News Archive (6192)
Amador County – An Ione man and a Stockton woman were arrested for charges related to drugs and violence recently when the Ione Police Department gave mutual aid to a Stockton Police Department investigation.
Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson released details to the incident last week, saying that at about 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, the Ione Police Department was dispatched to assist in a Stockton Police Department investigation that was connected to a local citizen.”
Johnson said the “follow-up investigation by the Ione Police Department involved allegations of false imprisonment of a local female and the brandishing of a firearm by the associated male. The male and female in question responded to the Ione Police Department for questioning.”
Upon contact with Jason Rydel, 34, of Ione the officer learned he was on a California Department of Corrections parole for drug related offenses. “As the investigation progressed the need to detain Rydel became imminent,” Johnson said. “A brief struggle ensued and Rydel was taken into custody without injury to himself or the officer.”
A local check through dispatch returned with a no-bail felony warrant for domestic violence-related charges for the female, identified as Sandi Kern, 33, of Stockton. Kern was also placed in custody.
A search during the arrest uncovered drug paraphernalia and suspected methamphetamine.
Jason Rydel was booked into Amador county jail for charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting arrest. Sandi Kern was booked into jail on the warrant for domestic violence-related charges.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione man charged with attempted murder 4 days after parole
Written by Tom
Amador County – Ione Police Department arrested a man for attempted murder in a stabbing Saturday, less than a week after being paroled from prison. ¶ Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson released details Monday, Oct. 31, saying that Joseph Jenkins “was booked into the Amador County Jail for attempted murder, violation of a court order, and parole violations. Jenkins had only been out of prison for four days.”
Johnson said that at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, Ione Police “responded to the 300 block of Edgebrook Drive to a reported stabbing that had just occurred” and the initial suspect was Jenkins.
“Upon arrival the Officer was confronted by the reporting party on the driveway of the residence,” Johnson said. “The man’s clothing was blood stained and disheveled. He told the officer of the stabbing” and said the victim was in the home.
“As the Officer approached the residence front door the victim appeared in the doorway,” Johnson said. “The 41-year-old male was covered in blood and clutching a blood soaked towel on his throat area. He also had blood streaming down his face.”
Medical aid quickly arrived on the scene and the victim was treated, then flown by helicopter ambulance to a Sacramento Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Johnson said he was in “critical condition for the next several hours. Ultimately, the man was stabilized and is expected to recover from his multiple stab wounds.”
The officer discovered that the suspect, “Joseph Jenkins had fled the scene on foot, escaping out the back yard of the residence into the Sutter Creek basin. An intensive search for the suspect ensued,” with Amador County allied agencies assisting.
“A helicopter with infrared capability was deployed out of Sacramento,” Johnson said. “Several ground search teams were formed and K-9’s were deployed in efforts to track down Jenkins. The search continued late into the afternoon the following day, again with K-9’s, Helicopters and SWAT team members.”
Johnson said “officers located a blood trail left by the suspect, as the suspect had incurred an injury during the assault.” He said “despite the relentless search efforts, the suspect was not located.”
IPD “continued to receive intelligence as to Jenkins’ whereabouts,” and “officers spent the remainder of the evening following up leads and processing the evidence.
Johnson said at about 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, IPD “was dispatched to the 300 block of Edgebrook Drive for a possible attempted burglary that has just occurred. The officer located suspect Jenkins at the rear of a residence,” and “held Jenkins at gunpoint while allied agency officers responded to assist. Jenkins was taken into custody without incident.”
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Giant pumpkins carved into jungle themes at Jackson Rancheria
Written by Tom
Amador County – Ed Wickman, Director of Food and Beverage for Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel, last week carved two giant pumpkins into a jungle-themed display at the casino.
The pumpkins were grown in Valley Springs and are reported to be the largest ever grown in Calaveras or Amador counties. The Rancheria said Chef Ed had already carved the 1,000-pound pumpkin into a giant bull elephant. Last Saturday Ed turned the larger, 1,200-pound pumpkin into the face of a huge chimpanzee.
The pumpkins were carved next to the Valet area of the Casino. The Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, in Jackson.
