Tom
Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:09
14th Sierra AIDS Walk, Sept. 18
Amador County - Sierra HOPE will host their 14th Sierra AIDS Walk on Saturday, September 18, 2010. The walk begins anytime between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The Walk is a major fundraising event for Sierra HOPE, a nonprofit organization providing a variety of educational and support services for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis in Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. Sierra HOPE, celebrating its 20th year of service in the foothills, continues to be a leader in the fight against these diseases. Most of their funding services come from government contracts and grants, but an increasing amount must be raised locally, through fundraising and individual donations. Last year’s AIDS Walk sponsors and participants helped raise over $11,000. They are hoping that people will be drawn to the beautiful surroundings at Calaveras Big Trees State Park and support this very important community event. Participants will be able to choose from three popular trails to complete the walk. The trails in the park, dominated by giant sequoias, have something to offer walkers of different skill and stamina levels. Via Press Release This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:11
ATCAA Plans Stuff The Bus Aug. 2 at Save-Mart
Amador County – For the fourth year, Camanche Lake and Upcountry Community Centers and the Generation Life Church are sponsoring the Back-Pack 2 School Project, and for the first year, they are incorporating it with the “Stuff The Bus” program. The county-wide project is run in tandem by the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency Upcountry and Camanche Lake Community Centers and the Generation Life Church. Back-Pack 2 School provides backpacks filled with grade appropriate school supplies for children whose families are financially stressed living in Amador County. Ruthella Turner, site coordinator and community educator for Upcountry Community Center, said that “without the generosity of local individuals, businesses, and community organizations, many families would struggle to provide these much needed supplies.” She said 311 children received a backpack and school supplies for the 2009-2010 school year. “This year,” Turner said, the group’s “goal is to reach all of the families in our county who would like this assistance.” Turner said “every year a number of students start the school year without the necessary supplies to be successful.” In response to this, the Back-pack 2 School project started in 2007. Its goal is to provide back-packs filled with necessary school supplies to K-12 students whose families are financially stressed. Turner said people can “empower” their community by bringing new school supplies to help “Stuff the Bus.” Turner said with the help of the public, children in the community “will be ready for school this year and on their way towards academic success.” The Stuff The Bus project will be held noon to 7 p.m. Monday, August 2nd in the Save-Mart parking lot. Turner said “volunteers will be on hand to accept the supplies and ensure that every backpack has the necessary school supplies.” To qualify, families must reside in Amador County, qualify for the free or reduced lunch program, and students must be going into grades kindergarten through 12th grade. People who would like to sponsor a student can see a list of supplies at upcountycommunity.blogspot.com, or they can call 296-2785. Also, follow the project on Facebook at Amador County Stuff the Bus. Donation sites available before August 2nd include the Jackson Rancheria, Amador County Chamber of Commerce, Ione City Hall, Kmart, Staples, Sue’s Gold Country Coffee, Umpqua Bank and Pokerville Market. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:13
Sheriff Announces Release of Amador County 2010 Road Atlas
Amador County - Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan recently announced the release of the new Amador County 2010 Road Atlas. This road atlas was developed by Amador County Information Technology’s GIS Division as part of a larger Emergency Responder Guide project and was paid for with Homeland Security grant funding. But getting an accurate, up to date road map of the county is difficult at best. “Since we were developing accurate maps for our first responders, we decided that the citizens of the county should also benefit from this project,” said Sheriff Ryan. Now that the county has good GIS information and is continually developing their capabilities, the new road atlas will be easy to update as changes occur. To view or download the Amador County 2010 Road Atlas, visit the Amador County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services web page at www.co.amador.ca.us and click on the link located on the left of the page. Via Press Release This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:15
BOS Votes to Reduce Animal Shelter Adoption Fees
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a recommendation by Animal Control Director John Vail to reduce adoption fees for shelter animals. Vail said the reduction will serve to increase the amount of new adoptions and reduce the time an animal is in the shelter, which ultimately costs the county money. Vail said the reduction is specifically designed to reduce the influx of cats and kittens the shelter receives during the spring and summer months. During the summer season, Animal Control has between 80 and 100 cats on any given day. “This is a big burden for our employees, and our adoptions rates are just not as high as we’d like to see,” said Vail. The discrepancy between the number of dog and cat adoptions in Amador County is significant. In the last two years, the adoption rate (also known as the live release rate) through Animal Control and the APAL program was approximately 85 percent for dogs, but closer to 75 percent for cats. Vail suggested reducing all cat and kitten adoption fees to $25 