Tim Castleman had a big response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. He felt so sad, disappointed and angry that he changed his life. He started developing a hemp-based biofuel system and fought for legalization of hemp in Arizona to help end U.S. dependence on fossil fuels. He began a national "Drive 55" campaign to lower Americans' gas consumption and reduce carbon emissions — an effort turned into a documentary. And he organized two "Peace Trains" to Washington, D.C., to promote rail travel. "My interest in biofuels led me to understand the real problem isn't that we need another source of fuel. We need another source of energy," said Castleman, 51. "The real problem is we

A new bookstore concept is coming to Midtown. Entrepreneur Kevin Standfield and a partner are turning a former office space into a used bookstore and wine bar at 1330 21st St. The establishment will also sell cheese, beer, dessert and coffee. "My two favorite things in the world are to sip port and read a book," Standfield said. "I like the idea of our customers being able to sit down and hang out and read a book." To come up with a name, Standfield stuck with a theme he likes. He's calling it Book Monkey, like the Yogurt Monkey shop he and a partner opened on Fair Oaks Boulevard. "I'm in a monkey thing right now. I don't know why," he said. Boxes of books sat under plastic Wednesday

A dispute over the value of a key parcel of railyards land is getting closer to a resolution. An arbitration hearing began Monday over land likely to become the home of a future arena and a regional transit center. On Monday, two weeks of witness testimony began to help determine how much the city of Sacramento should pay developer Thomas Enterprises for nearly 33 acres of prime land adjacent to downtown. The land also holds historic value as the western start of the first transcontinental railroad. The city already paid $55 million for the parcel in 2006 after Thomas Enterprises bought the 244-acre former railyards site. But the city and the developer have never agreed on the parcel's

Preliminary work is paving the way for the first mile of the Sacramento Regional Transit District's newest light rail line, which will one day run to Sacramento International Airport. A contractor's crew has begun identifying the location of utilities — water, sewer, electric and phone lines — that must be relocated before the tracks for the new "green line"are laid. The line will initially span a little more than a mile, starting downtown at the Sacramento County courthouse at Eighth and H streets and running north to a terminus at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard. The new line is now expected to open in January 2011, rather than November as initially reported, said RT spokeswoman

The wall of a Midtown restaurant soon will soon become a fresh canvas for a Sacramento muralist. Hot Italian and the Arts & Business Council of Sacramento have put out a call for artists to submit mural proposals with modern Italian themes. The winning artist will be paid $1,000, plus $500 in restaurant certificates, to design and install an 8-foot by 3-foot mural for the eatery's main dining room. The space was intended to hold a bicycle. But the restaurant's owners, Andrea Lepore and Fabrizio Cercatore, want to open it up to local artists instead and decided to hold a contest to choose the design, Lepore said. "It's really open to anyone," she said. "It could be any medium: photograph

AreaMan is hilarious. And a good writer. Wish I coulda seen him break up that bar brawl.

In our Sept. 23 story on the use of these funds, we reported that city sources said city council approval was not required because councilmembers have discretion over how Community Development Block Grant funds are used. While it is true that councilmembers can decide which projects get CDBG funds, city code requires that the council approve any expenditure of $100,000 or more, according to the city's transportation department. The city manager may approve expenditures of $99,999 or less. The council also must vote to set up a Capital Improvement Project such as this.

Thanks for the update, Kati!

Nice photos, Kati. The first one is especially beautiful.

As Danielle Biller mentions above, about 18,000 residents are reported within a one-mile radius of 9th and J streets, according to data collected by a commercial real estate information provider.