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Sutter Amador Hospital ER doctor and staff recently honored by Mountain Valley EMA
Written by Tom
Amador County – Four members of Sutter Amador Hospital’s emergency department staff and an emergency department physician were honored recently by the Mountain Valley Emergency Medical Agency at their annual Emergency Medical Services Awards Dinner at the American Legion Hall in Martell.
Karen Woods, Sutter Amador Hospital’s Director of Emergency Services, said “it is an honor to receive these awards” and “our employees and physician are very deserving.”
Sutter Amador Hospital’s five recipients at this year’s EMS Awards Dinner included Doctor Shawn Brady, who was named Best Hospital Physician of the Year. Registered Nurse Kathy Peltier was named Mobile Intensive Care Nurse of the Year. Vicki Haggart and Traci West were named Emergency Department Staff Members of the Year, and Kristi McAdams, who handles emergency department registration, was named this year’s Unsung Hero.
Woods said all of the recipients are dedicated emergency department staff and have been with Sutter Amador Hospital for a combined total of more than 55 years.
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Amador County – Amador STARS, the group Support, Transportation and Resource Services for Cancer Patients, announced last week that it needs help.
Amador STARS Volunteer Director Ginger Rolf said the non-profit organization is “looking for volunteers to drive cancer patients to their appointments.” She said: “We are looking for volunteers who like to be with people, and don’t mind driving once in a while to the San Joaquin or Sacramento Valley.”
She said “volunteers give us their schedule of when they are available and then are called to see if they can take a patient to a chemotherapy appointment. Volunteers use the Amador STARS vehicles for transporting patients.”
On occasion they have patients who need transportation to other locations, and Rolf said they also ask if volunteers would be willing to go to a different location.
“The Amador STARS was formed eight years ago by a small group of volunteers who wanted to work with Local Funds for Local Cancer Needs,” Rolf said. “STARS exists on donations to the non-profit, and is totally volunteer driven with one part-time office manager who is the only paid person.”
Rolf asked that people who have some free time, once a month, or once a week, “we can use your help to continue to serve local cancer patients on their cancer journey.”
Call either the STARS office at (209) 223-1246 or Ginger at (209) 296-4042 for more information to become a volunteer. Rolf said: “Thanks for caring,” and “together, we do make a difference in the life of a cancer patient.”
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McDonald's hearing discusses Mother Lode, Gold Country look
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors last week took much public input during a McDonald’s appeal then asked the appellants to discuss a compromise design with the corporation. McDonald’s agreed to adjourn the hearing until Jan. 10.
Supervisors supported protecting the Mother Lode look, which was discussed. Appellant Keith Sweet, vice mayor of Jackson, said “it’s like pornography. You know it when you see it.” Supervisor Vice Chair Louis Boitano said “you might want to say Italian design,” noting the 1860 Sorraco building was built from native stone after homeland architecture in Genoa, Italy.
Sweet said the McDonald’s “standard corporate design does not have to be accepted, and probably should not have even be offered as a choice.” Corporate construction manager Margaret Trujillo said the remodel intended to keep it under budget and make it fit surroundings. She asked for “the courtesy that other businesses across the street have had in the ability to do a remodel.” She said Sweet’s changes to the building structure are not in the budget, which was $580,000.
Louise Munn said Sutter Creek has had architecture review guidelines since the 1960s. She said when she opened her clothing shop, people said she wouldn’t be able to sell clothing. Now Sutter Creek downtown is loaded with clothiers. Munn said people from all over the world visit her Sutter Creek clothing shop, and she urged Supervisors to “preserve the looks of the old time town.”
Trujillo noted the corrugated metal roof of her compromised design. Mimi Arata said “Amador County corrugated steel is vertical, not horizontal.”
Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha said the building has four sides, and “two are ugly and face main areas.” He said they need to address all four sides, because “we in Sutter Creek made that mistake.” Cunha said the decision impacts Sutter Creek, Amador City and Jackson downtowns.
Marilyn Nutter emphasized the importance of aesthetics, which was psychological and cultural. She compared Martell to Venice or Rome, and said “is the tension it creates in the surroundings valuable?”
