News Archive (6192)
Amador Unified School Board tables a tax revenue agreement with the County
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Unified School District last week pulled from its agenda for more work an agreement with Amador County that would settle a dispute over lost tax revenue.
Trustees set the agreement aside for more administrative work, as announced by Board President Wally Upper. The settlement looks to amicably resolve a suit by the School District that seeks $1.3 million from Amador County, and the draft agreement was included in the agenda but discussion was not held.
The district filed a civil petition Dec. 29, 2011 in Amador County Superior Court alleging that the County incorrectly allocated property tax revenue for the 2009-2010 school year. Assistant Superintendent and Business Officer Tim Zearley in a memo for the meeting noted that the suit alleges that “the county has an absolute obligation to correct the misallocation by reimbursing the District in the amount of $1.3 million dollars.”
In the draft agreement, the County would pay the District $548,863 dollars within 12 days of signing the agreement, Then, within five days of the payment, the District would “file a dismissal with prejudice of the Litigation.”
The School Board also approved a special meeting for Wednesday March 7, with a closed session at 6 p.m., and the regular session starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be in the Supervisors chambers.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Central Sierra Mining Association plans annual organization meeting March 16
Written by Tom
Amador County – Central Sierra Mining Association members and supporters are having a dinner and meeting Friday, March 16 at Mel & Faye’s Restaurant Banquet Room in Jackson.
CSMA Director Tim K Smith announced the dinner in February, and said the meeting will serve as the Annual Organizational meeting, “so the nominating committee will be the entire body in good standing for this reorganizing effort.” Nominations for Directors were to be sent to the secretary by Feb. 15, and if they are lacking nominees, nominations will be taken from the floor, as a nomination notice was sent out per bylaws.
Mining Association members will elect seven directors and subsequently officers, at the time and place of choosing of the newly elected Directors. The officers are President, Vice President, and Secretary, Treasurer. Smith said only paid up members will be voting. Existing directors are Smith, Ted Allurd, Mike Dell’Orto, Doug Ketron, Tom Swett and Ed Swift.
Mining Association directors will also accept for review any proposed changes to the CSMA bylaws which were distributed to members recently. Any requested changes will be considered for approval at the next dinner meeting after the March 16 meeting.
In February, Smith said the meeting was shaping up nicely. Damien Galford will speak about five minutes on the status of the Industrial General Storm Water Permit process, and Madera County Supervisor Frank Bigelow has been provided copies of CSMA’s proposed legislative changes to the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975. Bigelow will be talking to members and guests about those and his position on the mining industry.
Bigelow, in his 14th year as Madera County District 1 Supervisor, is a candidate for the newly redistricted California Assembly District 5, which represents Amador County.
Smith said Bigelow will review and comment on Central Sierra Mining Association’s requested legislative changes to SMARA and speak to the group that evening.
Bigelow is a mining and dredging supporter, Smith said, noting that CSMA has “presented our requested changes to Senator Ted Gaines and Assemblywoman Alyson Huber but as you know neither one of these people will be representing either Amador, Calaveras or Stanislaus County in the future and have shown little enthusiasm toward our efforts.”
The new California Assembly District 5 includes Amador, Calaveras, Alpine, Madera, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, and parts of Placer and El Dorado counties. RSVP for the dinner and meeting by March 10 by calling Interim Secretary Laurie Lord at (209) 274-2777.
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Jackson Creek Dental helps 65 local kids with 2012 Smiles For Kids
Written by Tom
Amador County – Earlier this month, 65 local children received dental treatment as part of “Smiles for Kids 2012” at Jackson Creek Dental.
Amador County children were all smiles after receiving free dental care from local dentists as part of Smiles for Kids 2012. The children who qualified for the program would not otherwise have been able to receive dental care and were given exams, x-rays, teeth cleaning, sealants, and fluoride treatments at no charge.
Four Jackson Creek Dental Group dentists, their staff and licensed staff from local dental offices, along with community members offered this service on a volunteer basis. Together they treated 65 children for pro-bono services totaling over $18,000.
Jackson Creek Dental Group has been hosting a Smiles for Kids Event for the past 27 years. This year the dentists participating in Smiles for Kids were Doctors Ron Ask, Craig Kinzer, Dwight Simpson and Leon Roda.
