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Author: Sara Beth Williams

  • ‘Boots and Bras’ fundraiser to be held at Rusch Park Community Center

    Boots and Bras 2023
    Purple Pageant participants attended the inaugural Boots and Bras fundraising event in 2023. // Lisa Taylor

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    The second annual “Boots and Bras” fundraiser dinner to help raise money for young women experiencing hardship is scheduled to take place Sunday Oct. 27.

    Event organizer Lisa Taylor said the purpose of the event is to raise money for women in need, educate the public about human trafficking, and collect bras for women in need in the Sacramento region.

    Taylor said last year’s inaugural event was held at a church venue in Citrus Heights and raised $500. The funds were used to purchase new bras from One Hanes Place in Folsom, who distributed them throughout the community to homeless shelters and to women in need in Kenya, Africa. This year Taylor wants to focus on helping women locally.

    “We’re going to try to work with Pride Industries; we’re going to work with homeless youth shelters,” Taylor said, adding that girls and women on the street can’t afford bras, and she wants them to feel like “they can cover up.”

    The western-themed fundraising dinner is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Rusch Park Community Center and will include food, a dessert vendor, door prizes, and other local vendors. A western-wear fashion show will also take place for those who dress up and want to show off their western-wear.

    The event also aims to increase awareness about human trafficking in the region. A presentation from the Citrus Heights Police Department on human trafficking is planned, and Kristi Merrill, who is a human trafficking survivor, is slated to speak. Taylor has also invited Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District to come and speak on measures that women can take to keep themselves safe.

    Taylor said watching the movie Sound of Freedom, which released in the summer of 2023, inspired her to organize an event that would help bring awareness to human trafficking because it’s something “no one wants to talk about.”

    Taylor is also asking for donations of bras and emphasized that all sizes are welcome because “we don’t know who’s on the streets that needs them.” A donation bin will be available on the evening of the dinner fundraiser for anyone who wants to drop off bras but can’t attend the dinner, Taylor said, adding that she plans to have all bras deep cleaned by One Hanes Place.

    Taylor also runs the organization Purple Pageant, which helps young ladies and women learn etiquette and life and communication skills while encouraging them to become leaders through volunteering within the community. Purple Pageant was recently recognized by the Citrus Heights City Council in January 2024 as a Community Partner of Distinction for their volunteer work. Taylor plans to have girls who are part of Purple Pageant helping at the fundraising dinner.

    The dinner will take place in an outdoor patio room at the Rusch Park Community Center. Tickets are $20. For more information and to register for the event, see event flyer.

    The Rusch Park Community Center is located at 7801 Auburn Blvd.

  • ‘Ghost Tours’ return to Mesa Verde High School in time for Halloween

    ‘Ghost Tours’ return to Mesa Verde High School in time for Halloween

    Ghost Tours 2024
    Bailey Losoya, a 10th grader, is preparing to perform in the upcoming Ghost Tours, taking place at Mesa Verde High School this October. // Sean Melby

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    The Mesa Verde Theater department is hosting its fourth annual ‘Ghost Tours’ this Halloween season. Ghost Tours are scheduled for Oct. 24, 25, and 26 with an additional alumni preview night Tuesday Oct. 22.

    Participants are taken on a guided tour through Mesa Verde’s campus at dusk where they encounter “ghosts” who share their sordid tales of sorrows. Participants will encounter local “ghosts” like Luella Horton and famous names like The Zodiac Killer. The tour guides and “ghosts” alike are played by Mesa Verde students.

    In years past, theater teacher Sean Melby said several of the “ghosts” were portrayed by alumni theater students as well as current Mesa Verde theater students. This year he said only one alumni theater student is participating.

    “This year we added five ghosts with new monologues that were written by my students in the Writing for the Stage class last year,” Melby said, adding that he plans to make writing monologues specifically for the event an annual part of his class so that the content of the Ghost Tours is new every year. This year’s Ghost Tours event will feature four local ghosts and six more popular ghosts.

    Melby called the Ghost Tours a “unique” theatrical experience that “flips the script” on traditional sit-down theater performances.

    “The ghost is four feet in front of you. They’re going to walk into the audiences and deliver a menacing line to someone,” Melby said, adding that audience members will feel like they’re involved in the show, as opposed to having a fourth wall separating them from a production on stage. Melby also said the flow of the show allows for participants to experience a ghost monologue, then talk to their friends about the experience while they walk, before encountering another ghost.

