Mayor Kevin Johnson emphasized on the need for a completed term sheet and signs of commitment from interested companies in order to finish the new arena project in 2015. Johnson gave a progress report on the plans to build this new arena in Sacramento at Tuesday’s weekly press conference. Johnson said that there were many questions still in the air that were being discussed even as he stood in City Hall, mainly questions on what companies will contribute to the arena project, and how. Johnson said that his hope is that by Feb. 28, all stakeholders involved will be in agreement on a term sheet that outlines all financial areas of the project – a sort of rough draft for the budgeting plans

The Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento (LOTS) put on a fantastic showing of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” on Friday at the quaint 24th Street Theatre. Quirky and fun, the company captures the seriously silly mayhem of paradoxical and conflicting nonsense that “Pirates of Penzance” is all about. The goofy coming-of-age story follows Frederick, played by company debut Ian Cullity. As a boy, his nurse, Ruth (played by Debbie Baad), due to mishearing a command, mistakenly has him apprenticed to be a pirate instead of a ship’s pilot. Frederick fulfills his duties as an apprentice, but once his contract ends at age 21, Frederick follows his calling to end piracy altogether. Since

The possible human rights violations of the local homeless was a main topic of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s press conference Tuesday. The conference was held to announce the expansion of Bank on Sacramento, a collaboration between local nonprofit organizations, banks and credit unions, to help people receive low-cost accounts and financial advice. Despite the announcement, the topic of homeless rights were heavily discussed. Catarina De Albuquerque, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, recently sent a four-page memo to warn Johnson about the possible violation. The current policy of removing the homeless from tent cities denies the homeless safe drinking water and sanitation, wh

After two years of planning and organization, renovations will begin on Feb. 6 for the Cesar Chavez Memorial Plaza. Since its construction 150 years ago, the park has been renovated many times to maintain it and adapt it to the new needs of the public. “It’s a prominent public space, and I’m looking forward to giving it a facelift,” said J. P. Tindell, park planning and development manager of the Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation. Lisa Martinez, marketing director for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP), also said that she looks forward to the “beautification efforts” on the park. The DSP is known for holding many events in the park, including Friday Night Concerts in t

Like many competitions, The Sacramento Press Journalism Open 2012 can spark creativity and drive just as easily as it can spark apprehension and pure terror. On Tuesday, The Sacramento Press held a workshop to help writers develop ideas and answer any questions about the writing contest. Sacramento Press Editor-in-Chief Colleen Belcher went over the rules and criteria for this year’s Journalism Open. Because The Sacramento Press is a hyperlocal newspaper, Belcher emphasized keeping stories both local and relevant to the readers. When asked about the subject of target audience, Belcher said writers should think about how local residents would react to their story, and to frame it as if yo