Early Sunday morning, over 4,000 runners from around the world participated in the California International Marathon, a 26.2-mile race from Folsom to downtown Sacramento. As the runners scaled the greater Sacramento area into the afternoon, hundreds of supporters lined the route carrying signs of support and yelling words of encouragement. Meadow Bailey, a 34-year-old homemaker from Rancho Cordova, was one of the many who came out to show their support. She said that although this was her first time coming, she had an enjoyable experience. “Everybody is cheering, and there’s a great sense of unity,” she said. Starting near Folsom Lake, participants headed east down Oak Avenue. Passing t

Editorial Note: This is an updated version of a story that was published earlier. On Nov. 10, the new Milk Gallery opened at 212 13th St. Amy Greer, co-owner of the 1,500-square-foot art gallery, said that the current collection of local art will provide visitors with an interesting blend of artistic styles. Melanie Bown, a 39-year-old restitution trainer for the state and artist, opened the gallery with Greer, a 37-year-old restaurant employee and artist. Both Bown and Greer have backgrounds in art. Bown has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Bradley University, with an emphasis in printmaking. She teaches kids’ art classes at the Crocker Art Museum and was also an art installer pri

Sacramento is home to many interesting buildings, from the Capitol to the elaborate Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. On Wednesday, The Sacramento Press asked professional architects along with people on the streets what their favorite building is in Sacramento. Twenty-five-year-old state worker Megan Samuelson said that her favorite building in Sacramento is the Park Tower, located at 980 Ninth St. “I think it’s clean and simple,” she said. Samuelson said that she likes how the building is right across from Cesar Chavez Plaza. “Driving on I-5 south coming into Sacramento, you can see it in the distance,” she said. She added that she thought it is representative of Sacramento’s char

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, The Sacramento Press profiled the alleys in the central city that were formally named on Oct. 11 by an ordinance approved by the City Council. Below is the final installment of the new alley names. Rice Alley Curt Pow, the 36-year-old owner of Elixir Bar and Grill, has his business situated on the corner of Rice Alley and 10th Street. “I’m okay with Rice Alley,” he said, adding that the Asian theme fits into much of the area’s culture. While Pow said that he believes the names won’t directly help his business, he doesn’t think they will hurt it, either. “What our area needs right now is retail business,” he said. “The city should allocate more effo

On Oct. 11, the City Council approved an ordinance that officially named the alleys of the central city. On Tuesday and Wednesday, The Sacramento Press highlighted many of these alleys, including their new names and what residents and business owners think of them. More alleyways are included below. Leistal Alley Cohn said Leistal Alley is an alley that the city has put resources into renovating. With a lighted walkway and an upscale pavement job, co-owner of Old Soul Coffee Jason Griest said he hopes that all of the other alleys will soon be similarly renovated. “We see a lot more foot traffic in the alley now that they’ve renovated it,” the 36-year-old Midtown resident said. Griest

On Oct. 11, Steve Cohn’s 5-year-old idea to give the alleys of Sacramento their own formal names was finalized, giving them what many residents describe as a new sense of character. In a continuation of Tuesday’s article, The Sacramento Press has highlighted many local businesses along the alleys and spoke to residents regarding their thoughts on the alleys’ new names. Fat Alley Khalid Khan’s liquor store, called Don’s Bottle Shop, is located on Fat Alley and 16th Street. Khan, 60, said that naming the alleys won’t do his business any good. “I don’t have control over what (the city) wants to do,” he said. He emphasized that the city should be more focused on finding more direct ways

After initially being proposed five years ago, City Councilman Steve Cohn’s idea to name Sacramento alleys has finally been put into action. On Oct.11, the City Council approved a list of new names for the alleys. Cohn said that the alleys need names to help residents identify them more easily. “Instead of saying ‘the alley between L and Capitol,’ you could just say the name of the alley,” he said. The process for naming the alleys took so long, Cohn said, because it is very complicated.   What do you think of the alley names?   “It took a while because we had to do a lot of outreach,” he said. "It's part of the rules and regulations for naming streets." Cohn said that approva

Gang violence took what officials described as a drastic drop since July 2010, attributing the drop to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s gang-prevention programs initiated in June of 2010 and again after last December’s fatal barbershop shooting. Since implementing some of the measures, Lt. Bill Champion of the Sacramento Police Department said that the results have been effective. The number of gang-related firearm assaults has dropped by 60 percent, and the overall rate fell by 39 percent. In addition, there has been a 75 percent drop in homicide rates, and a 100 percent drop in non-fatal shootings. Community leaders gathered at City Hall Monday morning to discuss the mayor’s plan. Speakers, inc

Sacramento will be getting a dose of fresh, quality olive oil by late November, said Lisa Paskaly, owner of the Chef’s Olive Mix in Old Sacramento. The store, located on the corner of Second and J streets, will be what Paskaly described as an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting room, where customers will be able to sample oils and purchase bottles to take home. Bottles of olive oil, available in three different sizes, will range from $9-$16, and many types will be sold, including over 30 50 different extra virgin olive oils, as well as exotic flavors and organics. They will arranged from mild to medium to intense flavors. Fresh olives, cheeses, salads and hors d’oeuvre plates will also

On Halloween, we all have the opportunity to be someone else. From nostalgic retro-nurses to bruised and battered zombies, almost everyone will be dressed up for a spooky night of fun, fright and candy. The Sacramento Press rounded up various local costume shops to help you find your perfect Halloween fit. B-Bop Costumes 1931 L St. 443-2234 Hours: Monday through Friday 10 a.m - 5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Closed Sundays Hours will be extended as Halloween nears Rentals: Yes Sales: Yes Located in what owner Larry Slaybaugh called “one of the older and more iconic houses in Sacramento,” B-Bop costumes provides customers with an intimate costume-shopping experience. Racks of authent

