This was my first venture into Discovery Park and I was pleasantly surprised! Lots of wildlife, people jogging and biking and just parked, enjoying the quiet and scenery. After living here three years, it was about time! Here's some of the highlights: A sea lion thrashes his catch above the water to break it up for easy eating. He split the fish in half for easier dining. A majestic tree, even in winter.   A Snowy Egret departs from a dead branch in the river. The Sacramento River looks healthy after all the rain we've experienced. Nice reflection from the sky. A Great Egret lands after escaping from me for getting too close. SacPress Photos | Kati Garner    

The Sacramento Pride Festival, an annual event that brings thousands of attendees from throughout California, will be held for the first time on Capitol Mall in 2010, Bill Otton, interim director of the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, announced this week. The Pride Festival and Parade will be held Saturday, June 19. Established in 1984, the day-long lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride festival has been held at Sacramento’s Southside Park for the past several years. Otton said the move to the Capitol Mall site will generate renewed excitement for an event that dates back to the early years of the gay civil rights movement in Sacramento and help bring attention to the role

Before a hundred-plus of the region’s business leaders, State Insurance Commissioner and GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner set down his 10-10-10 plan for putting California back into a leadership position. Poizner was a guest of the Sacramento Metro Chamber at its annual State Legislative Summit. The annual State Legislative Summit brings the region’s business leaders to the State Capitol to advocate on issues that will build jobs and business prosperity. Issues run the gamut from the very specific—tax credits for angel investments in qualified small business stocks—to the general—fast track of regulatory changes to enhance competition with other states. View the complete list her

Jessica Summers-Miller is the owner of Loft 1513, a very chic clothing boutique located in San Francisco. Originally from Sacramento and Hiram Johnson High School graduate, doing a fashion show and sale in Sacramento was an easy choice for Jessica. Jessica also happened to be long time friends with Marcus and Kolea Marquez, who own L Wine Lounge, which was the venue for the night. The show came together in a very short period of time as they elected to do much more than just the typical fashion show. Proceeds from the sale portion of the fashion show as well as the bar tab would be donated to the Red Cross for Haiti earthquake relief. Jessica said she always wanted to do a super int

Wednesday, Jan. 27 Noon - 1 p.m. The California Prolife Council will be holding a "Rally For Life" on the West Steps of the Capitol. Following the rally, the group of approximately 350 will meet with legislators. Thursday, Jan. 28 Noon - 1:30 p.m. The California Office of Privacy Protection will be holding a press conference on the north steps of the Capitol. They will discuss the importance of protecting privacy by disposing of personal information, especially electronic data. Approximately 15 people are expected. No further events will occur outside the Capitol until Feb. 1.

To truly understand what makes wine great, it helps if one knows how it is made. The process of creating wine involves more than just the type of grape, the soil and if it is meant for a bottle, jug or box. And although all of these variables factor into the final product, the character of a wine is determined during the aging process, while stored in barrels. Usually the public isn’t provided the opportunity to witness what makes great wine, and more importantly, to sample it before it hits the wine list at The Firehouse Restaurant or the shelf at Trader Joe’s. Not anymore.  For the third consecutive year, over 20 El Dorado County wineries will open their cellars for Bring out the Barre

For people sick of hearing about "Avatar," the Mondavi Center at UC Davis provides low-cost alternative screenings with it's Focus on Film series held this winter and spring. Mondavi Center Executive Director Don Roth opened the series up to the public in 2008 with three nights of Ingmar Bergman retrospectives followed by three nights of films representing "Perspectives of War in Cinema." "We get a good mix of members of the community and students to these screenings," he said. For this installment, the series is broken into the themes of Replay and Graphic Novel. Roth described the films chosen for the Replay portion as representative of "two films based on the same story." Films fea

 When a struggle turns into a victory, it doesn't seem as things went as badly as they appeared.  So the Kings took their 99-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night at Arco Arena before 14,522 fans and went home happily.  Well, most of them could tolerate ineptitude when coupled with the end of a seven-game losing streak. Certainly Kings coach Paul Westphal could tolerate the victory no matter how it was produced. A KIngs Sac-era high 68 rebounds helped comfort the coach as well. "I'm not going to lie," said Westphal, whose team improved to 16-28. "It feels good to get a win. Obviously, it wasn't the prettiest win anybody ever (has) see in this league. We shot 38 percen

The City Council held a contentious discussion Tuesday night about a recent Sacramento County grand jury report that claims the city may have broken state law. The Jan. 6 grand jury report states that the city is not adhering to Proposition 218, a state law regulating city funds. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond made tough remarks to Marty Hanneman, director of the Utilities Department. “I have no confidence in your cost allocations,” Hammond said. She expressed the view that utilities monies over the years have not been managed properly. “We need to come clean and start over,” she said. Utilites Department spokeswoman Jessica Hess notes that the department will address 10 possible Prop. 2

A Sacramento city councilwoman said Sacramento’s municipal government has “gone wrong.” A second councilwoman blamed high-level city staff. And a councilman suggested that the city consider setting up a whistleblower hotline. During an intense meeting Tuesday night, the Sacramento City Council grappled with an investigation involving the city’s community development department. Council members wrestled with findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The investigation was carried out by City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office and a third-party law firm, Renee Sloan Holtzman Sakai. In a recent report, the offices of the ci

Calls have been pouring into our Sacramento pest control office, with homeowners and business owners reporting that, suddenly, rats have moved into their attics and garages. Now rat problems always grow worse during our chilly, rainy Sacramento winters, because, like us, the rats are looking for a cozy, dry place indoors where they can build nests and have babies... lots and lots of babies—three to five litters per year, and as many as eight rat pups per litter! But this year we’re seeing something a little different: The rats our expert pest control technicians are pulling out of the traps they place are huge... some of them nearly a foot-and-a-half long, measuring both body and tail.

