Saturday, June 20, men and women will flex their sculpted bods and bulging muscles to compete for what Johnny "The Motivator" Carrero calls "pro-status." This isn't your average bodybuilding competition, however. Carrero, an advocate for drug-free fitness, is holding his annual "all-natural" bodybuilding competition at Folsom Middle School, which hosts the competition every year. "I promote drug-free bodybuilding and show youth and athletes that they can still look fantastic naturally without using steroids or other drugs," Carrero said. Carerro, who's been in the fitness industry since 1993, is a personal trainer and knows firsthand how dangerous drugs like steroids can be. He began us

Monday, June 15 Noon- 1 p.m. Sacramento Area Coalition Against the Death Penalty will be holding a noon hour vigil against the death penalty on the north steps of the Capitol. 12 people are expected to listen to a special program of poetry reading. 2-4:30 p.m. Southside Art Center, which holds arts programs for people with developmental disabilities, will be holding a press conference on the west steps of the Capitol. This will be held in conjunction with the Journey of Hope fundraiser, a cross-country bicycle trip which raises money and understanding for people with disabilities. 100 people are expected to attend. Tuesday, June 16 No events scheduled for this day. 

It is estimated that more than 100 hikers are trapped on the trail to Half Dome in Yosemite, CA Sat. evening June 13, and one person is believed to have fallen. The person’s condition is unknown as is the condition of all hikers who became caught in a violent hail storm at approximately 3:30 p.m. Weather took a quick turn from cloudy and dry to the hail storm that currently pommels Yosemite Valley. Rangers are unable to attempt rescue attempts at the moment due to the dangerous weather. According to park rangers, the trail is impassable until the storm subsides which might not be until early Sun. morning. At least four Sacramento hikers are stuck atop the mountain with no knowledge of t

Midtown exercise guru Chip Conrad doesn't talk about exercise routines — he talks about rituals. “A ritual is what inspires progress," he said. "Routine just meets base needs. And the only way for movement to empower the body is if it's progressive. You have to get better at it." Conrad’s gym, Body Tribe on 21st Street in Midtown, is surely Sacramento's most unique gym. It doubles as a social center and even art gallery on Second Saturdays. But the real difference is that he takes his acolytes through workouts that eschew weight machines and counting reps and instead focuses on movement. “I try to get people to move in the ways the body is supposed to move," he said. "I won't let a mach

 After a quick four-game road trip against the Salt Lake Bees in which they won three of four, the Sacramento River Cats returned home for a crucial eight-game stand. Sacramento first are currently taking on the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in a four-game series. The series featured the top two teams in the Pacific Coast League. The festivities kicked off Saturday night at Raley Field with Youth Baseball and Softball Night, and Boy Scout Night. Things did not go the River Cats’ way to begin the series. Starter James Simmons struggled early. He gave up eight hits and seven runs in five innings of work. The River Cats have had a knack for late-game heroics in 2009. They tried to pull off anoth

Saturday, June 6 9-10:30 a.m. A city-wide treasure hunt to find a $25,000 diamond ring will kick off near the fish pond. Nearly 400 people are expected in the hunt, and according to RacefortheRock.com, the clues will be delivered via text messages. The $25 entrance fee will be donated to Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Couples or teams of two with both members over the age of 18 can enter, and you must win a space to participate. 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Infineon Raceway has scheduled a NASCAR Rally Day on the west steps of the Capitol for an estimated 1,000 people. The fifth annual rally will feature a visit from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Max Papis, who will headline the festivit

 The 107th Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships is underway at the Sacramento State Aquatics Center on Lake Natoma through Saturday 8am - 2:15pm. (Fridays events are now closed). This is the first time the competition has been held on the west coast. Participants are:  Varsity Heavyweight Eight 2nd Varsity Heavyweight Eight Freshman Heavyweight EightBoston University Boston University Boston UniversityBrown University Brown University Brown UniversityCollege of the Holy Cross Columbia University Cornell UniversityColumbia University Cornell University Dartmouth CollegeCornell University Dartmouth College George Washington UniversityDartmouth College George Was

