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From a new law enforcement academy in Placer County to a super El Niño barreling toward California, the weekend of July 17-20, 2026 brought major developments across the region.
Here’s a quick rundown of Sacramento’s weekend news:
- NOAA forecasters say a developing El Niño could become the strongest on record, potentially reaching +4 degrees Celsius compared to the prior record of +2.75 degrees Celsius in 2015. Climate scientist Daniel Swain warned the event could bring warmer, more intense storms, higher rain-snow lines and elevated flood risk to California this winter.
- The Placer County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy will become the first new POST academy to open in California in 20 years, with its first class starting Aug. 17 at the vacant Rock Creek Elementary School in Auburn. The academy will eventually move to the Sierra College Regional Public Safety Training Center once construction wraps up.
- Grammy-winning rapper Wyclef Jean’s Saturday night performance at the California State Fair was canceled hours before showtime due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The fair announced the cancellation at 3:15 p.m. ahead of the scheduled 8 p.m. concert at the Sky River Casino Stage, with refunds expected the same day.
- Toasted Rooster Cafe, a women-owned breakfast spot, opened its second Sacramento-area location in Orangevale in early July. Owners Carrie and Acia Wolfe launched the original Arden Arcade location in 2022, inspired by the 2020 closure of longtime community favorite Annie’s Breakfast & Steaks.
- The California State Fair will host a Fair Food Competition on Monday to crown the best fair foods across multiple categories. Guest judges will sample dishes from vendors during live judging from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the SMUD Energy Efficient Cooking Theatre, with ribbons awarded at 7:30 p.m.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.
