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A Sacramento jury set an eye-popping standard Thursday on the cost of radio station contests that kill and the resulting loss of a mother's love and a wife's companionship. The tab for Entercom Sacramento LLC came to $16,577,118 in the water-intoxication death of Jennifer Lea Strange in a contest put on by radio station KDND "The End" (107.9 FM). Such was the award rendered by a Sacramento Superior Court jury of seven men and five women in the trial to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Strange's survivors. The 28-year-old woman died Jan. 12, 2007, after she...

An outgrowth of the 9/12 March on DC, Operation Can You Hear Us Now has declared October 17th to be a nationwide day of demonstrations against media dishonesty. A key demonstration will be the protests at CNN headquarters [rally at CNN Center on the III flags starting at 1030 edst for the demonstration from 1200-1400], which Vanderboegh blogged earlier this week: The Rainy Day Patriots.org head to ATLANTA, Ga. MEDIA PROTEST at CNN The 9-12 March on Washington was only the beginning…. Here’s what’s next – - We are PEACEFULLY protesting the COMPLICIT and BIASED media on the sidewalks outside...

Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- California's state controller is warning that disappointing tax receipts will push the state into a bigger budget deficit than expected. A report released Friday by Controller John Chiang says state revenue is about $1 billion short of what lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expected when they reached a budget deal during the summer. The report says the biggest dip is in income tax, with receipts down about 11 percent.

SACRAMENTO, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Sacramento officials say they rescued dozens of cats that had been living in a house with cages stacked to the ceiling and feces caking the floors. Inside Paul and Kathy Franco's house and garage, city officials said they discovered among the worst cases of animal hoarding they had ever seen, The Sacramento Bee reported. After a SWAT team kicked open the couple's door Wednesday, veterinary specialists, shelter workers and animal-control officers spent hours rescuing the cats, which were taken to the city's animal-control center.

OCTOBER 3 Sleeping On Job Is Political Rite in Sacramento All-Night Sessions Mean Legislators Pack Toothbrushes, Cologne STU WOO SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- After 11 years as an elected California official, Abel Maldonado says he has finally figured out how to survive legislative sessions in Sacramento. His secret: Visine and Lil' Wayne. That is because many of the most important sessions at the statehouse turn into grueling all-nighters. "You don't sleep," says the Republican state senator from near Santa Barbara, Calif. "You lay back there in the chambers, you doze off, and you have important pieces of legislation that come up...

Reporting from Sacramento - Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has launched an investigation into the brouhaha over videotapes of a conservative group's sting operation against ACORN, the community organizing group credited with helping push Barack Obama to the presidency. Brown's office plans to look into circumstances surrounding both the making of the videos and any possible misdeeds by ACORN employees in California caught on tape. In what has become a staple of TV and radio talk shows in recent weeks, ACORN workers in several states were shown allegedly offering advice on tax evasion, human smuggling and child prostitution. Undercover videotapes, shot...

Delta smelts: Preferred over humans. Environmentalism: Sen. Dianne Feinstein votes to deny water to California's drought-stricken San Joaquin Valley. Farmers, families and food are being held hostage to an endangered fish called the delta smelt.There was a time when the San Joaquin Valley was the most productive agricultural region in the world. It was a large part of what made the Golden State golden.Now it's a place where farmers no longer farm, but instead line up at food banks to feed the families of those who once fed the rest of the country and a good chunk of the...

San Joaquin Water Crisis Resource Information:Websites Aquafornia.com http://aquafornia.com/ By Water Education Foundation. “…Aquafornia is dedicated to providing comprehensive news and information about California water issues, as well as issues affecting the southwest. Aquafornia posts links from the news media, press releases, trade magazines, and blogs…The site is updated usually by 8am daily, 7 days a week, and breaking news is posted whenever it occurs…” Links to footage from the Sean Hannity Show. Farmers For Water www.Farmersforwater.com “…Providing Links & Information on the Central Valley Water Crisis…” Good collection of articles, maps and photos, links and other information. Families Protecting the...

And in a big way. A lot of you have seen the great ads produced by a group called Catholics Come Home. The ads, evidently, are working. And spreading. From the Los Angeles Times: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is home to nearly 1 million Catholics. On a typical Sunday, less than 137,000 can be found in church. Now, using a strategy straight from the secular playbook, its leaders hope to lure back those who have drifted. The diocese and nearly a dozen others across the country are preparing to air several thousand prime-time TV commercials in English and...

