Mary Ellen Pleasant
Mary Ellen Pleasant: "The Voodoo Queen of San Francisco" Have you ever walked through a cemetery and admired its beauty? The stillness. The serenity. The tombstone artwork. The pops of color from a floral arrangement – or a Vodou (Voodoo) votive with ceremonial...
Hidden Benicia: Zodiac
Zodiac Killer in Benicia Most everyone loves a good scary story, and this may be the scariest Benicia story of all. It is so scary because it is true. Imagine you are living here in 1968, a few days before Christmas. Sparkling red and green lights adorn houses all...
Strange Media
Strange Media In August of 2019, a few months before the pandemic, something Strange moved into the old Masonic temple at 106 J Street. This strange thing has the power to create new worlds. It is a master of illusion, shaping perception and compelling emotion. And...
Nuts and Bolts: Solano Water Wars
1930s Water Wars in Solano and Contra Costa Counties Water. In an era of climate change and drought, just a mention of the word causes anxiety and panic. In the North Bay, concern over water supplies dates back to the early 1900s, when the local population was...
Hidden Benicia: Steve Armenta Park
Steve Armenta Park: Sacred Ground Remembered Parks, like people, have stories. And the little park at the corner of West 7th and K Streets in Benicia has a story of tragedy and remembrance that is worth hearing. Many in town know it as “the Taco Bell park,” because it...
Assisting Students in Civic Awareness
Assisting Students in Civic Awareness and Community Engagement “In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and...
A Dog’s Tail, Chapter One
A Dog’s Tail, Chapter 1: Cody Roadie submitted by Jon Fowkes on behalf of Cody Roadie Everything happened so quickly that I’m sure I’m going to get some of it wrong. One morning I was resting comfortably with my sister in our home outside of Phoenix, AZ, when I was...
Kid Craft Corner: September Leaves
September Leaves Craft September marks the start of what is arguably the best season of all: autumn. While we haven’t yet reached crisp mornings, pumpkin spice everything, and copious amounts of warming tea, we can see the start of the seasons changing in the trees...
Kaneka grows roots in Benicia
With eyes to the sky, Kaneka deepens its roots in Benicia Ever wonder how commercial aircraft, helicopters and space vehicles can withstand the extreme conditions of air and space travel? The secret is in the materials used to create these aircraft and aircraft parts....
