Elk Grove News Podcasts

The COVID pandemic has been like nothing else in our lifetimes. The most devasting effect has been the worldwide loss of life, but there are silver linings, especially for state and local governments.

In the summer of 2020, an Elk Grove News reader discovered an illegal cement grinding operation at the site of the OSH hardware. That was a strong indicator of what happens at city hall. 

For anyone who lives east of Highway 99 in Elk Grove, and more specifically east of the Union Pacific tracks undoubtedly are stopped on almost a daily basis by trains.

On his Twitter feed, renowned University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato documented lengthy delays receiving a mail-in ballot for this year’s Virginia gubernatorial race.

The Elk Grove Police Department announced this week they received a one-year, two-hundred-thousand-dollar grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

By Dan Schmitt | During my teaching career, writing assignments were an integral part of my English and social studies curriculum. Often I would model the process by writing something on the same topic. Here is a story used to help guide them to write a Halloween-time story.

Elk Grove City Councilmember and Sacramento County Board of Supervisor candidate Pat Hume is chickening out by enlisting surrogates and parsing words when it comes to addressing the most pressing challenge to our democracy. 

Mitt Romney has had a political resurrection in the last few years. Following his 2012 loss to Barrack Obama, the Republican has been elected as a Utah Senator, voted to impeach Donald Trump and has become something of an elder statesmen. But it is worth remembering what Romney told people attending a private fundraiser during the 2012 presidential election. This sort of double talk is also report...

Democratic elected officials including Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and city council members Stephanie Nguyen and Darren Suen will host a fundraiser benefiting fellow Democrat, Representative Ami Bera.

Sacramento Zoo’s announcement on their possible move to Elk Grove caught many by surprise. There is, however, a bit of irony how the project ended up in Elk Grove.

In an interview this morning on Cap Radio's Insight program, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen revealed more information on the possible relocation of the Sacramento Zoo. Last week zoo officials and city officials announced a six-month negotiation to move the 15-acre zoo to an undeveloped 60-acre site in Elk Grove. In her presentation, Singh-Allen noted the city was approached earlier in the summ...

Two weeks ago was a rare moment of national unity on the 20th anniversary of the 9 -11 attacks. But as one Elk Grove, Calif. elected official noted, that unity quickly evaporated. 

During the post-pandemic American economic recovery, jobs in several classifications are being left unfilled. One such job is school bus drivers.

Once again we find ourselves referencing comments from former President George W. Bush. The former president made comments during a ceremony in Shanksville, Penn. marking the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

Twenty years ago today was horrific. We should always remember this day. Upon our recent withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, historians will dissect the misadventure that spanned four presidencies for generations.

By Dan Schmitt |  As another US tragedy unfolds in Afghanistan, it is natural for Americans to be frustrated and angry at our government and to have this hidious gut feeling that nothing good can possibly come from this tragedy.  After all, many of us saw a similar tragedy play out in Vietnam nearly fifty years ago.

Just when you thought a state government couldn’t get crazier, it does. And we aren’t talking about California.

During the current California legislative session, there has been debate and votes on several laws addressing housing. Two notable pieces of legislation are Senate Bills 9 and 10, which are expected to be enacted.

Elk Grove has grown quickly in its last 30 years because of affordable housing. Its regional role as a bedroom community started over 30 years ago and continued with its incorporation in 2000. Now mind you, there is nothing inherently wrong with being a bedroom community.

This week saw the end of America’s role in Afghanistan after 20 years of war. It is an unfortunate outcome, especially for the all souls lost or wounded.

One of several lingering effects of Donald Trump has been the Big Lie. The big lie perpetrators have included cable news outlets One America News and Newsmax.

Netflix has released a new documentary series called How to Become a Tyrant. The six-part series offers a somewhat snarky playbook to becoming a tyrant with a focus on Adolf Hitler, Edi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Moammar Kadafi, Joseph Stalin, and Kim il Yung.

This week’s there were a couple of encouraging developments. First, with bi-partisan support, the U.S. Senate advanced the debate on President Biden’s massive infrastructure proposal.

West Virginia’s Joe Manchin is one of the most powerful people in the U.S. Senate. The conservative Democratic senator is the crucial 50th person giving his party the majority.

For the second time in less than 20 years, a California governor is facing a recall. Voters will answer yes or no if Gavin Newsom should continue as governor.