Sacramento police arrested 17 homeless residents at their "safe ground" campsite this morning, including one advocate for the homeless. Rev. David Moss, a Methodist Minister, was taken into custody along with other campers, charged with illegal camping, Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong said. A press release by Loaves & Fishes early morning claimed Sister Libby Fernandez, executive director of the Loaves & Fishes homeless services group, was arrested together with other campers. But later Sacramento police clarified that she was only detained for a short period when police arrived to search the camp. Only those who had been previously cited...

Within hours after being rousted from their "safe ground" campsite in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday morning, homeless men and women were putting up new tents and preparing for another potential confrontation with police. Fifteen police officers cut a lock and entered the property on C Street between 12th and 14th streets where about 30 homeless people have slept for the past 10 days, cited them for illegal camping and seized their tents, sleeping bags and other possessions as evidence. The show of force drew TV satellite trucks, homeless advocates, attorneys and others to the property, which a local civil rights...

Various videos from Fox News available at the link. "Cross Country Protests" "Full Speed Ahead" "In debt for generations" "All Aboard"

YouTube Video of Aug 28th Sacramento Tea Party ! Just posted on line!

(Note: Links removed from email) August 28, 2009 Dear Friends, Over the last several months, I have spoken with many of you about your concerns of the skyrocketing costs of health insurance, anxiety about losing your coverage, and answered your questions about the comprehensive health care legislation being considered in Congress. Most recently, I completed my State of Sacramento's Health Care Tour, where I saw first-hand the constraints on our current health care system. Touring hospitals, community clinics, and meeting with patients, nurses and doctors all across the region, one thing was clear: we cannot afford the status quo. Right...

The Tea Party Patriots are still angry about the direction this country is going in, but a rally in Sacramento left them feeling energized and exhilarated about their movement. More than 5,000 people attended Friday's rally in Sacramento, 168 of whom came from Nevada County on three buses. Demonstrators kept to the same themes: Smaller government, reeling in taxes and support for veterans, said Jackie Branson of Grass Valley. Similar protests took place Friday elsewhere in the country, and more are planned in coming days. “I don't know where this is going to go,” said Robert Steuber, another Grass Valley...

Just got back from Sacramento & launch of Tea Party Express. Lots of people from the valley with signs about cutting off the water to agriculture for the Delta Smelt. Rousing speeches. Many trucks drove around the capitol complex with signs about cap & trade. Row of tractors from the farms around with signs. My guess: 5,000.

This event is shaping up to be great with Congressman Tom McClintock, Congressman Nunes, Assemblyman Dan Logue, Jon Coupal, Mark Meckler and lots of other great taxfighters all scheduled to speak. Be sure to tune in!

<p>And the Tea Party Express launches today from Sacramento!! We're expecting a big crowd at our noon time Tea Party rally today at the Capitol, then we launch our cross-country tour!</p> <p>Woo hoo!! Thirty-five cities, thirty-five tea parties in sixteen days!!</p>

While many members of Congress have spent their summer recess getting yelled at by constituents at unruly town-hall meetings, Rep. Doris Matsui has opted for a quieter approach. The Sacramento Democrat has not hosted a single town hall meeting this month and has no plans to do so before Congress returns to work in September to tackle a $1 trillion health care bill. She's sponsoring only one event next week, where constituents can call her on the telephone to ask questions. -snip- "I'm not taking away anything from some of the town halls that have been going on," Matsui said...

<p>And less than TWO days to go till the launch of the Tea Party Express!! We'll be loading up the FReepmobile and heading for Sacramento tomorrow afternoon to meet the express. We're expecting a big crowd at our high noon Tea Party rally at the State Capitol on Friday, then we launch our cross-country tour! Woo hoo!! Thirty-five cities in sixteen days!!</p>

Sacramento, Calif., Aug 26, 2009 / 01:31 am (CNA).- Hoping to encourage at least 100,000 non-practicing Catholics to return to church, the Diocese of Sacramento is preparing a “come home” advertising campaign for this December and January. At Mass over the next several weeks, church leaders will outline the program and ask parishioners to help pay for the ads. The ads are produced by the Catholics Come Home project."There's a large number of people who have left the church and are waiting for an invitation to come back," Msgr. James Murphy, vicar general of the diocese, told the Sacramento...

