As the weather heats up, Napa County officials urge recreational water users to avoid close contact with bodies of water containing blue-green algae.
"While there are currently no reports of algal blooms, we want to make sure people are keeping an eye out to protect their loved ones," Napa County Public Health Officer Karen Relucio said.
Beware blue-green algae, Napa County officials warnSeveral local houses of worship will participate in praying for America on the National Day of Prayer, on Thursday.
Created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, the National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday in May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for our nation, organizers said.
National Day of Prayer is ThursdayStarting Tuesday, all Dunkin' Donuts California locations, including American Canyon's, will use a new, double-walled paper cup for hot beverages, company officials announced.
The firm has eliminated all foam/polystyrene cups at its restaurants statewide, opting instead for the new type, that area designed to be used without a sleeve, they said.
American Canyon, other Dunkin' Donuts sites switch to 'greener' hot drink cupsRep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) lauded this week's passage of a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for six years. That includes his amendment to ensure FEMA mitigation funding can be used to help rebuild and recover from last year's wildfires, and parts of his legislation to strengthen passenger protections, his office staff announced.
Mike Thompson pleased with disaster relief, passenger protections, in FAA ReauthorizationAMERICAN CANYON >> Besides updates on Public Works and Landscape Maintenance, the main items expected at Tuesday's City Council meeting are the public recognition of some city residents' and employees' accomplishments.
One example is American Canyon Orthodontics Jeffrey Nichelini, who recently received the California Parks and Recreation Society's "Champion of the Community Award of Excellence.
Some of American Canyon's best to recognized at Tuesday's meetingTo Life!
Or, more precisely, to the celebration of Jewish diversity in Vallejo/Solano County, with Congregation B'nai Israel's 21st Annual L'Chaim To Life Dinner & Auction, which is planned from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday May 6, organizers said.
The event serves two main purposes, according to longtime Congregation member Fern Bernstein.
Solano County's oldest synagogue hosts its 21st annual dinner and auctionAMERICAN CANYON >> There is strength in numbers, so as many eligible people as possible should register for the right to vote, and then, exercise that right. That was the basic message at a special assembly at American Canyon High School on Thursday that included a talk by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.
Secretary of State Padilla talks up voting and new options at American Canyon HighState Route 113 between Hawkins Road and Fry Road in rural Solano County will be closed for five consecutive days for work designed to prevent the kind of flooding that shut the road down last year, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials said.
Sections of the culvert underneath the highway will be repaired and/or replaced, just south of the city of Dixon in unincorporated Solano County, they said.
Caltrans road closure planned for rural Solano CountySeveral events are scheduled throughout Solano County in honor of National Bike Month in May, Solano Transportation Authority (STA) officials announced.
The agency and its partners are promoting safe bicycling and physical activity by encouraging Solano County residents to ride their bikes to school, work and throughout the county all month long, they said.
Solano to celebrate National Bike Month in MayWith finding and buying a house in the Vallejo area as difficult as ever, the latest round of falling numbers came as no surprise to Solano Association of Realtors President Johnny Walker.
Industry analytic firm CoreLogic's latest report shows 7,122 new and existing houses and condominiums were sold in Solano, Napa, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo and Sonoma counties in March, up 43.
Local housing prices still accelerating, median Bay Area sale price climbs to new peak of $800,000The Vallejo Police Officer assigned to Marcus Tenes/Keshava Sundara missing person case is Kenneth Trimble, not Kent Tribble, as first reported.
Tenes/Keshava was last seen April 13, when he walked away from a care home on Alabama Street, without shoes, money, ID or a cellphone.
Anyone with information, can contact kenneth.
Vallejo man still missing, location efforts intensifyA "real mess" developed on Sunday afternoon after officers responded to a call about a vehicle burglary that had happened on Saturday in the parking lot of the Motel 6 on Sandy Beach Road, Lt. Herman Robinson said.
A woman staying at the motel reported her 2018 silver Hyundai was broken into and some boxes with personal items, along with her children's birth documents, were taken, he said.