Sutter Creek City Planner Bruce Baracco said the environmental “negative declaration” recommended by staff in a memo last Tuesday went against the “General Rule” of the California Environmental Quality Act. He said significant affects come from aesthetics and the impacts must be reviewed and mitigated. Baracco recommended the “board and staff work toward making complete findings.”
Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley said Supervisors “have to have the political will to get what you want.” Supervisor Ted Novelli said if they ask enough, they can get what they want.
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Amador County – The California Transportation Commission announced last week that Sutter Creek has been allocated $885,000 for its realignment of Prospect Drive.
Public Information Officer Chris Mayfield of Caltrans District 10 in Stockton announced the allocation as part of $784 million in allocations the CTC has administered for 61 projects, when CTC authorized a bond sale for the projects.
Mayfield said the bond sales “allowed projects that were delayed or at risk of delay due to lack of funding to move forward to construction.” He said “bond proceeds will also fund more than 300 ongoing projects through June 2012.” The “newly allocated projects leverage around $11 billion in non-state funds.”
Sutter Creek will realign Prospect Drive with Bowers Drive in Sutter Creek, and build a new intersection across Highway 104 and Lower Ridge Road. The new alignment will take part of the Italian Benevolent Society’s undeveloped grounds at the corner of Prospect and 104, and take out the existing intersection of Prospect Drive with 104/Ridge Road.
The new alignment will be two-tenths of a mile west of Prospect Drive, to two-tenths of a mile east of Bowers Drive. The project will construct left turn lanes and install a traffic signal. Sutter Creek and Amador County Transportation Commission are heading the project, which uses funds from the county-wide Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee program.
The allocations include $7.2 million to the “South Sacramento Corridor” project’s second phase, to build a five-level parking structure at the Cosumnes River College campus. The project will add 2,000 new parking spaces. Another $20 million is going to Placer County for a two-lane segment of its four-lane State Route 65 Lincoln Bypass.
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Amador County – Plymouth City Council last week approved documents on the Zinfandel and Shenandoah Ridge residential developments and sent the two projects to the Amador County Local Agency Formation Commission for approval of a Sphere of Influence amendment, and an annexation.
City Development Director Richard Prima said the “actions tonight are the majority of the actions you would have to take to approve the project.” He noted that additional funding had been added to the Developer Agreement by Bob Reeder and Reeder Sutherland.
Prima said the Council should wait on approval of the Development Agreement, as advised by legal counsel. But he said the Development Agreement is 90 percent complete. Counsel said to wait for its approval until after the Sphere of Influence amendment is approved. He said none of the Development Agreement becomes effective until annexation. ¶ Reeder’s original agreement was to pay $372,000 total over five years, and Prima said he agreed to another $40,000, as requested by Vice Mayor Jon Colburn at the previous meeting. That was agreed to if there was no litigation. ¶ Colburn asked about the time for appeal or litigation. Special Counsel to the city Adam Lindgren said the actions take effect 30 days after approval, and the statute of limitations for litigation is 30 days. ¶ Prima said LAFCO can adjust language based on the standards they use, and “if LAFCO denies the annexation, this all goes away.” Lindgren said the Development Agreement should also go to LAFCO so the Commission “won’t be surprised by the Development Agreement.” ¶ Lindgren said “nobody can make any arguments in litigation” unless they have already told the council about the issues, so the council cannot be blind-sided. ¶ Councilwoman Sandy Kyles asked if LAFCO could act during the 30-day period, and Prima said they “anticipate being at the December LAFCO meeting.” Colburn said that’s more than 30 days. ¶ The council approved the Reeder projects’ Environmental Impact Report certification on a 5-0 vote, and Colburn, as a member of LAFCO, abstained from the other vote, which included ordinances for annexation pre-zoning, and an application to LAFCO for the Sphere amendment and annexation, on a 4-0-1 vote. ¶ The vote also approved a resolution for a tentative map and development plans for both projects. The map approval included clarification of the description of the annexation area, Prima said, because the area “does not go south of Zinfandel.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Supervisors OK 5-year loan to Ione to repay $152,000 misallocation by the state
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Supervisors last week approved a $152,000 loan to Ione last week to help pay back sales tax revenue the city erroneously was allocated by the state Board of Equalization.
