It is estimated that more than 100 hikers are trapped on the trail to Half Dome in Yosemite, CA Sat. evening June 13, and one person is believed to have fallen. The person’s condition is unknown as is the condition of all hikers who became caught in a violent hail storm at approximately 3:30 p.m. Weather took a quick turn from cloudy and dry to the hail storm that currently pommels Yosemite Valley. Rangers are unable to attempt rescue attempts at the moment due to the dangerous weather. According to park rangers, the trail is impassable until the storm subsides which might not be until early Sun. morning. At least four Sacramento hikers are stuck atop the mountain with no knowledge of t

Approximately 10:30 p.m. Fri. May 22.  My girlfriend and I were entering our car parked on the corner of 14th and Q Streets after enjoying some portabella and tofu burgers at Burgers and Brew.  A loud crack rang through the night air drawing my attention.  Seconds later a second crack followed, this time louder.  I surveyed the street wondering if I heard a minor car accident when the unique sound of splitting wood occurred. I watched as a branch, at least 15 feet in length with several large branches attached to it fell 50 ft. to the street landing directly on the hood of a car.  We walked around, amazed at what we had just witnessed, when I noticed a sign posted on the street directly

Sacramento State University sent thousands of graduates off to their next venture in life Fri. May 22 during graduation ceremonies held at Arco Arena.  Tomorrow, Sat. May 23, will see thousands more move their tassels. The ceremonies' main speaker was Sac State president, Alexander Gonzalez, who wished the graduates well in their upcoming quest for employment. He placed emphasis on the importance of hard work and diligence in the struggling economy and requested alumni to remember to give to the university when they achieve success. A highlight of the College of Arts and Letters commencement ceremonies, held at noon, was the graduation of 92 year-old Estelle Rees Arroyo who received her

I have worked the last 16 weeks as one of four unpaid interns at Sacramento Press. I started with no experience in journalism and felt completely overwhelmed with my new responsibilities, which were in addition to taking five classes at Sacramento State University. Now, nearly four months later, I leave this position with an appreciation for the writing skills I have developed and a deeper understanding of journalism. Sacramento Press is not traditional journalistic reporting. As you know this is a community-contributed news site. The reporting, with the exception of a very small group of staff and interns, is done by members of the community, which is the reason Sacramento Press stands o

I have never felt so alive as when I'm holding onto a ledge on the side of a mountain hundreds of feet above the ground surrounded by nothing but rock and clear blue sky. Rock climbing is an exhilarating sport that has had a presence in the California Sierra Nevada mountains since the 1950's. California is home to several of the most famous climbing locals in the world such as Yosemite and Bishop and Joshua Tree in southern California. But you don't have to travel that far to enjoy beautiful outdoor scenes and high class climbing routes. Sacramento is a central location to many excellent climbing spots for any level from first-time beginners, to professional-rate advanced climbers. Begi

It is spring in Sacramento. Flowers are blooming and the trees have grown back their thick canopy of leaves. Our bodies are feeling the natural urge to be outside in the sunshine to enjoy what nature has to offer, and the greater Sacramento area definitely has a lot of it.   Sacramento and its surrounding areas contain some of the most beautiful landscapes in California. There are hikes and nature walks aplenty in this region that can give a good dose of springtime joy, all of which can be reached with a short drive or bicycle ride.   Following are some classic favorites:   Capitol Park: Downtown, 15th and L Streets — 1.5 mile loop   Not so much a hike as a walk, but beautiful nonethel

The new retail/restaurant concept, Hot Italian, on the corner of Q and 16th Streets, is embracing green ideology in its entirety, completely renovating an old, vacated retail space with a sleek new design that Mother Nature would be proud of. Andrea Lepore, co-owner of Hot Italian, had the environment in the front of her mind when she first had the idea for Hot Italian. The reason is simple. "I think the environment is important to everyone,” she says. “Especially when you're in a space where you're eating, drinking, and relaxing. We wanted to create a restaurant that offered healthy food, but was also healthy to be in." Lepore decided to pursue a Leaders in Energy and Environmental Desi

Cities are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. The same can be said for neighborhoods within cities. The Sacramento Police Department understands this and manages the policing of downtown Sacramento differently than its surrounding areas. Sacramento poses one major issue that differs from other cities. We house the State Capitol building and, at times, the governor himself. Being the capitol of an important world entity, California, Sacramento sees special events of all kinds. The Amgen Tour for example, which stopped in recently, required the closing of many streets in the city. Other events, such as large-scale protests, marches, or parades, also require heavy monitoring and plan

Downtown/Midtown Sacramento is awash with bicycle activity, and why not? Bicycles are the quickest and most efficient way to maneuver this metropolitan area. The Sacramento Police Department realized this as well, and in 1989 established a four-person bike unit in the Downtown area to patrol the streets during business hours. Today this unit consists of 10 officers and a sergeant who patrol from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m., seven days per week. They cover an area of the city from Old Sacramento to 19th Street between H and N Streets. Sergeant David Valdez spoke with Sacramento Press to shed some light on the role of the bicycle police in Sacramento. He has been a part of the bike unit for seven

Spring is making its presence felt.  Flowers are blooming, leaves are returning to the trees, allergies are flaring up, and colorful foods are finding their way back to the market. Today, Sunday March 22, the Southside Farmers Market (across W St. from Southside park under the freeway) was displaying foods and flowers that have been absent during the winter months. Asparagus, beets, sweet peppers of all colors, artichokes, strawberries, beans, and kiwi among other foods were splayed out in tall mounds of edible art. Multiple vendors sold flowers of all kinds to market goers eager to tout the signs of spring. Southside Farmers Market was a hub of activity with people meandering through t