Area crime over the weekend: Vallejo, American CanyonA bill to bolster the state's drunken driving prevention program, introduced by Napa Democrat, Sen. Bill Dodd, won overwhelming bipartisan support Monday in the Senate, his office staff announced.
"Drunken driving is taking a heavy toll on our state and we must do everything we can to prevent it," Dodd said in the announcement.
Dodd anti-drunk driving bill passes State SenateThe unemployment rate in both Solano and Napa counties fell slightly in March, according to the latest state figures.
In the Vallejo-Fairfield area, which ranked 21st among California's 58 counties, the jobless rate was 4.1 percent in March, down from 4.4 percent in February, and below the year-ago estimate of 5.
Unemployment falls slightly in March, in Solano, NapaThere are many ways to celebrate Earth Day Saturday around Vallejo, American Canyon, and Benicia. Here's what's happening:
American Canyon
"AmCan By The Bay," a celebration of our life by the water. Learn how to improve ocean health. Plenty of fun, free activities, including booths, live entertainment, a children's area, and food for purchase.
Earth Day events in Vallejo, American Canyon, Benicia on SaturdayThe City of American Canyon, despite pressure from pro-cannabis forces that pack the City Council Chambers whenever the issue comes up, is taking its time in crafting its cannabis-related city ordinance.
"I think the council is taking the right approach to the issue," American Canyon City Councilman Mark Joseph said.
Patience the potential key for American CanyonSeveral Vallejo businesses were caught up in a sting targeting unlicensed contractors in St. Helena this week, Napa County officials announced.
Noting that all "suspects" are innocent unless and until proven otherwise, officials said that more than a dozen were cited for illegal contracting, including 12 for illegal advertising and six for demanding excessive down payments.
Vallejo 'contractors' caught in Napa County "sting"Visit Vallejo hosts its 27th Annual Tourism Luncheon & Board of Directors Installation on Wednesday, May 9 at the USA World Classics Event Center, 1525 Sonoma Boulevard in downtown Vallejo, organizers announced.
Lunch will be catered by Zio Fraedo's of Vallejo, they said.
Celebrating National Tourism Week, this luncheon is held annually at the beginning of travel season to remind Vallejo and other area communities about the economic benefits of the travel and tourism industry and to install the bureau's new officers and directors, organizers said.
Visit Vallejo's 27th Annual Tourism Luncheon is May 9Kevin Lee of the Colorado-based Heartland Institute of Financial Education says he thinks that if more people in Vallejo had been financially literate when the Great Recession hit, fewer people here might have been as devastated as they were.
It's the institute's mission, which it undertook some 20 years ago, to financially educate as many people as possible, and they're setting up shop in Vallejo, he said.
Heartland Institute to teach financial literacy in VallejoIt's an ice-breaker, a party game, a counseling session and a mood enhancer..
It can be done alone or in nearly any type or size of group.
"Get Your Happy! Cards gives you a way to maintain positivity and think happy thoughts," actor, writer, producer, fashion designer, speaker, game inventor and "happiness emcee," Vallejo resident Diana Tenes said.
Vallejo woman creates a happy-making gameThrough his lawyer, Napa County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk-Registrar of Voters John Tuteur on Tuesday filed a motion with the Napa Superior Court to unseal the Napa County Grand Jury transcript served on him Friday under court-ordered seal, Tuteur announced.
The transcript relates to the grand jury accusation of "willful and corrupt misconduct in office" delivered to Tuteur on March 19.
Tuteur files motion to unseal Napa County Grand Jury transcript in case against himIn an effort to limit unilateral action by the Executive Branch without consultation from Congress that could get the U.S. into a protracted conflict, Rep. Mike Thompson on Tuesday announced he's co-sponsoring a resolution to define limited terms for the use of military force in the Middle East.
"After today's classified briefing on Syria, there is no doubt that Congress must pass a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) and specify the limitations under which the president can use military force to protect our national security," the St.
