By now, you’ve heard that Grant High won the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division State Football Championship Bowl Game on Saturday night in Carson, CA. Fox 40 took the lead with their extensive coverage of the game. Watch the kids arrive in Northern California from cbs13.com. Ah, to be young again…

What’s really exciting here is how quickly the community gathered around to schedule a parade to celebrate the victory.

Twin Rivers School District officials, and city officials, are scrambling to lock down speakers, publicize the event, and make other preparations. “We got a permit rushed right though and every one is very excited to celebrate some good news,” said school district spokeswoman Trinette Marquis…Marquis said the Sacramento police and fire departments have chipped in by handing out fliers in addition to their normal crowd control and safety duties. The district’s automated phone system will be making more than 25,000 phone calls to invite district students, parents and staff to the parade and rally.

That’s good stuff right there. *rant* Seriously, how many more news stories about how things haven’t begun to suck yet can we all take? We get it! */rant*

The parade (great use of umapper.com, btw) is set to start at 1 p.m. at Grant High School and end with a 3:30 p.m. rally at the City Hall at 9th and I streets.

“When coming here today someone hit a pole on Marconi. On Marconi, people just don’t pay attention and it’s foggy. They don’t care if it’s 50 mph in a 30. People don’t care,”

…so is quoted in a story from KCRA on CalTrans’ newly released 2008 California Highway Safety Improvement Program 5 Percent Report (don’t read that title while driving).

According to the study, Sacramento ranks number two (behind Los Angeles) in the number of traffic accident hot spots in the state. The worst spot in Sac? It probably won’t surprise anyone:

Over the past 10 years, Watt Avenue has been the site of 7,800 crashes, according to the California Highway Patrol, while Highway 99 near 12th Avenue hosts three accidents a month. Also, the link between Interstate 5 and 50 averages a crash almost every other day.

Who could have guessed?

Remember when things were going so well in this country that we cared about space exploration and whether or not we were alone in the universe? This UFO story in Sacramento should help you recall those memories of old.

Plus, this story is one of the few examples of the comments feature being used less annoyingly by “news” organizations. They read like a story. A real page turner…

So, please to enjoy. And, if you’re like me, you can’t help but remember that episode of The Brady Bunch where Greg plays a joke on the gang by fabricating his own UFO.

If so, Mercy San Juan Medical Center and law enforcement want to hear from you.

From cbs13.com:

The patient is described as a Caucasian male in his 40s. He’s approximately 5-foot-10 and 275 pounds with dark, shoulder-length hair. He has a pierced left ear and a tattoo of a lion’s head on his left shoulder.

Remember, it’s his left shoulder. So if you run into a 5-foot-10, 275 pound dude with dark, shoulder-length hair with a pierced left ear and a tattoo of a lion’s head on his *right* shoulder…keep looking, that’s not him.

During economic downswings, folks sometimes find themselves returning to school to increase their learning and earning potential. Sacramento now has one more option for those looking for a Master’s Degree.

Drexel University, founded in Philadelphia in 1891, will open their Center for Graduate Studies in January. To sweeten the pot, Drexel is waiving the $70 enrollment fee and has established a $10 million Sacramento Leadership Fellowship Fund to steer the best and the brightest toward their doors. Get more info at one of their Open Houses.

Master’s Programs that begin in January are MBA, Engineering Management, Higher Education, Information Systems, and Library & Information Science. In September, they will add Master’s programs in Human Resource Development, Science of Instruction, Nursing Management and Nursing Education.

Better use the ATM.

You proposition 8 debaters should enjoy this one from CBS13.com.

All Golden One Banks in our area are enforcing a new dress code: no hats…”Typically, they have a hood pulled up, they have sunglasses on or they have a hat with a visor pulled down,” says Teresa Halleck, President and CEO of Golden One Credit Union.

“They” of course are the bad guys. And they have a uniform. Without this uniform their super powers are lost.

I kid the Golden One. However, pay close attention to the sign posted at the front of the bank. The forward and backward hat positions are included in this policy.

Last week I was generously invited to attend an unveiling of sorts at the Firehouse.  The 2009 Zagat publication of America’s top restaurants has been released, and guess who got invited to the party?  That’s right my much maligned local compatriots, Sacramento. The 2009 guide features almost 50 cities in America and Texas, and this year’s newest addition to the guide was our fair city. Showing off its diversity, Sacramento contributed restaurants of all stripes including Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Italian, French, and Pretentious.

The “release party” at the Firehouse last week was more of a press event than anything else. Sure, some of the town’s culinary hitters were there, including Randall Selland, Biba Caggiano, and Mai Pham. Representatives of Sactown magazine were also in attendance, discussing their role in getting the Zagat people to recognize Sacramento as existing.  Everyone was smiles and handshakes, but the event was fairly tame — either due to low attendance or the equally low economy. Continue reading “It’s Pronounced za-GAT” »

So, how is your voting experience going? Feel free to comment and share your story.

My polling place is being held at an elementary school. Sort of an odd idea to have a steady stream of adults coming and going while school is in session, but that could just be my paranoia.

I was not asked to show ID as I had voted there before. Another interesting one. I guess I see them working, but would it be that much of a time killer to require an ID every election?

What about the folks that hang signs on the overpasses? Or the groups that gather at major intersections during heavy rains and jump in and out of traffic to get their message out there? The hand painted signs with way too much information to make out as you fly by. Wackiness.

Anyone cashed in on the free Starbucks coffee?

To conserve space on this here weblog, here you go. See you again in March…

P.S. And this time it is ending. Starts in March, ends in November.¹

With the Fair underway, the Sacramento Bee reminds us that there will be a sobriety checkpoint in Elk Grove tonight. Wait, the Fair is in Sacramento, right? Where lots of folks will be drinking? Ok, cool, Elk Grove it is.

The enforcement is part of the statewide “Avoid” campaign funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Interesting slogan. At any rate, if you follow the link on the Bee story (oh, wait, it’s broken, posted on the 13th, too) you will learn more about the program.

The overall goal of the awareness campaign is to let drivers know about the countywide increased enforcement periods and warn drivers that the only way to “AVOID” the county’s law enforcement officers is to drive sober.

Ah, there it is. I get it now. A press release reminds us that party hosts and families must limit drinks to their guests, and to not serve more than one or two over several hours. Stickie, can you hear me?

Be safe out there.