Rocket, this beautiful German Shepherd, is the unofficial mascot of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. He plays a key role at the organization. He makes people happy. Almost two years ago, Rocket was diagnosed with Osteocarcoma, a rare form of terminal cancer. In order to keep the disease from spreading, Rocket had one of his legs amputated. Since Rocket’s operation, he has been coming to work with his Mom, Kelly Siefkin, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Service’s Communication and Development Director. Initially Kelly brought Rocket to work with her because she was concerned about him being home alone, now she brings him because it is important to both Rocket and the amazing volunteers

Run to Feed the Hungry 2009 Race Zones/Areas   How Do I Exit My Neighborhood During Our Race? We encourage you to avoid driving in your neighborhood between 8:40 am – 10:20 am. If you must drive, please allow us to provide you with the following instructions so that you may safely and efficiently leave your neighborhood. Area 1 – Use “D” Street and head to the corner of 39th St & McKinley Blvd. A police officer will guide you across McKinley Blvd. to “C” Street once there is a gap in runners. Take a left turn, only, once you reach “C” Street. (Note: runners will arrive at the corner of 39th & McKinley Blvd. at approximately 9:05am). Area 2 – Take “H” St. to 36th Street. Go right – no

Mayor Kevin Johnson said the city’s order to halt construction work at the plant Nestlé plans to use for a water-bottling operation is bad for business in Sacramento. Johnson has praised the jobs that Nestlé will bring to Sacramento, while Councilman Kevin McCarty opposes the plant's plan to bottle and sell water from the American River. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond has also raised concerns about Nestlé's plans. The city’s Community Development Department placed a stop-work order on Friday on two phases of construction at 8670 Younger Creek Drive, the plant’s site. The city is checking to see whether Nestlé broke any of the city’s permitting and building laws. Nestlé said it has not viola

By Linda Cutler, Chair, Sacramento Metro Chamber Board of Directors The discussion about the new Nestle Waters bottling facility is actually about Sacramento’s commitment to job creation and the process and rules by which businesses come to our city. The Sacramento City Council will consider, Tuesday, Oct. 27, a measure related to this plant that will have a serious and far-reaching impact on the jobs and business climate in Sacramento. We have a set of rules that govern how companies coming to our community must conduct business. These rules come in the form of zoning, building permits, utility fees, water use and the like. These are rules that are determined through a very open and pu

Despite Sacramento County’s financial crisis, the city and county intend to provide 151 more beds for the homeless this winter than last. That’s because city officials expect 419 winter shelter beds to be funded through a variety of entities, including the city, nonprofit organizations, the federal government, the county and private donors. Last year, there were 268 winter shelter beds for the homeless. “The strategy provides for a collaborative public and private solution to increasing winter shelter options for the region's most vulnerable population during the coldest months of the year,” according to an Oct. 27 report to the City Council from Cassandra Jennings, assistant city manage

Most people can recall the memorable childhood song taught in elementary school about the man who is celebrated every year on Oct. 12th which began with: “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492”. However, what if this man did not exactly discover the new world? What if there was more to discuss about this holiday than the everyday American seems to forget in thanks to a day off? Students and professors alike gathered in dozens in City College’s Multicultural Center of City College on Oct.12th, 2009 to discuss the man behind the holiday-leaving an open ended conclusion of the fate of the celebration. The discussion quickly asked if Columbus was really the first person to discover the “New

A few weeks before Minus the Bear’s scheduled appearance at the Boardwalk on Saturday, we called drummer Erin Tate to talk about the new record, touring and the influences of progressive rock, new producers and the fairer sex: SP: So what is an average day like on tour for you guys? E: Depends on the day. It can be anywhere from just sitting around doing nothing and watching movies or sometimes we attempt to write music, which doesn’t happen very often. And sometimes we drink a lot of beer. SP: You just finished recording the new album. What can you tell us about that? E: It took us a really long time. [Laughs] It’s definitely a Minus the Bear record. But it’s kind of the first time we

 A $14 million retrofit of a proposed Nestlé water-bottling plant has ground to a halt after the city of Sacramento issued a stop-work order while investigating whether the work began before the company had legal authorization from the city. Late Friday afternoon, the city's Community Development Department issued a stop-work order for Phases II and III shortly before an interim or "urgency" ordinance request was added to the City Council's agenda for Tuesday night. The council is being asked to consider amending the city's zoning code to immediately require special permits for beverage bottling plants. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. On Monday, City Councilman Kevin McCarty and officials f

The holidays are quickly approaching and it's time to help those in need. Help make this Thanksgiving one families will cherish. Pay it forward by donating food items at the following locations: Sacramento City Hall - 915 I Street (All Floors) Historic City Hall - 915 I Street (Main Lobby) Community Development Dept. - 300 Richards Blvd (Main Lobby) City of Sacramento Public Safety Building - 5770 Freeport Blvd (Suites 100 & 200) Sacramento Metro Chamber - 1 Capitol Mall The Drive runs until November 18th, 2009. Contact us at 808-6789 for more information.

The next City Management Academy Alumni Meeting is Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 in Room 1217 of City Hall (915 I Street) from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. All Alumni are encouraged to attend the meeting.

The Neighborhood Services Department invites you and your children to join us this Friday from 10am to 3pm for a fun and safe Halloween trick or treat celebration at New City Hall (915 I Street). Ghosts, goblins, and characters of Halloween will roam the passages of City Hall giving away sweets and treats. We look forward to seeing you.

