Earlier this week, the local owners of six La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores in Northern California donated nearly $12,000 worth of beautiful La-Z-Boy furniture to a privately funded home for recently emancipated foster youth in Placer County.  Purchased by a concerned citizen and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer, “Taylor House” is a six-bedroom, newly remodeled home located in downtown Roseville.  Once furnished, the home will welcome its first young women residents -- all of whom are no longer able to stay in a foster care environment after turning 18 years of age -- within the next few weeks.    To help furnish the empty home, local La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries owne

Independent filmmaker Isaac Piche' has scheduled a test screening in the Sacramento area for his first full feature film Dam California. The name alone suggests controversy.    Although the film is focused on water as the necessity that it is, Piche' chose a course that intertwines real life events and fictional characters to make his point and tagline, "Don't Mess With Our Water." This film confronts issues between farmers, the endangered species act, and the corruption that would choose power over the balance of life.  “This is still a work-in-progress” says 25 year old Piche’. “Dam California’ is a relevant, current issue based narrative film. Films like this, that are controversial a

South Sacramento Medical Center and Roseville Medical Center have been named 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, an honor that rewards hospitals for outstanding success in such areas as using electronic health records to reduce medication and other errors, lowering infection rates, maintaining appropriate physician and nursing staffing, and other measures of safety and efficiency. A total of 10 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California, and eight in Southern California, received the honor Tuesday, which means that 18 of this year’s 65 Top Hospitals in the U.S. are Kaiser Permanente facilities in California. They were chosen from a field of nearly 1,200 hospitals around the country surve

The Elk Grove Force beat the Sacramento Donkey Fong, 33-23 in the final match, making Elk Grove the first champion of the annual Jumpstart 21 Hoops and Alley Oops Regional Celebrity Basketball Tournament. There were more than 250 attendants watching the game Monday afternoon at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation basketball arena in Elk Grove. In the final match, Former Monarch Danielle Viglione of the Sacramento Donkey Fong injured her left ankle as she went for a rebound early in the game. In the last six minutes of the game, another Sacramento Donkey Fong player was injured: Rolland Foley III, 20, a Sacramento City College student, injured his knee. "I'm sad for my teammate

The National Basketball Association might still be in a lockout, but the Sacramento region is set to have a celebrity basketball tournament Nov 14. where eight teams representing Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Elk Grove, Roseville, West Sacramento, Rocklin, Citrus Heights and Sacramento are participating for a fundraising event. The Jumpstart 21 Hoops and Alley Oops Regional Celebrity Basketball Tournament is a three-on-three half-court basketball tournament fundraising event held by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce (SACC). The proceeds will benefit Jumpstart 21, a workforce development and internship placement program by the SACC for young adults recently out of the foster care

Sacramento, CA – November 3, 2011 – Quick Quack Car Wash, a growing chain of exterior-only, express car washes, has announced that it will be offering a free car wash to all veterans and active military personnel on Veteran’s Day in conjunction with the nationwide “Grace for Vets” program.  Veterans may visit any of Quick Quack’s car wash locations from 7am to 7pm on Friday, November 11, 2011 to receive a complimentary wash. Customers will only need to inform Quick Quack employees verbally that they are veterans in order to receive their free car wash. Quick Quack has six locations in the Sacramento area including the newest location in Roseville. Addresses and directions can be found at

“These shows allow our artists to feel genuinely appreciated by people who don’t see them for what they lack, but see them for what they have," says Jessica Dore, of Studio 700 Center for the Arts. Twice a year, the artists of Studio 700 have the chance to open the doors of their studio to the community and display their work, in a public recognition of exactly who (and what) they are. Artists. “I think there’s a general climate of sympathy rather than appreciation that surrounds this population,” Dore said, “but there’s something raw and unique and wonderful about someone who isn’t ‘classically trained’ putting something down and creating art." A program of Placer ARC, Studio 700 is t

Summer has come and gone but crowds at Second Saturday still remain large. Second Saturday events have grown in popularity and other communities participate in Second and Third Saturday art events. During fall several cities stop their art walks. Folsom and El Dorado Hills had their last Second Saturday of the year in September and October respectively. Popularity of similar events in smaller towns continues to grow. Attendance and art displays expand in the smaller venues but none of these can compare to the popularity of Midtown’s event. This Saturday I attended a handful of galleries and events. Since there are so many places to view and experience art I made a list of places I was i

So please stop categorizing us as such. I'm not sure what it is about you downtown folk. I know firsthand it's hard as hell to get any of you to leave the grid. Yes, I know, a lot of you don't own cars, and lord knows you can't ride your fixie all the way to Rocklin. No, it's not that far, actually. A lot of us up here drive down there all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. I suppose if I want to see some of my friends I have to come to them? Apparently. But I digress. I have heard so many times people from Sacramento blast us up here in the 'burbs. "Oh, they are all Ed Hardy-wearing, steroid-taking, bleach-blond, over-tanned, fake-boobed douchebags who drive BMWs and lifted trucks." Pretty sure

Several hundred zombie enthusiasts gathered at Roseville’s Royer Park to get makeup done and receive instructions before invading Vernon Street. This was Roseville’s first ever Zombie Walk. Dozens of people who participated in July’s Second Saturday Zombie Walk made their way to Roseville. Joshua Cox arranged the event via Facebook and was on hand to help apply makeup to participants. Several gallons off “blood” were used to help zombies ready themselves for the walk. Besides corn syrup and red food coloring, used to emulate blood, several zombies brought items to help with makeup including sponges, cotton balls, food coloring, liquid latex, white school glue and other materials. Se

