All of the accidents we’ve been reporting over the last few days have two things in common- speed and wet roadways. According to John C Hardey, Community Outreach Officer with the California Highway Patrol Amador Unit- if there is one thing he can impress upon drivers this holiday season is to drive appropriately for weather conditions. Wet or Snowy roadways do not mix with speed. Hardey emphasizes that speed does not necessarily mean the posted speed limit, but instead speed has everything to do with how the tires are capable of gripping to the ground- in many situations that can be well below the posted speed limit.

Earlier this week, at their bimonthly meeting, the Sutter Creek Planning Commission was asked to amend the city's current sign ordinance to allow more signage for developments to advertise new homes for sale. Citizens at the meeting told the commissioners that they were strongly against the amendment because, among other things, it would allow for monument sized signs to be placed anywhere in the city; including the historic district. Citizens stated that they do not want to start looking like the Sacramento Valley, and this amendment would allow for developments to advertise using "people on street corners waving developer signs." The commission was in accordance with the citizens on this aspect, Commissioner Frank Cunha stated, "No, we do not want to see someone waving a development sign on the corner of Gopher Flat and Hwy 49."

The Amador County Planning Commission was packed this week for the consideration of the expansion of the Jackson Valley Quarry by George Reed, Inc. This would expand the mining operations of the Jackson Valley Rd property currently mined for rock by George Reed, Inc. The proposal is to expand the 74 acre quarry with 500,000 tons per year of product to the adjoining parcel of approximately 85 acres. The county’s Technical Advisory Committee previously reviewed this request and suggested that the two parcels in question may need to merged because of the pit location. Also, of concern was a traffic study in regards to increased hauling by trucks traveling to and forth from the facility, as well as a mitigation plan for the traffic.

The Pine Grove Community Services District in Pine Grove has been notified by the CA Dept of Health that four of their latest test results showed increased levels of lead in the water. The routine testing required by the state indicated that 4 of the Pine Grove area customers had lead levels above state approved level standards. These tests are annual and have been conducted by the same Community Service District customers at their own homes for many years. The customers are asked to let their water supply sit undisturbed for 12 hours and then fill a one quart container with water and return it to the district for forwarding to the state.

Running from the Jackson Police turned into a serious car accident last night for one driver. According to information available from the California Highway Patrol incident management the driver of the car ran from Jackson Police around 11:14 pm and traveled up Hwy 88 where, around Melody Oaks, the driver lost control of the vehicle. Hwy 88 was closed about one hour while on scene emergency personnel treated victims on scene. Two helicopter units were called in for transport of the injured to valley area hospitals. According to the CHP there was at least one arrest.

The Jackson Rancheria Hotel and Conference Center has announced that due to illness, Brenda Lee’s Christmas will be canceled. The show was scheduled for Sunday, December 17, at 6 p.m. at Jackson Rancheria and will not be rescheduled. However if you bought ticket’s you can get a refund. Ticket holders must return tickets to where they were purchased within 90 days of the concert date to obtain a refund. If tickets were purchased at the Jackson Rancheria Box Office, ticket holders can obtain a refund between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily.  Any other questions about ticket refunds, contact the Jackson Rancheria Box Office at (209) 223-6148

Finally, some satisfaction for some Amador County residents that have waited patiently for years to resolve property disputes in the senior community of the Mesa De Oro area of Sutter Creek. The original developer Sheldon Thompson will be facing justice over what is characterized as multiple counts of real estate fraud. The case began when the Amador County District Attorney’s Office received a citizen complaint against Mr. Thompson and conducted a preliminary investigation.

The County and several Cities throughout recently have undertaken comprehensive updates of their General Plans. A General Plan sets forth the policies, goals, and objectives for land use and development decisions for the next 20 years.  A General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) for the County was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to assist County staff and the consultant EDAW, in the preparation of the Draft General Plan.  The Amador County General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) meetings are open to the public and all County residents are encouraged to attend and participate in the meetings that define the future of Amador County.

CHP Officer Melissa Scobee responded to the scene of an accident only to find that the driver was no where to be found. According to her report the accident occurred on Tuesday on Hwy. 88 west of Bamert Road. The unknown driver was driving the 1994 Volkswagen Jetta east bound on Hwy. 88 at a high rate of speed when it appears they made an abrupt turning movement towards the north roadway edge. The Jetta then traveled off the north roadway edge in a north easterly direction through a ditch and then a culvert. The vehicle continued on colliding with a fence which caused the car to rollover and come to rest on its wheels. Officer Scobee’s report states that after the collision the unknown driver fled the scene and the vehicle was located at its place of rest.

You may notice that CHP Officers everywhere are donning a new blue uniform instead of their signature tan uniforms. The CHP will be conducting a state wide homeland security drill for the next two weeks to test their readiness for deployment for emergencies statewide. However, the Amador Unit of CHP only expects the drill to last for 2 days locally. The drill requires that every on duty CHP Officer carry with them standard gear, such as a baton a helmet ect., but also special equipment for a possible hazmat situation which includes, a hazmat uniform and breathing apparatus.