Category: News

I’m doing research, honest.

I would make this one a “Make us laugh” post, but that clearly doesn’t motivate folks. But, you know what motivates people? MySpace (a place for friends) discussions. With that said…

Access to MySpace has been blocked at the Lodi Police Department.

Police officials say they decided to block access to MySpace on the department’s internal network because officers were spending too much time browsing online.

But, never fear, officers who use the site for investigations or other authorized reasons will still have access.

Hmm, if you have a site that may need to be visited from time to time for investigations and other authorized reasons, do you really need to be on that site for non-investigations and unauthorized reasons?

Zodiac coinkidink?

Does anybody else smell a big fat rat?

Nearly four decades after some of the most infamous serial killings in U.S. history, Vallejo Police investigators have submitted new DNA evidence to a California crime lab in hopes of catching the Zodiac killer.

The search for new evidence coincides with the release of a new film chronicling the hunt for the Zodiac killer. “Zodiac,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. opens March 2.

Although I am least happy that this story does not involve someone named Britney or Anna Nicole…

Nice goes all wrong at TJs

Being niceThese days when I visit the East Sac Trader Joe’s–which no matter how crowded it is, always seems to have a staff to patron ratio of about 1:1–I notice that the cashiers are very friendly. Like, serial killer friendly. I assume this is company policy. Saturday night, after a long tiring day of yard projects and kid-wrangling, I was asked by the young cashier whether I had any plans. Nothing much, I said, just going to watch a movie with the wife. “Oh really? What movie do you have?” At this point I was too tired to think of way to avoid telling him what movie, and then since it was an obscure low-budget science fiction flick (“Primer“–which by the way was kinda interesting, and at 68 minutes is worth your time, but your wife will haaate it.), I found myself having to give him a plot summary and genre explanation of this movie which I had not seen. Too bad I hadn’t just rented “Caddyshack” or something…

This is not the first such encounter. Continue reading “Nice goes all wrong at TJs”

Good luck, Russ

Tower Records, R.I.P.Few businesses in the history of capitalism blew as badly as Tower Records. The Sacramento-founded and West Sacramento-based company went from having must-shop stores in Hollywood, Tokyo and Manhattan to being the current generation’s edition of a buggy-whip manufacturer.

The Bee is reporting that Tower Records founder and Sacramento-area legend Russ Solomon has signed a lease for the former TR site on Broadway, with plans to open a … um … would it still be called a “record” store? For the history-minded, that location would be right across the street from where it all began, in the corner of the Solomon family’s Tower Drugs.

Fergoshsakes, Russ, you’re 81 years old. Why don’t you open an iTunes account like the rest of the world and enjoy your retirement? Still, gotta admire the spirit and wish him the best.

As an aside … isn’t it strange that after all those years Tower didn’t own that property? The family that does has also leased the Tower Books site, to the Avid Reader.

Sign this…or else

On Thursday, February 15 at 7pm the Arden Arcade Incorporation Committee will be holding a petition drive celebration and informational meeting at Arcade Church (3927 Marconi Avenue). For those of you who haven’t been accosted by the for hire signature gatherers in the area recently, some folks in the Arden Arcade area are trying to incorporate. In order to do so they must “obtain” a certain amount of signatures from the public.

Now I’m all for taking it to the streets and letting the people decide, but these signature gatherers are just plain jack-holes. So much so that I am all for voting against incorporation in protest.

Has anyone else encountered these scoundrels? Runner-eats? Sac-girl? What say you?

What a haul!

Lost in all the blah-blah over King Ron’s dog problems and astronaut love-triangles was this little gem about a state worker accused of using her procurement card to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dough on everything she could think of:

A state Department of Child Support Services analyst used a state credit card to embezzle $320,000, buying a flat-screen television, hot tub, gazebo, iPods, handcuffs, chains and whips, according to California Highway Patrol officials.

Carey Renee Aceves, 34, later fenced many of the items to buy a new Lexus, officials said. But even as her bosses began probing her purchases in January, Aceves was being trained to be make purchases for another state agency.

Wow, that’s some haul! Especially since, as recounted in the local beancounters blog, it can be difficult under normal circumstances for state workers to buy day planners.

Frankly, I think Ms. Aceves has a future with Halliburton.

More fun with CC&R

Following up on this discussion from 2005 regarding CC&R, it appears the bill (AB 394) that went to the Governor’s desk was put into law last year. From cbs13.com:

County clerk recorder Craig Kramer said residents can buy the official CC&R and strike the clause, making it good for all properties in the subdivision. The Morris’s plan to do that, as a happy 21st century family, they say some sometimes history needs a little rewriting.

As discussed in the earlier post, this law went into effect on January 1, 2006. So why is it only getting press in 2007? And can one person “buy” the official CC&R and strike the clause for the whole neighborhood? And if so, how?

Well, loyal reader, you’ve come to the right place.

Continue reading “More fun with CC&R”