Sacramento Cal Expo Sacramento Independence Day Celebration Monday – Gates open at 6 p.m. and fireworks begin around 9:30 p.m. 1600 Exposition Blvd. – Fireworks in the Miller Lite Grandstand Price: Free Parking: $10 in the Cal Expo parking lot Age: All ages Cal Expo will present its famed fireworks display for guests. Guests can enjoy preshow music provided by 107.9 The End and the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West. Raley Field Independence Day Weekend Celebration Saturday and Sunday. Games start at 7:05 p.m. Sat and 6:35 p.m. Sun Raley Field, 400 Ballpark Drive Price: $7-$42 Age: All ages Family and friends can enjoy Raley Field’s annual Fourth of July celebration with t

“Top 50” Car Wash Chain Opens Sixth Sacramento Area Exterior-only, Express Car Wash with 10 Days of Free Carwashes Quick Quack Car Wash, a Sacramento, California-based company, is giving away free car washes for 10 days to celebrate opening the doors on a new express car wash in the City of Roseville. The free car wash days begin on June 10th and end on Father’s Day, June 19th and are only available at the Roseville location. The new location is the sixth Quick Quack Car Wash in the Greater Sacramento area and the 15th car wash operated by Quick Quack with additional locations in Texas and Colorado. In 2010 Quick Quack was named one of the Fastest Growing Companies in Sacramento (#2) and

The original Squeeze Inn on Power Inn Road was made famous by Food Network’s Guy Fieri, who raved about their infamous cheese “skirt,” the restaurant’s twist on the classic cheeseburger.  Since then it has opened up restaurants in Roseville and Galt. Tuesday morning, the Squeeze Inn’s fourth location – at 1350 Harbor Blvd. in West Sacramento – officially opened its doors at 10 a.m. The newest addition to the Squeeze Inn line is the biggest location so far, seating up to 80 people, according to West Sacramento Squeeze Inn’s publicist, Heather Atherton. The Squeeze Inn has been a regular on the burger scene in Sacramento for at least 30 years according to co-owner Dave Chambers. “We’ve a

California Family Fitness has partnered with Sport Chalet to participate in a shoe drive to benefit the tsunami victims in Japan. All shoes that are donated will be sent directly to Soles4Souls for distribution to the Japanese people. “We highly encourage everyone in the community to donate at least one pair of shoes,” said Randy Karr, President of California Family Fitness. “It is devastating to see how the tsunami and earthquake in Japan has affected so many, which is why we have partnered with Sport Chalet in Soles4Souls to lend a helping hand and make a difference.” To donate to this very worthy cause, people can drop off gently worn shoes at either Sport Chalet or a California Famil

As an outsider one may be baffled by terms like: lazy handles, wicky wacky woo, broomstacking and hoggers. However, to the curling junkie these just mean a good night is to be had. So, how does one go about curling? First, you dress warm and get ready for a couple of hours in 40 degree weather. Second, you take a stone that weights approximately 42 pounds and try to strategically push it to ‘the house’. The house is a 12 foot circle at the other end of the ice (similar to a bulls-eye) and is where teams score points. For a team to score, the throwers stone has to be accurate for momentum is all that carries it forward once it leaves their hand. As the stone slides down the ice there ar

A pair of Roseville taquerias called Jalisco Fresh Mexican Grill have become so popular that their owner has opened another in Midtown Sacramento. Fans were driving from as far away as the foothill towns of Nevada City, El Dorado Hills and Auburn to get to the family-owned restaurants in Roseville. Some pleaded with owner Ramon Arias to launch his next taqueria in Auburn so they wouldn't have to travel so far for the tacos, burritos and fajitas. "They said, 'You should open another taco house,' " Arias, 42, said Monday. "We didn't think there were enough people over there (in Auburn) to keep our business open. I thought Sacramento was better." Arias and his family opened the third Jalis

Roseville, CA – The Robert C. Cooley Middle School will be ground zero for one of the largest youth education forums in Northern California. Close to 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students will converge on the Cesar E. Chavez Youth Leadership Conference and Education Fair on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Roseville, CA. For over a decade, this event has provided guidance to youth seeking to pursue higher education and grant information. This unique educational forum allows 6th to 12 grade students and their parents an opportunity to learn how to pursue secondary educational and grant opportunities. College recruiters will be available to answer student questions. There will also b

Within the next three years, nearly 75 percent of the Sacramento Police Department’s staff, ranked captain and higher, will be eligible for retirement, according to police department spokeswoman Laura Peck. Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel will address the department’s succession plans and other concerns regarding top staff at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. City Councilman Rob Fong requested Braziel make a presentation, saying he was concerned over former Sacramento Police Capt. Daniel Hahn’s move earlier this month to become Roseville’s police chief. “Whenever there are openings in the region, people tend to look at our folks,” Fong said, adding that the city should ensure i

The Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday to hire an outside contractor for tree pruning and removal work despite opposition from a major city union, Stationary Engineers Local 39. Council members voted 7-2 to pay up to $3.7 million to Roseville-based Jensen Tree Service, Inc., for a contract that could span five years. The contract has a one-year guarantee of work – after that, the city manager will decide each year over the following four years whether to continue the contract, according to Craig Lymus, the city’s acting procurement manager. A representative for Local 39, which represents urban forestry workers, among many other groups of city employees, said the work that Jensen Tree

The current offering at The Alternative Arts Collective Theatre in Roseville is a remarkably muscular interpretation of ‘Equus’, Peter Shaffer’s groundbreaking 1973 play. ‘Equus’ follows the parallel experiences of two men as they struggle to understand and heal themselves of their inner demons. Thrown together are Alan Strang, a young man who has committed the heinous crime of blinding several horses with a hoof pick, and Martin Dysart, a disillusioned child psychiatrist. As Alan resists acknowledging and accepting his actions and the inner sexual and religious turmoil which motivates him, Dysart explores his own limitations and the ultimate futility he sees in healing Alan. The psych