Woo hoo!! Less than $10k to go!! And less than three days to go till the launch of the Tea Party Express!! We'll be loading up the FReepmobile and heading for Sacramento Thursday afternoon to meet the express. We're expecting a big crowd at our high noon Tea Party rally at the State Capitol on Friday, then we launch our cross-country tour! Woo hoo!! Thirty-five cities in sixteen days!! Be sure to check the tour schedule and join us when we get to a city near you: TeaPartyExpress.org!! I just received word that there may still be rooms available at...

(Links removed) Dear Friend, In the past few months, conversations about how we can improve our nation's health system have taken place in the halls of Congress, at our kitchen tables, and in waiting rooms across the country. I have spoken with many of you in recent weeks about your concerns about the rising costs of health insurance, and the burden this places on you, your family, and either your business or your employer. I am writing today to invite you to join me for a Telephone Town Hall on Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00pm to talk with me more...

Pedro Hernandez said he's lived in the well-maintained pink Victorian at 13th and C streets for more than half of his 71 years. This weekend, Sacramento's latest version of tent city bloomed just beyond his backyard fence. About 35 homeless people are now living in a vacant lot owned by Mark Merin, a prominent attorney who has championed their cause. Hernandez said Sunday that his new neighbors have made him "stressed sick" and kept him up at night with noise, prompting him to file a complaint with police. "I am an old man," he said. He and his wife have...

A Sacramento attorney who has championed the rights of homeless people is opening his private property to campers who need a place to sleep at night. Mark Merin, who for years has challenged the city's and county's treatment of the homeless, is leasing a parcel of land in downtown Sacramento to an association of people seeking to establish a legal "safe ground" campsite. Three advocacy organizations are leading the "safe ground" effort. Merin would not disclose terms of the lease but said the vacant lot is on C Street between 12th and 14th streets and should accommodate 20 to 30...

Rep. Richardson's Sacramento home is focus of House ethics probe U.S. Rep. Laura Richardson bought the house in the tree-lined upper-middle-class Curtis Park neighborhood for $535,000 in early 2007 after she was elected to the Assembly. She already owned two houses, one in her Long Beach district and the other in San Pedro. She has defaulted six times on both homes. The Office of Congressional Ethics has interviewed an investor who bought the house in foreclosure last year, as well as neighbors. The city declared the structure a public nuisance. By Jeff Gottlieb July 29, 2009 U.S. Rep. Laura Richardson's...

A third man charged in a plot to attack Southern California military sites and other targets pleaded guilty Monday to a terrorism conspiracy charge. Gregory Vernon Patterson, 23, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana to one count of conspiring to levy war against the U.S. government through terrorism. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to use a firearm during that offense. Patterson could face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 14, prosecutors said. Two other men - Kevin James, 31, and Levar Haley Washington, 28 - pleaded guilty in the...

In his last homily as parish priest Sunday, the Rev. Jerry Ryle discussed Jesus' shortest sermon. The priest then faced the overflowing crowd at Sacramento's St. Philomene church and told parishioners what to expect from his sermon that morning."I'm going to go a little longer," said Ryle as parishioners laughed. "I have a lot to say."For 41 years, Ryle has presided over daily Mass in the Diocese of Sacramento. Now the priest is retiring, one of nine clerics officially stepping down today. Their retirements – the priests have served for decades and hold senior positions – are having a ripple...

The advocacy group Health Care for America Now sent volunteers door-to-door in five cities, including Sacramento, to engage the public. Do you agree that health care is a right, not a privilege? Moto was asked. He nodded in agreement. Do you have health insurance? asked Marlet Hilbert, one of the volunteers who had fanned out to increase public awareness about the health care debate. Moto appeared startled by the question. He answered, "No."

SACRAMENTO (AP) ― The FBI is investigating allegations that an executive at a nonprofit founded by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson obstructed a federal inquiry into the group's spending practices. The revelation comes two months after Johnson and his nonprofit, St. HOPE Academy, agreed to repay nearly $424,000 in federal grants to settle an investigation into whether the group misused federal money. Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown said he asked the FBI's Sacramento division to determine whether e-mails written by Johnson were deleted during the earlier investigation.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says he has lost confidence in the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs and has told Congress he is removing him from the position. Obama's move follows an investigation by IG Gerald Walpin of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is an Obama supporter and former NBA basketball star, into the misuse of federal grants by a nonprofit education group that Johnson headed....

