A delegation of Sacramento business and political leaders returned from a four-day tour of New Orleans with fresh insight into what it takes for a city to recover and thrive after a disaster, including improving transportation methods, sustainable housing and flood protections. “New Orleans had a unique opportunity to reinvent itself because of all the investments made there after Katrina,” City Councilman Kevin McCarty said Tuesday. “We need to look at how we can reinvent ourselves here, too.” On Tuesday, Council Members Angelique Ashby, Steve Cohn and Kevin McCarty and Mayor Kevin Johnson shared the lessons learned from the people in New Orleans about methods of recovery the city has u

The new cameras that were installed at several Sacramento light rail stations in May have helped prevent crimes and improve passenger safety, according to Doug Voska, a Sergeant with the Sacramento Police Department. “People want to feel safe when they ride transit,” said Voska, who has a contract position with RT. “If they don’t feel safe, they’re not gonna do it.” Because the cameras were primarily funded by the federal Department of Homeland Security, their main focus must be on terrorism prevention. But according to Voska, this has many crossover benefits when it comes to crime prevention and passenger safety. “Even without a uniformed police officer, somebody is keeping an eye on t

Residents will get a chance to see the design of a planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the railroad between Curtis Park and Land Park Wednesday night. The city’s project team will give a construction update at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community, 2791 24th St., at 6 p.m. 6:30 p.m . Wednesday The bridge is designed to give pedestrians and cyclists safe access over the railroad tracks from the light rail stop at Sacramento City College near the intersection of 24th Street and Sutterville Road. “Currently, pedestrians and bicyclists must use Sutterville Road to travel between Curtis Park and the light rail station,” according to a Department of Transportation newsletter.

Construction on the light rail’s Gold Line will close numerous stations and streets over the weekend as it will be undergoing track renovations from 6 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday. The Gold Line construction will close the Eighth and K streets, Seventh and I streets, County Center and the Sacramento Valley Stations as well as several streets. Regional Transit spokeswoman Alane Masui said that from 6 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, eastbound H Street between Sixth and Ninth streets, southbound Seventh Street between F and I streets, and northbound Eighth Street between I and G streets will be closed. Masui also said that from 8 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday, eastbound H Street between S

Sacramento light rail riders will soon have real-time information on train schedules and delays as a new electronic sign program is implemented. In an effort to improve its communication with riders, Sacramento Regional Transit is installing 36 signs at 22 stations in the first phase of a project that will eventually see signs at all stations, said Alane Masui, Sacramento Regional Transit spokeswoman. “They need the information so they can make the decision that best fits their needs,” she said. Signs will inform riders about train delays and scheduling issues, Masui said, adding that the information is currently posted to the website,  but transit officials wanted to make the informati

The Sacramento Planning Commission gave the green light to plans to re-zone parts of North Sacramento to attract future development. The commission made a recommendation, Thursday night, to the City Council to vote on plans that will allow for more commercial development near a Regional Transit line. City staff formally refer to the plans as the Northeast Line Implementation Plan. Areas near a light rail line that has stations at Globe Avenue and Del Paso Blvd, and at Arden Way and Del Paso Blvd, are the focus of the proposals. The city’s plans also cite areas around Royal Oaks Drive and Arden Way. The City Council is expected to vote on the plans next month. The commissioners approved

Road work will be taking place downtown on F, G, H, Seventh and Eighth streets this month, causing street and lane closures as well as limited parking and pedestrian access. The roads are closed as part of the extension of the light rail Green Line, said Linda Tucker, spokeswoman for the city of Sacramento. Click on the points in the map below to find out how your commute will be affected. View Road work from Feb. 7 - 27 in a larger map   From Feb. 7 - 27, G street will be completely closed at night between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. between Seventh and Eighth streets. Additionally, Eighth Street will narrow to two lanes between H and G streets. G street has already been narrowed to two l

Developers are promising to bring new life to a blighted section of Alkali Flat following the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for 81 units of affordable housing adjacent to the Alkali Flat/La Valentina light rail station. The site on the corner of 12th and D streets has been vacant for more than 20 years and previously housed an auto repair shop. The new construction will include 63 apartments and 18 townhouses, the latter being the first “Net Zero” site designed for Sacramento, meaning all energy consumed on the site will be produced there. “We’re here to bring, I think, the most contemporary, most cutting-edge design that we could bring to one of the oldest residential neighborhoods

New Sacramento City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby hosted a driving tour of North and South Natomas and the Gardenland/Northgate neighborhood for The Sacramento Press on Monday. Throughout the tour, Ashby commented on a range of issues affecting Natomas, including plans for a new basketball arena and her views on the city’s low-income housing ordinance. Ashby’s district includes the downtown Railyards and Natomas — two spots discussed in recent months as potential homes for a new arena. As she drove by Arco Arena, she said she wants to ensure that site in Natomas is factored into any development plans for a new sports and entertainment complex. “But if the consensus is that if an arena bes

Zombie enthusiasts are gearing up for the first-ever "Zombie Train" on Friday - a flashmob on Sacramento Light Rail, capped off by Tainted Love at the Powerhouse Pub. Folsom is hosting its annual "Night of 1,000 Pumpkins" on October 29, in which they are soliciting the public's help to bring 1,000 jack-o-lanterns to its historic Sutter Street. At 7:23 PM, a trainful of brain-eating zombies is expected to arrive in search or brains and beer. All Zombie enthusiasts are encouraged to come, as well as anyone interested in attending the bar crawl, though organizers ask that the zombies not eat the children. It is unknown how many zombies will show up, though organizers are hopeful that up to 1

