Afghan Refugee Help+Historic County Executive+ Meat-Eating Plants

Welcome to the Sacramento Patch daily newsletter for everything happening Friday August 27th, 2021 in The River City.

First, today's weather: Uh oh. It's creeping up toward triple digits again. Clear throughout the day. High: 99 Low: 65.

Here are the top stories in Sacramento today:

1. A gas main break in Gold River prompted a building to be evacuated Thursday morning.
   Metro Fire officials say the gas main break happened along the 2400 block of Sunrise Boulevard. The building and the immediate area were evacuated. (CBS Sacramento)
2. One in nine Afghan refugees that come to America settle in the Sacramento region. That large cohort is part of the reason Sacramento is seeing such an influx of requests to help those fleeing Afghanistan. Congressmen Ami Bera's office has seen requests from over 7,500 refugees for help. Usama Khalil, president of the Refugee Enrichment and Development Association, said when refugees first come to the Sacramento region, there is a 90-day period in which their needs are entirely taken care of. The State Department has a refugee fund that will pay for their rent, food, and clothing, and connect families with workforce training and language classes. But after those 90 days, many families are left on their own. Opening Doors in Sacramento has an open call to people who may have extra units or accessory dwellings for a family to live privately. (CBS Sacramento and Capital Public Radio)
3. A joint investigation by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office resulted in a search warrant executed on August 23 at the Natomas home of Allison Illahi. During the search, officers found evidence of EDD fraud, along with a large cache of narcotics, extended magazines, ammunition and a "ghost" gun. 14 fraudulent EDD cards, a large amount of EDD paperwork, and a notebook with the personal identifying information for more than 30 victims were found at the home. Law enforcement has determined that the suspect obtained more than $536,000 in fraudulent EDD funds. (sacda.org)
4. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors has unanimously agreed to appoint Ann Edwards as the new County Executive. Edwards comes to this role after serving as interim County Executive when prior executive Navdeep Gill retired after having been placed on administrative leave. Her appointment is historic as she will be the first female County Executive in Sacramento history. She will take her post on September 14. (KCRA3)
5. Sacramento County and city SWAT teams, crisis negotiators, arson investigators and an explosive ordnance team all responded to a standoff in north Sacramento County. It began Wednesday around 11:20 a.m. when a neighbor called authorities to report a neighbor making threatening comments and claiming to be armed. When deputies arrived the man barricaded himself in his residence. Nearby residents were evacuated. The man's identity has not been reported. (FOX40)

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Friday's events in Sacramento

• Councilman Eric Guerra, Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association and SactoMoFo present: Tahoe Park Food Truck Mania! It will be an evening of food, family fun and a beer garden! (5 pm)
• Not to be outdone by Tahoe Park, Councilmembers Rick Jennings and Mai Vang present a night of family fun with Family and Friends Together Again at Valley Hi Park! There will be a live performance by Hayez and food trucks until sundown and then a screening of Moana. (5 pm)
• Head out to Oak Park Brewing for their Night Market. There will be music, vendors, raffles and, of course, brew. (5 pm)
• Tired of paint and sip? How about a swig and dig! This one is unique, guys. You get to plant your very own carnivorous plant (think Little Shop of Horrors)! You'll get all supplies, a variety of plants, a local wine or beer of your choice and snacks (for you, not the plants). (6 pm)
• You can have your 15 minutes of fame at Comedy Spot as they present YOU! The Musical. The entire 60 minute show will be improvised, inspired by YOUR suggestion of a title. (9 pm)

Sacramento Patch Notebook

• It's your last chance for extended hours at Sutter's Fort State Historic Park! This weekend is your last opportunity to eat a picnic dinner on the grounds of Sutter's Fort with your family. They will be open summer hours - until 8:00 PM this weekend, but starting in September they will go back to normal hours, closing at 5:00 PM. If you've never hit Sutter's Fort, you're missing out! It's fascinating history in action!
• If you're starting to lose track of all of the fire activity in California, unfortunately, you are not alone. There are 16 active fires as of this writing. CalFire has a map that gives you the location and size of each and containment information for those that are being fought by CalFire. It's not pretty.
• This one is a little obscure, but it's National Pot de Crème Day and, I'm telling you, Back Bistro in Folsom has the BEST pot de crème on the planet! They top it with dark chocolate ganache, like it needs another layer of decadence. You won't be sorry your ditched your diet for this one!

Did you know you can feature your local business right here for just $79 per month? Click here to get started.

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update! If you're liking these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Jeri Karges

About me: Jeri Karges has been living in and loving the Sacramento region for over 30 years. Her passion is finding new and unique ways to enjoy the city and surrounding areas. On weekends, you can find her pestering her friends to sample the restaurant that doesn't have silverware, or try their hand at throwing an axe. Jeri also enjoys writing about retirement planning at https://rockinretirement.subst...

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