New See’s Candies Now Open
CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The new See’s Candies retail store has opened at 5499 Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights, replacing its former long-time location home in Sunrise Mall.
Once home to a branch of the Patelco Credit Union, the new See’s Candies flagship store, houses a retail shop, corporate offices and a business-to-business operations unit for corporate sales in a brightly muraled, old-fashioned themed two-story commercial building along Sunrise Boulevard which passersby can’t miss.
“We’re delighted to welcome customers to our new location,” said Deanna Ward, its district sales manager. Inside, customers browsed display cases for familiar dark and milk chocolate treats.
See’s Candies closed retail stores in downtown Sacramento and in the Sunrise Mall, consolidating and relocating retail sales in the area to the new Sunrise Boulevard facility, Ward said. Business operations are located on the top floor of the former credit union building.
The store entrance which faces JoAnne’s Fabrics in the Sunrise Village Mall is from the rear of the building. Former drive-in banking lanes still remain but are not utilized for customer service or sales.
Store manager Hebeh Masoud, who has been with See’s nearly 20 years transferred to Citrus Heights from Sacramento, with Cindy Born, who serves as the store’s assistant manager. Some personnel who worked at the Sunrise Mall store before its recent closure were also offered positions at the new store, Masoud said.
See’s Candies, makers of American made delicious candies and chocolates since 1921, continues to be true to its motto of “quality without compromise.”
Customers can create their own ultimate box of their favorites, including milk or dark chocolates with or without nuts, truffles and limited time sweets, packed fresh at the candy counter in half-pound or 1, 2, 3 and 5-pound boxes.
The new black and white interior in the Citrus Heights flagship store is familiar in theme. The scents of nuts, vanilla and sweet chocolate soon touch your senses and comfort you, often quicker than a friendly staff member can offer you a delicious free sample.
Outside, a mural reminds visiting customers of all the holidays and special occasions where the gift of chocolate is always an appropriate way to properly celebrate.
“Our new location also allows See’s to help support its corporate gifting and fundraising sales program operations in a central location for our many customers,” Masoud said. Bulk sales of See’s Candies are traditionally popular fundraisers for many schools and non-profit groups.
“We’re better able to help them with a variety of programs to help them achieve their goals with multi-recipient shipping, custom logo gifts, personalized gift messaging and much more,” Masoud said.
Tallen Capital and Citivest Commercial partnered together to acquire the 10,621-square-foot building in Citrus Heights in May 2022, with See’s Candies later signing a long-term lease for the building, according to a brokerage press release.
See’s Candies at 5499 Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Call (279) 201-9878 for more information.
A formal grand opening ceremony is planned on Saturday, September 16th to commemorate founder Mary See’s birthday, Masoud said.
Hawaiian Firestorm Donation Drop-Off Wednesday, August 16!
WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The International Longshoreman & Warehouse Union, Local 18 will be collecting donations at the Port of West Sacramento this Wednesday, August 16th, 12-6pm.
PORT OF WEST SACRAMENTO
2895 Industrial Ave, West Sacramento 95691
Tomorrow Wednesday, August 16TH 12 – 6 PM
If you can donate anything to help the hundreds of people effected by the devastating wildfires in Hawaii it would be greatly appreciated! All donations will be driven to SF on Thursday to load a shipping container going to Hawaii Local 142 for distribution.
High Priority Items
Canned Food
Slippers (flip flops)
Can openers
Shoes and clothing (ALL SIZES)
Bottled water
Nonperishable food
Baby food
Diapers (baby and adult)
Baby Bottles
Pillowcases
Baby formula
Backpacks
Reusable bags
Flashlights & headlamps
Batteries
Heavy duty garbage bags
Baby wipes
Luggage with wheels
Feminine products
Foldable chairs
Hygiene products
Ziplock bags
Toothbrushes
Hair brushes
Deodorant
Body soap
Toothpaste
Underwear (ALL SIZES)
Eye drops
Tylenol
Bandaids
Hair ties/ scrunchies/rubberbands
If that time does not work, please contact the president of Local 18, Tim Campbell to coordinate another drop off time.
