Tom
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:08
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 5-4-10
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News Broadcast Videos
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:25
Charlotte Mitchell - California Agriculture Water Supply Summit
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Local
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:21
ARTS Board OKs Search For New Transit Manager
Amador County – The Amador Regional Transit System board of directors last week authorized the hiring of a new transit manager, and also looked at possible changes in the Mobility Management program. The board, in a special meeting held last Thursday, April 29th, appointed a committee of 3 of its members to interview candidates for the manager position. Requests for qualifications have already been made for the position, which included in-depth job duty descriptions, as recommended by the ARTS ad hoc budget committee. Supervisor John Plasse will also discuss the Mobility Management program this week, in a conference call with the California Department of Transportation. Mobility Management program manager, Mel Welsh is also expected to attend the conference call. The board reportedly took steps toward terminating the current contract with Welsh as Mobility Manager, and will look into the future of the program. ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said ARTS will be consulting with Caltrans about whether or not they can continue the Mobility Management program, and also about how to continue the program. As the board took steps toward terminating the contract, ARTS staff and Welsh have looked at the possibility of removing Mobility Management from the ARTS umbrella and reorganizing it under the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency. The board took steps toward ending the contract for the mobility manager, but they are going to consult with the state about whether they can continue the program, and how they can continue the program. Mobility Management is funded through a federal grant award of $125,000 a year over 2 years. Field said if the money is not used on the program, the funds go back to the federal government. The Mobility Management program must satisfy its spending and duties as outlined in its grant application. The special meeting Thursday also included a closed session conference with legal counsel regarding potential litigation. Also in closed session, the board made a “public employee performance evaluation” for Assistant Transit Manager Joyce Jones. The next regular ARTS board meeting is May 19th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Transportation
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:20
Amador County Sheriff's Media Releases, Call Logs
Amador County – A bystander asking for a driver to slow down was then hit by the vehicle in an Upcountry mobile home park, according to a recent report from the Amador County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s dispatch received a call just after 1 p.m. Friday, April 23rd to report an assault with a deadly weapon by use of a motor vehicle. The caller said a black diesel dually pickup truck (with signs on its sides) was driving erratically though the Meadow Pines Estates mobile home park on Carson Drive. The reporting party asked the male driver of the truck to slow down. The truck then ran over a telephone box, ran into the reporting party, and left the park on Carson Drive. The caller was not hurt and refused medical aid. Another caller on April 24th reported suspicious circumstances in Ione. The caller said he believed his ex-girlfriend was possibly at his residence in Ione on Highway 88, and he believed she stole his black Volvo the night before from his ex-wife’s home in Rancho Murieta. The caller feared the ex-girlfriend took keys to his car and shop from his jacket. He said he has a restraining order that states that the ex-girlfriend must stay away from his home, and he requested a deputy to check the area for her. On April 21st, a caller reported a suspicious person at Lake Pardee on Stony Creek Road. The report said a newer model black Corvette entered the park and subjects from the vehicle were on foot, approaching people and attempting to sell a wrist watch to get money for gas. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Law Enforcement
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:18
County Fair Releases This Year's Poster
Amador County - The Amador County Fair Board of Directors recently released the poster for this year’s annual event, sure to be a roarin’ good time. “Amador County Fair Safari, It’s a Jungle Out There!” will be the theme for the 2010 county fair, taking place July 29th to August 2nd. The poster captures that theme in a simple but striking portrait of a lion drawn by local artist Rand Huggett, who has been creating the fair’s posters for over 28 years. Amador County Fair officials say they are in the process of printing the posters and hope to have them distributed throughout the county by mid-May. This year’s theme has generated a lot of excitement among fair coordinators. “I can’t wait to see the decorations and fantastic fun ideas that our exhibitors, staff and community will come up with for this year’s Amador County Fair,” said Amador County Fair Board President Robert Manassero after the theme’s announcement last December. He said “pith helmets, expedition gear, exotic animals and fun” will be used to set the mood. In choosing this year’s theme, the board considered the tough economic times and wanted to create an exciting affordable adventure here in Amador County. “We always look for a fun theme that our staff can decorate around, we can create fun contests for exhibitors, and coordinate our entertainment so that we can keep things fresh for fair visitors to enjoy,” explained Sherri Elliott, Amador County Fair office manager. In related news, the Fair office announced Monday that entry guidebooks are now available at the fair office in Plymouth. Beginning May 10, look for the guides in the usual outlets, including Amador High, Sutter Hill Cooperative Extension Farm Advisory Office, Jackson Library, Chamber of Commerce in Jackson, Argonaut High and the Drytown General Store. The Amador County Fair is the largest community event in Amador County and is proud to partner with local organizations such as 4-H and FFA, Interfaith Food Bank, Jackson Lions Club, Jackson and Plymouth Foothills Rotary and others to raise funds for community services. This year will be the 72nd edition of the Amador County Fair. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:17
AWA Discusses Amador Water System Rate Increases
