Soil Born Farms and Mulvaney's B & L are among those being honored Friday when the Sacramento Area Council of Governments hosts a regional forum as the next step in the region's smart-growth plan. SACOG is hosting the Rural-Urban Connection Strategy to provide an update on best practices they've uncovered here and elsewhere for containing urban sprawl and protecting farmlands from being lost, partly through expanding local markets for local produce. This year, SACOG's Salutes! Awards have a rural focus after being incorporated into the forum. SACOG will present awards to 10 organizations, people and projects. More than 500 people are registered for the forum, set for 7:30 a.m. Friday at

Bass rocked the hallways of Sacramento State Wednesday night as Minneapolis-based hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment showcased some of its best artists. DJ Budo and rapper Grieves opened the show and were followed by Blueprint and DJ Rare Groove before headlining rap group Atmosphere took the stage. Sacramento State's University Union UNIQUE Program put on the show. The show sold out at 1,500 tickets Monday, September 20th, according to UNIQUE program advisor, Zenia LaPorte From beginning to end, the show offered something unique, unexpected and personal to each member of the audience. As the line formed to the University Union Ballroom more than an hour before the doors were open

When you think of a “rap superstar,” what words come to mind? Gaudy? Violent? Subjective to women? How about humble, loving, and community-oriented? All of these words and many more could describe hip-hop duo Atmosphere, which will grace the University Union Ballroom stage at Sacramento State Sept. 28. This unique outlook on music production and life in general has pushed Atmosphere, composed of Sean Daley (Slug) and Anthony Davis (Ant), to the forefront of the international hip-hop scene. Working together for close to two decades, the duo has produced dozens of EPs, tour albums and collaborative albums with outside artists, traveled the world and started the wildly successful independent

Local leaders in the fields of politics, business and environmentalism gathered in Sacramento on Friday to brainstorm how the region could advance its efforts to become more economically and environmentally sustainable. The Sacramento Metro Chamber’s “State of the Region” event focused on sustainability in the area’s communities. Chamber spokesman Hal Silliman said more than 300 people attended the event, which was held at the Hyatt hotel downtown and included a panel of local leaders and a presentation from an Environmental Protection Agency analyst. Elected officials from around the region — including Davis, Sacramento, Folsom and Citrus Heights — listened to the panel. Matthew Dalbey

Since the end of World War II, our fast-growing population led us to implement “modern” land use planning that included sprawling new suburban neighborhoods, super commutes by automobile and ultimately disjointed communities—miles from where we work, live, shop or play. The challenge in the 21st century of reconnecting our neighborhoods will be assisted by the new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative, or SCI. Before dismissing it as some bureaucratic scheme, I mention that it’s based upon grassroots work that started in communities all across America. One of the most successful and widely respected efforts began in our own backyard and has become a national model. In 2001, the Sacr

The Sacramento region's "Blueprint" for a sustainable, thriving future must include communities connected through economic equality, mass transit investment and smart growth, experts said Friday. The area already is already helping to nudge the country away from an autocentric culture that's promoted sprawl for decades through its Blueprint Transportation and Land Use project. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments board adopted the Blueprint in December 2004 to help plan more compact growth, protect natural resources, and reduce traffic congestion and pollution over the next 50 years. Now, research shows that sprawl is caused in part by social distance and inequality. While intellec