Convenience Big Store: Down payment assistance programs offer hopeful homebuyers a lifeline

Family who saved Yolo County couple from Lahaina wildfire lose everything in blaze – A Clarksburg couple was saved by a family from Maui when their car caught fire during the devastating wildfire in Lahaina. But despite that act of kindness, the heroes of that story lost everything they had in the insatiable fires. Karen and Don Clark were on vacation in Lahaina when smoke blacked out the sky and hot embers whipped around them in a parking lot. The Clarks said things went from bad to worse when their car caught on fire, but at that moment, the Cabanillas stepped in to give them refuge.

'It's been a journey': Sacramento church reopens 3 years after burning down, to resume services – A Sacramento church reopened Saturday more than three years after an arsonist firebombed and destroyed it. The Central International Fellowship was full of excitement as church and community members flooded the newly opened church to celebrate the modernized but same building. “We're just thrilled and excited to celebrate this with the community,” said executive pastor Chiem-Seng Yaangh. “It's been a long time coming… It's been a journey.” A fire was intentionally set to the church on Jan. 29, 2020, and destroyed the inside of the building.

Counterfeit pills: the lethal doses of fentanyl hiding in plain sight –Nearly 98% of oxycodone pills recovered in Sacramento are actually fentanyl, according to recent statistics from the Sacramento County Crime Lab. Each pill has enough fentanyl to kill a person. Kristy Lee lost her 23-year-old son Jake in April 2021 after he took a pill he thought was Percocet, but was actually fentanyl. "A coroner’s report showed [the pill] was 100% fentanyl, and he passed away immediately,” said Lee.

TIP OF THE DAY

With higher mortgage rates and a limited supply of homes in the market, buying a house in the Sacramento area is as challenging as ever. But there are programs from the California Housing Finance Agency that can help

SMILE

A festival celebrating all nations took place in South Sacramento as it highlighted the rich heritage and ethnic diversity of the community. The event celebrated diversity but also gave businesses a much-needed boost after the pandemic and sometimes crime-caused setbacks.