Midtown residents asked Sacramento city staff for a solution to the lack of parking spaces available to renters and owners at Monday’s Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG) meeting. They complained that business patrons are using their residential spaces. “As someone who lives down here and can’t park, I have concerns about residential parking,” said Karen Jacques, a member of the Midtown neighborhood association. “We’ve got to have some way (the potential solution) really keeps the business customers out of residential parking.” Greg Sandlund, associate planner for the Community Development Department told NAG members that his department is actively working toward a plan that will balance t

Sweet Dreams Foundation has begun its process to find the next sponsor child for their “Dream Room” make-over. The Sweet Dreams Foundation was founded in 2006 and their stated mission is to “… improve the Quality of Life of Children who have been diagnosed with a life threatening disease through the creation of their Dream Room.” Children selected for this process must be between the ages of 2 to 17 and have a life threatening disease or chronic medical condition that threatens the life of the child. The recently selected board members of Sweet Dreams Foundation will review all applications and make their next selection after applications are received. May 1, 2012 is the deadline for su

Paula Deen – best known for her traditional southern cooking on the Food Network – is coming to Sacramento for a live show on Feb. 3. While Deen will cook at the Community Center Theater that evening, she’ll focus on what she said she cherishes most about fame – meeting people she never would have met in her life as a bank teller. “I’ll just visit with people,” Deen said. “It’s kinda like coming into my living room, us getting to know each other. People come in and forget everything that irks them.” Deen will appear on stage with her husband, Michael Groover, whom she describes as shy, funny and a great cook. “He has got the keenest sense of humor,” Deen said. “He’s one of the funnies

It’s back to the drawing board for designers from the Department of Parks and Recreation and City Councilman Steven Cohn. Plans for a new park in Midtown need to be refined after a community meeting Wednesday that revealed concerns about the future park’s amenities. Community members gave their input Wednesday about the proposed neighborhood park site at 19th and Q streets, which sits on contaminated land. Located across the light rail tracks from Safeway along T and S streets, the 0.9-acre plot of land was acquired by the city of Sacramento in 2008-2009 for approximately $2 million and the property remains gated off according to Mary Debeauvier, a principal planner with the Parks and Re

Spring is nearly a month in, and as April turns into May, the forecast promises warmer weather and plenty of outdoor activities, especially this weekend, as Easter is Sunday. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Easter, whether you’re looking for a traditional egg hunt or a nice place to eat Sunday Brunch. What: Southside Park Spring Egg Hunt When: Saturday, 11 a.m. - noon Where: Southside Park, 2107 Sixth St. Cost: Free With help from the Southside Park Neighborhood Association and St. John’s Baptist Church, Vineyard Church, the city of Sacramento will host the Southside Park Spring Egg Hunt, which will have a plethora of activities for the kids, including an egg hunt, face paintin

In these tough economic times, everyone is looking for ways to save money. From cutting back on the daily lattes to at-home “staycations,” people are getting more and more creative in the ways they choose to spend – or not spend – their money. One trend that seems to be really taking off lately is couponing: clipping out and saving up those little 20-cents-off and buy-2-get-1-free offers that grocery stores put in the inserts of the Sunday paper. Recently, TLC network aired a new reality show about this very topic, “Extreme Couponing.” This isn’t your momma’s coupon-clipping, however. In “Extreme Couponing,” we get to see folks who are crazy-good at saving money on their groceries. (Or

The Sacramento Police Department has arrested a suspect responsible for a shooting that injured a 21-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy. On November 26, 2010, the two victims were walking to Panda Express in the shopping complex located on 19th and S Street. Two suspects that were also walking in the area got into a verbal confrontation with the victims over gang affiliation. One of the suspects, a 16-year-old male Hispanic, pulled out a gun and shot at the 21-year-old. The shooting resulted in both the 21-year-old and a 10-year-old being shot. Both victims received non-life threatening injuries. Through a tip, detectives were able to identify the involved subjects and on December 7, 201

Grocery stores aren't as cool as bars. But what a difference a grocery makes. Neighborhoods that thrive – neighborhoods where people live – need grocery stores. Grocery stores may not be sexy, but they keep us alive. The opening last week of a Midtown Grocery Outlet selling fresh produce, prepared foods and many of the staples of the run-down convenience stores that dot the Grid, is a big deal to those of us who live here. The fact that their prices are roughly half that of the nearby Safeway is a significant bonus. For anyone who wants Sacramento’s Central City to thrive, the opening of the Grocery Outlet in the old grocery at 17th Street and Capitol Avenue is unalloyed good news. A c

Sacramento's PRIDE 2010 kicked off with Dyke Night, an evening of music and entertainment on the west Capitol steps to lead into the new location of this year's festivities on Sacramento’s Capitol Mall near between the Tower Bridge and the Capitol building. Here are some moments: Two women in the audience respond to the performers on stage. Allyn Pharo and her dog Sterling. The crowd filled the lawn in front of the west Capitol steps. Aurora (top and bottom) played to the crowd. Emcee and Organizer Hilary Hodge keep the pace going throughout the evening. Tina Reynolds, Equality Action Now, gave folks an update on Prop.8. Dancers from Hot Pot Studios (above) moved their bodi

With an iconic new location--Sacramento's scenic Capitol Mall, expanded marketing efforts and a growing roster of prestigious corporate sponsors and exhibitors, the 26-year-old Sacramento Pride Festival is expected to break attendance records on Saturday. The June 19 Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., attracting an estimated 10,000 visitors and bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of economic benefit to Sacramento’s downtown area. Festival admission is $10. After a number of years at South Side Park, the Festival will move to Capitol Mall in 2010, where a street-festival layout sandwiched between the Tower Bridge and the State Capitol dome is expected to add novelty

This is not your daddy’s Sacramento Pride! Sacramento Pride is making big changes in 2010, all aimed at transforming the annual regional celebration of LGBT culture and accomplishments into an event worthy of its new tagline, California’s Capital Pride. The list of changes begins with the day-long Pride Festival’s move this year to Sacramento’s Capitol Mall. The Festival will be held Saturday, June 19, from 10 am to 5 pm. Sandwiched between the State Capitol dome on the east and the golden spans of the Tower Bridge on the west, the Festival’s move to the scenic city gateway is intended to raise visibility and emphasize the important role of the LGBT community in Sacramento and statewide.