Thank you.
Caltrans Set to Deploy State-of-the-Art Electronic Message Signs
![Motorists will be spotting a message reading “CMS Test in Prog[ress]; Ends 09/01/2023” as teams continue to set up the electronic signs. Photo courtesy of Caltrans](http://www.messengerpublishinggroup.com/articles/2023/0811-Caltrans-Electronic-Message-Signs/images/PT01S-Caltrans-Electronic-Message-Signs-unnamed---2023-08-07T202340.355.jpg)
MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - In a sign of the times and a first in California, Caltrans is poised to join the color revolution with the unveiling of more than two dozen state-of-the-art full-color overhead highway message boards spread across the greater Sacramento Valley and Sierra regions.
Caltrans District 3 engineers this month are conducting final tests on 28 new color changeable message signs dotting U.S. Highway 50 in El Dorado and Sacramento counties, Interstate 5 in Sacramento County and State Highways 70 and 99 in Butte County.
District 3 is the first in California to widely deploy full-color message signs, which cost about $2.5 million. Other regions have installed these signs as a pilot project.
Before going live in mid-September, local motorists are spotting a message reading “CMS Test in Prog[ress]; Ends 09/01/2023” on these new boards.
Engineers are testing the performance of these signs to ensure their long-term reliability before turning on the switch.
“The new changeable message signs will allow Caltrans to display reliable real-time travel and traffic safety information using high-resolution color text and images during both day- and night-time driving conditions,” said Caltrans District 3 Director Amarjeet S. Benipal.
In addition, the sign technology enables Caltrans to display pictorial messages in color, which will better communicate roadway conditions to non-English speaking motorists. “Caltrans is firmly committed to ensuring equity for all drivers in California,” Benipal said.
The new boards will supplement 79 existing changeable message signs along state routes in eight counties (Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, Butte, Yolo, Colusa and Sutter). However, these existing boards are limited to amber text-only messages.
“The older boards frequently experience problems with pixels going out, resulting in garbled and confusing messages to travelers. Troubleshooting these signs can be time consuming and lead to longer down times and higher maintenance costs,” Benipal said.
Highway changeable message signs date back to the mid-1950s in the United States. New Jersey transportation officials, for example, deployed these signs in 1957 to control traffic flow through the Lincoln Tunnel between New York City and New Jersey.
Studies indicate changeable message signs can be a cost-effective measure to improve traffic flow and slow down drivers who are traveling over the speed limit in poor weather.
Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lanes miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties.
SCOE Teachers and Classified School Employees of the Year Honored
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) – SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, the largest credit union serving school employees and their families, recognized the exemplary teachers and classified school employees who were honored in the annual Sacramento County Office of Education Teacher of the Year and Classified School Employee of the Year programs sponsored by the Credit Union. Teachers and classified school employees selected for 2023 were honored during recognition events at two Sacramento River Cats games at Sutter Health Park earlier this year.
The Sacramento County Teacher of the Year program recognizes excellence in teaching within the county's public schools. Participating districts nominate individual teachers to receive this special recognition. The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) also nominates one of its teachers to compete. The Classified Employee of the Year program, open to school district and SCOE staff, is designed to acknowledge and promote the efforts of outstanding classified school employees across the county.
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and the Sacramento River Cats are among the partners that support both programs.
Teachers of the Year selected for Sacramento County are:
Katie Edwards, 4th Grade, Oak Hill Elementary School, Center Joint Unified School District; Debi Lawson, 4th & 5th Grade, Washington Elementary School, Sacramento City Unified School District; Rachel Baird, 11th & 12th Grade (English), Cosumnes Oaks High School, Elk Grove Unified School District; Lisa Bettencourt, 3rd Grade, Pacific Elementary School, Sacramento City Unified School District; Christina Rae, 9th & 12th Grade (English), Vista del Lago High School, Folsom Cordova Unified School District; Kevin Jordan, 7th – 12th Grade (CTE- Horticulture), Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School, Sacramento County Office of Education; Mark Bornstein, 2nd Grade, Paso Verde School, Natomas Unified School District; Logan Grinsell, 6th & 8th Grade (Science, Drama, Art), John Barrett Middle School, San Juan Unified School District; Gabino Perez, Principal (former 5th Grade Teacher), Walnut Grove Elementary School, River Delta Unified School District; Nicolette Pulley, K-5th Grade (Academic Intervention - Reading), Ottomon Elementary School, San Juan Unified School District; Matthew Craine, K-6th Grade (Physical Education), Main Avenue School, Robla School District; Emily Negretot, 3rd Grade, Frontier Elementary School, Twin Rivers Unified School District.
