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SACRAMENTO

The Wire

FBI investigates Sacramento mayor's nonprofit

The FBI is investigating allegations that an executive at a nonprofit founded by Mayor Kevin Johnson obstructed a federal inquiry into the group's spending.

Sacramento tent city emptying under city deadline

Dozens of the people who have been living in a homeless encampment near downtown Sacramento folded their tents and packed their shopping carts Wednesday, the deadline set by the city to clear out.

Sacramento mayor to pay $73K to settle with feds

Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced a settlement with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson over allegations that a nonprofit founded by the former NBA star used federal money to pay volunteers for jobs including political activities, running personal errands and washing Johnson's car.

Sacramento, Calif., OKs plan to close `tent city'

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday he would try to find state money to help city officials relocate about 150 people from a homeless encampment that put California's capital in the international spotlight.

Former NBA star campaigns to be Sacramento mayor

A bid by a former NBA All-Star to become mayor of California's capital city has drawn basketball celebrities to a town that is often overshadowed by the state politics that unfold here.

Investigators say former NBA star misused grants

A nonprofit run by mayoral candidate and former NBA star Kevin Johnson used AmeriCorps grants to pay volunteers to engage in school-board political activities, run personal errands for Johnson and even wash his car, federal investigators say.

Former NBA star headed for runoff in Sacramento

Former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson survived his first political test, forcing a runoff election for mayor against the two-term incumbent in California's capital.

The Vine
Are state workers enabling bad government?
Source: The Sacramento Bee

The State Worker column in today's fiber and cyber Bee notes that we've entered a 12-week stretch of four-day work weeks for state employees because of holidays and "Furlough Fridays." Our sense is that, for several reasons outlined in the column, the public may not notice.

Marines get taste of Afghan challenge in Eastern Sierra
Source: The Sacramento Bee

BRIDGEPORT - For thousands of U.S. Marines, the road to Afghanistan goes through an isolated training facility in the Eastern Sierra where they share the rugged Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest with civilian hunters, backpackers and skiers.

My View: Steinberg's water deal betrays his constituents
Source: The Sacramento Bee

State Sen. Darrell Steinberg's quiet reshuffling of 150 years of California water policy to bail out Southern California developers and giant agricultural interests to the south threatens the future of this region.

Patients flock to California doctors practicing pot medicine
Source: The Sacramento Bee

In Mississippi, where Dr. David Allen worked as a heart surgeon, authorities seized his home and ranch this year after finding $800 worth of marijuana and $1,000 in hashish.

Water funds by the bucket - California Politics | Sacramento Bee
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday began signing bills in the just-passed five-bill water package. He is expected to sign the centerpiece, an $11.14 billion general obligation bond scheduled to go before voters on Nov. 2, 2010, early next week.

Thousands file in for Coast Guard and Marine memorial in North Highlands - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Thousands of people are gathering at the former McClellan Air Force Base in North Highlands this morning to honor nine military fliers who perished in a disastrous crash over the Pacific Ocean last week.

Sheriff: No Promises On Safety In Sacramento
Source: KCRA.com

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. -- Safety and quality of life may be suffering in the Sacramento County because of a dwindling law enforcement staff, according to the county sheriff.

Lawmakers pass water package after removing Sacramento project - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Lawmakers approved a momentous overhaul of California's ailing water system early this morning, but approval came only after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg agreed to strip a $10 million earmark for a Sacramento project he personally has championed.

New charges filed in tomato industry fraud, price-fixing case - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Another former SK Foods executive has been charged in Sacramento federal court, the latest expansion of a sprawling case of fraud, bribery and price fixing in the tomato-processing industry.

New cookbooks preach gospel of no-knead breads---{No-knead breads the hottest thing since you-know-what}
Source: TheTimesHearld.com

For physician Jeffrey Hertzberg and baker Zoe Francois, the journey to no-knead bread began innocently enough.

Meatloaf: Comfort by the slice
Source: The Sacramento Bee

The season has arrived when home cooks break out the heavy-duty pots and pans, and turn to their cool-weather repertoires, tantalizing families and guests with delectable aromas wafting from the kitchen.

Lawmakers predict water package passage today
Source: The Sacramento Bee

California lawmakers waded part of the way late Monday through a landmark set of proposals to revive the state's creaking water system, and legislative leaders predicted they would finish the job today.

Pay-by-the-mile auto insurance advances in California
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Car insurance by the tankful? Not quite, but California moved a step closer last month to pay-as-you-drive policies that could allow motorists to buy insurance like they do gasoline – a little at a time.

Kirkwood as alternative energy lab: Ski area joins fight against global warming
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Few businesses feel as threatened by global warming as the ski industry. And few resorts are poised to go to the same lengths – and expense – to combat it as Kirkwood and the hardy folks who make their homes in the snowy, windswept Kirkwood Meadows.

California lawmakers rarely defy party lines, analysis finds
Source: The Sacramento Bee

It's more likely to rain in Death Valley on any given day than it is for a California legislator to vote in opposition to the majority of his or her party on any given bill, a new Bee analysis shows.

Seeds: Scary, elegant or simply peculiar, black flowers and foliage attract
Source: The Sacramento Bee

In his nursery, plant man Paul Bonine found himself inexplicably drawn to black – black leaves, black stems, black flowers. These anomalies of nature are living contradictions.

SMUD gets $127.5 million in stimulus funds for 'smart meters'
Source: The Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District on Tuesday scored $127.5 million in federal stimulus funds to install "smart meters" in every home and business in its territory – the first step in giving local consumers real-time, online information about their energy use.

Sacramento...or in the words of others ...."A 'sacred' city"

There are those who grow up and leave their hometowns, there are those who stay forever. There are those who move into town as well. Some stay and some go to another place...

She's weaving herself a new career
Source: The Sacramento Bee

Ann Robinson will always be an educator at heart. Last summer, however, she had to ask herself a question all too familiar to people with long careers that come to an unexpected end: "Now what am I going to do?"...

Glass negatives the work of famed photographer Ansel Adams?
Source: The Sacramento Bee

FRESNO – A handful of experts are trying to prove what Rick Norsigian has suspected for years: that his garage-sale find of 60 glass photographic negatives are the early works of famed California photographer Ansel Adams.

Adventure of the Week: Aid others' lungs by burning yours
Source: The Sacramento Bee

The door to the stairwell of Sacramento's tallest skyscraper, the Wells Fargo Center, swings open Nov. 14 for an event benefiting the American Lung Association.

Afghan for a birthday girl and a 'warmer' winter...{updated with 'border' photos}...now finished...

You all know that I make things for people. One of my greatest pleasures in life is making, then giving those gifts to people. I find MOST of the time people do appreciate the gift.

First down ribs, brats to go
Source: The Sacramento Bee

"Tailgating is part of the American culture," says Cindy Spiro, UC Davis' senior associate athletics director for development. "For a lot of Midwestern and Eastern colleges, it's been a staple for generations.

Thousands In Sacramento Without Power After Storm
Source: KCRA.COM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Thousands of people in the Sacramento region remained without power early Wednesday and a massive cleanup effort was under way after a big fall storm walloped Northern California on Tuesday.

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