By John Flynn
Righting the (intern)ship
On May 11, Mayor Darrell Steinberg unveiled his Thousand Strong program that aims to match 1,000 students with businesses to provide paid, year-round internships. As part of the program, community organizations will provide 40 hours of workplace training for each student at no cost to the employer. Applications are due on May 19. The program will help students who cannot afford to work the unpaid internships that have been foisted upon millennials—51 percent of whom don’t “support capitalism,” according to a recent Harvard study. Props to a government-backed work program that pays and trains better than the free market.
-1,000
Fire starts to burn
On May 9, President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. After spokespeople offered conflicting explanations, Trump, in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, said, “When I decided to [fire Comey], I said to myself, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.” The next day, according to the Washington Post, Trump wantonly revealed “highly classified information” to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister, jeopardizing a source of intelligence on ISIS so as to impress his guests. Trump maintains his innocence of electoral collusion, insisting that Comey reassured him on three separate occasions that he wasn’t culpable. Ah yes, of course, repeatedly asking if anybody can prove you did something wrong—that classic course of action chosen by the innocent.
-9
Fairly exceptional
Winemaker Robert Smerling won the Double Gold Medal at the 2017 State Fair Wine Tasting for his Cabernet Sauvignon, RISK. The wine’s grapes came from his Napa Valley vineyard, then were crushed, fermented and aged at East Sacramento’s Cabana Winery. Among the State Fair’s food offerings, Scorekeeper thinks RISK’s “dark berry flavor with hints of cider and dark chocolate” pairs elegantly with a deep-fried, double-stuffed Oreo.
+2
Mulch mayhem
On May 20, the city’s water conservation office will give away free mulch and soaker hoses at the Sacramento Marina (2 Broadway) from 8 a.m. to noon while supplies last. Mulch—decaying leaves, bark or compost—provides multiple benefits: It deters weeds, allows water to sink into soil, moderates soil temperature and eventually breaks down into nutrients. The city recommends surrounding plants with 3 to 4 inches of mulch for maximum benefits. Bring your own tarps, shovels and containers and be ready to get your hands dirty—or rather, mulchy.
+3 to 4
Backyard drive-by
On May 11 near midnight, Sacramento police officers responded to a report of a drive-by shooting near Arden Fair Mall. When they arrived, they found a man with a gun wound in his thigh. But after interviewing witnesses and recovering a firearm hidden in the man’s backyard, they determined he had lied, and instead had shot himself accidentally. Folks, if you must use hand-held killing machines, please be safe and honest about it.
-2
