Happening TONIGHT!

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1:52 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Wanted: Surveillance Camera Owners!

Hello All,

I am a patrol officer for Natomas Park Masters Association with Paladin Private Security.

In the past week we have noticed an increase in the number of residential burglaries and attempted burglaries. While in the course of my duties I have been following up on a lot of the incidents this week and have found that many residents have equipped their residence with some sort of surveillance camera.

As a result, I have followed up on two incidents where a neighbor of the victim had a video camera showing the suspects in action. This has also led to Paladins ability to match the the videos with any Auto-Vu (License plate reader) captures in the area.
.
Here is my request. I would like to start a list of residents in Natomas Park Masters Association who have cameras equiped to the exterior of their homes. If you have a camera or know of a neighbor who has a camera(s), please contact a Paladin Officer so we can make a confidential list for reference if there is an incident in the area of the camera.

This list will be kept extremely confidential and available only to Paladin and Sacramento Police.

Your help is what makes the difference,

Officer Darren Ross (M-Th 6a-4p)
Paladin Private Security
Natomas Park Masters Association
(916) 331-3175

1:39 PM | 0 comments | Read More

For A Good Cause

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1:30 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Seen In The Neighborhood

Sac PD pulling over vehicles running through stop signs... Sometimes, it's the little things that can brighten our day!

10:20 AM | 6 comments | Read More

9:29 PM | 0 comments | Read More

UPDATED: In The News...

Click here to read our friends at Fox 40's story about the negotiations between Goodwill Industries and landlord CB Richard Ellis, for the retail space formerly occupied by BORDERS, and the community's response to this news.

Channels 3 and 13 also reported the story on tonight's news at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Click here to read fellow blogger and Natomas resident Joe Sacramento's article posted on the same topic.

But remember where you heard the story it first!

3:23 PM | 25 comments | Read More

Goodwill Industries Eyes Former Borders Site

The former BORDERS bookstore now stands empty in the Park Place shopping center.

A NATOMAS BUZZ reader and former BORDERS employee wrote in that she went by the store yesterday to pick up her final check.

"The guys selling the shelving, etc. said that Goodwill architects had been in a couple of times this week to measure," she writes.

THE BUZZ this afternoon confirmed via an e-mail from President/CEO Joseph R. Mendez that Goodwill Industries of Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada is "currently in negotiations with the landlord for a 15,000 square-foot store at that location."

Thanks, J.W. for the tip!

5:42 PM | 53 comments | Read More

NATOMAS BUZZ Seeks Reader Advisors

The NATOMAS BUZZ is in the process of creating a reader advisory panel. The purpose of the panel would be to provide input on blog content and standards.

If you are interested in being on the panel, send us an e-mail telling us a little about yourself and why you would like to participate!

2:44 PM | 9 comments | Read More

Winter Instrumental Music Concert: Destinations

Enjoy an evening of travel as the Natomas Charter Performing and Fine Arts Academy instrumental music ensembles take you on a journey to numerous musical destinations.

These concerts will feature compositions inspired by places, originated from a particular location, or those that define various musical eras and styles. From Dvorak’s 'New World Symphony' and Holst's 'Jupiter' from the Planets, to Jazz standards by Count Basie and Benny Goodman, these musical works are few selections from performances you will not want to miss!

Part II: Stage Band,

Show Band,

Percussion Ensemble

Date: January 23, 2008

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: $10 - General
$8 - Students and Seniors

Buy Tickets

2:33 PM | 1 comments | Read More

Creekside Group Meets Tonight

The Creekside Neighborhood Association will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting tonight at 7 p.m.

The group will discuss its goals for 2009 as well as an opening the board which needs to be filled. The plan is to discuss the open spot and set an election for February. The new Creekside liaison police officer Craig Wetterer is expected to attend.

The meeting will be held in the Homecoming Apartments main office (Community Room) on Kokomo Drive.

