Pandemic Pause
The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on transportation has been so profound and pervasive that simply listing the changes is overwhelming. Overnight, we adjusted how far we travel and how we get around.
Air travel and public transit have been decimated. Cruise ships are anchored in port. Congestion on the roads has disappeared as vehicle trips evaporate or shrink. Emptier streets have increased driving speeds. Social distancing makes shared trips via ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft suspect.
Same Name Game
Like many baseball fans, Walt Yost enjoys poking around the cobwebbed cellars of baseball history. He’s a member of the Dusty Baker Sacramento chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research, a global fraternity of historians and statisticians united in their devotion to baseball. He loves old baseball stories.
Now he’s told one. His new book, “A Glove and A Prayer,” is a novel that imagines the life of a 1890s baseball vagabond named August Yost. It’s the perfect diversion for baseball fans anchored in the doldrums of sports cancellations caused by coronavirus.
Part of the Plan
When it comes to setting goals, Sierra Friend is here to tell you that “there is nothing magical about Jan. 1.
“People always think about creating change around the New Year,” Friend says. “I always tell people, when you say you’re ready to make a change, it doesn’t matter what day it is.”
Fair Trade Future
Coffee, as simple as it may sound, is an essential part of many people’s lives. When Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order in March required all non-essential businesses to cease operations to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, an abrupt halt came to daily routines. No more sitting in cafes sipping hot pour-overs, nor chatting with friends over cranberry scones and lattes.
The mandate threatened not only local businesses, bars and cafes, but also their suppliers such as farmers who sell green coffee beans. Most of Sacramento’s local coffee shops have been able to remain open by offering to-go and curbside-pickup, but the impact has been heavy on coffee roasters and farmers.
Rooms To Grow
The coronavirus crisis has exacerbated Sacramento’s struggle to manage its homeless population, requiring immense capital investment, empathy and unconventional thinking. All three virtues are on display at the new Courtyard Inn nearing completion along the Watt Avenue corridor in North Highlands.
With a projected opening in May, the 92-apartment complex at 3425 Orange Grove Ave. is a rehabilitated motel long been notorious for sheriff calls to deal with prostitution, drugs, theft and violence.
