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Close encounters: Roseville PR exec John Segale missed Warren Buffett's recent visit here for the opening of an RC Willey home furnishings store. But he rubbed shoulders with the billionaire investor two weeks ago in Sun Valley, Idaho. Buffett was there for the Allen & Co. corporate retreat that annually brings together the world's wealthiest people. Segale? He was just spending a family vacation in the mountain resort. The meeting occurred at an ice cream shop in Sun Valley Village. Segale knew right away the guy standing in line -- accompanied by two beefy fellows with ominously bulging fanny packs -- was Buffett. How? \"He was still wearing his (conference) name tag,\" John says.

Jul. 1--Developer Tony Giannoni's hotel and condo project at 15th and L is still a construction zone. Concrete has been poured and framing completed for 12 floors. Three more stories are yet to take shape. So this one boasts custom light fixtures, contemporary furniture, hardwood headboards, bright colors, granite kitchen counters and even granite window sills. Plus, there are flat-screen TVs -- which cost Giannoni $1,000 a pop -- in every bedroom. The second-year Sacramento King has just inked a deal with Enlace to promote the company's Spanish-language yellow pages here and in Louisville, Ky., where [Francisco Garcia] went to college. His larger-than-life image already is on an Enlace billboard, near the Jefferson Boulevard exit of I-80 in West Sac. More billboards and other kinds of promotions -- possibly his picture on the cover of next year's local Enlace book -- could follow, says his agent, Jerome Lewis.

After years of shifting conceptual sites -- ranging from the downtown railyard to a deck straddling Interstate 5 -- Mayor Heather Fargo and the owners of the Sacramento Kings unveiled an idea to locate an arena at the east end of the shopping center as a way to revitalize the K Street Mall. Although the arena is seen as a way to speed revitalization of the K Street Mall, the owner of Westfield Shoppingtown Downtown Plaza has \"grave concerns\" about the idea and the disruption it would cause, said Catherine Dickey, a spokeswoman for Westfield American Trust. Six months ago, a proposal to build an arena in the Union Pacific railyard imploded after a consultant's report proposed paying for it largely with a food-and-beverage surcharge. Merchants and some city officials blasted the idea and criticized the notion of using taxpayer dollars to build an arena for the [Gavin Maloof] family, the wealthy owners of the Sacramento Kings.

BATES, DORIS M., Honesdale, Mass, Friday, 10 a.m., St. Mary Magdalen Church, Honesdale. Interment, St. Mary's Cemetery, Honesdale. Viewing today, 6 to 8 p.m., Hessling Funeral Home, 428 Main St., Honesdale. Condolences: www.hesslingfu neralhome.com. Memorials: St. John the Evangelist Parish toward the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, 414 Church St. Honesdale, PA 18431. BIERYLA, HELEN T., Scranton, Friday, Mass, 10 a.m., Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church. Interment, Sacred Hearts Cemetery, Scranton. Viewing, today, 4 to 8 p.m., Nicholas Chomko Funeral Home, 1132 Prospect Ave., Scranton. Contributions: Hospice of the Sacred Heart, 600 Baltimore Drive, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. CATALANO, CATHERINE MARIE, Dunmore, Mass, today, 10:30 a.m., Divine Mercy Parish at St. Joseph's Church, 312 Davis St., Scranton. Interment, Cathedral Cemetery. Go directly to church. Arrangements: Miller Bean Funeral Home, Inc., 436 Cedar Ave. Scranton. Memorials: St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18509-3116; or St. Joseph's Church/Divine Mercy Parish, 312 Davis St., Scranton, PA 18505-2924. Condolences: www.miller beanfh.com.

Jun. 23--The city's electorate is evenly split on whether a new arena should be built in Sacramento, according to a poll commissioned by a small task force of business leaders and paid for by the owners of the Sacramento Kings. That same month, four prominent business leaders selected by Fargo -- developers Tony Giannoni, David Taylor, David Bugatto and restaurateur Randy Paragary -- recommended putting the arena in the heart of downtown, at the east end of the Downtown Plaza shopping mall on K Street. One of the most promising sources of revenue, Giannoni said, is residential development of 100 city-owned acres north of Arco Arena, combined with the 80 acres owned by Maloof Sports and Entertainment. Giannoni's group saw that option as the most exciting but one that would require \"courage\" from the city.

The task force, [Heather Fargo] said, is analyzing whether the land should be sold or leased, and whether it makes sense to look at a project that combines the 100 acres with 80 adjoining acres owned by Maloof Sports and Entertainment. The Maloof family owns the Sacramento Kings. Seven months ago, a Fargo-backed plan to build an arena for the Sacramento Kings in the downtown Union Pacific railyard was shelved after many business and political leaders objected to the use of the food and beverage surcharge and other public subsidies to pay for the facility. Fargo complained that there was a rush to judgment about the arena plan and has pushed for a more measured rollout with lots of public discussion and input. A few days later, the task force of prominent business leaders appointed by Fargo -- [Tony Giannoni], fellow developers David Taylor and David Bugatto and restaurateur Randy Paragary -- unveiled its recommendation to build a new arena at the east end of Westfield Shoppingtown Downtown Plaza to help revitalize a decaying section of K Street.

Jul. 12--LAS VEGAS -- In an eleventh-hour effort to come up with a financing plan for a new Kings arena, Sacramento city and county officials met until late Tuesday behind closed doors with the Maloof family -- the Kings owners -- and their representatives at the Maloofs' Palms Casino Resort. Tony Giannoni, a Sacramento developer, was also asked to attend the meeting and provide information on Sacramento-specific construction cost issues. Giannoni is no newcomer to the arena issue. In 2004, he led a task force of business leaders looking into arena sites and funding. The developer said Tuesday it was his understanding that the arena design once envisioned by the Maloofs would be scaled back \"significantly\" because of cost concerns.

Then a small team of prominent business leaders hand-picked by [Heather Fargo] -- developers Tony Giannoni, David Taylor and David Bugatto and restaurateur Randy Paragary -- unveiled its recommendation Tuesday to build a new arena at the east end of Westfield Shoppingtown Downtown Plaza to help revitalize a decaying section of K Street. [Ray Tretheway], Fargo's closest ally on the council, and [Bonnie Pannell] are expected to be supportive of an arena plan. And Hammond and Fargo appear to have forged a closer political bond since the mayor supported her unsuccessful bid for state Assembly. [Jimmie Yee], like [Dave Jones], is leaving the council in November and will be replaced by Rob Fong, former president of the Sacramento City Unified school board. Jones is giving up his seat to Kevin McCarty, who is close to Fargo. It's unlikely that either of the new council members will want to cross Fargo, said one insider with close business ties.

Dec. 19--HP GIVES ITS BACK-OFFICE WORKERS TIME OFF IF THEY TAKE A RETAIL GIG: Hewlett-Packard employee Ed Stimac usually spends his workdays in Roseville fine-tuning the company's supply chain. But last Sunday he found himself at the CompUSA store in Sacramento doing much different tasks. The program used to be a volunteer gig; employees could spend a day or two at retail outlets on their own time and learn a little about sales. But new HP chief Mark Hurd likes it so much he's offering comp days for participants. Hurd himself was scheduled to do some demo work at a Palo Alto store this past weekend. On Stimac's shift, he wore a black HP polo shirt, to distinguish himself from the red-clad CompUSA staffers. He arrived early and printed out some pictures of his two \"very cute\" kids -- 2 years old and 4 months -- to show the capabilities of the different machines. Then he went to work.