![(Illustration by Jefferson Miller @ARTOFJEFFERSON)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/evil_hr_24_may.png?1715051107)
Dilemma of the Month: Can I Fire an Employee on Medical Leave?
Evil HR Lady says you can’t hold FMLA or ADA against an employee,
but you can still hold them accountable for their work when they
are there.
![Auburn features a historic district along with 40 miles of trails surrounding the American River for hiking, biking, running and kayaking. (Photo courtesy of Visit Placer)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/placercounty_140.png?1715011622)
History in Our Backyard
Past meets present in these quaint old towns that tourists are eager to explore
Auburn, Benicia, Folsom, Lodi and Truckee: five Northern California gems you’ll want to visit this summer.
![Concerts in the Park has taken place in Sacramento's Cesar Chavez Park for 31 years. (Photo by Spencer Fields, courtesy of Downtown Sacramento Partnership)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/photocredit_spencerfields46.png?1714751624)
Concerts in the Park Is Bigger Than Ever This Year
Organizers have expanded the downtown Sacramento venue and brought back some local favorites
For the festival’s 31st year, live performances are scheduled every Friday from 5-9 p.m. starting May 3. They continue every weekend this summer though July 26, with the exception of July 5 due to the Fourth of July holiday.
![Dr. Luke Wood in the boxing room at The Well, the multi-purpose gym facility at Sac State. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_0525_2.png?1714751232)
Giving Students a Fighting Chance With Combat U
When Dr. Luke Wood was finding his sea legs as Sac State’s new president, he walked over to Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness gym on Folsom Boulevard, put on his boxing gloves and sparred with the gym owner. Then a light went off in Wood’s head. Since he was reinventing the university anyway, why not use the opportunity to partner with Faber in setting up a system so students could go to school for fighting?
![Spectators watch an April 27 game at Sutter Health Park, where some Oakland A's fans were protesting the team's temporary move to West Sacramento. (Photo by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/6-april_27_2024sell_protest.png?1714662777)
We’re Hitting One Into the Ballpark!
Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson shares her thoughts on the A’s move to Sacramento.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_0285.png?1714591044)
The Bold Vision of Dr. Luke Wood
Sac State’s new, young president is creating an AI hub, Black honors program, college for foster youth and Combat U
Dr. Luke Wood has set his competitive sights on remaking his university into an institution that can compete academically, not just with other CSUs — he is clear in his ambition to make the beautiful, tree-filled and ethnically diverse campus the flagship university in the CSU system — but with the University of California campuses and other top-tier institutions around the country.
![Comfort food like cheesesteaks are among the most popular items at Jet’s. (Photos by Gabriel Teague)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/gtp_7257.png?1714493594)
Jet’s Sets Off
This Midtown hotspot started out as a college student’s pandemic project
When Jet Bonanno started his shoestring home-based food operation, he never dreamed it would morph into a thriving brick-and-mortar restaurant. But that’s exactly what happened when Bonanno opened Jet’s American Grill & Bar at the ripe old age of 22.
![Doug Winter, who is a partially sighted photographer, creates emotive images exploring perception and memory through the lens of visual impairment. (Photos courtesy of Doug Winter)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/artexposed-winter-1.png?1714572728)
Art Exposed: Doug Winter
Elk Grove photographer creates images exploring perception and memory through the lens of visual impairment
After suffering a stroke in his right eye in 2012, Elk Grove resident Doug Winter, a trained commercial photographer, began to think differently about sight and perception.
![Caltrans Director Tony Tavares travels the state each week, overseeing 55,000 lane miles of highways, 24,000 bridges and more. Here he's meeting with a Caltrans crew in Sacramento. (Photos by Wes Davis)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/ck0a9222.png?1714407098)
The Way We Work: Tony Tavares
A glimpse into the daily life of the director of Caltrans
His trick for listening to all those voices? He starts every day in the middle of the night.
![(Photo by Susan Maxwell Skinner)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/comstocks_talks.jpg?1713910774)
Bio-informed Flight with Christina Harvey and Michelle Hawkins
PODCAST EPISODE: UC Davis faculty members Christina Harvey, an aerospace engineering expert, and Michelle Hawkins, director of the California Raptor Center, discuss a Defense Department-funded research project to inform future drone technologies.