Q. My brother is going to get out of jail soon, and we were planning on him moving in with me, but his parole officer told him he couldn’t because he has to register as a sex offender and I live too close to an elementary school, which is against “Megan’s Law” or “Jessica’s Law” or something like that. Isn’t there anything we can do? I’m afraid if he doesn’t live with me he will be homeless. Jerri A. California’s Megan’s Law requires anyone convicted of a wide range of crimes, including forcible sex crimes involving non-consenting adults and most sex crimes involving children, prostitution, and child pornography, to register as a sex offender upon release on parole or probation or discha

For families barely making ends meet, holidays are a difficult time. Many parents at Sacramento|Yolo Mutual Housing communities are having a hard time providing gifts for their children this year. “This time of year can be especially trying for parents in our communities,” said Rachel Iskow, Executive Director of Mutual Housing. "In fact, half of Mutual Housing's 2600 residents are children." People can help by dropping off non-perishable food and new, unwrapped children’s gifts at the Mutual Housing office, 8001 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento 95820 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Thursday, December 22nd. “We will make sure your donation gets to a family right away,” sa

Skip the crowded malls this Saturday and bring your wish lists and your camera down to the MARRS Building to visit Santa’s Workshop! Santa and his elves have opened up their workshop for the past two Saturdays and this Saturday they are inviting the whole family, even the pets! Residents and visitors are invited to visit Santa’s Workshop at the MARRS Building from 11am-4pm. Pets are welcome to come down from 2pm-4pm. Grateful Dog Daycare will even be on hand to give the photogenic pooches a special treat. The MARRS Building is located in the heart of Midtown at 20th & J Streets. MARRS retailers invite all, big and small, to join them at this festive event. Retailers at MARRS include Pete

For the holidays, Plates Cafe and Catering is serving Christmas cookies, baked and prepared by the women in St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children. St. John's provides shelter, education and childcare to homeless women with children. As part of the shelter's six- to 12-month training program, Plates Cafe and Catering, located at 14 Business Parkway, serves as an on-the-job training site for the shelter, where the women perform restaurant positions such as cooks, waitresses and hostesses, Stuart Edgcombe, 46, Chef at Plates Cafe and Catering, said. "It's more than just cooking," Edgcombe said. "It's teaching them life lessons." Teresa Kamekona, 39, said her experience at Plat

Huggies delivered 100,000 diapers to the Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center today as part of Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign to help families in need. One-in-three American families struggle with the ability to provide their children with an essential need – clean, dry diapers. To help address this issue, Huggies brand announced the launch of The National Diaper Bank Network. As the Founding Sponsor of the National Diaper Bank Network, Huggies Every Little Bottom is organizing “12 Days of Thanks,” a cross country tour where the brand will donate 12 million diapers in 12 cities over a 12-day period – including Sacramento. Angela Ponivas, Executive Director of Lighthouse

2nd Annual 12 Days of Midtown Midtown Sacramento is all dressed up for the holiday season with events and specials that are sure to fill visitors and residents with holiday cheer. Festivities will occur December 1st - December 12th with a variety of activities for all ages. The 2nd Annual event will feature various local businesses throughout the Midtown district. The 12 Days of Midtown kicks off with the Winter Wine & Jazz Mixer featuring the Sacramento Philharmonic on Thursday, December 1st. The full calendar of merry activities includes a Hot Toddy contests at  Santa’s Tavern (The Golden Bear), a gingerbread cookie workshop at artBEAST, Santa’s Workshop at the MARRS Building, multiple

Q: My husband and I recently had a baby (five months ago), and now I am looking to go back to work full time. I have looked in to the cost of care for our son, but the prices are outrageous. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law has offered to care for our son every day that I am working. While this seems like a perfect and inexpensive solution, I am not wild about how my mother-in-law handles my son. My husband and I have a very particular way we handle our son, and my mother-in-law doesn't always follow our directions when she watches him. I am afraid that without consistency he will be confused as he grows older about what is and is not right, what he can get away with, and he will waiver from t

When Rosie Carollo was hospitalized at the Sutter Children’s Center, Sacramento due to a rare form of childhood epilepsy at just 6 months old, she took great delight in the toys, movies and activities in the hospital’s Child Life Program. After Rosie’s passing in 2004, just shy of her second birthday, her parents, Nicole and George Carollo, were determined to keep her memory alive by giving back to the Sutter Children’s Center – a children’s hospital located inside Sutter Memorial Hospital in East Sacramento – after they provided such great care for their young daughter. “Rosie was our first child and the light of our lives,” said Nicole Carollo. “When she passed I was almost desperate t

November is National Adoption Month.  As the nation recognizes this important social issue, counties and communities across California will promote adoption and permanency awareness through activities and events that bring attention to the needs of the over 25,000 children and youth living in foster care throughout the state waiting for families to love and adopt them. November 3, 2011 is National Adoption Awareness Day.  On November 3, 2011, the month-long effort will kick off, raising awareness about the thousands of children in California waiting for families, celebrating those special people who have provided a loving home to children in foster care, and inspiring others to come forw

Q: I just found out I am pregnant. I told my boyfriend and we both agreed that we are not ready to be parents, but there is no way I would consider getting an abortion. I know that I could put the child up for adoption, but I feel like that is going to be really hard after carrying to term. However, I know I am not ready to be a mother, and I don't want to lose my boyfriend over this. I don't really know what to do. A: Wow. You have many hard decisions and a long road ahead of you. First of all, I applaud your stand on keeping the baby to term even though you are not sure about what will happen after that. Secondly, I would suggest that you do not make a rash and uneducated decision ab