    Melby said he enjoys putting together the Ghost Tours event for the fall because it provides students who are new to theater with an opportunity to practice and learn theater for an individual performance, instead of a large group performance. Melby said from an actor’s standpoint, it’s more “digestible.” This year, Melby said he had twice as many students audition as he did last year.

    Many of the student actors are part of Mesa Verde’s new Professional Theater Career Technical Education Pathway which is a program for students interested in acting, creative writing, set design and costume design. The pathway includes four classes: Introduction to theater, Professional theater, Writing for the stage and Stage production.

    Ghost Tours will depart at 6 p.m. from the Performing Arts Center at Mesa Verde High School and guests are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early. Adult tickets are $8 and student tickets are $5. Tickets are available for purchase online, here. All proceeds go to support the Mesa Verde Theatre Program.

    Mesa Verde High School is located at 7501 Carriage Drive.

  • Popular diner in Citrus Heights hit with health inspection violations

    Country Waffles is located at 6986 Sunrise Blvd., in Citrus Heights. // SB Williams

    By Sara Beth Williams—
    A local eatery well-known for breakfast and lunch in Citrus Heights was recently hit with multiple health inspection violations, although the restaurant was not forced to close and passed a reinspection several days later.

    Country Waffles at 6986 Sunrise Blvd. faced violations during a first inspection by Sacramento County officials on Oct. 2, with violations including employees not washing hands and not using soap, employees storing personal belongings in food storage areas, several foods not kept either below 41 degrees Fahrenheit or above 135 degrees Fahrenheit, which had to be disposed of, rodent droppings observed beneath the soda machine, and the use of a household microwave instead of a commercial-grade appliance.

    The health inspection report also documented multiple surfaces had built-up food accumulation, including knives on a knife block with food residue and food buildup inside a walk-in refrigerator.

    Most violations were corrected immediately through education and support from the health inspector, but several violations at Country Waffles also involved repairs in the kitchen area or replacing inadequate equipment. The Environmental Management Department requested repairs be completed in 5 days and allows up to 60 days for replacement of non-commercial-grade equipment, according to the official health inspection report.

    A follow-up report indicates that the restaurant is under new ownership and was operating without a valid Environmental Management Department permit. The restaurant was given three days to apply for a new permit. A health inspector told The Sentinel that the county always attempts to “work with” restaurant owners and staff and emphasized that the restaurant has passed inspection and is open.

    Country Waffles management declined to comment regarding recent inspections and referred questions from Sentinel staff to the owner, who was not available Thursday or Friday.

    The county conducts an estimated 14,000 inspections annually, and 97 percent of all restaurants pass their inspections, Sacramento County Public Information Manager Ken Casparis told The Sacramento Bee, which conducts regular reports of restaurant inspections in a series called “Reality Check.” Only one percent of inspections result in a closure, according to Casparis. Restaurants that are forced to close often reopen within 72 hours after re-inspection.

  • Plans for Citrus Heights Walmart remodel, expansion submitted to city

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    An application for a remodeling and expansion project at the Walmart store on Auburn Boulevard has been submitted to the city for approval, according to the city’s website.

    In an Oct. 14 update, the city’s website shows a submitted application for a remodel project at Walmart at 7010 Auburn Boulevard that would include exterior updates, an expansion for the online grocery pickup area, and updating and expansion of online grocery pickup parking stalls.

    Submitted documents show the expansion of the main building with a new addition near the current Garden Center. The proposed new addition on the south side of the building will expand the area for online grocery pickup and add roughly 3,000 square feet, plans show.

    The extra space will serve as a stockroom for employees to prepare customer orders, which will be delivered to parking spots outside. Plans indicate that the current online grocery pickup storage area will be removed to make way for the new addition.

    All exterior paint will match existing neutral brown tones, and new safety barriers will match existing ones. Design renderings show that the new addition of the building will include three curved metal awnings and four decorative columns on the front. These will match the current building design and be painted in the existing Terra Cotta color, documents state.

    Additionally, online order pickup parking spaces will be re-striped to meet brand standards. Several regular parking spots will be converted to online grocery pickup spaces, increasing the total pickup spots to 39. Documents from the applicant state that the overall distribution of regular and accessible parking spaces won’t change.

    Plans also include the addition of several safety features, including new crosswalk markings that will be added near the new building addition to “safely manage the movement” of both employees and vehicles through the area. Further, site plans call for power washing of the sidewalk in front of the building and on the side of the new online grocery pickup area. Other updates and repairs to the exterior are also noted in the site plans.

    Currently, a design permit for a new Starbucks in the same shopping center submitted on May 28 is also still under review by the city.

