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Loss Leader

Grieving a loved one’s death is never easy, as I learned 20 months ago when my husband Jim passed away.

My biggest challenge was managing my publishing business alone. Jim retired several years earlier, but he was my business partner for more than two decades.

My focus was off, my employees unsure how to deal with me. No one wanted to deliver bad news. I struggled with decisions. It took time, but we all adjusted.

Out Of Commission

The National Association of Realtors is on a losing streak. They need some wins.

The largest trade association in America with 1.5 million members, the Realtors’ group began its downward spiral in August 2023. That’s when The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment by the association president.

It was a classic “Me Too” scandal. President Kenny Parcell allegedly engaged in years of inappropriate behavior toward multiple women with no accountability. He denied the complaints but resigned soon after the story broke.

Playing For Keeps

If you’re looking for Jonathan Lum, check the soccer pitch.

As vice president of the Sacramento Soccer Alliance, Lum says he has “no specific duties” for the nonprofit that provides community-based competitive soccer to area youth.

No specific duties mean he really does everything.

Cultural Feast

Kristyn Leach is a farmer and seed producer with a mission. She wants to spread seeds from her Korean heritage and share stories from the Asian Diaspora, enriching our connections to locally grown, culturally significant food.

The journey carried Leach from farm fields around Winters, Sunol and Sebastopol to South Korea. She grew Korean-based crops for San Francisco restaurateur brothers Dennis, Daniel and David Lee, whose modern Korean cooking captivated the Bay Area before the pandemic.

“They really helped me get started,” Leach says of the Lees. “We worked directly with each other, and we started growing exclusively for them.”

Recovery Mode

On Jan. 26, 2023, James Takashiba woke in the early morning to a fire notification from his alarm company. His family’s restaurant, Hana Tsubaki, was burning.

The fire department was on scene and quickly subdued the fire, but not before the kitchen suffered major damage.

For many longtime residents, Hana Tsubaki, a Japanese restaurant in East Sacramento, had been there forever. The butterfly roof and red and black paint stood out on J Street almost unchanged since 1978.

But that’s too simple. To keep a restaurant open for nearly 50 years, an operator must push through adversity. The Takashibas pushed hard.

Fall Forward

The Big Leafy too often transitions from blistering hot to chilly and wet, allowing minimal days of local autumn color. Our magnificent trees should not be denied the opportunity for extended applause and encore performances.

Eventually, the heat concedes, and Sacramento is blessed with orange and crimson leaves, but for how long?

Gardeners have an elevated appreciation of the city’s leaf canopy. Shade, beauty and finally wonderful composting material are welcome perks.

Bridge Out

Bridge Out

There’s big trouble with the bike and railroad bridge that crosses Interstate 5 and Riverside Boulevard near Sutterville Road. Here’s how the city tried to hide the story.

Word spread this summer over concerns with concrete that holds the new bridge together. It’s hard to keep everyone quiet about potentially inferior concrete on a bridge above an interstate.

Call them desperate, duplicitous or naïve. But authorities at City Hall figured they could bury the facts and cover up the details.

City officials stonewalled my questions about the bridge, a high-profile structure that arches over the freeway and connects the new Del Rio Trail with the Sacramento River Parkway bike path.

What About The Trees?

What About The Trees?

Heritage oaks have stood along the American River Parkway for more than 300 years.

Valley, blue and live oaks provide shade and shelter for wildlife. Tree canopies cool the river water, critical for spawning salmon and trout. Squirrels and birds rely on the acorns for food. People bike, hike and picnic under twisted branches.

If left to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as many as 700 trees, including sycamore, alder, ash, cottonwood and 100-foot-tall heritage oaks, will topple.

Dining

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