A pair of your Sac Press music gurus will be off-Grid this weekend checking out Band of Horses out in the Bay Area – here’s hoping they stretch out the jams a little more than their otherwise stellar show in Davis back in May. It’s gonna be a great time, but man, look at what we’re going to miss! Joe Buck Yourself– When I interviewed Joe Buck (not the baseball announcer with the baritone pipes) two years ago, he offered a fairly cohesive glimpse into his own version of reality; he was under control with anger, and according to him, he was surfing the internet for the very first time, attempting to buy Ron Wood’s leather jacket on EBay. He’s a man who doesn’t waste time on the web, wouldn

By Paul Dale Roberts Lightrail. What a concept. Take the lightrail and save money on gas. Lightrail. What a concept. Take the lightrail and make new friends on your way to work. A great social environment. On some lightrails, they even place the seats in such a way, that 4 people in the seat are looking at each other, because 2 seats face each other. Of course when there is no one sitting in front of you, most people have the habit of placing their feet on the chair. When an RT officer comes by he will tell you not to place your feet on the seat in front of you. Lightrail. What a concept. Park your car and ride, no worries about parking fees. Lightrail. What a concept. Save our environ

Residents will need to attend Sacramento City Council meetings later in the evening if they want to speak about issues that are not on the weekly council agenda. The City Council changed its meeting rules Tuesday night to move the open public comment section to the end of the weekly meeting. Currently, the public can speak at the beginning of the meeting on any issue that is not related to the City Council agenda. Council members were split on the issue and voted 5-3 to alter the time of the open public comment section. Mayor Kevin Johnson and council members Kevin McCarty and Ray Tretheway opposed the change. Councilman Steve Cohn was absent from the meeting. Johnson and Tretheway said

Friday Night Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza is about to meet this season's end Aug. 13. Join The Sacramento Press for the second-to-last installment of this free, all-ages outdoor concert series featuring The Golden Cadillacs, Light Rail, and Johnny Guitar Knox & the Soothers. The music and festivities begin at 5 p.m. and run till 8 p.m., and the concert features local bands specializing in folksy, bluegrass music In its 19th year, Friday Night Concerts in the Park still attracts huge crowds from all walks of life. Interesting vendors, delicious food stands, great live music and the ever-popular beer garden make for a fun and inexpensive summer evening for the whole family.

 The light rail station at 12th and I streets closed Monday for renovation work and will reopen Sept. 7. The most noticeable improvement will be the installation of an elevated ramp to replace the old wheelchair lift, making access to the train for people in wheelchairs much more efficient and quicker, said Alane Masui, spokeswoman for Sacramento Regional Transit. “This is a major improvement for this station,” she said. Other improvements include repainting, new seating and redone landscaping, Masui said. Light rail users questioned Tuesday were in favor of the improvements. “It’s hard for me to climb up the steps onto the train,” said Danny Frias, who walks with a cane and rides lig

The city of Sacramento is back at the drawing board — literally — on its efforts to set up a streetcar connecting to West Sacramento. A new study to plan the streetcar route in Sacramento has received $310,000 in federal grant funds. An additional $90,000 from a local source will help pay for the study, according to a July 27 report from the city’s Transportation Department. The City Council signed off on the new funding Tuesday night. “What we’ll be doing now is looking now more broadly at the best routes for that system on the Sacramento side,” Councilman Steve Cohn said Wednesday. In the most recent plan, the streetcar would run from West Sacramento City Hall, across Tower Bridge an

  Sacramento Regional Transit cut 25 weekday routes and altered numerous others June 20. How is it affecting the daily riders? Mary Glick, 50, takes bus 72 multiple times a week, a line that has been limited by the new cuts. She says she's restricted to what hours she works at her downtown Denny's now, but counts herself lucky to live so close to her house from her light rail station. "It's kind of a bummer," she said. "Thank God it only takes me 40 minutes to walk home." Regional Transit cut the routes to save money and provide a cushion forthe $25 million that was lacking in their budget. However, the cuts could cause even more loss to RT's income. "I don't even know if I can keep

Street closures affect vehicle traffic as well as bus routes. Construction workers dig up old sewage pipes on the west side of 7th Street between G and H Streets this morning. They will also dig up old pipe on the east side of the street which will be the location of the new light rail tracks between downtown and Richards Blvd. New sewage pipes will be laid on the west side of 7th Street. RT construction contractors will close two lanes of 7th Street between F and H streets, effective Monday, May 17 through Wednesday, June 2, 2010. Two lanes will be closed to traffic to perform work associated with RT's Green Line to the River District light rail project, which will extend light rail 1

 If you decide to ride on the Light Rail without proper fare this weekend, RT Police will find you. Regional Transit began a series of crackdowns earlier this month on riders riding illegally. On my transfer to the Meadowview Train at the 16th Street station Downtown last week, a dozen of RT Police rushed the train before it left for the next route. Each police officer checked each rider for their tickets or their transit passes. Those who didn’t have fare were issued tickets containing a fine. For the riders who got off at the previous station were welcomed by another group of officers awaiting to check for their proof of fare. RT has lost tens of thousands of dollars in recent year

Last week’s fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson took place at a downtown Regional Transit stop. While it would be hasty to let one incident determine RT’s entire reputation, the incident does beg the question: Are Regional Transit stops hubs for crime? Alane Masui, assistant general manager of communications for Sacramento RT, said no. She said that when crimes take place on the street, transit stops are just easy landmarks to associate with the incident. “It’s more of a perception than a reality,” she said. “When something occurs, people try to put the incident in context, and transit stops serve as regional landmarks.” There are about 3,800 bus stops and 47 light rail stati