    The proposed Starbucks would be located in the Stock Ranch Plaza, across from Walmart, on an undeveloped parcel facing Auburn Boulevard. Designs show the planned construction of a proposed 2,308-square-foot building with a drive-thru lane wrapping around the back.

    The Stock Ranch plan, approved in February 2001, provides for the development of 570,000 square feet of commercial areas as well as over 43 acres for residential development and 32 acres of open space, according to the city’s website. Development of the plaza began with construction of the Costco building in 2003 and Walmart in 2005.

  • Businesses struggle from loss of traffic during roadwork on Auburn Blvd

    Businesses struggle from loss of traffic during roadwork on Auburn Blvd

    Beto's Tacos
    Beto’s Tacos is located at 8032 Auburn Blvd. // SB Williams

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    Businesses and residents alike have expressed frustration regarding roadwork on Auburn Boulevard, as the city’s $35 million revitalization project along the boulevard continues.

    Since construction began at the end of July, at least one lane has remained closed — even outside construction hours. While the city has emphasized through multiple social media posts that businesses along Auburn Boulevard are still open, many residents have expressed frustration, calling traffic “a nightmare” and describing lane closures as “inconvenient.”

    In comments on social media, many drivers said they were purposely avoiding the area until the work is complete, due to traffic backups.

    According to several businesses The Sentinel spoke with, even with one lane open, it’s difficult for drivers to tell whether their businesses are still open and operating.

    Beto’s Tacos manager Hortencia Molina said business has decreased by at least 50 percent. On the weekends, Molina said business is better, but not during the week, even with the added benefit of no longer having bushes in front of the restaurant’s sign.

    “It’s really frustrating,” Molina said, adding that she’s considering talking with the city to ask for help with rent. Beto’s Tacos is located on Auburn Boulevard between Grand Oaks Avenue and Rollingwood Boulevard and is still open for business. Since the start of construction, the restaurant has installed three new vertical banners to help attract more restaurant patrons and has also ramped up their catering services to offset the loss of revenue from everyday patrons.

    Next door, Kely’s Crepes and Burgers’ general manager echoed Molina’s concerns, saying that business has been “terrible.” Garcia said she was frustrated when construction crews removed a row of bushes in front of the restaurant’s small outdoor patio because it had provided the space with some privacy. Garcia also said she was told by regular customer before construction began that they would not be coming to eat during construction.

    Down the street, optician Lori Egan with Texas L. Smith Optometry said she felt “very fortunate” that their business operates through appointments only and wondered whether other businesses were struggling due to the lane closures and ongoing construction.

    “It’s kind of tough,” Egan said during a visit by Sentinel staff. Egan lives on the opposite end of Auburn Boulevard off Pratt Avenue, and since construction has begun, she has reportedly witnessed at least five fender-benders occur due to construction, where two lanes transition to one on Auburn Boulevard, just after Antelope Road.

    Egan also said turning off Pratt Avenue onto Auburn Boulevard is “so dangerous” now because of the addition of new trees and bushes that were installed during phase one of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets project ten years earlier.

    “Two years seems like a long time,” Egan said, referring to the construction timeline for the project.

    Business owners also complained of impacts to their establishments during construction on the first phase of improvements on Auburn Boulevard, but celebrated the completion of the project in 2014. The second phase of the project, which began in July this year, is expected to be completed in 2026.

    Planned improvements include undergrounding of overhead utilities, installation of bicycle lanes and wide sidewalks, upgrading traffic signals to meet current standards, increasing safety and visibility through decorative street lighting, beautifying the corridor with new landscaping and trees, replacing old storm drain infrastructure, and enhancing transit stops for ADA compliance. The city also plans to erect a “Welcome to Citrus Heights” gateway structure at the northern city limits, and complete a full roadway overlay and new striping.

    As previously reported, the city chose to implement 24-hour lane closures of one lane in each direction in sections of active construction, as a way to control costs on the project. City Engineer Leslie Blomquist said implementing 24-hour lane closures will save nearly $3 million over the course of the project.

    In order to ensure drivers know businesses are still open, the city has displayed temporary bright orange signs with arrows pointing toward open driveways wherever businesses operate.

    To address questions and concerns, the city is holding weekly drop-in office hours at Rusch Park Community Center from 10:30-11:30 a.m. every Thursday during the construction project. The city also invites residents to contact the General Services Department at (916) 727-4770, or email ABC2@citrusheights.net to schedule a meeting.

    Want to share your thoughts on the Auburn Boulevard project? Submit a letter to the editor or opinion column for publication: Click here.