Most people probably wouldn't just give away a $25,000 ring without thinking twice about it. But Andrea Stirling and AJ Elftmann did. In June, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) hosted a text message scavenger hunt, "The Race for the Rock," which led 1,000 Sacramentans around the city following a series of clues leading to the ring. The race raised more than $4000 for the food bank. The "Hearts on Fire" ring, donated by Rogers Jewelers, was eventually found by long-time Sacramento residents and couple, Stirling and Elftmann. The timing of their win was made even more special since they were still celebrating Elftmann's two-year remission from Hodgkins Lymphoma just a couple m

This is the story of Rocket and his journey battling a rare form of cancer called Osteosarcoma. Throughout his diagnosis, surgery and recovery, his Mom, Kelly Siefkin (SFBFS Communication and Development Director) kept her friends and family abreast of his progress. Since his surgery, Rocket has become the unofficial mascot for Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. He has had an amazing impact on this incredible organization. Rocket has over 50 visitors a day. Kelly truly believes this has kept Rocket going. This is a heart-warming story about best friends. Friday 2/8/08 After two visits to the vet to address his persistent, 2-week long limp, Rocket is finally diagnosed with Osteosarc

A bead of sweat drips down the pierced nose of a girl as she grabs a hold of several heart-shaped balloons and floats away into the summer sky. Her balloons are etched into a piece paper with black Sharpie while her summer sky develops with the reader’s imagination. The wind picks up and flutters the pages of “Dreams of Donuts”, a comic zine for the young at heart filled with stories of bike rides, building gazebos from recycled materials, and other personal accounts from a local zine-creator who simply goes by Heather.   Zines are a heavily photocopied, do-it-yourself mini-booklet commonly printed in black and white. Held together by good old-fashioned staples, zines open a window into t

By Kevin McCarty, Sacramento City Council, District 6 With California in its third year of drought, the City of Sacramento’s water conservation strategy includes busting people who flood sidewalks. Since June, we’ve been telling residents they can water landscaping on only three specific days per week and there is to be no watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Last year, the City Council decided to ban bottled water at its meetings. We did so in recognition that plastic water bottles are littering the world and the precious water they once contained is often wasted. That’s why I was surprised to learn that the Nestle Waters North America Co. is moving forward with plans for a water bottl

I am glad for good news. It was true in Sacramento where I first blogged in a journal, that Regina Louise was introduced to others as a speaker of un waivered strength, courage, and diction by the National Coalition for 100 Black women. I was most honestly depending on a book in the seed of her humanity to bring. It would appear that like the Author of this memoir, Regina Louise, can seek an affectionate tone and still remember her plight because of her distant heart breaks associated with the salvation. She was sincerely recognized as a client of the system and nuclear family fostering program, and is now fighting for way of instilling more pride and rewarding truth. My mother, Ida A.

Rodolfo Huerta, lucha libre wrestler and one of Mexico's most beloved film icons, is known as El Santo, or "The Saint." What's surprising though, is that the masked wrestler-cum-actor lived up to his exalted moniker on and off the screen. El Santo "saved" the Mexican film industry as it was on its deathbed, creating films that drew patrons back to the big screens, said Fred Dobb, film curator at La Raza Galeria Posada. When El Santo died in 1984 at the age of 66, thousands watched as the famous actor/wrestler was buried in his signature silver mask. For one week, starting Monday, La Raza Galeria Posada will show an El Santo film every night. The free series is sponsored by the Consulate

Fear has never been so funny. From the mind of producer Deon Taylor comes One Scary Nite. That's the biggest Halloween party Sacramento has ever seen, to be hosted by Flavor Flav and Mark S. Allen at the California Auto Museum at 2200 Front Street on Thursday. The star-studded event produced by Taylor, Sacramento Kings point guard Bobby Jackson and Roxanne Avent will include more than 200 zombies, a hearse display, costume contest, midnight money drop and nearly 1,000 guests. According to Karen McClaflin, executive director of the California Auto Museum, the venue is a perfect fit for what Taylor envisioned for the party and the hearse exhibit that opened Oct. 1 was a bonus. "This is s

Peace, love and adoption were in the air Saturday night at the SPCA Raining Cats and Dogs gala. The 1960's themed silent and live auction benefiting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brought nearly 1,000 people to the Convention Center, according to Steve Potter, director of development "We had a wonderful turnout," he said. "Even in the economic downturn, animal welfare still pulls on people's heart strings." A live performance of "Hair" was visible on four stages among auction items as well as on the main stage along with the live music were two continuous slideshows of adoptable animals. A puppy named Ears was a crowd favorite, as indicated by the "awwwwws." "This

We are all writers here at The Sacramento Press, so we understand the concept of "pushing the deadline." Writers are born procrastinators. But time is running out to enter the The Sacramento Press Pro-Am Journalism Open - it ends this Saturday! If you post your story before midnight on Halloween, you will be eligible for some great prizes, including a weekend at Squaw Valley (with dinner at Plump Jack). We're offering prizes from $100-500 for the best contributions to the site, with other prizes including custom reporters' kits, complete with a Sacramento Press-branded digital voice recorder. But this isn't just about prizes - those are to get your attention, and award good work. The S