Behind a nondescript door in downtown Davis exists a little-known but vitally important piece of infrastructure, the Hydrologic Engineering Center. A recent threat to this center’s existence appears to have passed.

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Comstock’s followed four downtown Sacramento businesses and their broader sectors for a six-part series. On the fifth anniversary of the shutdowns, we checked in to see how they are faring.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Feb. 6 that the federal government was looking to not renew funding for the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory after its current round expires on Friday. While sources close to UC Davis are confident of a new contract being signed with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, that hadn’t happened as of press time, and some are worried about what comes next.

Efforts by California’s government to help students recover from the pandemic go back to its earliest days, with the state investing more than $36 billion to deal with pandemic impacts. The funding has gone to Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grants, expanded teacher recruitment, literacy specialists and much more.

Around the Capital Region, schools are still working to recover socially and academically from the COVID-19 pandemic. Test scores have been affected, as has school attendance. A new wave of behavioral issues has unfolded, too. Now, a variety of people are working to help students catch up.

There were once dozens of theaters across the United States affiliated with Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios), in an era when moviemakers set up their own chains of theaters and sometimes commissioned grand film palaces. Some have long since been demolished, but others have shown what can happen after a successful push for preservation.

In 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the TransMedics Organ Care System, or OCS device. Known as the “heart in a box,” this device uses normothermic perfusion to pump blood through a removed heart and preserve it for longer periods until it can be transplanted into a new person.

We live in a world that can be quick to glom onto surface-level information. Me, I prefer the stories that live below the surface, that take time to discover and fully understand.

WellSpace is strengthening its behavioral work, announcing on Oct. 9 that its certified community behavioral health clinic had received the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission.

At a time when anyone can order lighting fixtures off Amazon or wander the aisles of Home Depot or Lowe’s and select something readily available and cheap, visiting Hobrecht or Lofings can feel like a trip to a different era. Still, there’s a story worth telling connected to each of these Sacramento stores which shows how family businesses can endure even in changing times.

National Center for Health Workforce Analysis figures from November 2022 show there could be a shortage of over 78,000 full-time registered nurses in the U.S. by next year, and that the shortage could last several years. CalMatters reported in July 2023 that California was short around 36,000 licensed nurses, citing figures from UC San Francisco, which studies the nursing workforce.

Cemeteries such as East Lawn in East Sacramento and three adjoining graveyards at Broadway and Riverside Boulevard in Upper Land Park are located near some of Sacramento’s highest-priced real estate. Could any of them be relocated again? 

The Capital Region has seen a stunning metamorphosis over the past decade. These changes didn’t happen on their own; they occurred due to the work and vision of a range of notable people, from developers and public officials to sports executives and innovators.

Now comes the biggest test yet for Sacramento’s baseball hopes: welcoming a moribund franchise in hopes it might lead to good MLB fortunes.

Leo Zlimen, 25, is CEO of Ladris, a fast-growing startup based in Nevada City that provides AI-based software for emergency management.

Kevin Dobson is founder and executive director of Capital College & Career Academy, a public charter high school that trains teenagers to work in construction.

An array of high-end hotels have opened downtown in recent years. And more could be in the works as the city’s downtown core continues to transform since the 2016 opening of Golden 1 Center and renovations of the city’s convention center.

Lial Jones, who is the Mort and Marcy Friedman director and CEO for the museum, announced recently that she’ll retire at the end of this year. In her tenure, she’s overseen the expansion of both Crocker’s collection and the museum itself.

The street quietly has a lot going for it. Sacramento City Council member Karina Talamantes says that Northgate boasts a highly diverse community living up and down the boulevard. 

Between schools like McGeorge and UC Davis School of Law, as well as an array of respected firms, the state Capitol and various courts including a federal courthouse, the Sacramento region is a strong draw for the legal industry.

With Sacramento nearly 400 miles from Hollywood and an increasing number of films shot in Georgia for tax purposes, the Capital Region doesn’t frequently host productions. But when it happens, people can get excited.

Stockton has a proud and storied history as an agricultural manufacturing hub, helping bring innovations like the tractor to market. There’s a proud sports history, too; the minor league baseball Stockton Ports have won 11 California League titles in their history. 

The homelessness crisis has seemingly coincided with a lack of sufficient behavioral health resources. Organizations like WellSpace could be well-positioned to take on a growing share of this vital work.

Sramek, 36, is founder and CEO of California Forever, which seeks to build a large new community in Solano County. While cities or large unincorporated communities have been built from scratch before in California and elsewhere, what makes this potential metropolis unusual — and has stirred public controversy — are the people behind it and its backstory.