"It's huge, it's huge, it's huge!" exclaimed George Raya. "I'm so excited. The rodeo is coming to town!" Now, it's true that Raya is the publicist for the Ninth Annual Sierra Stampede Rodeo & Festival, produced by Capital Crossroads Gay Rodeo Association. But it's also true that he has a lot to be excited about. With gay rodeo groups in Reno, Los Angeles and San Francisco reportedly unable to put on their rodeos this year, Sacramento's event this weekend is the only such rodeo in this part of the country. Raya says it will draw more than 100 competitors and nearly 1,000 fans to the Central Park Horse Arena at 848 Elkhorn Blvd. in Rio Linda. Those numbers would be nearly double last year'

Here in Sacramento, we are fortunate enough to have access to many, many parks, lakes and rivers. We are minutes from the Sierras and a couple of hours from the Pacific Ocean. Living and playing in this area affords us the unique opportunity to discover and play locally in our aquatic environment. To date, there are more than 17 Parks and Recreation centers that have a pool for our neighborhoods. Activities that are often overlooked in these environments are snorkeling and scuba diving. For me, scuba diving and snorkeling uniquely offers the ability to transform a person in four ways: immersion, active participation, environmental relationships and emotional well-being. Immersion is a th

The Han Chinese and the Uighur Chinese minority both live in the city of Kashgar in western China, but they’re worlds apart. Not only do they speak different languages, they also live in different time zones. So why do they get along fine playing baseball together? This is the subject of Diamond in the Dunes, a new documentary by local filmmakers Christopher Rufo and Keith Ochwat of The Documentary Foundation. Their last documentary Roughing It: Mongolia was picked up by PBS and broadcast last summer. In that film, the two young explorers, both in their early twenties, search for interesting people in Mongolia, eventually following a herd of nomads. But by the time Diamond in the Dunes

2009 Doggy Dash in Land Park  Photos | Kati Garner

Photo Copyright 2009/Maverick Photography.us, Ed Fogle The River Cats pulled off the victory in their 11th extra inning game of the season. Jeff Baisley drew a 10th inning walk with the bases loaded to win the game 4-3. * Sean Gallagher threw 7.2 innings allowing 2 runs and 6 hits while striking out 3... his second consecutive quality start. * Anthony Recker had a solo home run in the 4th inning... his 3rd home run of the year * Daric Barton was 2-3 with an RBI single in the 3rd. * Cliff Pennington was 2-4 with 2 base hits and was thrown out trying to steal second in the ninth inning (Pennington's first unsuccessful stolen base) Also of note today... Both Gregorio Petit and Aaron Cunnin

Photo Copyright 2009/Maverick Photography.us, Ed Fogle Highly touted pitching prospect Henry Rodriguez made his Triple-A debut Friday night as the River Cats used up every arm available to them... in the 16 inning showdown they won by a score of 2-1 * Henry Rodriguez pitched 1 inning giving up 1 run and and 2 hits while showing off an upper 90's fastball and a spinning slider... Rodriguez finished off the inning with back to back strikeouts. * The Game was the longest game of the year lasting four hours and thirty seven minutes * 12 different pitchers took the mound for Sacramento and Las Vegas * Gio Gonzalez had a very strong outing pitching 7 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits while

Saturday, May 30 7 a.m.-1 p.m. The Kings of Queens motorcycle club will be holding a walk-a-thon fundraising event for breast cancer near the south steps of the Capitol. The event is expected to draw 500 participants. 10 a.m.- Noon Forty people will be participating in a prayer rally for California Department of Corrections prisoners, parolees and personnel. 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Senator Darrell Steinberg's office will be holding a ceremony honoring graduates. 500 people are expected on the south steps of the Capitol. According to a press release from the Senator's office: "Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) will hold a special recognition ceremony this Saturday at 11

