When I think of the Downtown Plaza I think of a sad abandoned place, a place that quite honestly I try and avoid; it feels heavy like a deep sigh and gray without color. When I discovered that’s where I was headed to interview an artist, I was skeptical yet intrigued. My curiosity peaked when I got to my destination, and enormous perfume and cologne advertisements were all that was there. Then the large glass doors mysteriously open, but the figure that appears is not “the great and powerful Oz”—it is Tre Borden. Although this is the first time we have met, he greets me with a warm hug that I am glad to accept. As he turns around to enter the space, I notice immediately that I am not in

Friday, May 3, 2013 MIDTOWN: Suspicious Circumstances, 24th Street/P Street, 10:06 a.m. The victim reported that a suspicious parcel was delivered to her door. It was determined that the package was in fact sent from a known friend of the victim; however, the item appeared suspicious to her. Officers arrived and determined that there was nothing dangerous regarding the package and the currier was notified for further follow up. DOWNTOWN: Resisting, 7th Street/F Street, 12:46 a.m. Parker Caldwell, 24, was taken into custody for resisting arrest after officers contacted him in the area. Witnesses reported seeing Caldwell knocking on doors in the area and he became aggressive upon officers

The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) recognized linguistic accomplishments on May 6, honoring students who attained a high level of proficiency in English plus at least one other language. SCOE officially presented dozens of students from throughout the county with the California State Seal of Biliteracy, which was established by California Assembly Bill 815. Throughout Sacramento County, a total of more than 280 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy in 2013. It is awarded to seniors who have demonstrated English competency, as well as competency in another language by meeting specific criteria. "Each of these students met rigorous state criteria and has demonstrated his or

The local arts community recently discovered that the public artwork 'Sojourner' on 13th and K Street had been vandalized. The sculpture was found pushed off its pedestal on January 6, 2013. The sculpture, a 7ft. Mexican limestone work of art by Master Artist Elizabeth Catlett Mora, was broken into several pieces. Unfortunately the artist cannot repair this treasured work. Catlett died last year on April 2, 2012. The breaking news originally appeared on the blog "Sacramento Pedestrian Art." At the time, there was very little additional information provided on the developing story. And, by the time this article is published The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) is expected to

Writer and world-traveler Norm Schriever is back in Sacramento, where he first decided to launch his writing career, to promote the release of his second book, 'South of Normal'. Schriever shared his year-long travelling experience in his first book, Pushups in the Prayer Room, in which he chronicles his visits to six continents and more than 20 countries. According to Schriever, the experience had him out of his comfort zone at all times, but it helped him figure out his purpose in the world. His explanation of the process also gives a sneak peek into his second book. The first location Schriever visited on this adventure was the sleepy surf town of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The town made

UC Davis’ Whole Earth Festival is returning this Mother’s Day weekend. Activities, classes, and performances will be featured at the festival to celebrate the planet. Going strong since 1969, this yearly event honors the earth and our existence upon it. Yoga classes and standing mediation will target the mind-and body- conscious festival-goers. Entertainment will include daily performances like choral acts and spoken-word poetry. Hula-hoop classes and environmentally friendly workshops (like how to compost) are also on deck. The festival also aims to be kid-friendly. Alcohol is not allowed on the quad, and an entire section of the festival will be dedicated to children’s activities – inc

Give that gas station a rest and hop on your two-wheeler in honor of May is Bike Month. With one week behind us, there is still plenty of time to grease those chains and pump up those tires in celebration of the bike-related activities in our community. For those of you who like to mix your adventurous and artistic sides, this month’s Art Mix at the Crocker Art Museum is called Chain Reaction, and will feature bike-inspired events on Thursday, May 9th, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. General admission is $10. Students and seniors can attend for $8, kids 7-17 for $5, and children under 6 get in for free. Ride your bike to the event and your admission is half price. Some of the evening’s even

 Once again I am patiently waiting outside Ace of Spades Nightclub on R Street for the doors to open. The excitement I'm holding inside is nauseating. I'm pumped, but there is something that is disturbing me this go-around. It’s the small crowd that is waiting at the doors at 6:30, something A-typical for this type of show. This is the world famous Ace of Spades. For every assignment that I have requested and accepted at this place, the lines are crazy – by 6:00 p.m. reaching and wrapping around the block. This was different. The crowd was more like a slow rising sea of people coming from the buildings of downtown, packing Ace of Spades. The pace was steady at mass but metered, coming in

How's your New Year's resolution coming?  Part of The Sacramento Press's New Year's resolution involved some new contributor rankings. We selected six Elite Contributors to pave the way. You've met Barry Wisdom, Nancy Flagg, and Kati Garner already. Now it's time to learn a bit more about Elite Contributor Alex Cosper. Cosper's posts can almost be timed down to the minute. He posts his column reliably every Monday afternoon, which usually complements work and research he's done for his own company, SacTV, and always incorporates a video interview.  SP: How long have you been with The Sacramento Press? AC: I've been writing articles for SacPress since April 2012. SP: How did you get st

It's the time of year to honor your Mom and celebrate all she does for you. What better way to do so than to take her out for a fun day on the town? We've compiled some suggestions for you below, but you can always find even more in Sacramento365.com's Holiday Events section. Treat her to eats: Mother's Day Brunch at the Hyatt: Hyatt Regency Sacramento; Sun 9:30am-3pm: Treat your mother to a scrumptious buffet featuring omelets made-to-order, a carving station, fresh seafood, and a bountiful dessert selection. Mother's Day Brunch with Sacramento RiverTrain: Sacramento RiverTrain - West Sacramento; Sun 10am-1pm: Bring Mom, Grandma, Aunt, and friends aboard the RiverTrain for a three-co

