Latest local news briefs include a community members camping out at Rusch Park, a Citrus Heights man being found guilty by a jury, areas of the city sprayed in response to mosquito activity, and an update on Sacramento Regional Transit’s ridership.
Community Camp Out draws nearly 300 to Rusch Park for annual event
Dozens of tents dotted the fields of Rusch Park for the annual Community Camp Out event on Saturday night. Organizers said more than 230 community members and over 40 volunteers had shown up for the event, as of Saturday evening, with attendees enjoying a water balloon toss, songs by a camp fire, s’mores, star-gazing and more. The event was slated to continue through 10 a.m. Sunday, with a BBQ “Campinental” breakfast offered in the morning, traditionally served up by Citrus Heights City Council members.
Ground spraying targets Rusch Park for mosquitos, West Nile virus threat
Rusch Park and Lauppe Lane were targeted areas that received ground spraying treatments on the night of July 19, according to the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District’s website. The spraying was part of a targeted effort that hit more than 50 areas from July 18-19, as a way to control mosquitoes and West Nile virus activity.
As of Friday, the District reported 142 mosquito samples have tested positive for the virus this year, and 67 dead birds have also tested positive. Other areas of Sacramento will be targeted with aerial spraying on Monday and Tuesday, but Citrus Heights is not listed in the areas affected. (See District website)
SacRT ridership continues to drop
CBS 13 reported on Friday that Sacramento Regional Transit ridership has dropped by nearly 5 million riders from 2016 to 2018, a decline RT is hopeful will be curbed by its new SmaRT Ride on-demand service that debuted in Citrus Heights earlier this year. The news station report there were more than 25 million trips on Regional Transit in 2016, which fell to 22 million in 2017 and 20 million in 2018 — apparently referring to fiscal year 2018, which ended on June 30.
A watchdog group, Eye on Sacramento, interviewed in the story said the decline was due to RT’s decision to reduce service and raise rates, while RT officials blame the drop in part on rideshare services like Uber as well as its effort to crack down on fare enforcement. (See CBS story)
Jury finds Citrus Heights man guilty of drunk driving in 2017 crash
A 44-year-old man from Citrus Heights was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday, following a November 2017 crash in Dixon where he plowed into the back of a Prius on Interstate 80. The Daily Republic reported on Saturday that the jury found David T. March guilty of two misdemeanor drunk driving charges.
According to the news report, the conviction came after a three-day trial where jurors heard California Highway Patrol officers recall the 2:30 a.m. crash scene, noting his arrest was prompted by his “red watery eyes, slurred speech and stench of alcohol.” His blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.19 percent, which is more than twice the legal limit. He will return to court July 27 for sentencing. (See Daily Republic story)
More briefly:
- Drone video. A two-minute video was uploaded on Youtube showing aerial footage of the Rusch Park Skate Park. (See video)