At a time when banks are relying on government help to remain in business, one local bank continues to rely on the same privately funded, “grassroots” business plan it has had for over 30 years.  The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services (SFBFS) is a privately-funded, non-profit organization that serves the working poor of Sacramento County, and is perhaps best known for its "Run To Feed The Hungry" — a 5K and 10K event that takes place on Thanksgiving Day each year. Its mission statement is simple: "Dedicated to assisting those in need by alleviating their immediate pains and problems, and moving them toward self-sufficiency and financial independence." Established in 1976, it has ext

"2009 rafting flows confirmed!" The American River website (www.theamericanriver.com) boasted the good news on Sat. March 7 following a storm that dropped enough presipitation to guarantee a full and fun-filled whitewater rafting season through the 2009 summer. This is exciting news for thrill-seekers, water sport enthusiasts, and rafting guides (such as myself) alike. The South Fork of the American River is the most rafted river in California, with hundreds of people boating down the Class II and Class III rapids on any given weekend throughout the summer months. It is the historical site of James Marshall's discovery of gold that led to the "Gold Rush" and the eventual statehood of Cal

Sacramento's "Tent City" has become national, even world-wide, news over the last two weeks. This article is Sacramento Press' take on the situation based on a visit by myself and our photographer, Anthony Bento, earlier this week. I had been by there before, on several occasions, and expected to see a dozen or so tents and a large pile of trash. But what I found blew my mind. After ascending a certain hill (I'll leave the exact location undisclosed in this article) the gathering comes into view. It is, by my estimation, at least 10x larger than it was in July 2008. Hundreds of tents scattered over several acres make up "Tent City", and a city it is indeed. Estimates of the total number

If you grew up in Sacramento in the last 50 years, chances are you have memories of running around the fairy-tale-themed structures inside the childhood wonderland of Fairytale Town. Attractions such as “The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe Slide,” “Cheese Stands Alone,” “The Pirate Ship,” and the live animal exhibits still remain today behind Humpty Dumpty's wall—the entrance to this land of fun. This Saturday, March 7, Fairytale Town is continuing its anniversary celebration with "Faces and Places of Sacramento - An Archive Project." The park will be offering free admission between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to guests who bring in photos, video, or memorabilia of past visits, with hopes of buildin

  Twing, Twing, Twing, Twing -- the sound a banjo makes will be filling the air this weekend when Banjo-Rama 2009 comes to town.   Nearly 200 expert banjo musicians from across the west coast will be performing Sunday at Banjo-Rama 2009 at the Carmichael Elks Club, playing Roaring Twenties-style music. There will be two stages running simultaneously during the event, which is scheduled to begin at 11:40 a.m. All musicians are volunteers, and all profits will be donated to Shriners Children's Hospital in Sacramento. Event organizers expect 700-900 attendees. Admission is a $20 donation at the door. The Sacramento Banjo Band is hosting as well as headlining Banjo-Rama. The group of 35-4

Your first question is, "What is slacklining?" Well, it's a mix between chain surfing, tight-rope walking, and trampolining, and it's called a "balance sport." Slacklining is an up-and-coming activity/sport across the world, and Sacramento. Its popularity is partially due to the simplicity of the sport. A length (at least 60 ft.) of 1-inch nylon webbing, two 15 ft. lengths of nylon webbing, three carabiners, and a couple trees are all that is required to participate. Initially one might find it difficult to just stand on the line. A little practice will yield big results, however, and before long that same person will be attempting spins and jumps. Excitement grows with each new trick th

 A new traffic signal was erected this morning at 10th and H street. This is the first stage of a project that will convert 10th street, currently one-way running north, to two-way traffic between E and I streets. 9th street is also included in this conversion, changing from a one-way running south to two-way between E and H streets. Bike lanes and parking spaces will also added on either side of the street for both 9th and 10th. One benefit of the change will be increased access to the underground parking garage below City Hall. The conversion is scheduled for this Sat., Feb. 21 and the roads will be open to two-way traffic by Mon., Feb. 23. There will be no closure to traffic during the

It was a simple enough plan: Attend every trivia night possible in one week. I called around to every bar I could think of and compiled a list of those that offer a trivia night. I found four locations in town (Streets of London, Bonn Lair, Whiskey Wild, The Depot), made a schedule, and embarked on my mission.   The first stop was Streets of London on Sunday, then Whiskey Wild on Tuesday, Wednesday night at The Depot, and finally Bonn Lair on Sunday. I had no idea what to expect and hoped for the best.   As it turned out I had a great time, despite the realization that my catalog of semi-useless knowledge is missing a few pages. One difficult aspect of the games is choosing a clever t

“Every good chef has a catch phrase.” Spoken by the philosopher, Chowder (actually a show on the Cartoon Network), this phrase says a lot in a small amount of space. Every popular…anything, needs a catch phrase to be known. TV chefs, sitcoms, sports announcers, and especially politicians seem to feel the need to utilize a catch phrase. Think about it— “Going, going, gone!” “Boom!” “Bam!” “Hanging Chad” “Flip Flopped (switch suffix to preference)” “Read My Lips” “Change” “The City of Brotherly Love” The list goes on. Sacramento, thanks primarily to our new mayor Kevin Johnson, has a catch phrase as well. You may know what I’m talking about. It isn’t very positive and suggests that Sacra

February 12th marked the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. Governor Schwarzenegger and Mayor Kevin Johnson were the featured speakers at The California Museum's celebration event. An Abraham Lincoln impersonator led the educational program, giving a chronological history of his personal life and political career to an audience of elementary school children and students from Sacramento High. He finished the segment with a question and answer period. Governor Schwarzenegger then took the podium to a round of applause with Mayor Johnson standing by his side. After complementing the Mayor's tie, he saluted Lincoln, stating, "President