🌱 Sacramento Skier Honored + ‘Fresh Prince’ Salaam of Sacramento

Happy Thursday, Sacramento! Here’s everything you need to know to start today off on an informed note. Here’s what’s happening today in Sacramento.

First, today’s weather:

Plenty of sun. High: 73 Low: 40.

Here are the top five stories in Sacramento today:

1. The City of Sacramento is considering giving local artists a monthly paycheck. Local professional artists have struggled financially over the last two years as indoor art gallery exhibits were canceled and indoor performance venues were closed, so city leaders are looking at giving them a monthly stipend. So how would guaranteed basic income work? “It’s essentially an unconditional cash payment,” said Sacramento Cultural and Creative Economy Manager Megan Van Voorhis. City leaders are considering setting aside a portion of the $10 million in Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, which was approved as part of the mayor’s ARP spending framework, to fund the program. It’s a potential big boost to keep artists employed and Sacramento’s creative economy thriving. (CBS Sacramento)
2. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is getting a fresh reboot as a drama with the help of a Sacramento Super Bowl player turned writer. 45-year-old Ephraim Salaam has made the transition from the NFL to Hollywood and will join the reboot, titled “Bel-Air.” Salaam said he felt honored to help remake a show that meant so much to him growing up. “It just resonated because it’s a fish out of water story and I kind of felt like that going into the seventh grade in Sacramento,” he said. Both academically and athletically gifted, at 16 years old he went to San Diego State where he played football and basketball before playing football professionally as a career. Since then Salaam’s sense of humor and creativity have taken him far as a TV broadcaster, movie producer and writer. This only became possible for him because his wife gave him screenwriting classes as a birthday gift. Salaam said he was instantly hooked once he started. “Bel-Air” premieres on Peacock on Feb 13. (KCRA3)
3. The city of Sacramento decided to move ahead with a plan to spend $27 million on possible solutions to the homeless crisis. The city’s Budget and Audit Committee approved Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s proposal for more affordable housing and community services. The midyear review funding will now go to the City Council next week for final approval. (FOX40)
4. An early morning crash closed Highway 50 near downtown on Wednesday. The crash happened around 2 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 on the Pioneer Bridge over the Sacramento River. A big rig crashed and began leaking fuel. Eastbound traffic was diverted onto Interstate 5 for several hours. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the crash is under investigation. (CBS Sacramento)
5. A Sacramento skier was recently honored by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs as they opened an exhibit that features her groundbreaking gold medals. Cindy Castellano Ehnes was the first American woman to win gold in a Winter Paralympics. At the age of 19 her left hand was caught in a meat grinder while she was working at a restaurant. It happened at a time when physical disabilities had profound personal and professional consequences. “I think societally, it was more or less expected that you were going to go inside and never come back out,” Ehnes recalled. But Ehnes did nothing of the sort. In between ski competitions, Ehnes earned a law degree. After her ski career, she launched what became a high-profile career in the health care field. It included serving as the Director of California’s Department of Managed Health Care in the Schwarzenegger administration. Ehnes still finds joy on the slopes. She describes her skiing these days as “fast and very aggressive. Usually, people are saying I need to slow down!” (KCRA3 via MSN)

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Today in Sacramento:

• Grab your Gal Pals ‘cuz this one’s for the Ladies!!! Sip, Nibble & Shop your way down Sutter Street in Old Folsom! We’ll have lovely little Sips and/or Nibbles for our Travelers! Get your Passport stamped along the way and turn in your completed passport to be entered for a chance to win one of many raffle items from participating merchants! (4:00 PM)
• Don’t miss this FREE teen event: Hot Spot Remix: Super Bowl Thursday! Come battle it out on our virtual football field and play to become 2022 South Natomas Super Bowl Champion! Enter to win our grand prize raffle and other prizes as well! For ages 13 – 17. (6:00 PM)
• Paint a Valentine’s vase at Galentine’s Paint & Sip at Whired Wine Bar in Sacramento. (6:30 PM)
• Check out the 2022 Fly Fishing Film Tour at Crest Theater downtown. (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• On Friday, Feb. 11, most Sacramento County offices will be closed in observance of President Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. All emergency services, as well as garbage service will continue. County offices will return to their normal business hours on Monday, Feb. 14. (saccounty.gov)
• Three sisters who were born and raised in Sacramento are opening their own coffee shop called DRiP Espresso. Keiona Williamson, Taylor White, and Jasmine Bronson-White were born and raised in Sacramento and have been inspired throughout the pandemic to start their own coffee shop. DRiP Espresso plans to open in mid-February of 2022. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates and take a look at their website for more information.(ABC10.com KXTV)
• The City of Sacramento is inviting area community-based organizations to apply for its new Sacramento Get Vaccinated campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among city of Sacramento residents with an emphasis on those ZIP codes with the lowest vaccination rates. To apply for the campaign, organizations must complete a brief application and share information about which communities they serve and how they intend to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates within those communities. The City of Sacramento is holding an informational webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. to review all campaign details and answer questions about the application. Register for the webinar here. (Sacramento City Express)