Infographic: Placer County Keeps on Growing

Placer is no longer the small, rural county of old. It now boasts medium-sized cities, major employers and a population expected to grow at a faster rate than the rest of the region.

Jan 3, 2017 Sara Bogovich

The Way Back

Having lost his mother in a train accident, one journalist chronicles the recovery from the worst day of his life

With each interview I conducted and report I filed, I sought to understand how these great rolling machines had destroyed the person I used to be and killed the person I cared about most. But publishing stories about high-speed rail never helped. Like other pain relievers, print journalism became one more way to avoid facing what happened that day.

Dec 27, 2016 Allen Young

Take It Easy

U.S. workers are taking less and less vacation — here’s what their employers are losing to the vacation gap

 You probably need a vacation. Most of America does. Between 1976 and 2000, the average worker took roughly 20 vacation days annually, according to data from Project: Time Off. But as the economy buckled in 2008, so did our desire to flock to the beach, and in 2015, the number plunged nearly a full week lower, translating to 658 million unused vacation days.

Oct 4, 2016 Jeff Wilser
(Photo courtesy of Joey Garcia)

Rise Up Belize! Aspires to Help Children

It may seem odd that a nonprofit named Rise Up Belize! would be based out of Sacramento, California. But spend some time with founder Joey Garcia, and it’ll all make sense.

Aug 15, 2016 Dave Kempa
(Photo courtesy of The California-HighSpeed Rail Authority)

Status Check: High-Speed Rail

In 2014, we reported on the progress of the contentious and embattled California high-speed rail project starting to take shape (“One-Track Mind” by Allen Young, January 2014). We recently checked back in with Jeff Morales, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, to see where the project is now and why it’s still making headlines.

Jul 1, 2016 Robin Epley