Plymouth – The Plymouth City Council retained water rights specialists last week as negotiations continue on the Arroyo Ditch. City Attorney Steven Rudolph, of the firm Myers Nave (Naw-Vay), recommended the specialist, Somach Simmons & Dunn, attorneys at law of Sacramento. Rudolph in a July 2nd memo to the city council said the city is currently in “negotiations with the Shenandoah Water Company regarding the future maintenance of the Arroyo Ditch and the beneficial use of the related water rights.” He said the “purpose of retaining Somach Simmons & Dunn, and in particular, Paul Simmons of that firm, is to provide legal advice to the city regarding any proposal from (Shenandoah Water Company) that affects the city’s water rights.” Rudolph said the contract gives hourly compensation, and “the city will be reimbursed for these costs by the Shenandoah Water Company.” The council approved a resolution authorizing City Manager Dixon Flynn to execute a retention agreement with Somach Simmons & Dunn. The agreement included a $5,000 dollar deposit toward initial fees. Somach Simmons & Dunn’s schedule of rates for public clients listed Simmons as its only “key personnel,” earning a rate of $310 dollars per hour. Additional personnel hourly rates ranged between $120 and $390 dollars an hour. Flynn gave a presentation on a visit he made to Copperopolis during a trip he took in June, showing photos of the designs of downtown buildings. He said they “were constructed by a developer that shows a style of facades” that he thought “would be successful in Plymouth.” Flynn said it “is not a 1930s style but more of a Gold Rush late 19th century style.” In a memo to the council, he said he believed it may be worth the council members’ time to Copperopolis “just to see what they have done.” Flynn said he expected the Plymouth City Council’s next regular meeting, August 13th to be a big meeting, with a General Plan discussion. City planning staff took direction in early July and will make recommended changes. Staff was expected to give the “strikethrough” edition of the General Plan EIR to the city council members by Friday, July 31st, giving the council and the public 2 weeks to read the document, before the General Plan EIR public hearing meeting resumes. That meeting is 5:30 p.m. Thursday, August 13th at city hall, and the General Plan and EIR will be the only item on the agenda. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A daylight armed robbery suspect who fled on foot eluded a police dragnet Thursday afternoon in Sutter Creek. The suspect allegedly robbed the Sutter Creek Trading Post market, 121 Hanford Street, in downtown Sutter Creek and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money. Sutter Creek Police Chief Rob Duke said the robbery occurred at noon. Duke said an unknown male, described as white or a light-skinned Hispanic, and wearing a ski-mask, entered the Sutter Creek Trading Post brandishing a silver handgun and demanded the money from the cash register. The store owner complied and the suspect fled toward downtown Sutter Creek before turning into yards near the Hanford House Bed & Breakfast. Multiple agencies responded to help seal off the area within minutes of the initial report. The Amador County SWAT Team and K9 Team along with the Jackson Police Department K-9 Team conducted a thorough search of the surrounding residential area but the suspect was not found. Helping seal off the area were the Amador County Sheriff's Office, investigators from the Amador County District Attorney's Office, the ACCNET Team of investigators, California Highway Patrol, and police department personnel from Ione, Jackson and Sutter Creek. The investigation is continuing and Sutter Creek Police are searching for a white or Hispanic male with a thin build and brown hair who was wearing dark clothing, including a purple shirt. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that Investigators on June 30th arrested Daniel Patrick Morris, 62, of Pioneer for the continuous sexual abuse of a minor. The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Amador County Sheriff’s Office wherein a juvenile victim disclosed on-going and continuous sexual abuse occurring at multiple locations within Amador County over an approximate ten year period. The case was forwarded to the Amador County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Upon review of the investigation, the Amador County District Attorney’s Office charged Morris with thirty nine counts of lewd acts with a minor under the age of 14 and one count of oral copulation of a minor under the age of 14. Daniel Patrick Morris is currently in custody at the Amador County Jail with bail set at $200,000. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twain Harte – A Stanislaus National Forest fire has been blamed for the smell of smoke drifting into Amador County this week. Tuolumne County fire officials said the Knight Fire, burning near Twain Harte since Sunday afternoon, was only 10 percent contained as of Thursday morning. It had burned 1,643 acres in back country near Twain Harte as of Thursday. Amador County citizens from Pine Grove, Fiddletown, Shake Ridge Road and even downtown Jackson reported smelling smoke, prompting calls to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office dispatch and the Amador Fire Protection District. Amador Sheriff’s office attributed the smell to the Stanislaus Fire. The Tuolumne County information office said the Knight Fire was burning in a canyon along the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River. The fire was first reported at 3:35 p.m. Sunday, and was burning in trees and vegetation on “extremely rugged and rocky terrain.” The river is forming a boundary to the north, and a steep ridge is forming a boundary to the south, making up the 10 percent control. They are getting movement to the east and west flanks, with wind pattern changes, especially at night. Local, regional and statewide fire departments, including Calfire and the U.S. Forest Service were fighting the fire both in the air and on the ground, including more than 1,000 personnel, both hand crews and hotshots. The fight included 6 air tankers, 9 helicopters, 12 bulldozers and numerous fire engines. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Amador Fire Protection District released its latest batch of statistics for the month of June. In total, the district responded to 125 incidents. These included 1 structure fire, 2 vehicle fires and 4 wildland fires. As is typical during summer months, the number of fires is expected to increase with drier weather. Despite that increase, 92, or 74 percent of the responses in June were medical aid related. 44 percent of the incidents occurred between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm, a drop from previous months. Story by Alex Lane. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.