Friday, July 18, 2008

Northbound I-5 lanes closing tonight

The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 sunken "boat section" in downtown Sacramento are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. tonight for the final phase of a major roadway rehabilitation project. The northbound freeway is expected to reopen by 5 a.m., Monday, July 28. The freeway's southbound lanes will remain open....(more)

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Most California fires contained; residents return home

Fire crews on Friday had extinguished all but 38 of the more than 2,000 blazes ignited over the past month, allowing most mandatory evacuations to be lifted so residents could return home for the weekend....(more)

Recount of unpaid library fees jumps total to $4.6 million

The Sacramento Public Library has $4.6 million in unpaid late fees and unreturned items, nearly twice what it reported to the Sacramento County grand jury in March during an investigation into the management of the library, a new report indicates....(more)

State, local unemployment highest in a decade

Unemployment inched up to 6.9 percent in California last month, the highest rate since January 1997, state officials said Friday. The new rate was a tenth of a percentage point higher than the month before. The numbers released by the Employment Development Department showed the effects of the economic slowdown deepening throughout the state....(more)

Special unit makes DUI offenders a top priority

Warrants for drunk drivers stack up, and a unit of the Sacramento Country District Attorney's Office helps make sure that those warrants are served and the offenders face justice....(more)

Majority in poll rejects gay marriage ban

A slight majority of California voters oppose a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that would impose a constitutional ban on gay marriage, according to the first Field Poll on the measure....(more)

California agency reviews slow response to data security breach

The Department of Consumer Affairs said Thursday it is reviewing why two full days passed before its staff started investigating a major data security breach that special e-mail filtering software detected last month....(more)

Man indicted for prostituting teenage girl

An El Dorado Hills man accused of forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution and using an online listing to sell her services is indicted by a federal grand jury....(more)

El Dorado officials seek details of double killing

El Dorado County sheriff's officials today are trying to determine what led to two women being shot to death at a Pleasant Valley home Thursday evening....(more)

Sacramento Utilities Department worker arrested in water meter probe

Kenneth John Guerard, a Sacramento Utilities Department employee the FBI has implicated in a federal black market salvage probe, has been arrested on two felony bribery counts....(more)

Kings' Miller vows he'll rebound after suspension

LAS VEGAS – There's only one road in Brad Miller's mind, and that's to recovery....(more)

Concert review: The Police accent a hit-driven show

The Police evoke good memories, and even old nemesis Elvis Costello is chummy with the band during a concert that showed a band - and audience - wearing its age well....(more)

Lesbians sue Citrus Heights police, alleging bias in dismissals

Three former Citrus Heights police officers are suing their former employer and several of the department's top brass for allegedly firing them because they are lesbians, according to a suit filed July 8 in Sacramento Superior Court....(more)

Sacramento-area home sales climb again

Anything might happen. But this is starting to look real....(more)

Prius owners get the last laugh as gas prices rise

Justin Wages became "one of them" when he bought a new Toyota Prius hybrid three years ago....(more)

Movie review: Heath Ledger's Joker dominates 'Dark Knight'

"The Dark Knight" is a worthy next installment of the Batman saga, but most memorable is the electrifying performance by the late Heath Ledger....(more)

As FDA says tomatoes are safe, growers criticize agency

Was slicing tomatoes from our menus worth it?...(more)

Scientists at Arctic research station take pulse of the warming Earth

TOOLIK FIELD STATION, Alaska – Beyond the Arctic Circle, teams of scientists measure widening slumps as ice melts beneath the tundra. They scuff through tussocks blackened by unexpected fires, and search for fish in drought-depleted streams....(more)

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

• Supervisor drops countywide gang tax plan

• Schwarzenegger criticizes lawmakers for not reaching budget deal

• California high school dropout rate near one-quarter, report says

• Poll finds gas prices alter habits

• Gang bust includes 10 arrests in region

• Families grieve as grim search continues

• Man is sought in fatal Oak Park shooting

• Lisa Heyamoto: Adventurers rough it for a KVIE show

• Mosquito spraying begins

• Airport all set to grow

• Theater Review: Vicki Lewis nails the role of Rose in Music Circus' excellent telling of 'Gypsy'

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

• Patriotic Texas city mirrors nation's recruiting troubles

• Sacramento hires sleuths in case of missing water meters

• Marcos Breton: Obama critic in Placerville offers a sign of these twitchy times

• Mosquito spraying starts today

• Sacramento-area auto dealers assess changed industry

• 'Dark Knight' role as The Joker may not be a fair legacy of Heath Ledger

• Dying Manson follower denied compassionate release

• The Good Life: Got to love the American River Parkway -- but be careful out there, will you?

• Sacramento-area auto dealers assess changed industry

• Cool your meals

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