According to the loan agreement, in September, Amador County received a letter from the state Board of Equalization saying “sales tax revenue owing to the county for the fourth quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009 was mistakenly paid to the city.”
Ione City Manager Jeff Butzlaff told Supervisors last week that this has been “kind of the catastrophic perfect storm for Ione,” including “when the state wants the return of money that they assured us was ours.” The “misallocation was considerably more than what we get for a year.” He said with the loan, “we will have some restored cash flow for the next five years.”
Butzlaff in a letter to Supervisors said the state Board of Equalization sought repayment of the full amount of the misallocation over two years, and the $19,000 quarterly payments would take up about 75 percent of Ione’s sales tax revenue. He said “in combination with all the other General Fund shortfalls this fiscal year, this could be organizationally devastating to the city.”
He requested a five-year county loan to repay the state Board of Equalization. Supervisors approved the loan, and the Ione City Council will consider it at its meeting today (Tuesday, Nov. 1).
Supervisors voiced support for Ione in its financial troubles, which include a $500,000 General Fund budget shortfall. The city is offering early retirement incentives, while considering drastic cuts in personnel and spending.
Supervisor Brian Oneto said: “I have no problem extending this to five years.” Supervisor Ted Novelli agreed, “especially with the closure of Preston.” Supervisor Richard Forster said we’re in as good or better shape than most counties, which makes the county able to help Ione.
Forster said Ione City Council meetings have been rough. He said “we will be coming to talk to you about the nexus study, so be nice to us.” The new nexus for a county jail was approved by Supervisors last week.
Supervisor Vice Chairman Louis Boitano said “we’re all in this together.”
The interest on the loan is 2 percent, and if a collection has to be sought in default, County Counsel Greg Gillott said the “post judgment” interest would be 10 percent.
Forster asked: If the city declared bankruptcy, would it relieve the city of paying it back? Gillott said he was not sure if it would excuse the debt.
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Amador County – The public largely urged Supervisors to stand fast last week in judging an appeal on a McDonald’s restaurant variance, before it was continued for 60 days.
Opposition included some people Supervisor Brian Oneto said had long memories for being slighted. Many people said they or friends had stopped visiting McDonald’s in Martell since the franchise’s walls were cleared of historic photos of county locations.
Thornton Consolo said he would not go to Jack-in-the-Box, because it was approved despite having a sign taller than planning code allowed. Jill North said she has not been in a Home Depot since they said they were going to put in a store near the Kennedy Mine.
North also asked about the McDonald’s construction manager’s request to get the same courtesy as neighbors across the street, for her remodel. North said “if she is talking about the God-awful Jack-in-the-Box sign, some night that thing is going to be missing.”
Susan Bragstadd said she went to the 1992 meeting when the original McDonald’s “conditions of approval” were approved. Bragstadd said: “we were thrown a bone with some fake stone that went around the bottom of the building.” Supervisor Vice Chairman Louis Boitano said “real brick is brick made of clay, and not concrete.” The McDonald’s compromise design, according to construction manager Margaret Trujillo, was going to be cultured rock in place of the white paint around the entire building.
Trujillo said the Martell store has 90 percent local staff and a pedestrian access remodel. She said driving around she saw empty businesses going bankrupt and she would like the same courtesy as neighbors in her remodel.
Mimi Arata said the general welfare of the county does get impacted by tourism, and she appreciated that McDonald’s wanted to be as visible as their competitors. She said Mother Lode corrugated steel is vertical, not horizontal, as in Trujillo’s compromised design.
Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley said as a member of the city’s Development Review Committee, they were faced with a “Fresh & Easy” market’s “yellow sail” corporate logo, which they did not want to lose. Kirkley said the committee and city council stood fast and in the end, the design came back without the sail.
Ray Stacy of Big Horse Ranch urged supervisors to preserve history, heritage and documented sites. He said “what’s wrong with brick and mortar? Stand fast and preserve the heritage we’ve got.” He said McDonald’s has the money and wants to remodel to be able to get customers.
Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha urged supervisors to allow the public comment period to extend into the next meeting, saying he would appreciate it. Boitano and supervisors agreed, extending the hearing and comment period to Jan. 10.
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