2:11 PM | 0 comments | Read More

In The News: Nuts Removed From School Menus

Due to a recent recall of peanuts and peanut products, the Natomas Unified School District Food Services division temporarily removed all peanut products from distribution to students.

Peanut crackers containing salmonella were identified in processed products sold non-commodity to retail markets.

The USDA and California Dept. of Education have stated that none of the peanut butter or peanuts in question were distributed through the USDA commodity programs to California schools. However, as a precautionary measure, the district has removed all peanut products until further notice

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For A Good Cause

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3:05 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Where In Natomas?

2:57 PM | 7 comments | Read More

Where In Natomas?

12:01 PM | 6 comments | Read More

Seen In The Neighborhood

A NATOMAS BUZZ reader sent in this photo to let us know that
Tugboat has opened for business. It's nice to see businesses opening, isn't it?

10:07 AM | 9 comments | Read More

Photos Of BofA Robber Released

The suspect is possibly involved in other bank robberies in the Sacramento area. He is described as a white male, 5’5”-5’7” 190-200 lbs, dark red or brown short hair, an unshaven face/goatee, wearing a black baseball hat, blue denim jacket, a light gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.

9:23 PM | 4 comments | Read More

Seen In The Neighborhood

Target shopping carts breeding and multiplying on the corner of Juneberry and Del Paso Road.

4:59 PM | 35 comments | Read More

In The News: Natomas Kids' Advice For New Prez

The Sac Bee is sharing these letters and drawings by Westlake Charter School first graders giving Barack Obama advice for his presidency.







THE BUZZ loves the images drawn by Mrs. Acquisto's students and the simple, yet important messages the letters include for the president elect.

4:34 PM | 1 comments | Read More

Natomas Bank Robbed This Morning

The Sacramento Police Department reports Bank of America in Natomas was robbed at 10:02 a.m. this morning.

The suspect is described as a white adult male, approximately 35 years in age, 5'8", and wearing denim. It is possible he had red hair.

The man reportedly entered the bank, went to a teller, and demanded money. He told the teller he had a gun but none was seen.

The suspect left the bank with the money on foot and possibly got into a new dark green Jeep type vehicle.

The bank is located at 3645 N. Freeway, near Target.

1:35 PM | 6 comments | Read More

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That's How We Roll

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Natomas Residents Run For Delegate Posts":

this website is a joke... you censor posts...nice...typical of librals.

where are my responses to the above posts?

Yup, from time to time we censor posts we feel are offensive and/or fail to move the dialog forward.

7:50 AM | 13 comments | Read More

Where In Natomas?

Still no guesses for our last "Where In Natomas" post,
so we decided to make this one a little easier.

Click here to submit a WIN photo!
All submissions subject to cropping for challenge purposes...

11:06 AM | 6 comments | Read More

Seen In The Neighborhood

A public notice of application to sell alcoholic beverages dated Dec. 9, 2008 is posted at the location of the former Golden Palace restaurant. Looks like a new eatery -- Full Moon Seafood Restaurant -- plans to take up residency!

10:48 AM | 1 comments | Read More

In The News

KCRA.com has reported the story of a Natomas man held up at gunpoint while stopped, in his car, at the intersection of Great Egret and Duckhorn yesterday afternoon.

THE BUZZ asked Sac PD Capt. Daniel Hahn, what people should do in situations such as this frightening armed robbery. Here is his response:

If you are in the terrible situation of being robbed you should do what your instincts tell you to do.

There is no one response that will fit every situation -- every incident is different. But, as a general rule -- your life and health are always worth more then money or physical objects such as cell phones. Generally, you should comply with the robber and give him or her anything they want and they will flee.

One thing you can do pro-actively is remember everything about the suspect or any car they were driving. Immediately write down anything you can remember about the suspect. You will be surprised how much you don't remember after a traumatic event such as this.

And for anyone that is a witness to this sort of activity -- please be a good witness and tell the police what you saw. Robbers don't stop after one robbery -- they continue unless we catch them.

