Robin Epley is a full-time reporter and part-time editor based in Chico, and an alumna of Chico State University. She previously worked as Comstock’s associate editor and is a native of Sacramento.
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Our Printer is Going Green(er)
Commerce Printing turns to solar power with plenty of downtown real estate — on their roof
Commerce Printing, located on 12th and C streets in Sacramento, has been printing Comstock’s magazine for roughly 16 years. As a business publication, we take pride in being the city’s only major magazine to be printed locally. But there’s another reason we’re proud of our long-standing relationship with the company: its commitment to environmentally sustainable practices.
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All This Pie Talk Got You Hungry?
4 local spots to get your sweet-tooth fix
Got pie on your mind? Well, here’s our list of bakeries and pie shops in the Capital Region who can really serve it up. But wherever you go for your pastry needs, remember to be safe and keep your cool.
![Stockmarket features items for sale by local makers, along with live music. (Photo courtesy Shannon Rock) Stockmarket features items for sale by local makers, along with live music. (Photo courtesy Shannon Rock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0916_blog_culture_stockmarket3.jpg?1577874530)
Stockmarket Sees Record Attendance and Sales at New Location
Pop-up market finds more space and more customers on the Miracle Mile
Do you live in Stockton? Well then you can take your business across the street. That’s because the popular and ever-growing Stockmarket has officially moved its location from downtown to the Miracle Mile, as of this Saturday.
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5 Ergonomic Tricks to Use at Your Desk
Ergonomics refers to the study of designing or arranging items to maximize people’s efficiency while at work. So unless you’ve put some time and thought into the ergonomics of your workspace, chances are you may be hurting yourself while on the job. Brush up on your ergo-knowledge with these five tricks to make your workplace safer and better. Your back will thank you.
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Buzzwords: Hardball
To be uncompromising in your methods or dealings, especially in business of politics
So while the word — and the practice — might make you roll your eyes, playing hardball can be useful and even necessary when the stakes are high. But please, use sparingly both verbally and in action.
Sponsored
![Photo by Octavio Valencia Photo by Octavio Valencia](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/sacramento_2015_farm-to-fork_festival_7_credit_octavio_valencia.jpg?1577874531)
Farm-to-Fork Festival Poised to Grow
A Q&A with event manager Sidney Scheideman
Comstock’s recently spoke with Sidney Scheideman, event manager for the upcoming, fourth annual Farm-to-Fork Festival, about the increasing popularity of the event, its positive impact on the Capital Region’s fledgling culinary reputation, and what we can expect to see from the festival this year and in the many years to come.
![James Graham (white shirt, on right) coaches the men’s water polo team at the University of the Pacific. James Graham (white shirt, on right) coaches the men’s water polo team at the University of the Pacific.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0816_blog_sports_waterpolo.jpg?1577874530)
Net Numbers
Two University of the Pacific professors are changing the game of water polo — at an Olympic level
New information put forth by two University of the Pacific staff is changing the way water polo is played, even at the highest levels of competition.
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Buzzword: Placemaking
The improvement in the quality of a particular place, in the attempt to also improve the overall quality of the neighborhood, community or region in which the place is located.
At its best, placemaking can bring attention to forgotten, underserved or otherwise blighted corners of a city, and build a communal aesthetic that empowers residents and visitors to celebrate a neighborhood. However, it can also go awry.
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How To Leave A Job Without Burning Bridges
It’s a rare occasion when burning a professional bridge is necessary — extremely rare. In all other cases, you’ll want to wrap up your employment experience on a good note and keep those connections open for references and possible networking in the future.
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The Internet of You
Cutting-edge technology brings sensors into every aspect of our daily lives, making them safer, more convenient — and a little scarier
Imagine a piece of technology the size of an aspirin. It can go anywhere, be embedded in anything and keep track of any action, movement or sound — imparting huge amounts of data, like tiny puzzle pieces that can be correctly fitted to form the picture of your life. It sounds Orwellian, the ability to monitor your habits at all times.
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Real-World Application of the Internet of Things
Local Cisco employees help grand old European cities become smart cities, too
Imagine picking up your marriage license at the mall, or registering your baby’s birth at a kiosk near the escalators. Seems hard to imagine, right? It’s almost too convenient. But these are realities for one neighborhood in Nice, France, where locally-made Cisco technology is changing the way residents interact.
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5 Ways To Be More Productive At Work, Right Now
Try these tricks to increase workflow and brain activity, and beat that midday slump
Standing up improves productivity by increasing blood flow and brain activity. Purging your desk clears your mind. Faking a smile can actually make you feel better. Want more tips? We have them …
![(Photo courtesy of The California-HighSpeed Rail Authority) (Photo courtesy of The California-HighSpeed Rail Authority)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0716_dept_update_the-california-high-speed-rail-authority.jpg?1577874530)
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.
![J-E Paino runs the Ruhstaller beer label. (Photo by Joan Cusick) J-E Paino runs the Ruhstaller beer label. (Photo by Joan Cusick)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/beer4226_jepaino.jpg?1577874530)
Status Check: Legacy Crop
In 2015, we reported on the exciting new changes J-E Paino hoped to bring to Dixon with his Ruhstaller beer label (“Legacy Crop” by Allison Joy, April 2015). The 8.5-acre hop yard and farm and outdoor tasting room in Dixon, however, had their power turned off in April following a long-running disagreement with Solano County. We talked with Paino and county officials about Ruhstaller’s future.
