Category: News

We should call it… Berkeley…Two, or something…

Berkeley showed it’s not only capable of being in the news for banning stuff like the US flag and log burning fireplaces; it’s also got a shrewd business mind:

[Berkeley-based] Grocery Outlet, which operates 125 stores, closed its Rocklin store last week and reopened it with the old Lucky name.

They’ll never stick with it, however, once Rocklin bans the sale of patchouli.

(Note: I am pretty sure the Grocery Outlet company is the kind of business you wouldn’t know is from Berkeley unless you read it, and no, my understanding of Berkeley has not advanced since I was 10.)

Everytime I think we find the last one…

Sac Rag reader Plumwin sent me this tip last Friday, about another murder by sword:

Jonathan Ralph Lee, 25, a transient [from Sacramento], went to the Happy Valley home and allegedly used a martial arts-style sword on display in the house to attack his mother, Deena Smith, and stepfather, Barry Alan Smith, said Shasta County Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Compomizzo.

This is the third story in almost four months involving a murder where a sword was used as a weapon. That has to be a record or something.

“Blue and Gray Flannel Shirt” Robber Still at Large

It’s been a while since a great police description of a crime suspect has been worth mentioning. However, News10.net warns us that the “Poncho Robber” has struck 22 times in Sacramento recently and folks better be on the lookout.

The robber is described as a white male; 5 feet, 6 to 8 inches tall and weighing 150 to 180 pounds. His hair is brown or blonde and worn short. He is believed to be in his 30s or 40s.

Brown…or blonde, hard to say. 30’s…or 40’s, it’s anyone’s call. 150 to 180 pounds, if only people that knew me saw a 30 pound range in describing my weight.
Continue reading ““Blue and Gray Flannel Shirt” Robber Still at Large”

Attack of the killer turkeys

Sacramento, and northern California in general, has a unique relationship with its farm animals. Yeah, I said it. Be it chickens, cows or pigs, we seem to have an interaction with these species that is all our own.

For example, take this story:

Foy said his office has received many calls about wild turkeys from Sacramento to Fairfield. He said it is currently mating season for the birds.

Those damned free lovin turkeys. You woulda thought we solved the problem last November. I guess we didn’t get them all.

Newsflash: Cars crash into Sac buildings (yawn)

This time, it was a three-fer, as a car and two cop cars hit a house:

“I was sleeping nice and sound and warm and I thought, ‘Oh this must be one of those California earthquakes, but I heard the sirens and you don’t ever hear the sirens in the house so I got up, checked the dog, saw the lights, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,'” resident Robert Ashcroft said.

No, Mr. Ashcroft, not one of those California earthquakes. It was one of those Sacramento-drivers-driving-into-a-building things.

UPDATE: I missed this story too. Keep an eye out for flying Lexusesses, people.

All snark aside…

A pretty rough weekend for Elk Grove, but one that created a few heroes in the two female Elk Grove deputies who faced down the maniac who had just shot randomly at several people and put an end to his spree. Who’s up for a Tuesday morning RIGHT ON!!?


Jon Johnson

Unfortunately this sick twist to an otherwise peaceful Laguna Blvd evening created another tragic story in the murder of John Johnson, the local photojournalist who was shot and killed while out on a date with his wife. Sounds like an all-around good man, with a passion for helping orphans, especially those in the Gulf Coast region, through his work with the charity group Assist One Foundation. He was planning a trip to Africa later in the year to work on a film about AIDS orphans there. RIP

In case losing your money and having zero fun wasn’t enough

Let’s see, you got your ATM ID theft ring, you got your missing persons and/or murders (allegedly), and you got your overnight daycare services. But that’s just not enough for you to pass on visiting the Thunder Valley Casino, right?

Well, word comes out now that the casino has been illegally polluting our streams with sewage. Never fear though, “…Consultants for the casino said they have added workers to better monitor the sewage treatment plant.”

Better monitor? Doesn’t exactly sound like a “we’ll never let it happen again” now does it?

Rancho Cordova drug ring busted

Sounds like a major bust out at the Gold Line station at Mather Field. I found it interesting that drug dealers apparently “generally do not set up shop before noon and they do not work in the rain.” Maybe I’m just confusing crack dealers and Mail Carriers, like I’m aaalways doing. I’ll leave the joke about a drug prevention program being called “Weed and Seed” to SinghCity because that sounds right up his alley.

Spinning out of control

No, not the allegations of word speculation. I’m talking about the fact that the Rag has become the place to go to bitch about KOVR’s lack of Paul Joncich and Jennifer Whitney. As evidenced by the most recent comment on my post from December, I believe it has erroneously come to be believed that The Sac Rag is the Web site of KOVR. If you haven’t been following that comment thread, it’s worth a read, especially in how it slowly evolves into the sentiment expressed by the comment from this morning, which seems to be either addressing KOVR management using the “open letter” format or as actual viewer feedback aimed at the wrong comments box. For the record: CBS13.com.

The future of law enforcement?

News10.net reports that the Manteca Police Department has for the first time used an automated telephone calling system to alert a neighborhood of a violent crime in their area.

I’m wondering if this is the future of law enforcement? How effective do you think a pre-recorded message can be in informing the public of criminal activity given our constant barrage of telephonic spam (this would totally be the name of my band if I had, like, musical talent and ambition and stuff) we experience everyday. Don’t get me wrong, I see the intent behind this system, I just worry that law enforcement is one of those areas where automation like this is not really needed.

The computer program is a reverse of the 911 emergency system. “It sends out a recorded message for a emergency situation,” said the department’s crime analyst Linda Silva. “I can pick out a certain area, and it brings up those numbers and just calls that area.”

Reverse of 911? How so? When you call 911 do you speak with an automated voice response system? I don’t think that you do, although that would be great and would really make my point.

911 IVR System: Hello, you’ve reached the 911 emergency system automated call center. Your emergency is very important to us. Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received. If your emergency involves an assault, press 1 now. If your emergency involves a…

Continue reading “The future of law enforcement?”