The Women's Flat Track Derby Association 2010 Western Regional Tournament is coming to Sacramento this weekend. And the Sacred City Derby Girls are stoked. The skaters in one of Sacramento's two flat track roller derby leagues have not only become eligible to compete in the regional playoffs for the first time — they won Sacramento the honor of hosting one of four qualifiers for the national championship in November. Sacred City's travel team, the Sacrificers, and teams from as far away as Colorado and New Mexico will be skating at Memorial Auditorium Oct. 1-3. The league's founder, Gabriell Garcia, also known as "Chica Loca," said skating at the auditorium will fulfill a dream for many

Work began late last week on the long-delayed street scape of R Street between 11th and 13th Streets. The surface is already torn up, and work progressing.  To get an idea of what R Street is going to look like when the work is done, see this Sacramento Press story.

Are you ready for some football? Saturday night, professional football made its triumphant return to Sacramento. The 20,000 fans who packed into Hornet Stadium were treated to a barnburner, as the hometown Mountain Lions battled back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit for a dramatic victory over the visiting Florida Tuskers. For many fans, the evening was a win long before Daunte Culpepper found Rod Windsor deep down the sideline for the game-winning 33-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds remaining. Two hours before kickoff, the parking lots surrounding Hornet Stadium at Sacramento State were packed with joyous revelers, basking in the opportunity to cheer for professional football

Before he was a political activist and lecturer, Krist Novoselic was a founding member and bassist of Seattle-based Nirvana, one of the most influential bands in history. After Nirvana ended when lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, Novoselic became proactive in politics, using his celebrity to draw attention to his causes, which include promoting election reform and increasing voter turnout. Thursday night he spoke to a group of roughly 150 in the University Union ballroom at Sacramento State. Free and open to the public, the chiefly student audience was a mix of the politically minded and curiosity-seeking. “The last I heard about Krist Novoselic was that h

Sitting on the edge of wonder, it is time to build the sukkah and dine under the stars with the region's young Jewish professionals, leaders, community, family, and friends. It’s harvest time. In Sacramento, perhaps more than many cities or regions around the world, we can very much identify with the spirit of Sukkot. Tomorrow evening, Friday, Sept. 24, join NextDor and PJ Library in Sacramento for a Shabbat Sukkot dinner together! We'll dine outside in the sukkah, learn about Sukkot traditions, shake a few lulavs, and read stories. PJ Library is even providing the food! This event is the evening before NextDor's own big Sukkot dinner, so take advantage of both chances to make friends and

Following several setbacks, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Thursday things aren't looking good for downtown's two biggest development projects, the Railyards and the arena. A downtown arena proposal involving a complicated land swap and the state fairgrounds has only an outside chance of happening. At the same time, it would be in the city's best interest if a suburban Chicago real estate investment company forecloses on Thomas Enterprises and its 244-acre Railyards project, he said in a press conference at City Hall. Johnson said he hopes California Exposition and State Fair officials will postpone a decision at a Friday board meeting and spend another month evaluating a deal for a

This Halloween season, take a unique nighttime tour through the Old City Cemetery with nothing but a lantern to light the way through the maze of historic tombstones and wandering spirits. The annual Lantern Tours offer guests a special visit with Sacramento’s oldest residents. “Guests are led by a gas-lit lantern through the cemetery, and we stop to meet residents who are played by costumed docents,” said Old City Cemetery Committee Director Lynda Walls. Walls, who doubles as the official tour guide, said the stories are often told through skits. “It’s very entertaining. We try to have a sense of humor with the most respect,” she said. There is a palpable sense of history at the Old

When children are brought into this world, the universal hope for them is a loving, supportive, healthy life, with loving parents, a good education, and every need met with the utmost satisfaction. The sad truth is that even in our own Sacramento community, children are placed into the foster care system. Child abuse, neglect, drug addiction, and poverty are only a few of the nightmares faced by many young members of our city. These kids never asked to be in these situations nor do they have much of a say as to what happens to them including where they live or where they go to school. This is where Sacramento Child Advocates comes in! They have Given a voice and protected the rights of ove

The International Day of Peace was honored early last night in the World Peace Rose Garden in State Capitol Park. It began with a Dedication of the Capitol Walkway Entrance Arbor by the Horangic Family, followed with Bill Hocking, Trumpet player, performing Songs with Peace & Rose Themes. Following that was a Procession with Giant Peace Doves led by Theo Scott-Femenella, Drummer, Sheldon High School. TJ David & Sylvia Villalobos, Co-Creators of International World Peace Rose Gardens began with the introductions.         Rev. David Thompson (above right), President, Interfaith Service Bureau, called upon leaders from the area's Faith Community to provide Readings from Many Faith Traditio

The Salvation Army of Sacramento County hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new child development center in the Oak Park area on September 21. The new facility, located on the corner of Alhambra Blvd. and Broadway, will be two stories high and nearly 14,000 sq ft, which is nearly six times larger than the old education building. The child development center will be the home for The Salvation Army’s day care and after-school programs. “It’s a long time coming,” said Major Tedd Lowcock, Salvation Army Sacramento Corps officer. “We had been operating in an older building for years. So to have something new in which you don’t have to worry about and to have the extra space here is pretty

