The Wake-Up Call: Fresh Veggies, State Budget Deal

We're halfway through the week, Elk Grove, with a three-day weekend on the horizon. Here are a few things happening today.

In the Patch:

Farmers' Market.  If you haven't yet checked out Elk Grove's weekly fresh-produce extravaganza, head down to between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. today for healthy, local food along with crafts and children's activities.

Shop for a cause. The Elk Grove Unified School District is looking for chaperones for the Elk Grove Optimist/Kohl's ChildSpree, a back-to-school shopping spree where 100 needy elementary-school students will pick out free clothes for the new year and receive backpacks of school supplies. To help out with the July 30 event, contact Sandy Waite or Isabel Reynoso at 916-392-9081, Diane Lampe or Carmen Flores at 916-422-1091, or Joan Estepa at 916-686-7765.

Outside the Patch:

Budget of doom. There are cuts for just about everyone in the state budget passed by the California legislature Tuesday night and expected to be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown—universities, teen moms, courts, state parks, and the poor. The state Senate leader called the budget "the most austere we have seen in a generation," according to The Los Angeles Times.