Stairs Mosaic Project, that's been working its way through the system for slightly more than a year.
Bethel art students working on downtown Vallejo art project fund-raiserOperating on the principal that seniors, the disabled, and military homeowners in Solano County should live in a safe and healthy environment, Rebuilding Together Solano County is accepting homeowner applications for its home rehabilitation services until May 31, organization officials announced.
The organization provides free services to selected, qualified, low-income homeowners and community facilities.
Rebuilding Together seeks qualified, low-income Solano home owners with repair needsLegal medical marijuana is here and legal recreational marijuana is coming, and some 80 people showed up at Vallejo's Courtyard by Marriott on Wednesday to hear about what might be expected when California's Proposition 64 kicks in Jan. 1.
"This was an information-sharing event, and was not meant to be a pro and con event," organizer James Cooper of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce said.
Vallejo marijuana talk draws sizeable crowdAMERICAN CANYON >> Millions of dollars more than the city has been receiving to fix and maintain streets, is expected to roll in once Measure T funds start next year. However, that doesn't mean it will be enough to make all of the streets perfect.
That's the upshot of the main topic of Tuesday's City Council meeting, during which June was recognized as Philippine Cultural Month in American Canyon as was National Public Works Week.
Measure T's millions won't fix all American Canyon streets immediatelyRep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) on Wednesday signed a discharge petition to force a vote on HR 356, a bipartisan bill that would establish an outside, independent commission to investigate President Donald Trump's ties to Russia, Thompson announced.
The petition comes in the wake of allegations that surfaced Tuesday suggesting the President asked former FBI Director James Comey to drop his investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn's Russia connections.
Thompson, Democrats file Discharge Petition for independent commission to look into Trump/Russia tiesIt took a few months longer than they'd hoped, but the owners of the Napa Smith Brewery are over the moon about its grand opening, set for noon to 9 p.m. Saturday.
The 9-year-old brewery's move from Napa to Vallejo's former Sears service center building at 101 Yolano Ave. began almost exactly a year ago with a plan to become a "destination," drawing customers and craft beer enthusiasts from miles around.
Napa Smith Brewery grand opening set for SaturdayA hearing is planned in Vallejo on Thursday May 18 offering the public the chance to comment on the Draft Plan Bay Area 2040 - the region's long-range transportation and housing "roadmap," organizers announced.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) already held such hearings in Fairfield and Napa, as part of a series being held in all nine Bay Area counties through May 22.
Vallejo public hearing on area future set for ThursdayState Farm issued more than $13 million in refunds for premium overcharges to more than 240,000 California customers, and are "finally complying with Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones' rate reduction order after loosing twice in court," Jones' office announced Monday.
No one from State Farm was immediately available for comment Monday.
State Farm issuing millions in refunds to California policy holdersIt was a case of better safe than sorry that brought a team of Vallejo Fire Department personnel and Solano County hazmat equipment to a Vallejo trucking company on Lewis Brown Drive early Monday.
"A call came in at about 4 a.m. from (R+L Carriers) staff who said they smelled something unusual and were slightly overcome, and one felt nauseated," Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Matt Choy said at the scene.
Hazmat concern at Vallejo trucking company turns out to be nothingAMERICAN CANYON >> A dozen people were eventually released after being detained by police after reports of gunfire from a house Friday, Police Chief Tracey Stuart said Monday.
At about 9:20 p.m. on Friday, officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired on Reed Drive, she said.
"Officers were told that two men had been on the street and one fired a few rounds," Stuart said.
A dozen people detained outside an American Canyon house Friday as police search for gunFive years after Napa County voters approved Measure T, which starts producing street improvement revenues July 1, 2018, the time has come to make a plan for using those funds.
The inaugural plan, which officials call a work in progress, will be one of the items scheduled for discussion at Tuesday's American Canyon City Council meeting.
Which roads to fix first with new Measure T funds on Tuesday's American Canyon council meeting agendaAfter years of being mostly a liquor store, B&J Liquor & Food in downtown Vallejo celebrates its transformation into a healthier food purveyor on Friday, May 19, county officials announced.
The Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, Public Health Division "is proud to announce" that the store is undergoing a makeover, as part of the VibeSolano healthy stores makeover initiative, and officially changing its name to B&J Market during a community celebration on that day.
Vallejo liquor store to change merchandise, nameMary DeMartile said it never occurred to her that she might one day publish a mom-inspired newsletter, but that's exactly what she's been doing for about three years now.
As the publisher of the Vallejo/Benicia/American Canyon editions of Macaroni Kid, as well as the one for Fairfield/Suisun/Vacaville, the Suisun City resident keeps more than 3,500 weekly readers up to date on family-friendly local stuff to do, she said.
Macaroni Kid connects parents with local happeningsIf tourism is the name of the game, then Vallejo appears to be on a winning team.
That was the main takeaway from the 26th Annual Visit Vallejo Tourism Luncheon, which drew more than 100 dignitaries and others to the soon-to-open Napa Smith Brewery on Wednesday.
The event also included the swearing in of Visit Vallejo's new board of directors and a grateful send-off to the outgoing ones.
Officials excited about tourism in VallejoThe Vallejo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is seeking women seeking professional growth, development and personal enrichment.
"Women from all walks of life are invited to take time away from their busy schedules to pamper themselves, learn valuable, potentially life-saving, lessons and network with other women who share similar life experiences and aspirations," event organizers said.
Tickets on sale for women's empowerment conference in VallejoBENICIA >> At a public meeting in March between the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Benicia residents to discuss air quality, one woman had a pointed question: "What am I smelling? ... What is that?"
It's a simple question with a complicated answer, but in the wake of the Valero refinery flaring on Friday, which an EPA spokesman said released 16 times the "normal" amount of toxins into the air, the question of what exactly Benicians are breathing is front and center.
Benicia's grassroots push for air monitoring reaches fever pitchJust when some first-time home buyers think they've scraped together enough money for a down payment, it can be discouraging to learn it may not cover the home inspections they need.
To try and take some of the sting out of this, Solano Association of Realtors members can now offer rebates - the first of its kind offer in Vallejo - for those inspection costs, association president Linda Daraskavich said.
New inspection rebate grants available for some first-time Vallejo home buyersBENICIA > > The fallout from last week's emergency flarings continued for Valero on Monday, with more difficulties - including a potential lawsuit - possibly on the way for the embattled oil refinery.
The hazardous incident on Friday sent plumes of black and yellow smoke eastward for several hours, sparking evacuations of the Industrial Park and shelter-in-place orders for two elementary schools.
More violations slapped on Valero but other costs could mountRep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) announced the start of the Summer Reading Challenge on Tuesday.
Open to students from pre-K through the 8th grade, the challenge encourages students in Thompson's district to read as many - or all - of the books on the Library of Congress and American Library Association's Summer Reading List, his office said.
Thompson announces this year's Summer Reading ChallengeBENICIA >> Residents here are advised that the Valero Refinery has switched activity to the North Flare to allow complete inspection of the South Flare this week, following Friday's incident, city officials announced.
Company officials alerted the city to this switch to the North Flare, the one closest to the refinery administration building on East Second Street.
Valero updates information after flare-upBENICIA >> Friday's hazardous situation brought on by flaring and toxic emissions at the Valero Refinery led to an evacuation of the Industrial Park, several freeway exit closings, and shelter-in-place orders for two elementary schools. But getting this information out to all Benicians was a real test for the city's emergency alert systems.
Benicia residents report problems with city's siren system during Valero emergencyWhen Ramiro "Miro" Salazar first came to live in Vallejo in 1985, one of his first art commissions was the Times-Herald masthead, but you don't have to dig out an old newspaper to see his familiar style, because it's all over the city.
There are murals and paintings of his - mostly depicting various aspects of his adopted city - around Vallejo's Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, including the large pieces in the cafeteria.
Vallejo artist's work ubiquitous around townA huge percentage of Vallejo's convenience and liquor stores are in low-income neighborhoods, which tend to be light on grocery stores, experts say.
Because of this, many residents wind up buying meals and snacks from stores that carry few healthy options, increasing the incidents of obesity and the problems associated with it, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and breathing problems, Solano County health officials said.