Together, not only can we catch robbers, but we can also prevent robberies.

5:42 PM | 4 comments | Read More

Heard In The Neighborhood

East Lawn Memorial sponsored the Dec. 19 burial of Gerald Abbott.

Abbott's mother Shauna Carpenter confirmed East Lawn Memorial covered the costs for the Natomas teen to be laid to rest.

Abbott died suddenly Dec. 5 while playing basketball.

5:13 PM | 3 comments | Read More

Things To Do This Weekend In Natomas

NATOMAS BUZZ reader Paul tells us there is a recently formed Natomas Small Dog meet up group "where local owners of small dogs can get together and have their little ones get out and play, share advice, and make friends."

The group is meeting 10 a.m. tomorrow, Jan. 10 at the Regency Park small dog park. Click here for more information about the group and where to find them Saturday morning!

4:39 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Natomas Residents Run For Delegate Posts

front row: David Kawada and Jo Souvignier.
back row: Allan Brauer, Mark Billingsley, Kimberly Mack and David DeLuz.

Natomas residents Mark Billingsley, David Kawada and Kimberly Mack are running for California Democratic Party delegate seats from the 5th Assembly District, which encompasses all of North Natomas and is represented by Republican Roger Niello.

AD5 also includes parts of Arden Arcade, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Folsom, North Highlands, McClellan Park, Orangevale, Sacramento and Granite Bay.

Billingsley, Kawada and Mack were members of the executive committee of Sacramento For Obama and are members of a six-person group called "Slate For Change." The other members of the slate are Allan Brauer, David DeLuz and Jo Souvignier.

The California Democratic Party is convening delegate elections in each of the state’s 80 Assembly Districts on Saturday and Sunday. The election for AD5 will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Sylvan Oaks Library, 6700 Auburn Blvd. Any Democrat living in AD5 can vote for as many as 12 candidates.

Early registration and balloting will be conducted from 9 to 11 a.m. and then the 47 candidates will each speak for 60 seconds. Voters can cast a ballot as early as 9 a.m. and do not have to stay for the candidate speeches.

The 12 candidates with the most votes will be elected to represent AD5 at both the 2009 and 2010 California Democratic Party conventions. The 2009 convention will be held April 24-26 in Sacramento.

"All six of us were heavily involved in the Obama campaign and we want to take our energy, our experience and our knowledge to the California Democratic Party State Central Committee to affect even more change and help elect even more Democratic candidates to local and state-wide office," Billingsley said. "We'd love to see the same level of support for the candidates as we saw for Obama last Nov. 4. But hope and change didn't stop that day. We want to keep it going."

Click here to find out more.

4:33 PM | 9 comments | Read More

Where In Natomas?

Click here to submit a "Where In Natomas?" photo!
All submissions subject to cropping for challenge purposes...

11:15 PM | 2 comments | Read More

For A Good Cause

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11:21 PM | 0 comments | Read More

In The News: City Lays Off Eight

Today's Sac Bee reports the city has laid off eight of its Development Services Department employees.

The building moratorium in Natomas, stalled construction projects elsewhere, and a significant budget deficit were cited as reasons for the move. An excerpt:

The layoffs will save the city $500,000 over the next six months and $1 million next fiscal year, said Bill Thomas, director of development services.

A popular comment posted today by a SacBee.Com reader:

Eight people are paid a million dollars a year? That means the average pay is $125,000 a year. By golly, I think I have found the root of the budget problem! According to the IRS, the average citizen's wage is $42,000 annually.

-- RODBO

7:19 PM | 9 comments | Read More

Seen In The Neighborhood

An uptick in gang-related graffiti has been reported in the neighborhood west of Interstate 5. We took this picture near Witter Ranch Elementary School when scouting for a "Where In Natomas?" shot.

