Law enforcement and correctional officers, military personnel and a firefighter went toe to toe in the boxing ring Saturday night, raising money for charity in the Battle of the Badges Fight Series: Road to the Championship. Held in the intimate courtyard setting of Liquid Nightclub in Citrus Heights, the well-attended event benefitted charities including the Armed Forces Foundation, Firefighters Burn Institute and Sacramento Sheriff's Toy Project. Battle of the Badges Fight Series events are a lead-up to the title fight at Battle of the Badges VIII. Last year's Battle of the Badges VII was held in August at Memorial Auditorium. All bouts had a three-round limit, and on the card Saturd

The Sacramento River Cats bested the Reno Aces 4-2 Friday night, taking the first game of a five-games series between the divison leaders. The final game of the series is Monday night. Visit the River Cats website to purchase tickets. Here are some photos from the game:

Who ordered the Fixin’ to Die sandwich with the side of public romance and a Greene salad? Order up! Wednesday night’s G. Love & Special Sauce show at Harlow’s was filled with several intrigues and surprise moments, not the least of which was to watch how traveled front man Garrett “G. Love” Dutton attacked his new country-blues repertoire in concert for the first time on tour. But first, what could be considered the sweetest and possibly the slickest marriage proposal of all time has to be addressed. It was just that cool of a moment, even though it’s contrary to this reporter’s standard policy of addressing the music first and leaving the human circus for later. Dammit, I’ve been spe

Before we get into it this week, Sacramentans, allow me to entice you with a couple of treats for your ears. First off, G. Love has offered up a free download of the title track from his forthcoming album, “Fixin’ to Die,” and it’s a beaut! Set for a February 22 release, the album was produced by Seth and Scott Avett, a.k.a. the Avett Brothers. Has there been a better combination since someone stuffed peanut butter into a chocolate bar? Hardly! Hey, speaking of drinking, check out today’s Daytrotter session from Canada’s the Sheepdogs; specifically, “I Don’t Know.” It will turn your cubicle into a saloon. If that doesn’t get your motor running for some live music, I’ll be happy to pay y

G. Love and Special Sauce brought summer early to Harlow's Wednesday night. A packed house of several hundred people crammed into the nightclub, body heat permeating an otherwise chilly winter night. Button-up T-shirts and hats were popular among the mostly 20- and 30-something crowd, most of whom were ironically watching a Winter Olympics ski event by the bar. Redeye Empire, a Vancouver-based rock group, left the stage a little after 9 p.m. Anticipation grew for T-shirt clad Garrett "G. Love" and his laid-back, summertime-blues band Special Sauce, while images on TV of a snowy Vancouver mountain captivated the crowd, drawing collective "oohs" and "aahs." At about 10 p.m., G. Love kicke