Last night something happened that no one thought possible. Ok, maybe a couple of people thought there was a chance. While not as long lasting as the Curse of the Billy Goat or the Curse of the Bambino, the Curse of Giovanni Crotti was starting to cause nightmares. Giovanni Crotti has been playing adult league dodgeball longer than most in Sacramento, having participated in leagues in Portland, Oregon prior to XOSO's beginning in Sacramento. As XOSO has grown from 50 dodgeballers to hundreds, Giovanni has maintained his hold as one of the top players in the league, yet a championship title remained illusive. Giovanni was rivaling Jim Kelly with a streak of playing in five championship

Sacramento, CA - Last night featured some epic showdowns to decide the Winter 2010 Wednesday night dodgeball champion. From the start of the season, Money Shot and DUI almost seemed destined to meet in the championship round. In the end, that's what happened. The night began with DUI squaring up against More Balls than Brains, one of the best #8 seeds XOSO has had to date. The first few games traded off, with DUI taking a 2-1 edge. Then, with each game coming down to a couple players, DUI found a way to win each one, prevailing 7-1 in the match. D3: The Mighty Drunks faced off against Beans and Rice, and took a commanding lead before relaxing, saving their arms for the #1 seed, DUI. Mo

Fairytale Town's second annual Goes Green! event is back this weekend. The family event will feature educational displays, activities and crafts aimed at promoting conservation and environmental awareness. "When the director of Fairytale Town approached me with ideas about hosting an agricultural event, I wanted to tie in a green theme," said Education and Program Manager Sharlene Lal. "But as we developed the event, we realized that going green is a big idea and a movement that needs its own outlet." Several local organizations have partnered with Fairytale Town to provide learning tools. Representatives from Solar Cookers International, the Department of Utilities, the Air Resources B

Sacramento school board approves layoffs to help solve budget deficit About 430 teachers and other school staff, 125 central office workers would lose jobs By Maria L. Lopez March 4, 2010 – Elementary class sizes will be larger and about 430 teachers and other school staff would lose their jobs under a plan approved by the Sacramento school board Thursday night for millions of dollars in spending cuts to close a $30.6 million budget deficit. The Sacramento City Unified School District board voted unanimously Thursday night to approve the cuts to take effect in the next school year unless the district’s unions join the administration in agreeing to concessions to stave off some of the cu

Growing up in the small farm town of Yavne, Israel, Omri Casspi always dreamed of playing in the NBA. "I remember getting up at like three or four in the morning to watch the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan," said Casspi. "Having players like him to look up to helped me develop, it gave me some motivation." It’s obvious that Casspi knows the great responsibility that comes with success and fame. Despite an ever-changing and hectic NBA schedule, Casspi made his first visit to Denver, Colorado one to remember for some local Jewish school children. Fresh off the plane and straight from DIA, Casspi made the trip to East Denver Orthodox Synagogue for the Denver Academy of Torah (DAT) 8th gr

Master Barber Shop was established in 1958 and was acquired by Earlie D. and Mary Brown in December of 1974. During that time, the shop was located on Stockton Blvd. and 7th Ave. Since those early days, Master Barber & Beauty Shop, has had several locations. Each location being better than the last. In 1989, sons Rodney and Marichal, joined the family business. The late owner and master barber, Earlie D. Brown, established business in the hair industry in the mid 1940's with Brown's Barber Shop (two locations, San Francisco and Marin City). What started out as nothing more than a dream and a dime and a nail in his pocket has turned into a family business. He died in February 1998. Mary Br

 Last night wrapped up another fun XOSO coed volleyball season! Thanks to everyone who played and made it so successful. We had two championship match ups last night. In the Bumper division, Serves You Right squared off against Block Party to settle, once and for all, who was the better team. Earlier in the season, Serves You Right won two out of three matches against the second seed Block Party. Last night, Block Party raced to early leads in the first two games but Serves You Right battled back to win them both in thrilling fashion. The second game was as close as you can get with Serves You Right clinching the championship. In the Spiker division, Spiked Punch was going for a repeat

deVere's Irish Pub has become a local favorite, a place to unwind after work and grab a pint! Well did you know that owners, Mark, Simon and Henry are son's of UC Davis Cancer Center Director, Ralph deVere White?  The quest to find a cure is not a new cause for the boys who grew up watching their dad fight this disease on the front lines as a cancer surgeon.  So what does a popular pub and childhood cancer have in common? deVere's will host a St. Baldrick's head-shaving celebration on Monday, March 15 from 5-8pm! The challenge is to BE Brave and GO Bald! Pledges are raised and in exchange those brave souls will shorn! All to raise life-saving research dollars for Childhood Cancer. Keaton

Organization leaders, educators, youth advisers and concerned parents met Tuesday at the Pannell Meadowview Community Center to hear Rayford Johnson speak on gang violence and the "thug" mentality. About 40 audience members came in from all over the Sacramento area to be a part of this presentation. This workshop was part two of six of the "Addressing Thug Life" workshop series held by the city of Sacramento and Faith Leaders Initiative. Johnson is a photojournalist-turned-youth correctional adviser. He is also a licensed minister, author of the book, Thug Mentality Exposed, and director of the anti-gang initiative website, thugexposed.org. Having spent time with inmates in California'

MAAP, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization case in the United States Bankruptcy Court. “For over 30 years, MAAP has been a strong contributor in this community through the management of essential social service programs in alcohol and chemical dependency, mental health, and HIV/AIDS,” said Lorraine Rinker, MAAP’s recently appointed President and CEO. “MAAP and its Board of Directors believe this organization is valuable to the community we serve,” said Rinker. “Going through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process is the best way we can save this organization and remain a vital contributor of social services to the underserved population in Northern C

