Category Archives: safety

Bike Trail, safety

Police: Robber forced teen to undress before shooting

A teenager was forced at gunpoint to get naked moments before a robber shot him near the American River bike trail on Wednesday, said a Sacramento police spokesman.

The victim was shot in the lower body Wednesday afternoon during a robbery around 3 p.m.

“The suspect made the victim get undressed during the robbery,” said Doug Morse, a Sacramento police spokesman.

Morse said police are still not releasing the identity of the suspect for investigative reasons.

Morse added that investigators are still working to determine why the shooter forced the victim to undress.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Events, Rafting, safety, Water

Alcohol Ban Keeps American River Calm Over Holiday Weekend

Hundreds headed to local waterways on this Labor Day holiday, but it was a lot quieter than many weekends. River patrol crews say the alcohol ban has limited crowds and trouble.

“We just want to float down the river,” rafter Angie Rincon said Monday.

And this Labor Day, she didn’t have to fight much raft traffic.

“It’s just a nice, mellow weekend for families to enjoy the river,” said Dave Hill with American River Raft Rentals.

American River Raft Rentals had 80 rafts on the river Monday. The company is capable of renting out hundreds.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety, Water

Alcohol prohibited on American River, parkway over Labor Day weekend

Sacramento County Regional Parks rangers are gearing up for the last of the summer holiday weekends.

Folks planning to celebrate Labor Day along the American River and adjoining parkway are reminded that an alcohol ban will be in effect Saturday through Monday between Hazel and Watt avenues. John Havicon, supervising ranger, said rangers will be checking for alcohol at various access points.

The Labor Day weekend crowds along the river and parkway typically are lighter than those during the Fourth of July and Memorial Day holidays, he said.

“Labor Day is like a busy Saturday,” Havicon said, noting that school has started for most youngsters and families are involved in other activities this time of year.

River flows are scheduled to drop to 2,000 cubic feet per second beginning Friday, which means more rocks will be exposed.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Events, Rafting, safety

No Alcohol Ban Planned For American River’s Rage on the River Party

Sacramento County Parks Director Jeff Leatherman says the “Rage on the River” participants will be allowed to drink on the river, “It’s been going on for a handful of years.  There was an event similar to this back in June that we didn’t have any significant problems associated with the event down in the lower part of the river near Discovery Park.  So, we don’t anticipate any problems this time.”

Rage on the River is not be confused with the “Rafting Gone Wild” event that took place farther up the river in July.  That ended with several brawls and dozens of people arrested or injured.

More at CapRadio.org >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Sacramento levees’ failure of federal standards declared

Levees protecting most of the city of Sacramento and 15 other areas of the Central Valley were declared today to have failed federal maintenance criteria. As a result, they are no longer eligible for federal rebuilding funds in the event of a levee breach.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made the declaration today. It did so after concluding that a new state plan to improve Central Valley levees does not provide enough detail to ensure maintenance problems — such as erosion and intrusion by structures — will be fixed.

The affected levee systems include 40 miles of levees wrapping most of the city of Sacramento on the American and Sacramento rivers. This system of levees, known on flood-control maps as “Maintenance Area 9,” includes the south bank of the American River from about Bradshaw Road downstream to the confluence with the Sacramento River, then downstream from there nearly to Courtland.

More at ModestoBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety

Notebook of missing UC Davis student found

A notebook belonging to missing UC Davis student Linnea Lomax was found just off the American River bike trail, her family announced Sunday.

It was the first solid lead since her disappearance June 26, said Craig Lomax, the girl’s father, at a Sunday news conference.

The notebook was found near the Sutter Medical Center outpatient facility on Howe Avenue where the 19-year-old Placerville woman was last seen. She was receiving treatment after having a mental breakdown while studying for finals, her father said.

The evidence has been turned over to police, but Lomax confirmed it belonged to his daughter.

“I saw the handwriting on the notebook,” he said. “It was Linnea’s.” The notebook was found during a search by 250 volunteers over the weekend.

More at SacBee.com >>>
safety

Mountain biker flown out of American River Canyon

An Auburn man was flown via helicopter out of the American River Canyon Monday when he fell over the side of a trail on his mountain bike.

Rex Maynard, 68, was riding his mountain bike with a friend on the Lake Clementine Trail near the Foresthill Bridge when he lost control, left the trail on the right side and tumbled 70 feet down a rocky hill, according to Supervising Ranger Scott Liske with the Auburn State Recreation Area. The accident happened around 2 p.m.

As of Monday immediately following the rescue Liske could only say that Maynard suffered lacerations to the head due to the accident.

“After looking at the rock field he’s very lucky he was wearing a helmet because it probably saved his life,” Liske said.

Becky Morris, Maynard’s wife, said her husband is an avid mountain biker and that “he would never get on a bike without a helmet.” Morris also said Maynard has ridden the Lake Clementine Trail extensively and that he never lost consciousness after the accident.

“He’s 68 going on 12 as far as his activity level is concerned,” Morris said.

Maynard has also finished the Western States Trail Run multiple times and rode in the Coolest 24 Mountain Bike Race recently in Soda Springs.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety

American River levee construction causes bike trail detour

For the second year in a row, cyclists will have to take a detour route along the American River that runs from the Campus Commons Golf Course to the Northrop Avenue trail entrance because of scheduled construction of a seepage wall.

The construction begins today and could continue until Nov. 30 or later, said Todd Plain, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District.

Plain said bikers will “not be inconvenienced” because of the detour, but implored bikers to be extra cautious because of the narrower width of the trail.

“The regular trail is 12 feet paved with granite shoulders on both sides of about three feet,” Plain said. He said the alternate path varies between eight and 10 feet, with a mowed dirt shoulder of two feet on each side.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water

Volunteers search American River for missing teen

Hundreds of volunteers on Sunday were taking part in a search along the American River in Sacramento for a missing University of California,Davis student.

The search for Linnea Lomax comes as Marc Klaas, who founded the KlaasKids Foundation after his 12-year-old daughter was kidnapped from her Petaluma home and murdered in 1993, said he was getting involved in the efforts to find her.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety

Sacramento supervisors extend alcohol ban on American River Parkway

Sacramento County supervisors voted to extend a ban on alcohol along the American River Parkway following last month’s drunken fracas at an event called Rafters Gone Wild.

Supervisors granted the county parks director the authority to ban alcohol consumption on the parkway between Hazel and Watt avenues when he anticipates such events could threaten public safety.

The action extends the county’s previous drinking ban on the parkway, which is in effect on three holidays – Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Supporters of the stronger ban say they expect young revelers will find a way around it.

“They’ve declared war on you,” said John Barris, a retired county juvenile court administrator.

This was the second year public safety officials struggled to contain fights, nudity and other questionable activity at Rafting Gone Wild, an event that has been promoted through social media without any support by a known organization. More than 3,000 people showed up to the event last month, with 23 people arrested.

More at SacBee.com >>>