Douglas Miller, resident of Carmichael and director of labor relations for Sacramento Regional Transit, spends his weekends working with his hands, sculpting and painting Halloween masks. Miller is owner and founder of Mask Master of California and has been making masks since 1985. Without ever taking one course in sculpting or mask-making, Miller has taught himself the art entirely on his own. “I have made close to 1,000 masks since I first started and have sold most all of them,” Miller said. From dog masks and werewolves to witches and Frankenstein, Miller makes nearly 20 different types of Halloween masks that can be customized to fit customers’ color preferences. “Every mask is c

Sept. 16 marks the anniversary of Mexican Independence Day, the date in 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Mexican priest, held an early morning mass and rang the bell of his church to encourage his people to fight against Spain for their freedom. The call signaled the official beginning of Mexico's war for independence. While Hidalgo was captured and executed the next year, Mexico won the war a decade later and became its own country. The event is often confused with Cinco de Mayo, which is more popular in America. This date commemorates the Battle of Puebla, which the Mexican army won against the French on May 5, 1862. It is mostly celebrated in the state of Puebla, and though some