There are 46 children needing follow-up dental treatment as part of the program. Of those, 35 are receiving care from local dentists, and the rest have been referred to dentists and specialists in Sacramento as part of the Sacramento District Dental Society’s Adopt-a-Child, Orthodontic, and Specialty Referral Care Programs. Local dentists who will be seeing children in crucial follow-up treatment are Drs. Eaton, Montalbo, Schiappa and Womack.
“Every child deserves a healthy smile,” said Dwight Simpson, DDS at Jackson Creek Dental Group, “and we dedicate this day to providing dental treatment, education, advocacy and prevention.”
Simpson said: “When left untreated, dental disease is very painful and can affect physical, emotional and social development in children. The doctors, staff and all the volunteers look forward to providing these services as part of Smiles for Kids, and becoming part of the solution to fighting the Number One chronic childhood disease in America – tooth decay.”
This year the Sacramento State University Pre-Dental Association donated backpacks filled with dental and school items. All the children who were seen for treatment were excited that they received a backpack.
The Smiles for Kids program is run in support of the American Dental Association’s “Give Kids a Smile” campaign. Jackson Creek Dental is at 100 French Bar Road in Jackson.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador School District had a 13% decline in enrollment in the last 9 years
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador Unified School Board last week looked at its dwindling enrollment numbers, which have declined 13 percent since the 2002-2003 school year, but they more or less compare to area school districts.
The decline is about 600 students since the year ending in 2003, from about 4,650 students to 4,050. Trustees last week considered a report from Assistant Superintendent Tim Zearley on neighboring school districts, to answer a question from Trustee Mary Walser, to see if Amador Unified is “experiencing an anomaly” for its continued loss in enrollment, or if that was a condition shared by other districts in the region.
Zearley said ACUSD has experienced a 13 percent decline in enrollment between the school year ending in 2003, and the school year ending in 2011. In 2002-2003, Amador schools had 4,650 students, and last year had 4,050. He said “this is a drastic decline in our student population” and a cause for a shortage in school resources. He said “for us, we never saw the spike” that came with the spike in home sales, and we “just had a continuous decline.”
Zearley said of the area districts, two were experiencing growth over that time. Lodi Unified showed growth, and “Elk Grove at one time was the fastest growing school district in the country.”
Walser thanked Zearley for answering her request. She said she wanted to see how Amador and other districts compared.
Of 10 Districts polled, two showed overall growth in the last nine years. Lodi peaked in 2007 with 31,500 students, but has declined by about 1,000 students since then. Elk Grove has grown every year, except a slight dip in 2009, and has been over 62,000 enrollment since the 2007-2008 school year.
Calaveras Unified enrollment declined 9.5 percent in the nine-year sample, dropping from 3,720 to 3,380. Linden dropped by 6.3 percent since 2003, but its current 2,350 students are 15 percent below its peak year 2006-2007, with 2,750 students.
Zearley said the larger school districts were hard to compare. He also took numbers from polling some smaller, nearby elementary schools that made up their own school districts. Mother Lode Union Elementary declined 24 percent, from 1,600-plus students in 2003 to 1,200 in 2011. Gold Oak Union Elementary declined by 27 percent, from 750 to 550 students in those nine years. Both showed mostly steady declines. Placerville Union Elementary, had about 4 percent decline overall, but bottomed out in 2007-2008 with about 1,140 students, and now has 1,260.
Latrobe Unified, with about 175 students last year, had a 16 percent decline since 2003. Pioneer Union Elementary dropped from 145 students in 2003 to less than 80 in 2011.
Trustee Pat Miller said the boundaries should also be considered when comparing the districts.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lungren bill would award $1 billion for 100 mpg gasoline-powered car
Written by Tom
Amador County – Congressman Dan Lungren, (Republican–District 3, of California), introduced a new bill earlier this month that would award a $1 billion prize to the first U.S. company that can produce and sell 60,000 cars that are gasoline powered, and that can get 100 miles per gallon gas mileage.
