The NBA's Trade Deadline has come and gone this week. Usually during this time, teams are usually trying to acquire big names that will slingshot them into contention for the Finals. Yet this years goal was simple, get rid of those big contracts and in return get expiring ones. 2010's Free Agency list will include names such as Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James to be short without including talent like Chris Bosh or possibly Amare Stoudamire.  This week the Kings parted ways with Kevin Martin and were expected to be returned with Tracy Mcgrady. When Mcgrady's agent was not happy with where his client was going he vouched for a three team trade that included the Knicks, where Mcgrady eventually

Academy Award season is here. On March 7, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the winners with an Oscar, one of the world's most famous and coveted statues. Categories include Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. A lesser known category is for short films, animated and live action. The Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., is showing the Oscar-nominated shorts through Feb. 25. Each program, animated and live action, lasts about one and a half hours. The animated program contains five Oscar-nominated shorts and three bonus shorts. They aren't just pen and pencil animation; claymation and computer animation also are included. "This is great," said attendee Maggie

 The Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Sacramento is closing its doors after 12 years. The restaurant was an anchor of the troubled Westfield Downtown Plaza, and is the latest casualty of the poor economy, said Mayor Kevin Johnson. "The Hard Rock closing certainly reflects what is going on with this country and state. It's hitting us very hard," Johnson said at a press conference Friday. "We haven't hit bottom and we haven't come out of it yet, and that's very difficult for all of us." Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said he just heard about the closing Thursday. "We are disappointed," he said. "Hard Rock is an iconic property. The destination it repre

After months of delay, officials say the K Street renovation project is on course for completion. The streetscape renovation includes the installation of intersection and gateway elements, lighting, landscaping and benches through the 700 block of K Street. According to project details posted by the city's Economic Development Department, the project is aimed to enhance the aesthetics and safety of the block, as well as provide for better pedestrian accessibility and increased connectivity. The makeover, a joint undertaking of the city and Sacramento Regional Transit, was projected to be completed in November, in time for the holidays. However, construction delays forced the Midtown B

Campaign contributions to City Council candidates are not a secret. Citizens can access information about contributions online at the city of Sacramento’s Electronic Filing System. The city has published campaign contributions online since 2002, said Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno. In a Nov. 5 story, The Sacramento Press provided a guide to the city’s online system. Since then, the city clerk’s office has changed its website. “The navigation is a little bit different,” Mizuno said. To help the public understand the changes, The Sacramento Press is publishing the following updated guide to the online system. The city clerk’s website now has two separate links that connect you to

Over the last few years, the term "hip hop is dead," has been thrown around more than the neighborhood football. In an age of technology where making a simple beat with a bootlegged audio production application and altering your voice with Auto-Tune in order to sound like T-Pain is enough to get "bedroom rappers/producers/djs" signed, it's no wonder people are beginning to feel like the art is lost. While most people are tossing around this insult to hip hop, few are offering any sort of solution. I say few, because there are some purists out there who are putting in the effort, energy and time to study where hip hop started, where it has been and where it is going. He calls for somethin

Here are some of the concerts and music events happening this weekend and next week in the Sacramento area. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to the www.eMusiConnect.com homepage. Get out and enjoy!! Concerts, Music Events, and The Sacramento Music Scene This Week: Sacramento Ballet presents Nine Sinatra Songs Thursday, February 11th – Sunday, February 14th at Sacramento Community Center Theatre. Tickets are $15 - $68. Saturday, February 13th: Super 90’s Love Jam with Aaron Hall – Al B. Sure – H-Town – Jon B at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $48.50 - $68.50. Saturday, February 13th: 2Nd Saturday features special music & art events at galleries,

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

A local group that watches public funds hopes to take its complaints over utilities rates to the polls.  The Sacramento County Taxpayers League's new ballot proposal seeks to stop a 9.2 percent city utilities rate increase scheduled to start in July.  The proposal follows a Jan. 6 grand jury report saying that the city’s use of utilities funds may conflict with Proposition 218, a state law that dictates how city funds should be used.  The grand jury report claims that money collected from residents' utility bills may have been used to fund other municipal programs. Prop. 218 states that cities can use funds from utilities bills in one way: to cover the costs of delivering utilities servi

Chances are you’ve heard of Etsy. It’s the world’s most expansive marketplace for handmade and vintage items. With neighborhood networks and a shop-local function, Etsy is revolutionizing the way people shop online. I spoke to artist and team leader of SactoMetro Etsy Street Team, Marianne Bland, about her team of local artists and craftsmen representing the Sacramento area on Etsy.com   Tell me about Sacramento’s Etsy Team SactoMetro Etsy Street Team has soap makers, painters, people making spiritual items, fine art…just a huge variety of items. We have people doing it to supplement jobs, full-timers, mothers at home school… It's an interesting group of people trying to help each other