Living Here

Call to readers: World travelers, check in

Published: 12:00 am

The wanderlust of Ken Noack Sr. began in 1950 when he took a year off from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rentals: Competition up, but economy cited as reason for price drop

By Adam Weintraub - Updated: Sunday, January 3 2010 - 10:32 am

Although vacation rentals have been a major portion of the Tahoe market for decades, the economic downturn has made price a bigger factor for renters and created incentives for more owners to put their properties up for lease.

Celebs, mags are go-tos for style ideas

By Leigh Grogan - Updated: Sunday, January 3 2010 - 10:33 am

Fashion offers opportunities to jump-start 2010 right from your own closet. It's time to carry out that New Year's resolution to live more colorfully.

Second Opinion: DMHC limited in helping with complaints about care

Published: Sunday, January 3 2010 - 12:00 am

If you have questions about the practices of your managed-care coverage, ask the experts at the state Department of Managed Health Care.

Health & Fitness Calendar

Published: Sunday, January 3 2010 - 12:00 am

"Tai Chi for Wellness"; American Buddhist Seminary, 423 Glide Ave., West Sacramento; 5:30-6:30 p.m.; $10 per class; (916) 662-4567.

Home and Garden

Dress your home to 'the tens'

'Aughts' are outta here; it's time to decorate and downsize for a new decade.

Health and Fitness

Inside Medicine: Denying futile health measures: That's practicing good medicine

Should you have the right to any medical care you want? Some might argue that you should be able to get anything you want – if you're willing to pay for it.

Outbound

Autumn chinook run falls short

Salmon didn't make the big fall comeback in Central Valley rivers that anglers and nature lovers yearned for, raising the likelihood of a third year of fishing restrictions.

• sacmomsclub.com
• sacpaws.com

MAP: SNOW PARKS

Looking for a place to throw a few snowballs or maybe do some snow-sledding? We've built this map just for you!

Map: Click here to find your favorite snow park.

Family

Day care shutdowns in Sacramento region leave parents scrambling

Sacramento County suffered a net loss of about 500 family day care homes and 10 large child care centers between 2006 and 2008, according to a new study.

Family Day Care

• More stories
• SacWineRegion.com

Books and Media

Between the Lines: With these titles, it's not hard to resolve to curl up with books

From this column's perspective, there are few better ways to kick off 2010 than with a good book – or two or three. Here's a sampling of upcoming and current titles that caught our attention:

Food and Wine