Thompson co-sponsors bill to limit presidential action abroadAMERICAN CANYON >> Besides swearing Jason Holley in as the new City Manager and approving his employment agreement, City Council members on Tuesday will consider the fiscal year 2017-18 salary schedule, changing the meeting agenda format and a talk about a marketing plan for the new Valley View Senior Housing Project.
Holley to be sworn in as City Manager at Tuesday's American Canyon City Council meetingA 33-year-old San Pablo man was in Napa County custody Saturday after the American Canyon Police Department allegedly found him in a parking lot, smoking weed, and drinking alcohol, all with a slew of stolen merchandise and a loaded gun in his car, police said.
Keith Alvin Davis was found with 11 purses, seven wallets, four backpacks and two totes from COACH plus a dozen bags of marijuana and a loaded .
Area crime: San Pablo man arrested in American Canyon for variety of offenses. Day 1 - The crash
Jesse Bethel High School senior Janelle Ramirez got a taste Thursday of what it must be like to die. The 17-year-old popular cheerleader "died at the scene" of a car crash in the school parking lot as part of an ongoing program called "Every 15 Minutes."
"It feels surreal," Ramirez said, as she waited, with gory-looking injuries, complete with a piece of glass imbedded in her forehead, to be placed on the hood of the wrecked car through whose windshield she was to be fictitiously thrown.
Vallejo's Jesse Bethel High School students experience powerful, two-day safe driving lessonLocal elected officials say they are determined not to allow area seniors to "fall through the cracks," created by the crises that was recently revealed at the Area Agency on Aging Serving Napa and Solano.
"Our goal is to protect local seniors, and we will do what it takes to right this ship," State Sen.
State won't let local Area Agency on Aging fail, source saysThe Vallejo City Council, with Mayor Bob Sampayan leading the way, unanimously voted on Tuesday to "Authorize the Mayor to send a letter supporting the transfer of the Mare Island Naval Cemetery to the federal government, the state, or some other eligible entity in order to facilitate its appropriate restoration and maintenance," a step retired Navy Captain Ralph Parrott says he believes is necessary to a successful resolution to what he calls "a festering problem.
Vallejo votes to ask feds to retake Mare Island Cemetery; effort to restore gains steamTouro University students who, through their varied cultural experiences, contribute to its "inclusive excellence," will be honored at the school's Third Annual Mosaic Celebration fundraiser on Thursday, organizers announced.
Carmela R. Castellano-Garcia, Esq., President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Primary Care Association (CPCA), will be honored for her more than 25 years of service advancing multi-cultural health policy issues, they announced.
Touro scholoarship fundraiser celebrates Vallejo's cultural 'mosaic'In an effort to support the community and the arts in Vallejo, The Vallejo Art Walk 2018 in particular, SolTrans is offering free rides every second Friday of the month on all local routes, officials announced.
SolTrans invites everyone to join the activities in downtown Vallejo on April 13th, May 11th, June 8th, July 13th, August 10th, September 14th, October 12th, November 9th, and December 14th from 4 p.
SolTrans offering free bus rides to Vallejo Art WalkAdmiral James Stavridis, former supreme allied commander at NATO, and current dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, will deliver the commencement address at Vallejo's California State University Maritime Academy's April 28 ceremony, school officials announced.
"In recognition of his distinguished career, his contributions to leadership development, and his role as an advocate for the Maritime Industry, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University Maritime Academy will confer upon Stavridis the honorary degree of Doctor of Law," school spokesman Robert King said.
Former NATO commander to deliver Cal Maritime commencement addressCalifornia was awarded $212 million in federal funding through the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) program to provide long-term recovery from the devastating fires of 2017, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced.
Thompson advocated to the administration and Congressional leadership to help secure disaster relief funding through the Bipartisan Budget Act, his office staff said.
More than $200 million for statewide disaster relief, Thompson, Huffman announceSenior advocacy organization, Area Agency on Aging (AAoA), serving Napa and Solano counties, will likely close for good at the end of June, agencies impacted by the possible change said.
