Discussions concerning the County’s involvement with Amador Regional Sanitation Authority appeared on the Board of Supervisor’s agenda yesterday. County Administrative Officer Patrick Blacklock presented the item and pointed out that the County has had an ongoing discussion whether or not the County should remain a member of ARSA because the County no longer operates wastewater systems. In 2004 these responsibilities were transferred to the Amador Water Agency; however the County remained a member of ARSA. Recently, the board asked for a report which identifies any liabilities associated with their continued membership. County Counsel John Hahn, who recently resigned as ARSA’s counsel, responded to the board in a memo as well as at the meeting. In his memo Hahn discussed the County’s financial risks in remaining a member of ARSA.

Investigators continued to search for the killer of a Sacramento sheriff's deputy, ruling out a link to the deaths of two people found in a van in the Cosumnes River near the Amador County line. The investigation closed Hwy 49 for several hours Friday afternoon and evening. Evidence collected from the white Chevy van which was driven into the river in about one foot of water partially does not appear to tie the couple to the killing of Deputy Jeff Mitchell, said Sgt. Tim Curran, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. "Those two have virtually been eliminated from involvement," Curran said Sunday. 

Today the Board of Supervisors will consider raising the salaries of some elected county officials. However, those officials getting raises, if approved, will not include the supervisors themselves. Last winter, in December of 2005, the supervisors considered the salary increases for the positions of Sheriff, Treasurer-Tax Collector, Auditor, Clerk-Recorder, Assessor and District Attorney- all elected positions in the county. At that time the raises were approved- to be effective on Oct 1st 2006- now the board will look at officially approving the salaries retroactively, including a 3.6 cost of living increase, to the October 1st date.

According to a recently released study the number of Californians suffering from asthma and asthma-like symptoms has spiked in the past three years, with a subgroup of Sierra counties showing the greatest increase in symptomatic asthmatic conditions. This sub group includes Amador County. State wide, according to the report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, those suffering from asthma or symptoms of asthma has jumped from 4 million, 12 percent of all Californians, in 2001 to 4.5 million, 13 percent, in 2003, according to the national average of people diagnosed with asthma is 10 percent. The report also found an additional 3.4 million Californians — 110 percent — suffer from asthma-like symptoms or breathing problems who have not been diagnosed with asthma.