Ever wonder about the economics of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s classic 1892 ballet, “The Nutcracker”? The show is far from the only thing a company like the Sacramento Ballet does, but with its ticket sales, it can bankroll much of the rest of the year.

Vanessa Van Vleck keeps a wall of shame at Superbum Plant Company, identifying people suspected of stealing from her East Sacramento store. It’s one of the few things Van Vleck and her husband, Dylan Van Vleck, who opened their business in 2021, can do to deal with a burgeoning problem in California.

Dan Dillon had been retired about two weeks from the Elk Grove Unified School District when he realized he needed something to do. “Everybody’s different,” says Dillon, 70. “Like my brother, he’s retired. And he goes kayaking, fly fishing and windsurfing. And he’s always going to Hawaii, Tahoe, Baja California. He keeps so busy. I was never that person.”

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Stockton was a manufacturing powerhouse, helping to send items to market like America’s first mass-produced tractors. Stockton’s manufacturing sector declined over many decades, though there are now local leaders working to strengthen it again.

Ken Imwinkelried went to work for River City Bank around the time of the Great Recession. Logging extra time on nights and weekends, he learned everything he could about his profession at a very challenging time in the banking industry. And over the course of several years, his extra work paid off with promotion after promotion. But about five years ago, as Imwinkelried implored other staff to not stay too late, he realized he had to do the same.

A cohort of leaders under the age of 40 making a difference in the Capital Region. What people like Rhodes lack in age and decades of professional accomplishments, they make up for with lessons learned through family and experiences.

While the days of having to meet remotely for services are mostly done, houses of worship in Sacramento are still coming out of a tough time and facing uncertainty.

Go by the business that recently opened in the former home of Waffle Square Country Kitchen and there are still some remnants from what was there before, such as the brown pleather booths. Otherwise, though, something very different is going on here.

The problem has been a sharp rise in the availability of illicit fentanyl, or fake pills, which has shown up in other drugs. The crisis comes when a user doesn’t know the pill they are taking is laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl.

An elite training facility near Cal Expo has a number of major leaguers have been loyal customers.

After several years of work by Wilton Rancheria, the tribe’s casino operator Boyd Gaming, and local leaders, Sky River is finally up and running.

Some people call the western Nevada County area a mini-Silicon Valley. While the area has a technical and collaborative spirit, some are skeptical about the long term potential for the new guard.

In an era where every major commercial radio station seems to be sticking to a tight format, some local radio stations are focusing on diversity, community and originality.

Vivek Ranadivé sometimes draws the ire of fans and media criticism for perceived meddling in his team, which hasn’t made the playoffs in 16 years. But there’s another side to his story, his work as a leader of one of the highest-valued businesses in the area and the potential impact he continues to have on Sacramento.

The California Capital Airshow hearkens back to the years when the Capital Region was a hub of aerospace and defense manufacturing. After pandemic losses, the event broke records in 2021 and is set to continue its rise.

Thanks to the popularity of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” which featured former Sacramento Ballet dancer Rex Wheeler as Lady Camden in season 14, drag has become an increasingly mainstream pastime with big earning potential — for those at the top. We checked in with Wheeler and other local queens to learn more about drag economics.

California’s aerospace, aviation and defense industries support more than 511,000 high-paying jobs and generate more than $66 billion in annual economic activity, larger than the agriculture and entertainment industry combined. We checked in with industry players in the Capital Region.

In the 2 1/2 years since the former Tower Records and Tower Books buildings were demolished at the southeastern corner of 16th Street and Broadway in Sacramento, the site has sat vacant. Finally, things could be starting to change.

Extreme athletes see what they can accomplish, however improbable — like the 100.2-mile ultramarathon Western States — and use their hobbies to contribute to regional economies.

For many young professionals, a job isn’t just a job, but rather a chance to make a difference in the world — to be beacons and forces for good, even change within their companies. 

Mark Otero, founder of the Sacramento-based mobile game company KlickNation, is now working on “Legions & Legends,” a combat roleplaying game and the debut effort from his studio, Azra Games.

Upgrades in water meters are helping to reduce water waste, but installation of new infrastructure can be slow and difficult to fund.

Although the hot housing marketing has made it a great time to be a builder in California, it’s also uniquely challenging as supply chain issues create pricing volatility, delays and decreased margins. 

The owners of Pachamama Coffee aim to operate their cooperative business sustainably, considering environmental, economic and social issues.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, the Crocker’s art park project is being brought back to life, though there are a few hurdles to overcome before breaking ground.

Tribal officials are working with Sacramento city government to secure a formal recognition of tribal land, creating opportunities for education.