The nearly 40-year-old agency administers the funds that pay for the area's Meals on Wheels program among other services, including transportation programs, Faith in Action and checking on local seniors' well-being, sources said.
Area Agency on Aging serving Napa, Solano likely closing its doors in JuneIt happens every year, they said.
According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), scammers take advantage of tax season to fool people into giving up their personal and financial information, to file fraudulent tax returns ahead of the April 17 deadline. Company officials find out about these crimes in various ways, spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said.
PG&E warns of increased scams as tax day nearsAMERICAN CANYON >> Several of those honored at the 19th Annual Community Recognition Ball earned their accolades at least in part, during last October's North Bay wildfires, officials said.
Powell Helems and Mary Tabbert were named the Gateway Award winner at this year's ball, which was sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners, it was announced.
American Canyon honors its own at recognition ballVallejo's California State University Maritime Academy's Golden Bear Facility was named the recipient of the United States Navy League's 2018 Albert A. Michelson Award, school officials announced.
The award is given in recognition of "scientific or technical achievement that results in a significant improvement in the strength of our maritime forces or the enhancement of our industrial technology base," they said.
U.S. Navy League recognizes Vallejo's Cal Maritime for scientific achievementJust three years after it opened, the American Canyon location of the Island Pacific Seafood Market is shutting its doors. It is one of about a half dozen the company will close in coming weeks, according to reports and a local store worker.
The "American Canyon" store, as this location has billed itself, but, which is actually in Vallejo, at 5201 Sonoma Boulevard near Mini Drive, will close in May, the worker said.
Area's Filipino market among several company will shutterThe California Highway Patrol (CHP) will honor the dedicated men and women who serve as call-takers and dispatchers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 8-14, 2018, agency officials announced.
"Whether it is wildfires, mudslides, an injury collision, or any other emergency, dispatchers have proven to be an essential link between our officers, the public, and support services," CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said.
CHP recognizes telecommunications professionals for National Public Safety Telecommunications WeekVallejo, Vacaville, Solano County and the City of Napa are among a slew of California entities getting thousands of dollars in veteran's housing vouchers from the federal government, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials announced.
The Vallejo Housing Authority is getting 15 vouchers worth $132,309, while The Vacaville Housing Authority gets 10 vouchers worth $84,123 and 15 vouchers worth $115,566 are earmarked for the Solano County Housing Authority, according to the announcement.
Vallejo, Napa, Solano, Vacaville, getting thousands in federal veterans housing vouchersAMERICAN CANYON >> After postponing the final decision on the matter until Friday partly because one City Council member was absent from Tuesday's meeting, council members officially offered the City Manager's job and a three-year contract to Jason Holley, its former Public Works Director who has been serving as interim.
It's official -- Holley appointed American Canyon City ManagerTroy Plunkett was 17 when an Easter Sunday motocross crash changed everything.
That's not strictly true. The accident didn't change the now-32-year-old Vallejo native's spirit and love of life, and, in fact, revealed a desire to help others that lead to the creation of the SCI Active Network, Plunkett's "positive network for all spinal cord injury survivors and their families.
Troy Plunkett, severely injured as a teen, now works to show others there's life after tragedyEver since it became illegal to drive with a cellphone in your hand, drivers are phoning or texting while driving less often. However, distracted driving remains a serious safety challenge in California, officials said.
Observing April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the first week in April as California Teen Safe Driving Week, traffic safety advocates will focus on education and enforcement efforts statewide as California marks 10 years of the hands-free laws.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness MonthAmerican Canyon >> An apparent impasse over contract negotiations with interim American Canyon City Manager Jason Holley means the city will be without a new city manager until at least Friday.
Holley, the city's former Public Works Director, was set to be officially named to the post - with his salary revised - at Tuesday's city council meeting, but closed session negotiations were suspended to conduct regular business.