Peace, love and... pets? Sacramento's SPCA will be holding a dog festival with music this Saturday raising funds for animals sheltered at the SPCA. Dog lovers and their dogs will converge in William Land Park on the corner of Sutterville Road and Freeport Boulevard for Sacramento SPCA's 16th annual Doggy Dash and Bark in the Park. "Doggy Dash" refers to events beginning at 9 a.m. for registrants who sign up for a 5K run and walk, or a 2K walk, while the "Bark in the Park" is a free event with dog contests, music and food. In addition to the dog events, there will be a kid zone where parents can pay a few bucks to have their kids play in a bounce house and use a rock-climbing wall, receiv

The River Cats won the final game of the series against Iowa 9-1 thanks to some late game hitting and superb pitching by Eveland. * Dana Eveland pitched 6.2 innings allowing just 1 run and 2 hits while stiking out 9 * Danny Putnam was 3-5 and hit a grand slam in the 9th inning * Aaron Cunningham was 3-5 with a home run, double and a single * Matt Carson hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning. * Daric Barton was 2-4 with a double * Chris Denorfia was 2-4 with a double as well as a Sac fly RBI * Eric Patterson stole second base in the 3rd inning this is his 20th steal of the year The River Cats are now 29-18 and hold a 4.5 game lead on the Fresno Grizzlies The River Cats return home tomorro

     Starting today, I am going to be reporting and hopefully feature writing on the comings and goings here in beautiful West Sacramento. As you may or may not know, West Sacramento, though just across the river from “The Big City,” is, in fact, in another county, and some think, another world.      I’ll be reporting on the City Council, the Police Department, the School Board, and anything else that merits our attention as a happening in West Sacramento.      But first, a little history you may find interesting.      West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California. It is contiguous with Sacramento, but is separated by the Sacramento River, which is also the county line, so West Sacr

The River Cats were able to take 1 of the 2 games against the Iowa Cubs today’s double header to make up for yesterdays rain out… both games were only 7 innings. Game 1 * The River Cats beat Iowa 3-1 * Vin Mazzaro showcased his pitching talents once again pitching 6 innings with no earned runs (1 run crossed from a throwing error by Recker) 4 hits and striking out 6… Mazzaro has only allowed 1 earned run in his past 27.2 innings pitched and is now 2nd in ERA on the PCL Leaderboard * Daric Barton had a solo home run in the 4th * Eric Patterson had a home run in the 3rd with Cliff Pennington on base * Gregorio Petit was 2-3 with 2 base hits * Jay Marshall stuck out 2 of the 3 batters he fa

"Bar-Sell-Oh-Nuh! Clap, clap, clapclapclap! Where the EFF's United? Clap, clap clapclapclap!" Chants from Streets of London Pub drifted down J Street Wednesday afternoon, as the Champion's League final between Barcelona Football Club and Manchester United dominated every inch of the bar. Pints, pitchers, and pub fare were ubiquitous throughout a crowd of more than 100 soccer fans packed to watch the game, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Barcelona. Servers squeezed through rowdy fans to refill drinks, but the only standing room available was in the back patio or out front. Many of the fans were wearing Barcelona's two-toned blue and maroon jersey, and some were also wearing Manchester Un

For five residents of a Sacramento rehab center, this Memorial Day represents a personal battle won. Of 1185 registered participants, five members of the recently formed running and walking program One Step Forward completed their first race as a team this morning at the “No Excuses” 5k run at William Land Park. The members were recruited just over two months ago from Sacramento’s Clean & Sober program, dedicated to helping disadvantaged people overcome drug and alcoholic addictions. For the past six weeks, One Step Forward trained twice a week in preparation for the race. One Step Forward was formed by local organizer Makiko Yamashita, who wanted to provide a sense of community, accomp