  • Man arrested, released after brandishing knife at Montage Apartments

    Man arrested, released after brandishing knife at Montage Apartments

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    A 35-year-old male was arrested for brandishing a deadly weapon during an argument at the Montage Apartments in Citrus Heights, according to police.

    The man was arrested after brandishing a knife during an argument with two other men at the apartments, police confirmed in a phone call on Wednesday.

    According to police, officers responded to the Montage apartments in the 12800 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard at 11:40 p.m. Monday to reports of three men involved in an argument. During the altercation, one of the individuals reportedly brandished a knife. Police logs show Yiovani Juarezlopez was arrested at the apartments at 12:24 a.m. on Oct. 15.

    Police said the man was arrested, cited, and then released. Authorities have not provided additional details regarding what led to the argument between the three individuals, or whether Juarezlopez was fined. No injuries were reported and no other individuals were arrested or cited.

  • San Juan High School alum makes it onto Hell’s Kitchen TV show

    Executive Chef and San Juan High grad Anthony Vo visited the culinary program to reunite with his former culinary teacher in October. // San Juan Unified School District
    Executive Chef and San Juan High Grad Anthony Vo visited the culinary program to reunite with his former culinary teacher in October. // San Juan Unified School District

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    San Juan High School grad and current Executive Chef Anthony Vo made it onto Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen Season 23, which premiered on Sept. 26.

    Vo was recently featured in an interview with San Juan Unified School District and on National Public Radio’s (NPR) Sacramento affiliate, CapRadio, where he spoke about his upbringing in Citrus Heights and what led him to become a chef.

    Vo attended San Juan High School in Citrus Heights and participated in the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Career Technical Education program, where he learned the importance of “keeping his station clean” and “how to cook on a line.”

    “Having a $2 million kitchen at 16 years old was kind of unreal,” he said in an interview with CapRadio, adding that some of the equipment offered by San Juan was so upscale he hasn’t seen it in any of the restaurants he’s worked at to date.

    Vo told CapRadio he grew up with his grandparents and often assisted his grandmother, who worked as a sushi chef, with food preparation and chores from a young age. By age 17, after going through the culinary program, he “knew” he wanted to become a chef. His favorite dish as a child was congee, a traditional Vietnamese rice porridge dish, topped with pork floss, scallions, and an egg. Vo called congee his “signature dish.”

    After high school, Vo worked as an executive chef for multiple companies, according to his LinkedIn profile, including Westmont Living Inc. and MBK Senior Living. Currently, he works for Sonrisa Senior Living. Some of his listed skills include Italian cuisine, pastry making, and Mediterranean cuisine.

    This season of Hell’s Kitchen has a “Head Chefs Only” theme and featured 18 contestants at the beginning of the season. All were either head or executive chefs from across the country, including Vo, who have managed everything from restaurants and country clubs to senior facilities.

    While Ramsey is often known for his hot temper and berating of contestants, Vo said he saw Ramsey as more “of a teacher” and that his experience with Ramsay gave him “more purpose than he already had to keep pursuing his culinary career.”

    “We’ve all run kitchens. We’re not line cooks, we’re not sous chefs, so he expected everything from us,” Vo said to CapRadio, adding that receiving “validation” for his cooking skills while on Hell’s Kitchen was “everything.”

    In an interview in October with the San Juan Unified School District, Vo had the opportunity to meet his former culinary teacher after 10 years and said that the program saved his life. San Juan Unified School District confirmed Vo was part of the first class to make use of the new culinary facility at the time, which had its beginnings as a one-room home economics class. Today, the culinary facility has five main rooms: a classroom, a home economics kitchen, a bakery, a commercial kitchen, and a restaurant and café.

    The San Juan High School website lists five Career Technical Education pathways students can follow, including Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Construction Technology, Transportation Technology, Media Arts and TV, and Photography.

    Hell’s Kitchen is currently airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. on FOX.

    The rest of the interview with Vo can be read on CapRadio here.

  • 2024 ‘Howl-o-Ween’ parade in Citrus Heights to have route change

    2024 ‘Howl-o-Ween’ parade in Citrus Heights to have route change

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    The Citrus Heights Community Marching Band recently announced changes to the usual route in their upcoming annual “Howl-o-Ween” parade scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19.

    The new route will begin at Grand Oaks Elementary School, travel down Grand Oaks Boulevard, turn on Oak Forest Street, and then enter Rusch Community Park.

    “The reason for this change is due to ongoing road construction on Auburn Boulevard,” Citrus Heights Community Marching Band Director Kody Tickner confirmed on Tuesday.