Classified Employees of the Year selected for Sacramento County are:
Troygah Ahmach, Office Manager (Clerical and Administrative Services), Twin Rivers Unified School District; Kerry Wedel, Head Custodian (Custodial and Maintenance Services), Folsom Cordova Unified School District; Antoinette Tanksley, Café Services Team Leader (Food and Nutrition Services), Twin Rivers Unified School District; Amber Dimas, Health Assistant (Health and Student Services), Folsom Cordova Unified School District; Rachel Dennis, Infant Educator (Paraprofessional Services), Sacramento County Office of Education; Terry Douglas, Community Safety Specialist (Security Services), Folsom Cordova Unified School District; Daniel Ericksen, Mechanic (Transportation Services), Folsom Cordova Unified School District.
“These teachers and classified school employees have displayed their unwavering dedication to making a positive impact on students’ lives,” said Josh Smith, vice president, school and community relations for SchoolsFirst FCU. “Since our founding almost 90 years ago, we have put school employees and their families in the forefront of our mission. We are honored to recognize their many contributions to schools, students and communities.
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union is the fifth largest credit union in the country. Serving school employees and their families, the organization is dedicated to providing World-Class Personal Service and improving the financial lives of its Members. Today they serve more than 1.3 million Members with a full range of financial products and. SchoolsFirst FCU was founded in 1934, when 126 school employees pooled $1,200 and established a Member-owned cooperative to help improve each other's lives. In 2022, the Credit Union reported nearly $28 billion in assets and remains the largest credit union in California. For more information about SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, visit schoolsfirstfcu.org.
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Bureau of Land Management is taking an ambitious and coordinated approach to accelerate fuels reduction projects on public lands with high wildfire risk throughout California and northwest Nevada. The signing on August 8, 2023, of the Statewide Wildland-Urban Interface Fuels Treatment Programmatic Environmental Assessment will streamline plans to protect communities, reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health.
“This plan helps reduce the intensity, severity and spread of wildfire near communities that border public lands managed by the BLM,” said BLM California State Director Karen E. Mouritsen. “Through partnerships with local and state agencies we will prioritize and coordinate fuels treatments to protect people, property and vital infrastructure.”
Under this plan, fuels treatment projects will be coordinated across land ownerships to provide the best results for communities, creating a landscape-level network of strategic fuels treatments and breaks within the wildland-urban interface.
The Statewide Wildland-Urban Interface Fuels Treatment Programmatic Environmental Assessment conducted a broad analysis across 930,000 acres of public lands. As local communities and the BLM identify wildfire concerns, the new streamlined fuels treatment plans will permit on-the-ground work to begin in a matter of months. This will allow us to treat an anticipated additional 20,000 acres of public lands each year.
The plan covers 44 counties in California: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba; and two counties in northwest Nevada: Douglas and Washoe. Projects under this program can begin as soon as this fall.
To learn more about this programmatic environmental assessment, visit the BLM NEPA Register. For more general information, please contact your local BLM Field Office.
The BLM manages approximately 245 million acres of public land in the Nation, primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - SMUD ranked first in the 2023 J.D. Power Sustainability Index, a comprehensive evaluation of the nation’s largest electric utilities’ customer awareness, engagement and advocacy related to their local climate sustainability programs and goals.
Drawing from established J.D. Power customer satisfaction and environmental metrics, the index includes 35 of the largest U.S. electric utility companies with 500,000 or more residential customers, serving as an industry benchmark to assess the utility’s standing as a climate leader.