![Shane Snyder (right), director of program services for Society for the Blind, and also visually impaired, helps a student type on a laptop in their downtown Sacramento classrooms. Shane Snyder (right), director of program services for Society for the Blind, and also visually impaired, helps a student type on a laptop in their downtown Sacramento classrooms.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0516_crc_sftb_lead_kb.jpg?1577874530)
Seeing The Possibilities
Sacramento’s Society for the Blind helps workers stay working beyond vision impairment
Since 1953, Sacramento’s Society for the Blind has been serving employees and employers who have been affected by vision impairment. As one of their services, the Society’s trainers will come to an office or workplace to assess how circumstances can best be adapted for a visually impaired employee.
![(Shutterstock) (Shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0516_dept_update_istock.jpg?1577874530)
Status Check: Male Enhancement
In 2012, we reported on the growing number of men seeking plastic surgery in the Capital Region (“Male Enhancement” by Allen Young, March 2012). We caught up with one of the doctors interviewed, Dr. Debra Johnson of the Plastic Surgery Center of Sacramento, to see what the makeup of her waiting room looks like now.
![(Renderings: Courtesy of Atlas Lab) (Renderings: Courtesy of Atlas Lab)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0516_blog_thedune_lead.jpg?1577874530)
Down By The Riverside
MetroEdge ‘Pitch for Change’ winners want to reinvigorate Sacramento’s riverbanks for a new generation
Once upon a time, Sacramento lived and died by its rivers. As the last outpost of good society on the way to the Gold Rush foothills, Sacramento was nestled conveniently at the confluence of both the American and Sacramento rivers.
![(Photo courtesy of Wizard World) (Photo courtesy of Wizard World)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0416_dept_update_wizardworld2.jpg?1577874530)
Status Check: Comics in the Capital Region
Last year we reported on the growing comic convention scene in the Capital Region (“Level Up” by Bill Romanelli, May 2015). Check out what the comic world has been up to since then:
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0316_blog_comic.png?1577874530)
Squad Goals
B-Squad comic creator Eben Burgoon wants to see more local artists employed
It’s a funny thing, to hear the word “employed” in tandem with comic books, says Eben Burgoon, creator of the local comic B-Squad. He and Sean Sutter, lead artist on the project, explain that many artists and writers — even at the highest levels of comic book creation — often have to work for free or in trade. And as Burgoon points out, free beer and exposure don’t pay the rent.
![Photo courtesy of City of Sacramento Photo courtesy of City of Sacramento](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/sac_3871.jpg?1577874531)
The Parking Upgrade in Progress
How the city plans to accommodate vehicles after Golden 1 Center opens
When the new Golden 1 Center opens its doors in October of this year, several thousand people will flood into downtown Sacramento. They’ll bring their friends, their Kings jerseys, their money and perhaps most worryingly for those who work along busy streets in the area — their cars.
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The New Meat in Town
V. Miller Meats in East Sacramento won’t let anything go to waste
A few months before the National Restaurant Association named artisan butchery and “new” cuts of meat among their top 20 food trends for 2016, Eric Veldman-Miller and Matt Azevedo opened a shop on the corner of 48th and Folsom streets, with the intent to serve locals with something new — in a way that is actually very old.
![(Shutterstock) (Shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1215_blog_energy_ss.jpg?1577874530)
Solar-Powered Success
Habitat for Humanity partnership offers troubled youth the opportunity to to learn job skills
To certain young adults, the rising sun is no longer just a metaphorical promise of a new day, but rather a literal chance for a new start in life. The very light the sun provides is working as the harbinger of opportunities and career skills for students who have been in the dark.
![(All photos courtesy of Endicott Communications, Inc.) (All photos courtesy of Endicott Communications, Inc.)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/mric_1.jpg?1577874531)
Next-Gen Business Park Planned in Davis
The developers behind the Mace Ranch Innovation Center intend to stay true to the city’s character
A new business park is coming to Davis — but maybe don’t call it a “business park” if you’re talking to project manager Dan Ramos.
![(Shutterstock) (Shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1015_blog_taste_ss.jpg?1577874530)
Start Smart by Starting Small
ShopSmart nurtures small retailers, one square foot at a time
When Faiz Saif got his electrical engineering degree from Sacramento State in 2010, he never dreamt his business card would say “Owner, Clothes For Bros” just a few short years later. But thanks to a downturned economy and the presence of a unique store in south Sacramento, Saif isn’t looking for an electrical engineering job anymore. Instead, he’s looking to expand his growing business into a retail empire.
![(Shutterstock) (Shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0815_blog_trees_ss.jpg?1577874530)
A Tall Order
Tree maintenance is a must for property owners
The sickening, wooden crack of a falling tree can strike fear into the hearts of property owners. Maybe that’s true for anyone within a certain radius of the falling tree, but property owners have a more specific concern: They could be liable for thousands of dollars in damage to cars, or even lives.