    The parade is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and features the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band along with other local organizations. On the band’s event page, organizers advised in a short FAQ section that the west bound lane will remain open for through-traffic on Grand Oaks Boulevard. Those living on the parade route will be able to both park on the street and be able to exit in a vehicle if needed. Citrus Heights Police Department traffic control units will be helping with traffic control during the parade.

    In previous years, the annual parade has utilized Auburn Boulevard as their route, traveling from the intersection of Twin Oaks Avenue south down Auburn Boulevard and ending at Rusch Community Park.

    Directly following the parade, a harvest festival will take place at Rusch Park, featuring local vendors, live music, raffle prizes, a pet costume contest, and a classic car show. Citrus Heights Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa announced at the recent City Council meeting that pet owners will also be able to have their pets chipped at the harvest festival for free.

    Anyone interested in joining the parade or entering a pet in the costume contest can find more information on the event page at the community marching band’s website.

    Grand Oaks Elementary is located at 7901 Rosswood Drive.

  • Local chiropractic office celebrates 18 years of ‘Best of Citrus Heights’ win

    Local chiropractic office celebrates 18 years of ‘Best of Citrus Heights’ win

    River City Chiropractic staff
    River City Chiropractic staff accept a Best of Citrus Heights award on Sept. 19, 2024 // SB Williams

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    River City Chiropractic was recently crowned as the Best of Citrus Heights in the Health and Wellness category, an award staff said is accepted with great pride year after year.

    Business owner and office manager Rachel Moger said it felt “awesome” to win an award again and credited the clinic’s patients for supporting the facility.

    Moger, along with office staff from the clinic, attended the annual Best of Citrus Heights 2024 awards ceremony hosted by the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce last month to accept an award for the 18th time. In past years, the clinic has won in other award categories, such as Best Medical, Vision, and Chiropractic, according to their website.

    “We’re a unique facility,” Moger said, adding that the facility has been a chiropractic office since it was built before she and her husband, clinic director and chiropractor Kenneth Moger, bought the clinic in 1997.

    “We’ve been running it as a family practice since then, and we have been serving generations of patients,” Moger said.

    After 27 years of ownership, the walls are now covered with multiple awards and certificates, photos of staff, family photos of the Mogers and their children, and unique pieces of art gifted to the clinic.

    The clinic operates in Citrus Heights at 7508 Sunrise Blvd., near the corner of Old Auburn Road and Sunrise Boulevard, and offers services such as back adjustments, new patient exams, treatment for sports injuries, sports physicals, and pediatric exams.

    Moger emphasized the importance of teaching customers about “honoring” their body by taking care of it, “beyond back and neck pain,” but by living a healthy lifestyle, which includes giving oneself quality time, proper nutrition, exercise, and regular chiropractic care.

    “We test and don’t guess. Because people get results, that’s why they’re voting us the best,” Moger said.

    The Best of Citrus Heights has been hosted for the last 19 years, with a hiatus for one year during the pandemic, according to the Chamber. During this year’s ceremony, Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheri Merrick reported that over 7,000 votes were cast, compared to roughly 4,000 votes cast in 2023.

    Former Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Ebbitt-Riehle has been credited by the city as “instrumental” in the creation of the Best of Citrus Heights program.

    River City Chiropractic is located at 7508 Sunrise Blvd.

  • HomeGoods in Citrus Heights finally has an opening date

    A new HomeGoods is coming to Citrus Heights.
    HomeGoods is located at 6130 Birdcage Centre Ln. // SB WIlliams

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    A long-awaited business in the Marketplace at Birdcage has an opening date planned for later this month.

    After almost a year of waiting and months of construction, HomeGoods at the Marketplace at Birdcage is planning to open Thursday, Oct. 24, according to their website. Store hours are listed as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

    The national chain, which sells a variety of household wares, announced last December that it would be joining the Marketplace at Birdcage according to CBRE leasing documents. Official signage for the storefront was installed in mid-August.

    The 25,000-square-foot building shares frontage with Best Buy and Michaels. Previously, the building was home to Stein Mart. In addition to Michaels and Best Buy, the retailer will join anchor tenants Walmart Neighborhood Market, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, and Chuze Fitness, among other national chains, with a presence in the Marketplace at Birdcage.

    The nearest HomeGoods retail stores are in Folsom, Rocklin, Roseville, and Arden-Arcade, the company’s website shows. The parent company of HomeGoods, TJX Companies, also owns TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Sierra, and HomeSense retail brands, according to the business.

    The new HomeGoods is located at 6130 Birdcage Centre Ln.