The 31st Annual Snowfest almost turned into a “dirtfest” this year after one of the driest winters in recorded history left the Tahoe Basin, well, dry as dirt. However, the often elusive Yeti returned to the Northern Sierra Nevada this week and has brought Mother Winter with him turning the tables on what many had thought would be the first Snowfest without snow. In short, about a foot a day has been dropping since Monday night above 7,000’. The new pow has come, and hasn’t stopped falling since it started about 72 hours ago. This kinda news is more than good, it’s will invariably to draw skiers and riders from as far away as British Columbia, Germany and even Tokyo, many whom have probab

Just in time for International Syrah Day (February 16), a Sierra Foothills vineyard can exult in their accomplishment producing Syrah that's been highly rated. Here's what we heard directly from Scott Pruett, Vineyard Owner and Winemaker: On Valentine's Day, Pruett Vineyards in Auburn, CA., received the heartening news that Wine Spectator had just rated their Pruett Estate Syrah and Pruett Reserve Syrah a very impressive 91 points each! "This is so exciting, and just huge for us on a personal level as well as a community level," exclaims Scott Pruett, Vineyard Owner and Winemaker. He continues, "This is the first wine from the estate that we have had rated. To score 91 points is both h

Join us for an afternoon with Placer County Real Food Cookbook authors Joanne Neft and Laura Kenny August 13, 2001 from 10:00 am – 12 Noon at Bushnell Gardens Nursery in Granite Bay. Come fall madly in love with the exquisite richness of eating fresh local in-season food and the rich local farms producing in Placer County.   Learn from Laura and Joanne how to shop local farmers markets and purchase all the meat, fruit, vegetables and nuts necessary to prepare meals from scratch. A number of their dishes from the cookbook will be offered for tasting Saturday, Aug 13, 2011. Cookbooks will also be available to purchase so you can have Joanne & Laura sign them.   We’re paring Hawks Restauran

Gretchen Eischen has been named Vice President/ Business Development Officer for Community 1st Bank. She will develop and manage consumer and business relationships. Eischen has more than three decades of experience as a specialist in business banking and is highly respected in the industry throughout Placer County and the Sacramento region. Community 1st Bank has branches in downtown Auburn, 649 Lincoln Way, and in Roseville at 2250 Douglas Boulevard. “I’m extremely excited about joining the team at Community 1st Bank,”Eischen said. “Top to bottom, the Bank has a very high level of experienced people. Our management team is exceptional in all areas – lending, business development, and

The Sacramento Fire Department expects to hire 27 firefighters and end its “brownouts” soon, thanks to a $5.6 million grant from the federal government. The grant to the city fire department and a $5.4 million grant to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District were discussed at a Thursday morning press conference held by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) and local fire officials. The Metropolitan Fire District, which covers Sacramento and Placer counties and the cities of Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova, will hire 24 or more firefighters with its funding, said Metro Fire Chief Bill Sponable. The city fire department has two rolling brownouts in effect, which means that certain

The Maidu Museum & Historic Site in Roseville is an oasis in suburbia. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of a new museum building, which replaced the temporary modular building that housed the Maidu Interpretive Center. The new museum is the final component of a plan put into motion several years ago to establish a permanent testament to Maidu culture in Roseville. The 30-acre site features Maidu grinding stones and petroglyphs, as well as indigenous plants and animals. The city of Roseville purchased the land from the federal government in 1969 for $100 per acre, according to the program from the museum's opening ceremony last year. The property borders the bedroom and commercial

Former Sacramento Kings player Antoine Wright was sentenced Tuesday to three years of informal probation and 15 days in jail for a Nov. 5 drunken driving arrest in Rocklin. The 26-year-old Wright has the option of applying for alternate sentencing to the jail time, such as a work project or home detention, Placer County Superior Court Judge Alan Pineschi said. Pineschi gave Wright credit for one day of time served, and he must report to the Placer County jail on March 30 to serve the remaining 14 days unless granted alternative sentencing. He was also fined $450, according to a press release from Placer County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Art Campos. Wright pleaded no contest t

Joanne Neft is known as the “farmers market lady” in Placer County, and for good reason. Neft has been involved with farmers markets since childhood, when her father sold produce in the St. Paul, Minn., farmers market. Joanne learned that a lot of people did not know how to make use of the bounty of fresh and sometimes unfamiliar food items they would find in the farmers markets. In conversations with a friend, Neft hit on an idea that would come to the aid of those who wanted to make use of the wonderful resource of farmers markets. She teamed up with Placer County chef Laura Kenny. Every Saturday for one year, they would shop the Auburn farmers market. On the following Monday evening,

Despite scaled-back school budgets, art education is flourishing in the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District in west Roseville. The Sacramento Press observed an art docent lesson in Annette Willis’ fourth-grade class at Coyote Ridge Elementary School last month. The art docent program is one of a variety of measures the district is using to incorporate art into the curriculum. The hour-and-half-long lesson began with art docent and parent Stephanie Jones asking 33 attentive students to think of different modes of transportation. The children quickly identified the subject of the day: trains. Jones held up a large Currier and Ives print entitled “American Express Train.” “What do

Hungry? How about a slow-roasted pork roast with peppers, pink-eyed peas with Italian sausage and tomatoes, and then some roasted figs, peaches and raspberries with creme fraiche for dessert? Still not hungry? Grange Restaurant & Bar will host a dinner/book signing Aug. 18 with Joanne Neft and chef Laura Kenny, authors of "Placer County Real Food: Recipes and Menus for Every Week of the Year," where they will serve the above dishes and others, all prepared with ingredients from Placer County’s farmers’ markets. Neft and Kenny spent 2009 hosting dinner parties every Monday evening where they treated guests to dishes prepared with local, seasonal ingredients. Neft has been involved in Pl

The second annual Wanderlust Festival took place this weekend at Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe.  Wanderlust is a one-of-a-kind festival bringing together the world's best yoga teachers and best performers in rock & roll, all in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty. It is a place to relax, unwind, bend, dance, revel, and contemplate. This year's festival offered expanded yoga offerings, more great music, a complement of organic foods and biodynamic wines, and the same incredible scenery and community that made last year’s event such a hit. Wanderlust showcases a range of teachers, classes and styles that inspire and challenge all practitioners, from the curious beginner to longtime studen