Note: The following text is a quote: Roseville Man Pleads Guilty to “Lasering” Police Helicopter SACRAMENTO, CA—Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that BALTAZAR VALLADARES, 30, of Roseville, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge William B. Shubb to interference with the safe operation of an aircraft. This case is the product of a joint investigation by the Federal Air Marshals, the FBI, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, the Roseville Police Department, and the Sacramento Police Department. According to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew D. Segal, who is prosecuting the case, VALLADARES pleaded guilty to shining a...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Bank of America, Verizon, Chipotle and other companies have pulled advertising from a Sacramento radio station after talk show hosts referred to transgender people as "freaks" with mental disorders. During a May 28 show, one of the three hosts on KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" show said he would hit his son with his shoe if he put on high heels. Another said he would tell a boy he was "a little idiot" if he asked to wear a dress. Officials with Bank of America Corp. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. said Friday their companies pulled...

Note: The following text is a quote: May 20, 2009 FBI Sacramento Authorities Arrest Two for Leaving Incendiary Device at Sacramento Federal Courthouse Early this morning law enforcement officials arrested two individuals on charges of attempted arson of a federal facility and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The arrests of Matthew Fraticelli, 30, and Stephanie Shinn, 35, both of Sacramento, are related to an incendiary device discovered on the east side of the Sacramento Federal Courthouse over the week-end. The device, contained in a paper grocery bag, was discovered on Sunday morning at about 4:47 a.m., by Federal Protection...

Sacramento County officials are hoping to extract more than $42 million in concessions from labor groups in an effort to shrink a projected $180 million general fund shortfall for the fiscal year starting July 1. Time, however, is running out, and the negotiations don't appear to be going well. Today was supposed to be the date the county and its unions reached an agreement on concessions, labor leaders said. None, however, appear ready to sign off on such an accord. One union is threatening a lawsuit. "With the county it seems like a game of chicken – who's the first...

JAKARTA, April 14 (IslamOnline) - Alleged Al-Qaeda operative, Yazid Sufaat, denied terror charges, while he admitted that he met two Arab nationals at his condominium in Kuala Lumpur two years ago, a news report from Malaysiakini.com said on Sunday. However, Sufaat, high on the FBI list of suspects from South East Asia, who might be members or operatives of the Al-Qaeda, stressed the duo could not be involved in the Sept 11 attacks as they were amputees shopping for prosthetic legs in Malaysia. The 37-year-old pathologist and former army captain, who is also a businessmen in Malaysia, told this to...

Sacramento County probation officials have proposed shutting down their two main youth jails for convicted juvenile offenders, a budget move that carries potentially drastic implications for public safety. The Probation Department's proposal to close the Sacramento County Boys Ranch and the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center is part of a $37.4 million cost-saving measure that also includes a proposal to eliminate 247 jobs. The proposals still have to be sent through the county executive's office and be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Laid out in response to the county's projected $187 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year,...

5,000 celebrate 'Tax Day Tea Party' at Capitol Park by Steve Wiegand swiegand@sacbee.com Published: Thursday, Apr. 16, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A They came. They made noise. They partied like it was 1773. What they accomplished is problematic, at least so far. But for several hours Wednesday, a crowd estimated at about 5,000 gathered on Capitol Park's west lawn to protest federal bailout programs and state tax increases, and vent general frustration with what they see as governance that runs from paternalistic to profligate. "We just want to support our Constitution and get back to the limited government...

My Pictures from the Sacramento Tea Party http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaysterdotcom/sets/72157616839465318/show/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaysterdotcom/sets/72157616839465318/

After 78 years of standing in the Capitol, Thomas Starr King is about to be ousted by a better known Californian -- Ronald Reagan. In June, a bronze statue of Reagan will replace that of the relatively obscure King as one of California's two representatives in Washington's version of a national hall of fame. The Reagan likeness will be unveiled in a ceremony attended by former First Lady Nancy Reagan. The state's other representative is Father Junipero Serra, who, like King, has been a fixture in the U.S. Capitol since Herbert Hoover was president. SNIP The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation,...

