Last year we reported on the growing comic convention scene in the Capital Region (“Level Up” by Bill Romanelli, May 2015). Check out what the comic world has been up to since then:

The late Justice Antonin Scalia argued last year that there was something wrong with having a Supreme Court composed entirely of people who had studied at Harvard and Yale law schools.

California has reached a deal to raise its statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour. This would certainly be a breathtakingly broad political experiment. The question is whether it will turn into a breathtaking disaster.

Call it the tale of two turfs. In summer 2014, 27-year-old Benjamin Triffo wanted to do something about his dry, unattractive yard. He owns a four-bedroom, four-bath duplex in Elk Grove that he’d bought in 2011, and his sprinkler lines were broken. But with the state passing rules last July that would allow fines for overwatering, Triffo quickly figured out that replacing his system and re-sodding would be like attaching a drain line to his checkbook.

Dependent students at for-profit colleges have about 50 percent less family income than students attending community colleges and four-year public or private nonprofit colleges.

Last summer, Magpie Café in midtown Sacramento added a line on their customers’ checks. It gave them the option to tip the cooks separately from the servers. It gave diners what they universally say they want: more control.

When your company closes a new client, the last thing you might be thinking is how you’re going to eventually close out the contract, too. But not matter what you sell, every business needs this departure system in place if you’re going to have clean transitions and decrease stress.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Notre Dame, the University of Kentucky, and Penn State found that using brand- name gear can provide a noticeable placebo effect that could boost performance. In other words: If you’ve ever felt like you give better presentation when wearing an expensive designer suit, it might not be your imagination.

The real secret to brand loyalty: Customers are loyal to brands that are loyal to them. True brand loyalty isn’t bought — it’s earned one customer experience at a time.