“SMUD is setting the standard for environmental leadership and utility service excellence,” said CEO and General Manager Paul Lau. “SMUD is taking sustainability to the next level with our industry-leading goal to remove all carbon emissions from our power supply by 2030. We’re delivering on that goal in a way that maintains reliability, keeps rates low, enhances our electric programs and services, and benefits our diverse communities. As we responsibly progress toward a clean energy future, SMUD is unwavering in our commitment to world-class reliability and continuing to keep SMUD’s rates among California’s lowest. This recognition underscores our decades-long commitment to environmental leadership and innovation, which continues to power the Sacramento region forward.”
SMUD is completely transforming the Sacramento region’s power supply and supporting electrification of buildings and transportation for a clean energy future and economy. SMUD’s 2030 Zero Carbon Plan is a comprehensive blueprint to achieve regional decarbonization, sustainability and an energy transition that leaves no community behind. The plan is among the most aggressive decarbonization initiatives of any major utility in the nation and centers on several key strategies, including:
Substantial increases in renewable energy sources, battery storage and related technologies; Adoption of zero carbon innovation to engage the wider community in carbon-reducing activities; Retirement of thermal plants; Strategic partnerships to optimize costs and maintain competitive rates, and; Workforce development programs and education opportunities that support clean energy careers.
Through a long-standing commitment to community connection and engagement, SMUD cultivates innovative pathways for customers to lower utility costs and actively participate in reducing their carbon footprint. Building on our unwavering support for EV adoption that started decades ago, SMUD continues to be a driving force for positive change, collaborating closely with customers. Through an array of SMUD programs, including virtual power plants, managed-EV charging solutions, electrification incentives, residential and commercial workshops on emerging energy technologies, EV test-drive forums and a variety of related initiatives, all communities are invited to actively participate in shaping a greener future.
In 2022, SMUD became the first recipient of J.D. Power's Power Certified Sustainability Leader designation, which acknowledges SMUD’s outstanding customer service and ambitious vision of achieving a carbon-free power supply by 2030.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Bradshaw Animal Shelter will pioneer a mobile pet clinic this fall to address the healthcare needs of pets belonging to unhoused individuals in Sacramento County. This initiative, named PAWS (Pet Aid and Wellness Services), will be the first of its kind in the region. Offering vital veterinary care on the go, the clinic's foremost focus will be on spaying and neutering as many pets as possible. Additionally, PAWS will be equipped to provide vaccinations as well as medical care and diagnostic services for ill and injured pets.
“By bringing essential veterinary services directly to unhoused pet owners and making spaying and neutering surgeries accessible, we hope to make a positive impact on both the pets and the individuals who love them," said Annette Bedsworth, Director of Bradshaw Animal Shelter.
The mobile clinic will operate at least three days a week, traveling to different locations throughout Sacramento County, strategically identifying and adapting its schedule to serve areas where these services are most urgently required.
In addition to the clinic removing the barrier of transportation, PAWS will also remove the financial barrier of essential veterinary care. All services will be sponsored by Sacramento County with funds provided by the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Dr. Cynthia Metcalf, who joined Sacramento County as a veterinarian last month, will be dedicated to the mobile pet clinic full-time. This work resonates deeply with Dr. Metcalf, who understands firsthand the importance of the bond between pets and their human companions, especially during challenging times. She shared that her tremendous passion for PAWS stems from her father, a Vietnam veteran who became unhoused and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In addition to her love for animals, Dr. Metcalf is compassionate about the complex reasons that can lead to people experiencing homelessness.
"This is very personal for me," Dr. Metcalf said. “I know what it's like to have a family member who has been unhoused, and I know how important our family dog was to him and how their bond helped him, so this program really resonates with me."
PAWS represents a significant milestone in ensuring that the region's most vulnerable pets are able to receive medical care, and will help reduce unwanted litters, pet overpopulation, and preventable diseases in the County.
The operating schedule of PAWS will be posted on Bradshaw Animal Shelter's website once it launches. For more shelter updates, please follow the shelter on Facebook and Instagram.