The new Hwy. 49 bypass was unveiled yesterday in an afternoon ribbon cutting ceremony. Dignitaries, both local and state, gathered at the southern end of the bypass at Valley View Drive in Sutter Creek to witness the special event.  Director Will Kempton of the Department of Transportation along with Senator Dave Cox; Kirk Lindsey a California Transportation Commissioner, Board of Supervisor Chairman Richard Vinson and Amador County Transportation Commissioner Bill Breiner all gathered for the long awaited ceremony. The $25 million project was designed to be a two-lane expressway that bypasses the cities of Sutter Creek and Amador City. 

In August, a group of 32 doctors, nurses and lay volunteer from Amador County and Chicago traveled to Cartagena, Columbia to provide medical care, surgeries and medicine to needy families. The mission was coordinated by Global Medical Foundation (GMF). Among those affiliated with Sutter Amador Hospital (SAH) or our community who traveled to Cartagena were Mohammed Siddiqui, MD; Shanti Siddiqui, MD; Thomas Bowhay, MD; Dru Lewis, RN in the Medical/Surgical Dept. and Hazel Joyce, Board of Trustees member. Dr. Mohammed Siddiqui, surgeon and member of SAH’s medical staff, is also the president of GMF and one of its original founders. 

Finally, a break has come in the case of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy that was shot and killed one week ago by an unknown assailant.

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.

The deadline to register to vote in the November 7, 2006, General Election, is Monday, October 23, 2006, according to a reminder from Sheldon D. Johnson, County Clerk/Registrar of Voters. And also a reminder to all of our voters that the Elections Office has moved to the new County Administration Center at 810 Court Street, Jackson. If you have any questions, please call the Elections Office at 223-6465.

 

Thousands of prison sentences in California are at stake, in a case the Supreme Court has been hearing today. Lawyers for a man who sexually abused his son are appealing his prison sentence. They said he should've been sentenced to 12 years, rather than the 16 a judge handed him. The defense claimed the judge added time based on factors not considered by the jury. But California's deputy attorney general said the sentence is fine. He argued that state law is in line with recent Supreme Court rulings on sentencing guidelines. In fact, Chief Justice John Roberts told the defense lawyer that the California system "looks a lot like the federal system" after it was modified by the high court.

A Yolo County judge's ruling upholding a California law that allows public colleges and universities to extend resident fees to illegal immigrants will be appealed, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Wednesday. "We fully intend to appeal," said Kris Kobach, an attorney for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, adding the challenge will be filed within the next few weeks in the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. The class action lawsuit was filed last December on behalf of out-of-state students who claimed that giving certain undocumented immigrants an in-state tuition break discriminated against legal U.S. residents who are charged a higher tuition. The plaintiffs argued the California law violates, among other matters, federal immigration reform legislation passed in 1996.