Capital Stage is testing the boundaries of trust and suspicion in its new provocative drama "Fiction" by Steven Dietz. The theater's description of the play tells of two married writers, Michael and Linda, who decide to read each others' diaries and find that their relationship is not as open as it seems.As a woman emerges from the pages, the realization that trust and betrayal both exist begins to change the way they understand the past and the present. Production designer Jonathan Williams describes the twists and turns of "Fiction" best with a line from the play: "The lies begin when we lift the pen." Dietz has written over 20 original plays since the 80's, many of which revolve arou

For the next wave of economic recovery, it’s imperative that the Sacramento Metro Chamber collaboratively identify indicators and driving forces that capitalize on local innovation, intellect and influence. Additionally, we must use up-to-date technology and advances to develop a healthy, more sustainable economy that we believe will ultimately improve our region’s competitiveness. Our old consumer-based economy was obviously unsustainable. Built on easy access to money and lax lending standards, the housing and financial markets over-bloated other parts of the economy. Downstream job growth swelled, and when the housing market shriveled, other sectors followed. We await signs that our e

Lavell Crawford is one of the biggest comics standing. No, really. He's big! I got a chance to talk to Crawford as he was preparing to leave his southern California home for a series of shows in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Much of Crawford's act focuses on his childhood, his weight and about people's misconception of larger size people. "I just talk about the adversity and funny things about being a big guy." My mom was like a mother and father. She did a lot of funny things and a lot of contradictory things... I was a chunky kid and she would tell me that I couldn't fit into my school clothes but then told me I had to clean my plate! When I hurt my leg, she would give me a cookie inste

Seniors are like people in every age group – they have their own ideas about home and happiness. We all are intricately linked to our environment, or homes. Home is the place where we can be ourselves and the structure itself is often a reflection of ourselves and our lives. But, as we grow older, many of us will have to consider moving to another home. The reasons can vary. Yard work and home maintenance might become too much for us to handle. Our physical abilities might change and our home might become harder to live in. We might even suffer a health crisis and need help in our everyday activities of life. We might consider moving to free up the equity in our home. Whatever the reason,

An investigation into the city’s development department has brought to light several new issues, including “potential quid pro quo,” according to a new report from the offices of the city attorney and city manager. The city attorney’s office and Renee Sloan Holtzman Sakai, a third-party law firm, have been working together on an investigation into the development department’s approval of 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone. The offices of the city manager and the city attorney acknowledge in a recent report that the city broke federal rules by authorizing the permits. The report lists new issues in the building division of the department such as “potential quid pro quo,” “demoli

Sacramento will be losing more than the most eclectic greeting card shop in town when Etc. closes next week. The city is also losing a one-of-a-kind neighborhood gathering spot. Owners Jeff Heald and Abdon Legrand — with help from a glittery, life-size chrome man standing sentry outside the shop — have welcomed shoppers and passersby to the corner of 21st and L streets for two decades. The pair are closing their shop — previously known as Postcards Etc. — and moving to Mexico. They plan to open a new business: Café Como No (Cafe Why Not) in Punta de Mita, near Puerto Vallarta, said Heald, 57. Heald grew up in the Sacramento area. However, 47-year-old Legrand grew up on the Gulf of Mexic

 Mayor Kevin Johnson talked to residents about local issues including homelessness Monday night. Johnson spoke at a Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting at the Hart Senior Center in Midtown. He told residents about remarks President Barack Obama made in Washington, D.C. last week. During a trip last week to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors in D.C., Johnson heard Obama make comments on regional economies and sustainability, Johnson said. Obama also stressed the importance of communities in neighborhoods, according to Johnson. Johnson said he learned from Obama’s remarks that local economies need to have a regional focus and that environmental sustainability will be critical to infras

A prominent supporter of the strong mayor initiative has appealed a Sacramento County Superior Court judge’s decision to ban the initiative from the June ballot. Thomas Hiltachk, the attorney who wrote the initiative, appealed Judge Loren McMaster’s ruling on Monday to the Third District Court of Appeal. In the strong mayor government outlined in the initiative, the mayor would assume the city manager’s powers and create the city budget. Mayor Kevin Johnson has led efforts to put the measure on the ballot. "We expect that the Appellate Court will side with the people," Hiltachk said in a press release Monday afternoon. In December, Bill Camp challenged the initiative in Sacramento Coun

With the unparalleled devistation in Haiti, people have been coming up with creative means to raise money for relief efforts despite our dire economic times.  People like Charlie Simpson, 7, from Fulham, west London who set out to raise £500 ($812.25 US) by organizing a bike-a-thon has amassed over £110,000 ($162,450 US) and Lexi Caruthers, 10, from Encinitas, CA who hoped to raise $10 selling hand painted rocks that she gathered over the weekend raised $124.81.  In Sacramento, things are no different; nightclubs such as Punchline Comedy Club and Marilyn's on K have organized benefit shows, Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe has organized a bake sale and now The Coffee Garden is hosting an artwork raff