American Canyon City Manager decision postponedAMERICAN CANYON >> The American Canyon Family Resource Center, the main nonprofit in a city with few of them, is on the ropes and in danger of closing, its executive director said.
"Our families need these resources," Center volunteer and former client Rhonda Zuniga said at Tuesday's council meeting.
American Canyon's main nonprofit in fight for its life, needs funds transfusionAt least some of the people who volunteer at the Vallejo Together Support Services Center, which celebrates its second anniversary Thursday, insist they get more out of the work than those they're there to help.
And no one is more surprised by this as they are.
"I had thought of this city's homeless problem as not necessarily my problem, and as a result of volunteering, I now realize that this is truly more than I thought.
Vallejo's all-volunteer homeless support center marks two years of serviceThe Workforce Development Board of Solano County hosts its Annual Spring Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, at the Solano Community College - Fairfield Campus, 4000 Suisun Valley Road, organizers announced.
The Board assists employers' recruitment efforts, and have hosted Career Fairs in Solano County for the past decade.
Solano County Workforce Development Board hosts career fair ThursdayLooking for a way to make an impact in your community for generations? The Solano County Literacy Program is looking for Adult Literacy Volunteer tutors, which is one way to make such a difference, organizers said.
"Literacy is vital for a healthy and thriving community," they said, adding that more than 60,000 Solano County adults are functionally illiterate, meaning that their reading and writing skills are inadequate to manage their daily living and employment tasks beyond a basic level.
With Solano's Adult Literacy Program volunteers can uplift their communitySutter Solano Medical Center is among 21 of Sutter Health's not-for-profit network affiliates to earn recognition as a "Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Sutter officials announced.
The Foundation is the educational arm of the country's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, they said.
Sutter Solano named a leader in LGBTQ care equalitySunday, April 1, 1 a.m. - A Vallejo man was taken into custody after police officers contacted him because the Ford Crown Victoria with Texas plates he was driving had a tinted windshield, Vallejo Police Department Lt. Herman Robinson said.
Devron Ardell Grays, 24, was found to have been driving on a suspended license and exhibited objective symptoms of alcohol intoxication, Robinson said.
Area Crime: Arrests in Vallejo, American Canyon over the weekendSolano Association of Realtors President Johnny Walker and other association leaders joined realtors from across the country to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, one of the most significant laws guiding the real estate industry in the United States, Walker announced.
"As we celebrate Fair Housing Month in April, it's particularly important this year as we are also commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act," Walker said.
The Solano Association of Realtors commemorates 50 years of Fair Housing ActAMERICAN CANYON >> Former Public Works Director and current Interim City Manager Jason Holley is set to be officially named to the post and his salary revised, at Tuesday's City Council meeting, the public portion of which is set to start at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.
Holley has been serving in the position as interim since then-City Manager Dana Shigley resigned in October 2017.
American Canyon expected to name Holley its permanent City ManagerA group of local athletes was "officially" deputized as International Youth Sports Ambassadors Monday for the City of Vallejo, at a news conference at the Vallejo Sister City Association headquarters.
In a Vallejo first, a team of basketball players from several local high schools and a Vallejo Taekwondo team, along with several coaches, parents, City Council members and other Sister City representatives, will be heading to Asia in July for goodwill and competitive sports matches.
Local youth athletes to be Vallejo's cultural ambassadors to Asia with first Sister City sports tripVallejo's Sutter Solano Medical Center was among nine Sutter Health hospitals named to California's 2017 Hospital C-section Honor Roll, meaning they were among those with the lowest cesarean section rates statewide, hospital officials announced.
Several Kaiser Permanente hospitals, including Vallejo's and Vacaville's also made the list.
Sutter Solano, Kaiser Vallejo, among hospitals recognized for lowering C-section ratesAnti-theft technology and other developments may be paying off, as the number of auto thefts statewide dropped last year, California Highway Patrol officials announced.
"After back-to-back annual increases in the number of vehicle thefts, California reversed course in 2017," they said. "The 6.
Vehicle theft trend reverses in most of California