The bill would “provide a prize to the first manufacturer of highly-efficient mid-sized automobiles powered by gasoline.” In summary, it said: “The Secretary of Energy shall establish a program to award a prize in the amount of $1 billion dollars to the first automobile manufacturer incorporated in the United States to manufacture and sell in the United States 60,000 mid-sized sedan automobiles which operate on gasoline and can travel 100 miles per gallon.”
The bill was introduced Feb. 1, in the second session of the 112th Congress of the United States. The bill, called the “Excellence in Energy Efficiency Act,” H.R. 3872, or the “E Prize Act of 2012,” was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Lungren aid Brian Kaveney said the Congressman was unsure of the committee schedule.
Kaveney said: “We have not heard anything about the bill being brought up for a hearing at this point. All we know is that it has been delivered.” Lungren represents Amador County until the June 5 primary, when California’s newly redistricted Congressional districts go into effect. Lungren will seek reelection in District 7.
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Amador County – A 29-year-old Somerset man was arrested for felony Driving Under the Influence of drugs after crashing his vehicle into the rear-end of a vehicle stopped to turn on Shenandoah Road Sunday.California Highway Patrol released details of the incident Tuesday, saying that David Cole, 29, of Somerset, was arrested at about 12:20 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, for felony DUI, causing injury.
CHP said Cole was driving a 2008 Toyota Tacoma west bound on Shenandoah Road and “passed a witness at 80 mph on a blind curve. As the witness was on the phone with 9-1-1,” Cole’s Toyota “slammed into the back” of a 2001 Ford Ranger, driven by Noelle Stroppini, 29, of Sacramento. Stroppini, who was also west-bound, was stopped on Shenandoah Road, west of the Shenandoah School, and was waiting to turn into a winery.
Stroppini was wearing a safety belt and suffered moderate injuries of lacerations on her head, and was treated at Sutter Amador Hospital.
CHP said Cole “was found to be under the influence of drugs and was arrested at the scene for felony DUI, causing injury.” He also “had a prior felony DUI and his license was suspended.”
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Amador County -- Amador County authorities were investigating a fatal end to a vehicle pursuit, and incidents leading up to it, after a man died early Tuesday morning after crashing into a bridge structure on Highway 88 near Broadway.
Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner in a release Tuesday said the pursuit lasted about 25 minutes, covering just under 25 miles, and at times reached speeds in excess of 100 mph. The CHP Major Accident Investigation Team is conducting the vehicle pursuit and accident investigation. The Amador County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office is conducting the crime and death investigation.
An Amador County Sheriff’s Department deputy started the pursuit, and CHP Amador Unit in a release said CHP officers were requested to assist, at about 12:09 a.m. “CHP officers assumed primary control of the pursuit, as a coordinated operation between law enforcement agencies. During the pursuit, information was developed that the vehicle had been stolen by force from a female driver. The male suspect had pushed the female victim out of the vehicle prior to CHP involvement.”
Wegner in the ACSO release said “the female that was pushed from the vehicle was uninjured and was cooperative with the investigation. She reported that she had just met the individual earlier that day in Stockton, they had used methamphetamine together and were traveling to the Jackson Rancheria Casino. She reported that upon seeing the Amador County Sheriff’s Unit, the male suspect became nervous and would not allow her to stop the car,” and “ultimately pushed her out of the vehicle as it was traveling east bound on Highway 88.”
CHP said the vehicle, a white Saturn sedan, drove over several roads through the county and the city of Jackson. “As the vehicle was traveling westbound on State Route 88, heading back into … Jackson, CHP aircraft arrived overhead and began coordinating ground resources.”
CHP said “pursuing officers were able to allow the suspect vehicle out of their sight in hopes he would slow down.” A Sheriff’s Deputy “was on a concrete bridge driveway, just north of the roadway, positioned to deploy a spike strip if needed. As the suspect vehicle approached the deputy’s location, it left the roadway and collided with the bridge structure.”
The suspect, identified as Joshua Wash Hoyopatubbi, 32, of Stockton, was determined to be deceased. The autopsy to determine his cause of death is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 22.