for at least 60 days and to extend that time if necessary until the shelter population is below 40 cats. He recommended reducing fees by 50 percent if adoptable cats are in the shelter longer than 40 days or adoptable dogs are there longer than 15 days. He also suggested reducing fees for adult animals. “Kittens and puppies are generally adopted much quicker than some of our older animals,” he said. In addition, he requested the authority to establish a $15 fee for less sociable adult cats (known as barn cats) which he said “are great for controlling populations of mice and rodents but don’t necessarily make the best pets.” Supervisor John Plasse asked Vail if the shelter recovers the cost of caring for these animals through adoption fees and if that will remain so after the fees are reduced. Vail said adoption fees and dog license fees make up about 10 percent of his shelter’s overall budget. Susan Manning, APAL and Humane Society President, said during public comment that she supports a temporary price decrease in order to instill a sense of urgency. But she warned that “if you do a lower fee all the time you might be giving away funds that you won’t necessarily have to give away.” After one supervisor suggested giving animals away for free, Vail said there is a common opinion that if something is free people won’t value it as much as if it requires an investment, even a small one, from the beginning. The Supervisors approved Vail’s request unanimously, tentatively set to begin in August. “This problem isn’t going to be over with this year,” said Vail. “It’s going to go on until more people in the community understand the problem and…provide homes.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:19
Pat Crew - Fair Foundation/Jackson City Council Update 7-29-10
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:23
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 7-29-10
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:19
Pat Crew - Fair Foundation/Jackson City Council Update 7-29-10
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:15
BOS Votes to Reduce Animal Shelter Adoption Fees
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a recommendation by Animal Control Director John Vail to reduce adoption fees for shelter animals. Vail said the reduction will serve to increase the amount of new adoptions and reduce the time an animal is in the shelter, which ultimately costs the county money. Vail said the reduction is specifically designed to reduce the influx of cats and kittens the shelter receives during the spring and summer months. During the summer season, Animal Control has between 80 and 100 cats on any given day. “This is a big burden for our employees, and our adoptions rates are just not as high as we’d like to see,” said Vail. The discrepancy between the number of dog and cat adoptions in Amador County is significant. In the last two years, the adoption rate (also known as the live release rate) through Animal Control and the APAL program was approximately 85 percent for dogs, but closer to 75 percent for cats. Vail suggested reducing all cat and kitten adoption fees to $25 for at least 60 days and to extend that time if necessary until the shelter population is below 40 cats. He recommended reducing fees by 50 percent if adoptable cats are in the shelter longer than 40 days or adoptable dogs are there longer than 15 days. He also suggested reducing fees for adult animals. “Kittens and puppies are generally adopted much quicker than some of our older animals,” he said. In addition, he requested the authority to establish a $15 fee for less sociable adult cats (known as barn cats) which he said “are great for controlling populations of mice and rodents but don’t necessarily make the best pets.” Supervisor John Plasse asked Vail if the shelter recovers the cost of caring for these animals through adoption fees and if that will remain so after the fees are reduced. Vail said adoption fees and dog license fees make up about 10 percent of his shelter’s overall budget. Susan Manning, APAL and Humane Society President, said during public comment that she supports a temporary price decrease in order to instill a sense of urgency. But she warned that “if you do a lower fee all the time you might be giving away funds that you won’t necessarily have to give away.” After one supervisor suggested giving animals away for free, Vail said there is a common opinion that if something is free people won’t value it as much as if it requires an investment, even a small one, from the beginning. The Supervisors approved Vail’s request unanimously, tentatively set to begin in August. “This problem isn’t going to be over with this year,” said Vail. “It’s going to go on until more people in the community understand the problem and…provide homes.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 06:13
Sheriff Announces Release of Amador County 2010 Road Atlas
Amador County - Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan recently announced the release of the new Amador County 2010 Road Atlas. This road atlas was developed by Amador County Information Technology’s GIS Division as part of a larger Emergency Responder Guide project and was paid for with Homeland Security grant funding. But getting an accurate, up to date road map of the county is difficult at best. “Since we were developing accurate maps for our first responders, we decided that the citizens of the county should also benefit from this project,” said Sheriff Ryan. Now that the county has good GIS information and is continually developing their capabilities, the new road atlas will be easy to update as changes occur. To view or download the Amador County 2010 Road Atlas, visit the Amador County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services web page at www.co.amador.ca.us and click on the link located on the left of the page. Via Press Release This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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