A Midtown barbecue restaurant that closed in late December has reopened with a new name, but customers might not notice a difference. My BBQ Spot, 2502 J St., closed its doors Dec. 23 and reopened as Luck’s BBQ Jan. 7, but the core concepts of the restaurant didn’t change. “We have new owners and the same cook,” said Manager Carlos Lopez. The most popular dishes are the tri-tip and ribs, said John “John-John” McCarty, the restaurant’s cook, who also ran My BBQ Spot for the past two years. He recommends the brisket as well. McCarty added that the menu and serving style are the same as My BBQ Spot. “All of our meats are smoked for an hour, and then cooked,” he said. Lopez said all the

What do a Sac State student, an entrepreneur, an emcee, a visual artist, a photographer and a sound technician have in common? They're all part of Leverage Sacramento, a new arts organization seeking to expose untapped local talent. The group threw a launch party Monday night at Tré Nightclub with several local spoken word performers, comedians, and hip-hop, soul and R&B performers. Hosting the event was The CUF emcee Marc "Crush" Hayes, who also sits on the seven-member Leverage board of directors. The party, which was only expected to draw 50 people, drew an estimated audience of 200. The idea of creating an arts promotion company began when 24-year-old entrepreneur Justin Eve was ask