By: Eric Marks CITRUS HEIGHTS- Fog and rain season is upon us once again and that means drivers must be vigilant of the challenges adverse weather causes. Diminished visibility, loss of traction and hydroplaning are a few of the issues novice and experienced drivers alike confront in a typical rainy season in the Sacramento valley. What can you do to safely negotiate the roads in inclement weather? Some tips include slowing down in the rain for better traction and stopping power, proper tire inflation and replacing bald tires. The Press spoke with Jay Rubash, owner of Lone Star Auto Service, about safe driving. “Tire inflation is very important in stability of the car in winter or summe

Pine Needles Are Trying to Kill Me We live in a mountainous community where we’re able to avoid most of the man-made dangers that occur in the big city, but we still have quite a few dangers up here in this neck of the woods; mountain lions, bears, coyotes and pine needles. That’s right. Pine needles. Now while I haven’t had many sightings of the aforementioned wildlife, I am CONSTANTLY sighting pine needles which are everywhere and, in fact, they are trying to kill me. Let me explain, lest this doesn’t make sense. In the wintertime, when pine needles first disengage from pine trees, they appear harmless, like most things that are out to get you. They are somewhat fluffy, innocuous, and

Q: I have a 16-year-old daughter who just got her driver’s license. She is a pretty good kid (as far as I know), but I am scared to death. My first instinct is to impose all kinds of rules on her like a curfew and who can and cannot ride in her car (once she can drive with other kids) and where she can and cannot go. Then I remember my parents doing that to me and how I rebelled. I don't want her to rebel like I did, but if I don't give her boundaries, she might run wild. What do I do to keep her close but let her grow up?   A: This is a pretty scary time for you, for sure. I can only assume this is either your only child or your oldest child, based on your reaction to her growing up. Alt

I felt compelled to write this after reading Brandon Darnell’s report on the Sacramento’s City Council’s 5-4 decision in favor of requiring non-resident drivers to foot emergency bills. You can view his article here I find this to be complete nonsense (not the article, the decision). Especially when reading some of the responses from the City Council and others. The Fire Chief states that it’s not to bring in revenue, but to recover costs? He’s joking right? What else is this but a new revenue stream? Top that off with the old school mentality of budgeting, especially in a government environment. Towards the end of each fiscal year budgets are reviewed to ensure all monies in the budget

Sacramento is seeking to recoup $300,000 - $500,000 per year after the passage of a new fire cost recovery ordinance – commonly referred to as a “crash tax” – Tuesday night. The City Council voted 5-4 to charge out-of-town drivers who are at fault in auto accidents within city limits to recover expenses related to Fire Department responses. Drivers could be billed from $435 for a basic “scene stabilization” to more than $2,200 for a “scene stabilization” involving more advanced issues such as hazardous materials and helicopter transportation, according to a staff report. “I have some very serious legal concerns, and moral concerns about this,” said Councilman Darrell Fong, who joined co

As a fan of 1960s muscle cars, getting me excited about electric vehicles isn’t easy. But on Friday, I was handed the keys to something that makes my ’66 Mustang feel lethargic and a Prius look like a gas guzzler. And at $138,000, it should. Miki Sofer of Tesla Motors brought one of the company’s Roadster 2.5 models to the Sacramento area, and I was one of the lucky ones to take it for a spin. With an advertised 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds, I was all but drooling over the electric car that can travel 244 miles on a single charge that, according to Sofer, costs as little as $5 to replenish. “There are more and more charging stations in the Sacramento area,” Sofer said, “so we’re really

   Last summer, I went on a road trip of epic proportions. I traveled 22,000 miles over the course of 139 days, hitting 36 states along the way.  During my trip, I went to a variety of music festivals, including some of the monsters, such as All Points West, Lollapalooza, Gathering of the Vibes and Phish 8.      My favorite of them all, though, was probably a smaller one called Camp Bisco, in Mariaville, N.Y.  Camp Bisco is put on by The Disco Biscuits, and though I really enjoyed the headliners, what set the festival apart was the smaller acts playing throughout the day and late into the night.    That weekend was my first exposure to many acts that I now love:  Dr. Dog, Brother's Pas

Here's the bit: there's this guy in Sacramento who's active in veterans rights, alternative transportation and the environment, who started this campaign called drive55.org, meaning you don't drive faster than 55 mph. I interviewed him for my radio show and mentioned him a while back in my "Best of 2008" radio interviews which appeared here. He thinks that American motor vehicle operators should drive no faster than 55 miles-per-hour. Period. If your vehicle is human-powered (not by body fat) I guess you can go faster. Tim Castleman is a man of patience and vision, who is taking a common sense approach to one of America's most volatile debates. In the '70s in order to preserve oil and bl