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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Dinner and a Movie

Dinner and a Movie: 'The Dictator' is Cartoonish and Offensive...in a Funny Way

Funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again, this time as a flashy, offensive North African dictator who comes to the U.S.

From the guy who brought us Ali G and Borat comes a new character named General Aladeen — a ruthless dictator from a fictional country in North Africa who is part buffoon, part horn dog and part bloodthirsty ruler in "The Dictator." Through a ridiculous set of circumstances, that I will spare you the details of because they are so contrived, Aladeen ends up in New York while his even sillier double is in charge of his country. There are plenty of cameo appearances from big stars to keep things interesting. As for the element of political satire we get a pretty heavy-handed lecture that borders on being a bit corny. The dictator himself, like so many other characters by Cohen, is offensive but somehow there is a certain likeability to him…

House Hunt: Most Expensive Listing in Elk Grove

Got a home for sale in Elk Grove? Add a photo and details here.

If you're selling a home in Elk Grove, click the "Upload Photos & Videos" button to add an image or video. Include information about the home in the caption. This week's most-expensive listing is 9870 Bond Road, a two-bedroom, one-bath 1910 home on close to 20 acres. It was listed at $1,895,000 as of May 18. Some new listings (not a complete list): 9253 Beach Haven Court, a four-bedroom, three-bath single family house, $499,900. 8422 Orosco Way, a five-bedroom, three-bath single-family house, $279,000. More listings for Elk Grove on AOL Real Estate.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Breaking the Glass (Council Chamber) Ceiling

Workshop will train women on getting appointed to local boards, commissions.

Women may be 51 percent of the U.S. population, but they're woefully underrepresented in government. That's including Elk Grove—at least, when it comes to the city government's most high-profile deliberative bodies. Elk Grove's lone female City Council member, Sophia Scherman, is set to lose her seat next year (though she's running for state Assembly), and just one woman, Nancy Chaires, serves on the city's Planning Commission. It's a situation Chaires wants to change. "Decades of scholarly research shows that government is more responsive when it is more representative of its population," said Chaires in an email. "Elk Grove is a fast-growing city and the second largest in Sacramento County. That makes it even more important that we …

Community Photo Gallery: Congrats to the Class of 2012

Here's a place to honor this year's Elk Grove graduates by uploading photos and messages.

It's graduation time—time to honor our local graduates who have made the grade and are moving on to bigger and better things. This community-based photo gallery is a great way to celebrate the grads in your life and tell them how proud you are of their accomplishments. Whether they are graduating from high school, college or preschool, let's show them how much we appreciate their hard work and wish them well in their new endeavors! Everyone is welcome to upload a photo by clicking on the button above. If you don't yet have a free user account on Patch, here's how to set one up.  

Weekend Weather: Clear, Sunny in the High 80s

It could reach as high as 90 in Elk Grove Sunday.

It's going to be a pretty nice weekend in Elk Grove. Today, expect to see temperatures warm up to the mid-80s. Here's a look at this weekend's weather according to the National Weather Service: Saturday, May 19: It will be sunny with a high near 88 degrees Saturday with a light breeze. At night, it's expected to be clear with a low around 54 degrees. Sunday, May 20: Sunday, we may have a high temperature around 90 degrees, also breezy. Sunday night, we'll have a low around 54 degrees. Enjoy the sun at a free gardening workshop at Big Oak Nursery Saturday, or head on down to Galt for that town's annual Strawberry Festival. Check out our calendar for more events happening in Elk Grove this weekend. What are your weekend plans? Tell us in the…

From the Editor

Elk Grove Patch Gets New Editor

I'm leaving for a new job—but I won't be going far.