6:37 PM | 2 comments | Read More

For A Good Cause

10:00 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Updated: Time To Toss Those Trees

1/5/2009: After a call to 3-1-1, THE BUZZ found out Sac City is not scheduled to pick up trees until the week of Jan. 12-16. Brandon at 3-1-1 tells us trees "most likely" will picked up on your regular day, but could be anytime that week.

Get your Christmas trees out to the curb tonight!

Sac City will pick up trees sometime this week between the 5th and 9th so put them out on the curb in front of your house.

If you don't get it out there is no scheduled second round so you would have to cut it up and put it in your lawn waste container.

4:44 PM | 1 comments | Read More

You Asked, We Got The Answer

Is the Longs by the fire station closing or closed? Wondered based on the signs I saw at Rite Aid welcoming Longs customers...

-Scott, Natomas Buzz fan

Longs has been acquired by CVS and will be switching from a Longs store to CVS store sometime between now and summer.

Click here for the details.

10:05 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Natomas Buzz Is Now On Facebook

Become a fan by clicking here.

12:49 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Natomas Crime Stats For November

These crime stats compare November 2008 to November 2007 and also the previous months.*

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Police District 1A (North Natomas)

• 12 residential burglaries (33% reduction) was the lowest all year.
• Business burglaries went up for the first time since June (20%)
• Vehicle burglaries were the lowest all year and reduced by 52%.
• Stolen vehicles were the lowest all year (9) and reduced by 70%
  

Click on image for larger view of graphic.

Police District 1B (S. Natomas)

• 12 residential burglaries (40% reduction) was the lowest all year.
• Vehicle Burglaries were the lowest all year (15) and reduced by 28%
• Stolen vehicles have gone down every month this year except January and are almost half what they were last year.
  

Click on image for larger view of graphic.

Police District 1C (Gardenland/Northgate)

• Residential burglaries went up for last 2 months in a row and went up 166% in Nov. (3 to 8)
• Business burglaries went down for the last 4 months and 16% (6 to 5) in November.
• Stolen cars have gone down every month this year and has reduced by more then half from last year.
• Robberies (unspecified) went up for the first time since January.
  

* These are preliminary stats and could change slightly. They should not change significantly so they are good to see trends. Some look fairly good, but we still have significant room for improvement so keep up the heat!

11:24 PM | 2 comments | Read More

Heard In The Neighborhood

Dear Friend of Borders,

We want to thank you for shopping with us. It has been a pleasure to serve your community, and it is with our sincerest regrets that we have closed our Borders store at 4750 Natomas Blvd.

Again, we’d like to thank you for shopping at Borders, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

- Your friends at Borders

9:34 PM | 1 comments | Read More

Heard In The Neighborhood

On one of the many Natomas Yahoo! Groups, posted with permission:

Last night around 7:00 someone rang my doorbell. I went up to look through the peephole but saw no one. I opened the door and someone had placed one of those massive (4'x4') 'Foreclosure/ Auction' signs on my front door. Odd. Looks like they had ripped it off of another
property and decided to put it on my front doorstep for passing cars to see. My next door neighbor also got a few Foreclosure yard signs erected on his lawn. Whoever you are you have a strange sense of humor.

-Regency Park resident

5:58 PM | 0 comments | Read More

In The News: Wacky, But True

Not one Sactown media outlet could resist reporting on the Natomas thief who led police right to his own front door, and subsequent arrest. THE BUZZ isn't sure whether the tale is funny, pathetic or both.

An excerpt from cbs.com story:

Sacramento police say they responded to an alarm at the Food Stop store in Natomas early in the morning on New Year's day. When officers arrived they found that the business had been broken into and several items taken.

That's also when they noticed a trail of popcorn. Officers followed the trail of clues to an apartment complex behind the store and to the door of one unit. When officers knocked, they noticed the popcorn kernels continued inside the apartment. Officers found the stolen property inside.

