Due to the onset of cool, rainy weather, the Folsom Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management has lifted Stage One fire restrictions on all BLM-managed public lands within the Folsom Field Office boundary. This includes BLM-managed public lands in Nevada, Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Sacramento, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Mariposa Counties, a total of about 230,000 acres.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell has announced the results of the annual physical fitness tests given to all fifth, seventh, and ninth graders enrolled in California public schools.

The single best way to protect yourself from the flu is to get a flu shot and the Amador County Health Department has announced their Flu Vaccination Clinics. According to the Health Department, Flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May. This makes October and November the ideal months for vaccination; however, for those who miss this timeframe, December will still provide immunity during peek flu season. Generally, in California, the majority of people contract the flu in January and February.

Concerns over speed limits and water craft safety on Silver Lake dominated a recent El Dorado Irrigation District meeting. Silver Lake is a popular Amador County destination just east of the El Dorado County line. The lake is part of Project 184, a system of lakes, canals and a powerhouse that the El Dorado Irrigation District purchased from Pacific Gas and Electric in 1999. Like most alpine lakes, Silver Lake is characterized by numerous boulders and rock outcroppings and a fluctuating water level, said Don Pearson, the irrigation district’s recreation director. Boaters face hazards beneath the water, and from logs and fallen trees along the shoreline, he said. Because the lake sits in a bowl, noise from boat motors and personal watercraft "booms off the mountains," Pearson said. There are no posted speed limits or restrictions on the types of watercraft allowed on the lake, according to Pearson.

The mornings are cooler, the daytime highs lower and as winter approaches the use of heaters and the fuel that powers them starts to become a household issue here and around the country. How does Amador County fair against the rest of the nation and our neighbors? Well, we like our neighboring counties, tend to be above the national average. According to the Energy Information Administration, the average price of propane nationwide is $1.93 per gallon, 20 cents higher than this time last year. The average prices in Amador County hover around the 2.25 cent range and according to local experts, we can expect that to rise.

Caltrans is announcing two road construction projects that could impact Amador County Drivers. The first project is in Amador County in the upcountry area. The project to widen Hwy 88 near the 6000 foot level will now be conducted during the day from 7 am to 6 pm and will cause motorists 20 minute delays. The construction, originally planned for night construction, has been moved to the daytime hours due to the sudden drop in overnight temperatures we have experienced in recent weeks. The construction, according to Caltrans, should be completed by Friday. Also, for commuters to the valley area on Hwy 88, the previous night construction on the Hwy 88 and 12 intersection near Clements has also been moved to the daytime hours. Those hours are 7:30 am to 3 pm and will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, with the installation of the new traffic signal and final surfacing of the roadway. The construction is expected to be completed by Friday- you can expect 20 minute delays in the area.

Several Tahoe ski resorts planned to last Friday, but the changes in the weather to a warmer pattern forced the cancellation of those plans.

The Landscape ordinance was presented for review at the Jackson Planning Commission meeting. City Planner Susan Peters presented background on the item stating that at an August 21st Planning Commission meeting Carla Bowers of Volcano submitted some information regarding oak woodland habitat preservation. Bowers has been actively involved throughout the county in the preservation oak woodlands. The Commission at that time directed staff to place the issue on a future agenda along with considerations for amending other portions of the Ordinance.

This Wednesday night the Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees will take a look at the District’s Independent Study Program, Northstar. The district will look at the NorthStar program and consider the option of declaring the program a “high priority” school. Currently, state law compares and judges a school’s performance through the Academic Performance Index (API), a statewide ranking system to measure school performance. The ranking system is based on student’s performances on the STAR test, generally administered in the spring. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the approval of the State Board of Education, to rank all public schools in decile categories by grade level of instruction provided, based on their pupils' API results. Various provisions of existing law designate a school as a "low-performing" school, based on its decile rank. Because of a recent change in law instead of those schools previously designated as low performing schools, the schools are now called "high-priority" schools.