Thousands protest taxes, Obama By Dan Smith Apr. 15, 2009 In what the California Highway Patrol said was a large but peaceful crowd, more than 5,000 people came to the state Capitol today to protest higher taxes in California and the Obama administration's national policies. Speakers, including Fox News' Neil Cavuto, talk radio personality Michael Reagan and U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, rallied the vocal crowd through and beyond the lunch hour. Many carried "No on 1A" signs, protesting the ballot measure on the May 19 special election that would create a state spending restrictions and extend state tax...

WEEKNIGHTS at 9 ET on BLOG TALK RADIOPROGRAM SCHEDULE Next Show: Wednesday, April 15 at 9 pm ET. "The answer to 2009 is 1776"Tonight we talk with Kristinn Taylor of Free Republic and ThirdWaveDave, our show producer. Both of them attended Tea Parties -- East Coast Kristinn here in Florida, and West Coast Dave in Sacramento. Highlights of the day at thousands of Tea Parties across the country...... and special reports from our guys -- coming up at 9 pm ET on my radio program. You don't want to miss it! Join our Tea Party! "We're havin' a tea party...

I'll be posting pictures, as I receive them.

Okay everyone...one last push to April 15. We've got some wonderful Tea Party Patriots lined up for your enjoyment...Michelle Malkin, Michael Reagan, Neil Cavuto of Fox News, Eric Hogue from KTKZ's Capitol Hour, and Mark Williams from Marktalk.com, will appear at the event. To entertain you, we've got Lloyd Marcus, the incredible singer who wrote our Tea Party Anthem! (www.lloydmarcus.com). Lisa Marie Ellis will sing an a cappella rendition of the national anthem that will bring tears to your eyes (www.lisamellis.com/anthem.htm). Opening the festivities will be Williams Riley (http://www.williamsriley.com), the talented new Nashville sensation. For the straight scoop on fighting...

From Sacramento -- Tom Campbell is a rarity. He's a politician who carefully thinks through contentious issues and takes positions based on his notion of good government. Good politics seem to be a low priority, if one at all. Not that all politicians are finger-to-the-wind opportunists. Each varies by degree between being a policy wonk and political survivalist. But Democrats tend to genuflect to labor, particularly public employee unions. Republicans tend to cower before the anti-tax crowd, to name one. Campbell is practically all wonk. And he must have missed the memo to rookie politicians about going along to get...

JOIN US!!!More at link!

Original Article: Accused Terrorist on Trial in Jordan Attended Classes at Sac State; Initiation to Terrorism May Have Started in Sacramento, According to Published Reports. Layla Bohm State Hornet (Student Newspaper) November 27, 2001 Former Sacramento State student Raed Hijazi at his trial in Jordan Nov. 26. Hijazi pleaded innocent to nine charges stemming from a plot to execute terrorist attacks on America and Israel during Millenium celebrations in December 1999. Courtesy Photo/A He was a typical California student. Born in San Jose Dec. 3, 1968, Raed Hijazi eventually attended Sacramento City College, took a Sacramento State extension course...

From Facebook Sacramento Tea Party: We've just received notice that FoxNews will be flying Neil Cavuto to Sacramento to broadcast his show, "Your World with Neil Cavuto," live from the Sacramento Tax Day Tea Party! It's incredibly exciting and speaks to the importance and stature that the movement is gaining in the national media. Now is our chance to let our region speak to politicians across the nation...not just here in Sacramento! Make sure everyone you know in the region, knows about the event. Details, flyers, etc. can be found at www.sacteaparty.com. We're looking forward to seeing you at the...

The city of Sacramento likely is barred from getting federal money – including tens of millions the city is expecting from the new stimulus package – because Mayor Kevin Johnson is on a list of individuals forbidden from receiving federal funds, according to a leading attorney the city commissioned to look into the issue. Federal authorities placed Johnson and the nonprofit Hood Corps organization he founded on the federal list last year – before he was elected mayor – following a preliminary investigation into allegations that the urban Peace Corps-style program had misused federal funds. Federal officials said the allegations...

The sister of President Barack Obama will speak at California State University, Sacramento, on Tuesday. Maya Soetoro-Ng will talk about leadership and service at a 2 p.m. speech in the University Union Ballroom. She is a high school teacher in Hawaii and a lecturer at the University of Hawaii's College of Education. Her focus is on world history, multicultural education and nonviolence. Soetoro-Ng was invited to campus by Boatamo Mosupyoe, director of CSUS' Cooper-Woodson College Enhancement Program.