Is there a place for you at the Farm to Fork table? Certainly any person will be able to participate in the activities planned for throughout the year. There are the farmers markets and farm tours as well as many upcomng food events. Yet there are those who are more interested in taking an active part in the food community, in their own way.  Sacramento has several of these individuals who have successfully taken ideas and created their own place at Sacramento's table. How is that Sacramento's food scene is so easy to get involved in versus other cities? A big part of it has to do with size. If we lived in San Francisco or Los Angeles we would be lost in the noise. Sacramento, while a siz

"Today the people of California pay tribute to 12 men whose names will be engraved on the California Peace Officers' Memorial," said Master of Ceremonies Attorney General Kamala Harris of the State of California. "Their service and ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten." "To the honored families who are here today there are no words to match the depth of your loss," Harris said. "But I do want to say 'thank you' on behalf of the people of Save California for supporting our fallen heroes." Since California became a state, 1500 men and women who gave their lives will always have their names on this memorial. Officers from all over California came to pay their respect. In 2012 two of

Sacramento has been off and on the music industry's radar for many years, with its heyday being in the 1980s and 1990s as far as producing national acts. Lately Sacramento seems to be a music market of fresh material that includes national rock band Oleander, local r&b singer-songwriter Carla Fleming and local country/rock singer-songwriter Kally O'Mally. Each of these new releases has a refreshing sound that contrasts with a controlled corporate era characterized by over-production and redundant formulas. Somehow, Sacramento is helping resolve the problem that today's national hits sound too corporate and predictable.  SacTV.com continues to document local music that stands out as Olean

The executive director of the Midtown Business Association will be stepping down to take a job with the City of San Diego. Elizabeth Studebaker took the helm art the Midtown Business Association at the beginning of last year. She was a constant presence in the neighborhood and at local events. Her most recent initiatives include a project to improve street lighting and the launch of the Midtown Farmers Market, which has drawn large crowds in its first two weeks. This is a quick update - we're working on a full story with more details now.  The full press release is below.  --- Press release:  Midtown Business Group Seeking New Executive Director Current Director Accepts Economic Deve

A C.K. McClatchy High School debate team has won the national Tournament of Champions, becoming the first team ever from a California public high school to win the nation’s top high school debate competition. McClatchy seniors John Spurlock and Keenan Harris took first place in the policy debate division at the University of Kentucky tournament. In the 42-year history of the Tournament of Champions, no team from a California public high school has ever won. (In 2003, a team from College Preparatory School, a private high school in Oakland, took top honors.) McClatchy Debate Coach Seth Blackmon compares winning the Tournament of Champions to winning the Super Bowl or the NCAA Basketball f

Update: We spoke with the developer late Monday afternoon and an article on their response is in the works.  After an investment group turned in an application to the city for a new development near Midtown, a local neighborhood group convened on Saturday, May 4, to discuss the impact of the proposed project. Last Thursday, May 2, the city released Riverview Capital Investments’ final plans for McKinley Village. Under different names and developers, the project had been proposed several times in the past, and last failed in 2006. The current model is a housing development with 328 single-family homes planned to go into 48 acres wedged between Capital City Freeway and the Union Pacific R

600 specimens of brawny, hairy men (well, some were) donned high heels to walk a mile around the Capitol Mall today. They did it with grace and pain. Some did it fast, some slow. They did it. They did it to raise awareness about sexual assault against women and raised funds for WEAVE to provide 24-hour services  for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Here's some photos from the event: Award winners will be posted when information is received. Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

The Humor Times has announced a somewhat stealth $5 discount for tickets to see the national-touring, musical/political comedy troupe, the Capitol Steps, tomorrow, Sunday, May 5th, at 6:30pm. The performance takes place in the Martinique Ballroom of the Clarion Inn, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, next to the Arden Fair Mall. The General Admission tickets are normally $35.00 in advance, $40.00 the day of the show. But the show's presenter, the Humor Times, announced on their website today a $5 discount for "readers of the Humor Times website." That means show goers will get tickets for $10 less than it will cost them at the door tomorrow. But the website cautions that the discount is a "lim

I had read all the critical acclaim for "Master Harold and the Boys" Athol Fugard's masterpiece of a play set in 1950 apartheid South Africa playing in the Sacramento Theatre Company Pollock Stage. I finally found time to go see it and found out I could barely get a ticket to tonight Friday's show.  The show ends this weekend and is well worth seeing. I saw one of the early productions of the play at the Seattle Repertory Theater in 1984.  Not surprising it is the only play I remember from that season.   Michael J. Asberry, Rob Anthony, and Will Block all give outstanding performances.  All the more amazing for the 18 year old Block a graduate of the STC Young Professionals Conservatory

A new library opened in the Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento yesterday and it’s about the size of a birdhouse. The Bound Together Library, located in the front yard of a home on Arabella Way between Pocket Road and Warbler Way, offers residents the chance to give a book and take a book as they please. Following the concepts of the Free Little Library movement, the Bound Together Library was created by JasMin Khoe and Allison Yamamoto as their senior project in the McClatchy High School HISP Program. Jonathan Louie, a sophomore at McClatchy High School, was an apprentice on the project and plans to make a library for his Eagle Project. Similar libraries are slated for the future. Jon