Sacramento isn't the only city grappling with violence and other problems at special events. Chicago has had similar problems with festivals such as the Taste of Chicago, the city's biggest special event. The Taste draws about 3 million people to lakefront Grant Park for the 10-day summer festival each year. The Camellia City can take some cues from the City of Big Shoulders. Chicago Police and the Mayor's Office of Special Events, which runs the event with help from other departments, constantly fine-tune operations for the Taste to handle problems as they emerge. Several shootings have occurred near the Taste in the last seven years. Three teens were stabbed in a gang fight near the e

2010 WFTDA Western Regional Tournament Sacred City Derby Girls is pleased to be hosting the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) 2010 Western Regional Tournament at the historic Memorial Auditorium in downtown Sacramento, Oct. 1-3.   The tournament will feature the top 10 ranked WFTDA teams in the Western Region, regarded as the most competitive of all WFTDA regions this year. At the close of the weekend, the top three teams will move on to compete in the WFTDA Championship Tournament in Chicago in November. “Rollin’ on the River” is WFTDA’s Western Regional invitation-only tournament. This year’s participating teams (in order of ranking) are Oly Rollers, Rocky Mountain Roller

Get ready for some fun – Michael Ian Black delivers comedy you just have to laugh at. Michael was the headliner at Sacramento’s Punch Line Comedy Club this last week and without fail he brought the house down. His fast-paced yet perfectly timed situational comedy routine entices the audience into a sometimes uncomfortable yet hard-not-to-laugh position. Michael started the night by reading a twitter post on his account that said, “Headed out to the Michael Ian Black show, ….I’m going to lick his face or get arrested trying.” Michael then proceeded to ask the audience if someone had written it. When a young lady was pointed out by her friends, he joked that although he did not want his fa

Francis House of Sacramento is announcing its 40th Anniversary Party to be held at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, Friday October 29, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00pm. This event celebrating 40 years of serving the homeless and poor of Sacramento County will include a four-course dinner and fine wines served by the best restaurants and caterers in the city. The dinner will be followed by a dance featuring the popular band, Mumbo Gumbo. Forty years is a long time for a faith-based non-profit to survive, however Francis House of Sacramento is not just any non-profit. The organization sees that over 30,000 men, women, and children each year receives personal attention for their problems. The most

Take one step inside Trails Restaurant and you enter another era — an era when record-breaking swimmer Esther Williams was a movie star and meat dominated the dinner table. Now, 70 years have passed since Williams and her husband, Ben Gage, opened the restaurant at 2530 21st St., just off Broadway, as part of a chain. The restaurant's third owners, Gin and Kit Wong, said business has gotten slow at times during the recession. But Trails is holding its own thanks to longtime customers, Gin Wong said. "People have been coming for generations," said Wong, who bought the restaurant in 1979 from Myrle and Al Nahas, who was a nearby car dealer. At lunch Tuesday, retired commercial printer St

A packed house at Harlow’s was infected Monday night. Infected with dance fever, courtesy of !!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk). As the band members themselves tell it, when creating a name for the band they wanted something that stood out. They took the !!! from the African Bush language, which was a repetitive clicking sound made with the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The band left pronunciation up to your choosing; it was any three repetitive sounds (Bam Bam Bam, Pow Pow Pow, etc.) Over time the preferred pronunciation evolved into “Chk Chk Chk,” which is used by the band in things like the URL of its official website. Monday’s show was a homecoming of sorts (the band formed in Sacrame

Sacramento Police said Monday that gang violence led to a fatal shooting within a crowd gathered outside a Midtown bar after a Second Saturday Art Walk. Police presence was stepped up Saturday, and for the first time, officers enforced the 10 p.m. curfew for minors, which coincides with the art event's official closing time. But the killing early Sunday has pressed city and business leaders to find additional ways to address growing concerns rather than end the popular event. On Saturday, 20 Sacramento police officers and at least eight undercover officers from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control worked to combat underage drinking and public partying or "tailgating,"

 photos by Barry Wisdom  Imagine being happily married for 36 years – more than three decades of bliss blessed with talented children and grandchildren. Along the way, you’ve earned the respect and love of your community, and while there have been a few tumultuous years marred by major moves (and even war), things seemed like they would continue forever. Then, out of the blue, you hit a rough patch when financial problems create a wedge between you and your beloved spouse. Money and even friends become scarce, and before you know it, you’re in a trial separation. Ultimately, the financial problems are resolved, but the time apart and the fear of history repeating raises real concerns ov

Once a month, hundreds of pets and their owners break the Saturday morning quiet on Ahern Street. Dogs bark and pace, cats meow in travel cases and owners talk to one another to pass the time. Many will wait up to six hours to be seen at the Loaves and Fishes’ location for free veterinary care for the homeless by UC Davis’ Mercer Veterinary Clinic. The clinic has been coming to Loaves and Fishes for more than 15 years to help the animals of the homeless clients. They visit the second Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. On Sep. 11, 148 animals were brought to Mercer to be seen. Client Lisa Lafont of Sacramento brought her three dogs, Muffin, Missy and Sam, to be vaccinated, spaye

From the beautiful day to the scrumptious food, this was an event not to be missed. It was new to me, and I was introduced to it by local wine personality/super salesmen Clint Crow from Berryessa Gap. "You just Have to check this out," he said. And after going and finding out not only the talent involved, but the cause they support, it makes me want to tell all foodies, sustainability kids and farmers alike. Yolo Land Trust has a long history of helping landowners preserve the landscape. The local networks of farmland, rangeland, stream corridors, wetlands and oak woodlands weave together to drive the economy, support wildlife and help make Yolo County a wonderful place to live and work