Gas leak evacuation, killer sentenced. Sacramento’s top stories for July 14

Some of Sacramento’s top stories for July 14 include a downtown hazmat evacuation, a 1991 murder case reaching sentencing, and a beloved airport restaurant’s uncertain future.

Here is a quick digest:

• Contractors struck a natural gas line at 11th and H streets Tuesday afternoon, prompting a Level 2 hazmat incident that evacuated the 25-story CalEPA headquarters and two adjacent motel buildings in downtown Sacramento. Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Justin Sylvia said hot temperatures allowed the gas to rise, and workers on upper floors reported smelling it. No injuries were reported.

• James Lawhead Jr., 64, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole for the 1991 kidnapping and murder of Cinthia Wanner, a 35-year-old Rancho Cordova mother taken from her sister’s Granite Bay home. DNA evidence identified Lawhead as the suspect earlier this year, and he admitted to investigators he killed Wanner because “he wanted to know what it would feel like to kill.”

• Aviator’s Restaurant at Sacramento Executive Airport could remain closed for about two years after a routine kitchen floor repair uncovered crumbling concrete, corroded rebar, asbestos and mold. Sacramento County has waived rent for seven months and committed to funding repairs, though owner Cheung-Sang Chik said he remains uncertain about the timeline for reopening the 25-year-old airport institution.