The City of Sacramento halted efforts to mount Old Soul Co. sign Thursday morning. Oak Park, Sacramento, CA February 11, 2010 Excited patrons of the new Old Soul Co. location in Oak Park were eager to see the iconic glistening new sign ready to go up Thursday morning and so was the crew. That eagerness was squelched when a call came to the Alpha Signs' crew, from the city, to halt. The building at 35th and Broadway is a historical building and though the old Starbucks sign was in the same location, the city won't allow the sign installers to drill new holes in the historic bricks nor is the sign allowed to have any exposed electrical cable. Furthermore, the city wants the sign above the

The Big Brothers Big Sisters BOWL FOR KIDS' SAKE is just a few weeks away! Bowl for Kid's Sake, the annual fundraiser to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sacramento, will be taking place on February 27, 2010. On this day, groups and individuals join forces to party with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento to Bowl for Kid's Sake. Companies and local organizations from throughout all four counties will put together teams of employees, church members, friends, family members and club members who will bowl to raise money to help at-risk children receive services from Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s is a day for raising fun and funds. It’s a day of laughter, cheers and bowling

 Hmong Women’s Heritage Association helps boost participation in district surveys By Maria L. LopezIn an effort to ensure the greatest participation possible in two historic surveys, the Sacramento City Unified School District is teaming up with the Hmong Women’s Heritage Association (HWHA) to assist parents and students in completing questionnaires about the district’s budget and strategic plan from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 at the Association’s offices, 2245 Florin Rd. The first-of-its-kind endeavor to involve Sacramento residents in improving their public schools involves a pair of surveys on school improvements and the district’s budget. Every Sacramento community member

Old Soul Co opened their third Sacramento location Thursday morning in Oak Park. An old familiar spot has a new face in Oak Park and the community is well pleased. Starbucks shut down its 35th and Broadway location last year, much to the disapointment of many. The location was a community hub where many gathered daily to socialize, conduct business or just relax with a good book and a cup of coffee. Despite many letters from patrons voicing their conerns to Starbucks corporate office of the closure, the doors were finally closed in September of 2009. Knowing the community cenergy the coffee house brought regular goers better known there as "The Usual Suspects" were confident something go

The Freemasons of Eureka Lodge No 16 of Auburn attended St Philomene Catholic School in Sacramento on Parents Day and provided FREE Kids ID thumbprinting and photo identification for all the children. The lodge also donated free stuffed animal toys for the appreciative students, while parents received an identification sheet that includes space to record child's height, weight, eye, hair color and space for a DNA sample. This sheet will be extremely valuable to authorities if a child ever becomes missing or abducted. The California Mason's Kids ID Program gives parents the peace of mind that they are prepared for the unthinkable. Each year approximately 725,000 children are reported missi

 SCUSD superintendent urges community to weigh in before surveys close one week from today The Sacramento school district’s historic public surveys on its budget and strategic planning have drawn more than 11,000 responses so far, and Superintendent Jonathan Raymond Tuesday urged parents, teachers and students to take the surveys before the Feb. 9 deadline in one week.  This first-of-its-kind effort to involve Sacramento residents in the improvement of their public schools involves a pair of surveys on school improvements and the district’s budget. Every Sacramento community member—including parents, teachers and other employees of the district—is being asked to respond to the surveys t

Get ready for the 22nd Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Sacramento Convention Center. This premiere food & wine event will once again showcase over 60 exceptional local restaurants and food purveyors and 60 of the finest wineries and top area microbreweries. The general admission tasting and extensive silent auction begins at 5:00 p.m. and continues until 7:30 p.m. Live music will be provided by the Over The Edge Band. For an additional cost, the evening continues on with a special VIP Program that also includes an exclusive live wine auction and runs from 7:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The event is attended by more than

  According to Jewish tradition, the highest form of tzedakah, or charity, is to donate to a community fund, or kupah. Whether your donation is in the form of community service hours, survival materials or a monetary donation, it all helps to strengthen and build our community at large.   The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, and their overseas beneficiaries, work with a broad set of national and international institutes that span the world to provide relief, rescue, and reconstruction. The federation system is dedicated to inspiring community members to secure the financial and human resources necessary to achieve the mission of caring for those in need, without discrimination

 Collaboration leads to new direction for SCUSD charter school petitioners Yav Pem Suab Academy sets asides petition to work with district Sacramento City Unified School Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond today announced that organizers for the Yav Pem Suab Academy agreed on Tuesday to set aside their petition to start an independent charter school in the district. At a special board of education meeting on Tuesday night, petitioners said they would work with the district to create a school that remains part of the district as a “dependent” charter school, a charter that would remain under district governance, but would be allowed greater flexibility to use a longer school day or other

      Do you like crab? Dancing? Wine? Bidding on auction prizes? Winning “stuff” in raffles? The SCTA Annual Crab Dinner is our big event that brings teachers and the community together to raise funds for scholarships.College tuition and fees are higher than ever and our scholarship program is a way that teachers and SCTA can help. Well then…   S C T A  Sacramento City Teachers Association Annual Crab Feed  Scholarship Fundraiser  Saturday, February 6 from 5-10pm  Elk's Lodge, 6446 Riverside Blvd in Sacramento, CA View Google Map  sold out last year, so buy early and often TICKETS ON SALE NOW! SCTA at 916-452-459