Dear Readers: Goodbyes are often difficult, and this one is no exception. So I’ll just take a deep breath and dive right in. Starting next week, I will no longer be editor of Elk Grove Patch. I’m moving on to a new job as Patch’s Associate Regional Editor for the Sacramento area. My colleague Cody Kitaura, the current editor of Rosemont Patch, will replace me as editor here in Elk Grove. It’s been a year and a half since I first rolled into town. You, Elk Grovians, have been my guide to this place through fires and controversies, festivals and crimes. I continue to be amazed by your generosity, your enthusiasm for the site and your willingness to answer my many questions. In its short life so far, Elk Grove Patch has covered stories no one…

Amanda

5:14 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012

Get ready Elk Grove, Cody is the best writer Patch has!   more ›

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Fight Leads to Stabbing on Whitelock Pkwy; Police Searching for Suspect

An Elk Grove teen was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the stomach and chest Thursday afternoon.

Elk Grove police are searching for a suspect in a stabbing that took place near the intersection of Whitelock Parkway and Bellaterra Drive Thursday afternoon. Police responding to a call around 4:00 p.m. found a boy between the ages of 16 and 18 with stab wounds to the stomach and chest. The boy, a student at the nearby Elk Grove Charter School, is being treated at a local hospital for wounds that doctors told detectives were "superficial" and non-life-threatening, according to Elk Grove Police Department spokesperson Chris Trim. Trim said the victim was fighting with his attacker just before the stabbing, according to witnesses. The fight began at the corner of Whitelock Parkway and Atkins Drive and traveled down the street, Trim said. …

Zoey

2:29 am on Friday, May 18, 2012

Someone please send me the video..this is my baby brother..and the suspect is on the loose still..we want justice served..if you have any videos or any info on this guy please send another comment   more ›

Galt Strawberry Festival Starts Saturday

A whole two days dedicated to the sweet red fruit: what could be better?

Mmm, strawberries—harbingers of summer, bearers of Vitamin C and sweet deliciousness. Did you know that our neighbor to the south has an entire two-day festival focused on this succulent fruit? The 2012 Galt Strawberry Festival takes place this weekend, when you can feast on strawberry-filled treats from shortcake to smoothies while enjoying attractions including a carnival and classic car show. Country band Whiskey Dawn plays Saturday, and there's even a 5K run/walk Saturday morning for those looking to work off their calories in advance. We also like the corny but fun theme: "Berried Alive in Galt." The Galt District Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event, expects about 20,000 people to attend over the course of the weekend. "It …

CRC Business Club Heads to National Competition

After organizing training for Elk Grove small-business owners, Students in Free Enterprise won a regional award for their work.

Earlier this spring, Elk Grove Patch collaborated with a student group at Cosumnes River College to produce a series of workshops for local small-business owners. We were happy to hear this week that the CRC Students in Free Enterprise club has won a regional award for their work in the Elk Grove community, and will be heading off to the SIFE USA National Exposition in Kansas City, MO next week. Besides the training—which helped Elk Grove entrepreneurs learn about accounting, marketing, social media and more—students in the club have organized an entrepreneurship forum for high schoolers and raised funds for Elk Grove Food Bank Services. Here's a little more about their work, from a CRC press release: Cosumnes River College’s Students In …

State Workers: What Do You Think of Gov. Brown's Proposal for a Four-Day Workweek?

Governor floated a radical idea to help close the state's budget gap. Tell us what you think of it.

Some leftists have long proposed shortening the work week to four days as a way to boost employment and ease stress on workers. When progressives talk about it, they usually call for fewer work hours with no loss of pay. Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed work week reforms, however (part of a revised budget plan the governor unveiled Monday for the fiscal year beginning July 1) would have state employees work and get paid for just 38 hours per week. State workers would come into work for 9.5 hours, four days per week—which Brown says would save the state more than $800 million. The Sacramento Bee's state worker blogger, Jon Ortiz, is doing a bang-up job of covering the details of this proposal. You can join a live chat he's hosting on the issue …

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Mark Paxson

2:40 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012

M. ... thanks for demonstrating that you don't actually "have more knowledge than some would prefer." In your world unfunded liabilities that stretch out for decades to come, should all be counted in one year. Now I understand why you so rarely provide the specifics to back up your general assertions. As to whether I would be willing to give up some of my benefits. Guess what? State employees …   more ›

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