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Suspect killed Tuesday in Jackson was wanted for attempted murder of 2 San Joaquin Sheriff Deputies
Written by Tom
Amador County -- The suspect killed while fleeing authorities in Jackson early Tuesday had led authorities in San Joaquin County on a chase that ended with him fleeing a crashed vehicle and firing a gun at authorities.
Amador County Sheriff’s Department said Joshua Wash Hoyopatubbi, killed while fleeing Amador County authorities in a stolen vehicle on Tuesday, was wanted in San Joaquin County related to an incident on Nov. 26, 2011 wherein Hoyopatubbi was driving a vehicle which San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to detain. Hoyopatubbi attempted to evade the deputies, ultimately crashing the vehicle and fleeing on foot. During the foot chase, Hoyopatubbi fired multiple shots from a handgun at the pursuing deputies.
A San Joaquin County Superior Court arrest warrant was subsequently issued for Hoyopatubbi alleging attempted murder of a peace officer, resisting arrest resulting in death or great bodily injury, being a felon in possession of a firearm and evading a peace officer.
Hoyopatubbi was also wanted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for a September 2010 parole violation, and was wanted in Amador County for an October 2010 incident wherein he provided false identification to a peace officer.
An autopsy to determine the cause of Hoyopatubbi’s death is scheduled for Wednesday Feb. 22.
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Amador County – Ione Police Department investigated a bar brawl and felony assault last weekend in Ione, though charges are still pending.
Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson released details, saying names and further details were withheld due to pending charges: “All suspects, witnesses, and victims have been identified. The case has been completed and solid prosecutable evidence has been complied. Criminal charges are pending based on reluctant victims’ desire for prosecution. All of the involved parties are Amador County residents.”
Johnson said about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. “Things got out of hand at the Ione Hotel Bar. What started as a bar fight erupted into a felony assault that spilled into the street. Several intoxicated patrons ended up slugging it out on Main Street.”
An Ione Police Department officer was dispatched to the fight at 12:34 am. Johnson said the Officer arrived on scene 30 seconds later to find not a single person on Main Street. Both bars on Main Street were locked up and empty.
The officer located blood and vomit about the area. One witness was eventually located, but was generally uncooperative, Johnson said. The witness said that the fight occurred “a while ago.”
About 40 minutes later, the officer went to Sutter Amador Hospital emergency room to contact the victim of a reported assault that took place on Main Street in Ione. The investigation “led to a long list of interviews, misinformation, and concerning facts,” and more than 20 people gave testimony to what occurred that evening.
He said most concerning was that no one called 9-1-1 to report the incident at the time of occurrence. The on-duty officer was available and on patrol in the immediate area, and had just been on Main Street prior to the reported time of occurrence and was patrolling nearby.
Johnson said it is “unfortunate that no one in this particular case wanted to take the responsibility of making that call. The hospitalized victim may have been spared some serious injuries.”
Two “especially admirable” locals and one other local man, who “were the reason the fight was terminated and the victim did not suffer more serious and long term sustaining injuries.” An Ione tow truck driver, himself an Ione resident, was on his way to a call, when he rounded the corner onto Main Street and “witnessed one man getting beat up by several others.” The driver stopped his truck and came to the aid of the victim.
Assisting the tow driver was a 41-year-old Ione woman, “who, acting on her good nature, ended up laying on top of the fallen victim that was getting punched and kicked by the assailants.” The woman was “unable to get the fight stopped” and “her mother instincts just took over to protect this guy.”
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2 Pine Grove students make Columbia College President's list
Written by Tom
Amador County – Columbia College in Sonora announced in January that it has named 176 students to the fall 2011 semester President’s List, including two students from Amador County.
Coni Chavez, Executive Assistant to the President Columbia College, released the list of students on Jan. 18. The Columbia College fall 2011 President’s List students included two Pine Grove residents. They are Rachel Conolley and Brooke Smith.
Chavez said Columbia College is pleased to officially recognize the 176 students on the President’s List for “exceptional scholastic achievement.” She said “this acknowledgment is reserved for students completing 12 or more units of semester coursework at Columbia College and earning a cumulative grade point average between 3.5 and 4.0, with no grade lower than a C.”
Other area students who were named to the President’s List included three San Andreas residents, John Davis, Sara Eschen and Brian Strehl.
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