Slain deputy’s little sister welcomed back to Sylvan Middle School with escort

Sentinel staff report–
Sylvan Middle School was the scene of a heavy law enforcement presence on Friday, as Citrus Heights police officers and other agency personnel in the region escorted slain Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Stasyuk’s 11-year-old sister back to school for the first time since the Sept. 17 gun battle with a suspect that took her brother’s life at a Rancho Cordova Pep Boys store.

A video posted by the sheriff’s department shows her arriving to the school in a sheriff’s SUV and then walking past a row of several dozen deputies and officers who applauded as she passed them with her arm around a deputy escort. The video also shows sheriff’s deputies tying blue ribbons around the campus and quickly gained more than 250,000 views on Facebook in less than 24 hours after being posted.

According to Chief of Staff Matt Hedges, with Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost’s office, the event was coordinated to show support for the fallen deputy’s sister as she copes with the tragedy.

“It was a last-minute impromptu event that came together, but exploded with positivity…

State’s first Ziggi’s Coffee drive-thru planned for Citrus Heights

By Carole Hawkins–
Colorado-based Ziggi’s Coffee, whose signature items are sustainably sourced coffee and handcrafted hot and frozen drinks, announced its first California franchise will open in Citrus Heights.

New franchise owners Claude and Aurora Jones are currently seeking a location for the drive-thru style coffee shop, a company press release said earlier this month. Once the first store is up and running, the couple plans to open additional units.

Asked why Ziggi’s chose to locate in Citrus Heights, the company’s response suggested it was driven by the choice of the Jones’ as franchise owners, who are Citrus Heights residents…

Historic church to celebrate 100 years in Citrus Heights

By Hayden LePore–
Tracing its roots back to the early 1900s, the Friends Church has been an established presence in Citrus Heights — first meeting at the old Sylvan School house on Sylvan Road, before constructing a still-standing historic church building on Old Auburn Road, and later moving to their current church building at the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Woodmore Oaks Drive.

On the weekend of Sept. 29-30, the church will celebrate its 100th anniversary with several events, including a Saturday open house displaying pictures, reading stories, showing videos, and sharing about the history of the church from 1-5 p.m. on the 29th, including a re-dedication service from 2:30-3:30 p.m. with previous pastors, missionaries, and Citrus Heights Vice Mayor Jeannie Bruins, whose son attended the Little Friends Preschool, which the church started in 1974 after moving to its 7070 Woodmore Oaks Drive location.

The anniversary focus will continue through Sunday morning, where the church is planning on coffee and fellowship at 9 a.m. and a worship service at 10 a.m.

“Saturday is looking back, where we’ve been and who we are, and Sunday will be focused on where we are going and what it will be like for the next 100 years,” Pastor Tweed Moore told The Sentinel in an interview…