Two more Vallejo liquor stores to convert to healthier marketsOne person was taken to a local hospital and a business' plate glass window was shattered Sunday night, when two cars hit it following a three-car crash, a Vallejo Fire Department official said.
Vallejo Firefighters and police responded to a three-vehicle collision with two vehicles into a building at the Vallejo Plaza Shopping Center, at 3555 Sonoma Boulevard, at about 8 p.
Three-car parking lot crash results in two cars into a buildingSome 150 Vallejo and Benicia girls age 6 to 12, have the opportunity to learn soccer tips from the California Storm women's professional soccer team, during a free soccer camp in Vallejo next month, organizer City Councilwoman Pippin Dew-Costa said.
This is the camp's second year, she said.
"I got the idea from Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, who did a similar thing, and I modeled it after hers, tweaked some things and made it my own," Dew-Costa said.
Free soccer camp for girls next month features the California StormVietnam veteran Charlie Robinson, Jr. said he's not sure what he'd do without his service dog "Shuga," or where he'd be sleeping, if it weren't for the Veterans Resource Centers of America, now with an office on Mare Island.
Founded in 1971, the nonprofit center has only been in Vallejo for just under two years, at 1000 Azuar Drive, said Robin Minutello, a nine-year Coast Guard veteran and a caseworker with the agency.
Vallejo center lends a steadying hand to local vetsThe copious rains and increased snow pack that signaled the end of the statewide drought, also created some especially dangerous conditions in California's waterways, so California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways and PG&E warn water enthusiasts to be careful.
Colder and higher river stream flows this spring and summer from record rainfall in many parts of the state and continuing snowmelt this spring, are expected to last longer and be higher than in several years, they said.
Extra water and historic snowpack means increased water recreation dangerAMERICAN CANYON >> This city's 2017 Farmer's Market season kicks off Sunday and is open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Phillip West Aquatic Center parking lot, 100 Benton Way.
Hosted by the city of American Canyon and managed by the Napa Farmers Market, the weekely event is a place for the community to gather and shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, listen to live music, and engage in fun activities, organizers said.
American Canyon 2017 Farmer's Market Season kicks off SundayRep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) on Thursday voted against the Republicans' American Health Care Act, which he says repeals key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.
The bill is essentially the same as the one previously introduced in March, when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost 24 million Americans their health coverage, Thompson said.
Mike Thompson slams GOP health care planIf your Cinco de Mayo celebration goes overboard, - AAA Northern California is offering its Tipsy Tow service free of charge to anybody - AAA member or not, who feels too impaired to drive, AAA officials announced.
"AAA wants everybody to have fun on Cinco de Mayo, but driving impaired is no fun for anyone.
AAA offering free Tipsy Tow for Cinco de MayoA Vallejo resident and longtime Benicia city employee died in a solo vehicle crash on Wednesday, Benicia officials announced.
Benicia Police Officers and Firefighters responded to a report of an overturned vehicle on Lake Herman and Reservoir roads at about 10:39 a.m., and found the driver, identified as Vallejo's Michael Ferrara, 59.
Fatal roll-over crash takes life of Vallejo resident, Benicia city workerBENICIA >> The city's weighty debate over just what makes a pig a pet finally came to a head Tuesday night, as the Benicia City Council unanimously approved allowing mini - or "pot-bellied" - pigs as pets.
The vote comes on the heels of an initial ordinance that had specified weight restrictions for the animals.
Benicia City Council OKs mini pigs as petsState Senate Bill 287 would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to adopt regulations to minimize the risk of nurseries introducing invasive pathogens to container plants, which are then used for habitat restoration projects.
"The presence of root-rotting Phytophthora species in commercial ornamental plant nurseries has been known for some time," a fact sheet provided by Senator Dodd's office said.
Dodd pushing for greater oversight of plant pathogens in commercial nurseriesWith Vallejo's reputation as a regional medical marijuana mecca and the passage of Proposition 64, legalizing recreational cannabis use, the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce figures a conversation on the issue is in order.