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency held a financial plan and rate workshop last week, hearing a recommendation to raise rates 5 percent next year in the Amador Water System. Bob Reed of the Reed Group presented a plan with a 5 percent increase across the board in the Amador Water System next year, and 3 percent increases each in fiscal years beginning in 2011 and 2012. The board hosted the workshop and took public comment, on Reed’s 3-year plan, and accompanying rate study. Amador Water System, or AWS, has about 3,500 customers, including about 2,900 single family homes. Reed’s financial plan included a 3-tiered rate system for single family customers based on water amounts used. He said rates currently are $1.83 per unit in metered, single family homes in AWS. A unit is 50 gallons. He said winter use for a family is about 200 gallons a day, or 8 units, with no outdoor use. That was basis for the first tier rate, which would go to $1.87 a unit in the first year of the plan, $1.93 in the second year; and $1.98 in the third year. Reed said the second tier of water users, using 9 to 55 units, would pay $2.34 a unit the first year of the plan, the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The rate would be $2.41 a unit in the second year and $2.48 a unit in the third year. Third tier flows were based on July peak usage of 56 or more units a day. The rates for third tier users would be $2.92 a unit next year, $3.01 a unit the second year, and $3.10 the third year. Vice President Debbie Dunn disagreed with Reed’s growth projections for new retail customers, and was concerned that the plan listed construction inflation at 4 percent beginning in 2012. Dunn said the agency was predicting construction costs could come in under bids, for projects such as the Gravity Supply Line, but Reed’s numbers didn’t seem to indicate that. General Manager Gene Mancebo said the agency continues “to get construction bids coming in under estimates.” As an example, he said a recent Jackson road project estimated at $800,000 received a bid of $580,000. President Bill Condrashoff said he would like the board to go through the entire financial plan, then give direction to staff and Reed. Dunn said she wanted to change the construction inflation rate and if they could not, they “might as well go home now.” Reed said actual revenues from water sales are a couple hundred thousand dollars under projections. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Water
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 06:16
National flood Insurance Rates to Increase
Amador County - Homeowners and business owners in Amador County have less than a month left to purchase flood insurance at the best possible rates before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency's ( FEMA ) new National Flood Insurance Program ( NFIP ) rate maps go into effect. The new maps, part of FEMA’s nationwide Map Modernization initiative, are considered important tools in the effort to protect lives and properties throughout Amador County. By showing the areas of the community at high risk for flooding, the digital maps will help local officials manage floodplain development more efficiently, allowing business and property owners to make informed decisions about protecting their properties. The new digital flood maps for Amador County will become effective on May 20, 2010. Property owners in a special flood hazard area with federally-backed mortgages are required to purchase flood insurance. “Homeowners and business owners who take out a policy before May 20, 2010, can take advantage of lower flood insurance premiums that could save hundreds of dollars annually,” says a news release. Any flood policy purchased on or after May 20 could receive a higher rate if it is determined the insured property resides in a high-risk flood zone. Residents of Amador County are encouraged to purchase flood insurance at the best rates available. For more information on the new digital maps and flood risks, residents should contact local community floodplain managers or insurance agents. Information can also be found at www.fema.gov, or www.floodsmart.gov. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
National
Monday, 03 May 2010 06:28
Roseville Transient Indicted for Hoax Mailings, Threatening President
Amador County – In a related story, a federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment Thursday charging Timothy Cloud, 62, a transient generally from Roseville and San Francisco, with four counts of hoax mailings, four counts of mailing threatening communications, one count of threatening the President, and one count of crossing state lines after failing to register as a sex offender. Cloud was arrested in San Francisco on April 22, 2010. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment on May 7, 2010. If convicted, Cloud faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of count of sending the hoax mailings and the threats to the President. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of sending threatening communications. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the count of crossing state lines after failing to register as a sex-offender. The charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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News Archive
Monday, 03 May 2010 06:31
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Anthrax Hoax
Amador County – A Sacramento man was sentenced Monday to 51 months in prison after his conviction last September of three counts of committing an anthrax hoax and two counts of mailing threatening communications. According to a release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “evidence presented at trial established that in January 2007, Marc M. Keyser, 66, of Sacramento, “mailed a package to the Sacramento News & Review, promoting a book that he had written about potential anthrax attacks in the United States by terrorists.” The package included “a note offering to discuss publication of excerpts of the book, and a cylindrical aerosol canister labeled “Anthrax.” This resulted “in the evacuation of the building and a full law enforcement and hazmat response.” After being warned by an FBI special agent that he risked prosecution under the hoax mailings statute if he sent more packages, Keyser continued to mail over 100 packages “that contained a CD with excerpts of a new book on terrorism that was labeled in large print ‘Anthrax Shock and Awe Terror’ and a small sugar packet that had been re-labeled with a bio-hazard symbol and the words ‘Anthrax sample.’” The mailings were sent to various media companies, retail outlets and officials nationwide, including Congressman George Radanovich of Modesto, whose aide testified at trial that “following receipt of Keyser’s mailing, police, fire department, and hazmat personnel responded to the scene, and two employees were transported to the hospital for medical screening. Keyser stated to investigating agents that he intended the mailings to be “provocative” and to generate “buzz.” In sentencing, Judge Damrell told Keyser that “you want attention more than anything, you crave it. The attention you get is more important than the effect you have on others.” U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said “hoaxes like these hurt our national security, draining critical resources from investigation of and preparation for real threats against our homeland. The jury acquitted Keyser on eight other counts in the indictment. He will be required to serve at least 85 percent of the prison time. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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News Archive
