“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” Directed by John Madden Review by Malcolm Maclachlan and Tony Sheppard Malcolm: I loved the Newsweek headline for their review of “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”—“Eat, Pray, Die.” Not that there was a lot of praying going on. Actually, I don’t remember any. Maybe it should have been “Eat, Love, Die,” (though that sounds a little Darwinian) because the aging Brits in this predictable but charming little tale remain obsessed with their love lives, but not much concerned with any afterlife they’ll soon experience (or not). To back up, the story involves a group of down-on-their-finances British retirees who decide to stretch their money by settling at a hotel i

What does a 12-year City Council veteran do when she decides it’s time to step away from the dais and not run for a fourth term? That was the question Sandy Sheedy asked herself in December – and the answer might come as a surprise to some. “I plan to retire,” Sheedy said Monday. “I’m going to enjoy doing things with my family and – if I feel like it – doing nothing at all.” During her years on the City Council, Sheedy has been involved in a number of projects that she is proud of – but faced some challenges, too. Sondra Betancourt, one of the candidates for the District 2 council seat, said Monday that Sheedy has worked on a number of public improvement projects – but, whether they hav

Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke about the need for representatives of the Sacramento Police Officers Association (SPOA) to meet with the city to explore ways to save police officers from impending layoffs at a Tuesday press conference. “All of us on the council – the six that voted one way and the other three of us that didn’t – are reaching out to the SPOA asking for a meaningful dialogue,” Johnson said. The City Council passed a budget on a 6-3 vote on June 21 that included more than $12 million in cuts to the Police Department and paved the way for more than 40 sworn police officers to be laid off July 1. “We are at a difficult crossroad,” Johnson said. “(The City Council) said public safe

The California State Railroad Museum and Historic Park is calling all volunteers to enter its 50th volunteer academy – volunteers who, according to officials, are the museum’s backbone. “We couldn’t run the museum without our docents. They are everything,” said Theresa Gonsolis, a guide and volunteer coordinator. She added that the museum – founded in 1981 – is considered the premiere indoor railroad museum in the country. Applications for the volunteer docent class are online and are being accepted through May 31, though Gonsolis said there is some “wiggle room” in the deadline. “Our philosophy is: the more the merrier,” she said. Docents are only required to work seven hours per mon

More than 350 jobs, including those of 80 sworn police officers, could be cut to balance the city’s budget, Interim City Manager Bill Edgar said Friday. The city manager’s office released recommendations Friday on how to resolve a $39 million budget gap. The proposal released by the city is not set in stone: The City Council is responsible for making final budget decisions. “This is the budget that everyone has dreaded,” Edgar said. “(This is) the budget where the chickens come home to roost.” The city manager’s office proposes cutting 294 positions. In addition, Edgar said he is recommending that the City Council cut about 60 more positions to privatize maintenance of city golf courses

The Sacramento City Council is expected to consider cost-cutting changes to employee benefits and how they are managed in the next few weeks after an internal audit report moved forward Tuesday. Recommendations for ways to save money are being made as the city grapples with an expected budget deficit of $35 million - $40 million for fiscal year 2011/2012. The four members of the City Council Audit Committee voted unanimously to forward a report on the completed Audit of Employee Health and Pension Benefits to the full council in as soon as two or three weeks. City Auditor Jorge Oseguera gave a brief presentation on the report's five findings and some of its 28 recommendations to help sol

Thursday, Oct. 1 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. California Department of Health Care Services will be holding a retirement celebration for it's department on the Capitol's lawn. About 40 people are expected. Friday, Oct. 2 No events planned on this day.