The new vegetarian food blog, “Eat Well, Live Free,” launched earlier this month in Sacramento. Since it went online, the site has garnered more than 400 unique visitors, said co-creator Marcos Hernández. Jillena and Marcos Hernández, the married duo that created the blog, said the idea behind the blog is to provide local vegetarians with information about recipes and restaurants that cater to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. “We’re just trying to spread awareness and make it easier for vegetarians,” Marcos Hernández said. Jillena Hernández is a vegetarian, while Marcos Hernández is a meat-eater. While the two differ in that respect, they work well together in combining their skills for

On Nov. 4, a festive Sacramento tradition will continue with the opening of the Downtown Plaza Ice Rink. 2011 marks the rink’s 20th anniversary of bringing locals together to celebrate the holidays on ice. “The rink will bring that New York City ice-skating feel (to) the heart of downtown Sacramento,” said Downtown Sacramento Partnership Marketing Director Lisa Martinez. The rink, located at 7th and K streets, provides locals with the feel of a big city winter. Martinez said that there is a painstaking process to turn St. Rose of Lima Park into a functional ice-skating rink. “It takes about three weeks, as long as the weather permits,” she said. The first step is to lay out a layer of

After several years of planning, Vibe, the new urban youth lounge, will host a party at 5 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate its grand opening. Located at 1725 K St., the center will provide a place for teens to do their homework, socialize and be safe, said Catherine Pentoney, spokeswoman and former chair of Vibe’s Board of Directors. Since 2007, the Vibe Foundation has been raising money to open its youth lounge. The nonprofit organization was founded by Julian Nagler and David Schenirer. “Vibe was a concept that came out of a need in Sacramento for the youth to have productive things to do,” said Nagler, one of Vibe’s co-founders. Nagler said he believes places like the Boys and Girls Clu

Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B opened to the public on Sunday to give locals a preview of the $1.03 billion project before it opens for air traffic on Oct. 6. Airport spokeswoman Karen Doron said nearly 4,500 people made reservations to observe the terminal's new art and its elaborate design. “It’s beautiful,” said Merrilyn Hirsch, a 65-year-old retiree. “They really got their money’s worth.” Starting at 10 a.m., guests lined up to be the first to see the architectural feat. They were led onto the trains, called “people movers,” and brought from the terminal’s “land side” to the “air side.” The trains sped across the airport and went back and forth every two minutes, b

Businesses are a vital element of any city’s economy; they create jobs, enhance commerce and give people places to spend their hard-earned money. Sacramento still has plenty of room for new shops and industries, and the Sacramento Press asked locals what type of business they would like to see open here. “We’re missing a lot,” said waitress Giuliana Gabrielli, who said that she believes the most important thing to bring to Sacramento is a better transit system.  “Every major city that’s cool has really good public transportation," she said. She added that if we revamped our transit system, “it would definitely make travelling within the city easier.” Jacqui Hayes, a 26-year-old studen

Big Idea Theatre’s production of “The Pillowman” opened Thursday night and led its viewers through a dark and sometimes painful statement about the importance of storytelling and art. The play, directed by Kirk Blackinton, is an adaptation of the 2005 Broadway hit by the same name. Set in a totalitarian police state, the dark play chronicles the interrogation of Katurian Katurian, a brilliant writer with a tortured past. He and his older brother, Michal, who suffers from a form of mental retardation, are being held on charge of the murder of several young children. The two cops, Tupolski and Ariel, are attempting to tie Katurian’s stories to the killings. Many of his stories portray grue

Davis musician Antoinette Clinton, who goes by her stage name, Butterscotch, is releasing her first EP this fall called “Perfect Harmony.” A music video directed by Robyn Twomey for the album’s title track is going to released online in a few weeks. Butterscotch, who is known for her incredible beat-boxing, will be doing a lot more than just recording music. She will also be performing at the fifth annual Davis Jazz and Beat Festival on Oct. 22. The event will include her along with many other performers and will be located at 521 First St. in Davis. In recent months, she has traveled to places as far away as Hong Kong and Germany. “A lot has happened lately,” Butterscotch said, referri

Nearly 300 people arrived at Arden Mall’s Market Square at 7:30 a.m. dressed in their business suits and slippers. They had come to enjoy a plethora of breakfast cereals for the seventh annual Suits and Slippers event hosted by the Roberts Family Development Center. Guests were provided with bowls of cereal along with Starbucks coffee, muffins, bananas, yogurt and orange juice. People marvelled over creative cereal sculptures and enjoyed their breakfasts as Derrell Roberts, co-founder and CEO of the RFDC, mingled with the crowd. “It’s made people think of the center as a place for kids to grow,” Roberts said, referring to how the event has impacted the RFDC. Roberts said that the RFDC p

The new cameras that were installed at several Sacramento light rail stations in May have helped prevent crimes and improve passenger safety, according to Doug Voska, a Sergeant with the Sacramento Police Department. “People want to feel safe when they ride transit,” said Voska, who has a contract position with RT. “If they don’t feel safe, they’re not gonna do it.” Because the cameras were primarily funded by the federal Department of Homeland Security, their main focus must be on terrorism prevention. But according to Voska, this has many crossover benefits when it comes to crime prevention and passenger safety. “Even without a uniformed police officer, somebody is keeping an eye on t