"We are not advocating the use of pot or endorsing it, but the medical marijuana dispensaries are chamber members, and it's our responsibility to promote and highlight members, especially when they are contributing so strongly to the community," chamber president and CEO James Cooper said.
Vallejo chamber hosts pot discussionRich Isaacs from the Sacramento area was named the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group's executive director and CEO, to take the helm as of June 1, group officials announced.
The group is comprised of 9,000 physicians and more than 35,000 nurses and staff delivering medical care to more than 4 million Northern California Kaiser Permanente members.
Kaiser Permanente Medical Group names Isaacs new exec. director/CEOBENICIA > > Mayor Elizabeth Patterson will be part of a series of speakers addressing environmental issues in the Commonwealth Club's "How Cities Can Solve Climate Challenge" program in San Francisco on Thursday.
Patterson will be one of five experts discussing how mayors and other civic leaders are "bypassing national politics and working around federal restrictions to both clean up their cities and foster growth in renewable energy," Commonwealth Media Director Riki Rafner said.
Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson to speak about climate change at Commonwealth ClubBENICIA > > The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a Spare The Air alert for Benicia on Wednesday.
Heat and wind conditions will most likely increase smog, the district said.
Antioch, Concord, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek are also being advised.
Residents are asked to avoid using cars if possible.
Spare the Air Day in Benicia on WednesdayIn the Vallejo-Fairfield area, home prices, including distressed sales, again outpaced the national average, increasing 9.6 percent in March compared with a year ago, and but just 1.2 percent compared with February, a fraction below the national average, according to the latest CoreLogic Home Price Index.
Solano home prices still risingHealth costs in Solano County would likely rise significantly if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, as Republicans promise, Rep. Mike Thompson said Tuesday.
Thompson issued a statement on a new study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) on the impact of the Republican healthcare repeal on California.
Solano County health care costs could rise sharply with ACA repeal, Thompson warnsInstallation of several new pedestrian warning lights and brighter street lights on Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo has begun, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced Monday.
The new pedestrian warning lights, or beacons, which are similar to traffic lights, are being installed at four SR-29/Sonoma Boulevard intersections - at Alabama, Illinois, Capitol and Ohio Streets.
New pedestrian, bike safety features being installed along busy Vallejo highwayAMERICAN CANYON >> For nearly 20 years, city officials have honored those who give of themselves for the betterment of the community with special recognition and awards going to those deemed most worthy.
This year, the city's most prestigious award - the Gateway Award - went to Nance Matson and Sande Sutter at the 18th Annual American Canyon Community Recognition Ball on Saturday.
Large crowd turned out for American Canyon Community Recognition BallBENICIA >> The California Native Plant Society will be holding its semi-annual plant sale on Saturday in Benicia, with proceeds going to support native plant conservation.
President of the local Willis Jepson Chapter of the C.N.P.S., Steven Goetz, said that the sale is a great way for gardeners to stock up on plants that are specifically suited to the area's soil.
Native plant sale in Benicia on SaturdayBENICIA >> A speakeasy-themed benefit auction for Matthew Turner Elementary takes place Saturday night at the Clocktower.
Proceeds go to S.T.E.M., or science, technology, engineering and math programs as well as art education. The auctions and event are all open to the public.
Tickets for the event are $80 and include dinner, beer and wine, non-alcoholic drinks, dessert, coffee and tea, and live entertainment.
'Speakeasy' fundraiser in Benicia for Matthew Turner Elementary SaturdayMare Island Causeway Bridge will be undergoing inspection on Thursday and Friday, it was announced recently.
On Thursday, one lane of traffic will be shifted to the median area of the Mare Island Causeway Bridge and traffic will be maintained as usual, officials said. This shift in traffic will happen between the hours of 9 a.
Mare Island Causeway Bridge temporary closure detailsA Vallejo Police Department Traffic Division abandoned auto enforcement operation done on April 29, ended with dozens of cars impounded and more than 100 tagged for towing, police announced.
"We checked 191 cars that were reported to us as abandoned," police said. "Of the cars checked, we found 134 to be currently registered, legally parked or not at the reported location.
Abandoned car police operations continue in Vallejo