5:35 PM | 3 comments | Read More

Coming Soon to Creekside: Tugboat Fish & Chips

By Keith

Regulars at Town Center in Creekside (Safeway, Rite Aid, Hollywood Video, etc.) have seen the banner announcing the imminent arrival of Tugboat Fish & Chips at the northeastern end of the plaza, and I'm someone who has been eagerly anticipating the opening, having been a regular at other Tugboat locations in the Sacramento area.

My experience as a loyal Tugboat patron began in 2001 when I mentioned the lack of decent fish and chips in Sacramento to a coworker. "Have you been to Tugboat?" he asked. When I confessed I had not been, he described what I had been missing and I made a point of checking one out after that.

I no longer bemoan the lack of decent fish and chips in Sacramento! In fact, there's only been one better fish and chips experience I've had, and that was in Maui (it was Mulligans on the Blue if you must know). Second to that is Tugboat and I am really looking forward to having one of those in our back yard!

I peeked through their windows today, and it looks they're on the verge of opening. They've done a really nice job with the decor and furnishings. Open. Open! OPEN!!!

If you like fish and chips, you'll love Tugboat when they open their doors -- and if you think you don't like fish, I hope you'll give them a try anyway, because you might be surprised!

Besides, with the number of restaurants we've lost in Natomas in the past year, I really want this one to succeed -- don't you?

Keith is a longtime Natomas resident (and faithful NATOMAS BUZZ reader).

5:22 PM | 6 comments | Read More

For A Good Cause

Whether it is a friend, family member, the neighbor down the street, or our own personal experience, we have all been touched by cancer in some way. We all have the power to make a difference in the fight against cancer. That's why I have chosen to fight back right here in Natomas by participating in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Natomas.

I know that you care about finding an end to cancer, and I hope you will join me at this year's Relay For Life of Natomas. My personal Relay For Life® web page where you can sign up. If you are not able to attend, you can make an online donation to support my efforts. (Heritage Park # 2 Manuel Hernandez)

By taking part in Relay For Life®, we have a chance to join 3.5 million people from across the country to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against a disease that takes too much. At the event, we'll camp out overnight and take turns walking around the track to raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission. There is an incredible ceremony to celebrate cancer survivors and caregivers that starts off the night, and a moving ceremony to honor and remember those who have fought the disease. I can truly say Relay is unlike anything else you'll ever experience. It's a night full of fun, hope, and remembrance.

Together, we can CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, and FIGHT BACK. Please join me.

THANK YOU,
Walk on,

Manuel Hernandez
2009 Event Chair
Natomas Relay For Life

4:38 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Baseball Camp At Inderkum Next Week

Click on image for larger view of flier.

Click here to view, download and/or print a copy of the parent consent form.

4:31 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Where In Natomas?

4:20 PM | 4 comments | Read More

For A Good Cause

The Sacramento Citizens’ Crime Alert Reward Program is hosting its 13th Annual Crab Feed on January 24th, 2009 to raise funds for its reward fund. The Crab Feed is attended by over 400 participants including notable media celebrities and VIP representatives from local law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region.

The Crab Feed includes an auction and raffle of donated items. Crime Alert is soliciting local businesses for goods or services that can be auctioned or raffled at the event.

To obtain tickets or arrange a donation for the auction/raffle, please contact Rob at (925) 876-5516 or rwurgler@yahoo.com. Alternate contacts are John (296-7509) and Herb (782-5340).

About Crime Alert: The Crime Alert reward fund provides cash rewards to anonymous tipsters who submit information that leads to the capture of wanted criminals in the Sacramento region. Crime Alert relies on volunteer Directors and tax deductible contributions from the public in order to operate the program. Over 90% of every donation dollar is used for the reward fund. Donations are 100% tax deductible. Sacramento Crime Alert is a 501c (3) non-profit organization, Federal Tax I.D. number 68-0000551.

2:52 PM | 0 comments | Read More

11:36 AM | 1 comments | Read More

Open! Open! Open!

10:45 AM | 2 comments | Read More

A Word From Superintendent Farrar:

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10:17 AM | 1 comments | Read More