Midtown Merchants are brewing up a bewitching good time for kiddos and pooches of all ages and sizes. Midtown's Annual Halloween celebration is just a few days away. Join us for the Midtown Trick-or-Treat and Pooch Parade this Saturday, October 29th from 11a.m.- 3p.m. Enjoy an afternoon of Trick or Treats from over 70 participating Midtown businesses, as well as a parade of dressed up pooches strutting their stuff throughout the district. In addition to satisfying your kids sweet tooth, bring the whole family down to Mixed Bag (24th & K) and Relles Florist (24th & J) for a variety of FREE family friendly activities. Catch the hourly magic show, pumpkin decorating, face painting, balloon

Photo essay by Dan Ward It’s that time of the year when the candy comes out, people become scarier and Fairytale town puts on a show. This year in Fairytale Town the magical wonders of Harry Potter arrive to showcase its magical spells and large amounts of candy for the children. The Harry Potter theme will be taking place for a total of four days. The days are October 21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th. The park event will be 5pm till 9pm on all four days. Tickets are for sale at www.fairytaletown.org. Children can enjoy various attractions and displays at this year’s event. Even the adults can come and have a good time seeing all  the  magicians of Harry Potter world perform their spells. Fai

More than 200 handbags were up for grabs during the October 15 Helping Handbags luncheon and auction. Hosted by The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, a volunteer group made of local business women and retirees, the event had nearly 500 attendees pack the Radisson Hotel grand ballroom to check out the seventh annual live and silent auctions. “It exceeded my dreams,” said Laurel Speier, Helping Handbags event chairperson. “You could see the ladies here in attendance had a lot of fun.” More than $75,000 was raised. All of the proceeds will go to Salvation Army’s programs for women and children in the Sacramento area. “Many of us here are blessed to have (comfortable) lives,” Speier said,

Q: My 7-year-old daughter is dealing with a bully at school. She comes home almost daily and relates stories about how another girl in her class makes fun of her. Apparently she is making fun of her clothes, the words she uses, her school work... anything she can think of. I have always thought my little girl was pretty outgoing and strong, but lately she seems to be breaking under the weight of the bullying. I have given her all the pep talks I can think of (kill her with kindness, avoid her at all costs, and compliment her when she bullies you). Nothing has changed and I feel like I need to step in on a more parental level, but I don't know where to start. A: I am sorry for the trouble

  The Capital Cities Artober celebration is in full effect and Midtown is excited to give the Sacramento region another opportunity to explore and commemorate the arts in a big way. This Saturday, October 15th, the Midtown Modern Arts Festival (MMAF) will take place on 20th Street between J & K. The FREE family-friendly street-fair will occur from Noon – 6:00pm and is guaranteed to offer attendees a broad spectrum of creativity including Music, Dance, Comedy, the Visual Arts and every medium in-between. The festival will feature a performance program on two separate stages: the KlickNation Stage and the MARRS Building Stage. Performing artists include the Sacramento Ballet, The Sacrament

A Sacramento vandal has targeted children in a recent string of Washington Park vandalism that involves cut swings and a sawed tetherball pole. The perpetrator is currently unknown. During the weekend of Sept. 24, someone sawed through one of the parks’ tetherball poles just enough to cause the pole to stand straight until it was used, falling down and nearly landing on a Washington Elementary School student. According to Washington Elementary School Principal Marilyn Collins the student was unharmed. Martha Damjanovic, a local resident of the area and owner of three buildings in blocks that surround the park, was surprised that she hadn’t noticed the sawing. “When 14-year-olds jump ov

After several years of planning, Vibe, the new urban youth lounge, will host a party at 5 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate its grand opening. Located at 1725 K St., the center will provide a place for teens to do their homework, socialize and be safe, said Catherine Pentoney, spokeswoman and former chair of Vibe’s Board of Directors. Since 2007, the Vibe Foundation has been raising money to open its youth lounge. The nonprofit organization was founded by Julian Nagler and David Schenirer. “Vibe was a concept that came out of a need in Sacramento for the youth to have productive things to do,” said Nagler, one of Vibe’s co-founders. Nagler said he believes places like the Boys and Girls Clu

Waste Connections, Inc. sponsored and helped fundraise $145,000 during Sierra Forever Families’ seventh annual Golf Classic for Kids tournament at Serrano Country Club on Sept. 12. The funds raised during this year’s tournament will help more than 20 children living in foster care find permanent placements with loving families. This tremendous success of the 2011 tournament would not be as significant without the gracious support of Ron Mittelstaedt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, along with Jerri Hunt, Vice President of Employee Relations, of Waste Connection, Inc. Hunt, who retired from the Board of Directors of Sierra Forever Families in July, served as the four-time Chair of t

In a change of direction for the holiday season, the community theater company, Bob and Ro Productions is working on a production of the much loved classic work, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis.   This will be the largest cast and the biggest production ever for the studio theater which 'Fox and Goose' regulars will surely have noticed a little further along R Street. The auditions for the casting are over and a strong cast has been assembled with a mix of adult and children actors, drawn from all over the Sacramento region. Rehearsals start in late October and there will be twelve performances over the first three weekends of December. It promises to be an excitin

The Heart Gallery of Sacramento, a partnership of photographers, artists, businesses and volunteers from private and public organizations, is holding their annual event to increase awareness about children living in foster care that are looking for permanent, loving families. The event features stunning photographs of children that show their spirit and unique personalities. The free family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, November 5 from 5-8 p.m., in Curtis Hall at Sierra 2 Center for the Arts. The address is 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. The Heart Gallery was founded in 2001 in New Mexico, by an adoption recruiter, who had the idea of linking art and adoption. By coll