Friday afternoon a 5th wheel camper and pickup truck caught fire on highway 88 Friday at the RR tracks on the grade coming up to Hurricane Hill near Blue Sky Drive. The owner of the truck indicated to Jackson Fire Personnel, Ione City Fire and Calfire crews that the he had filled up with gas in Stockton, and that both tanks of the two tank fuel load were full. The cause of the fire was not clear but the owner stated that initially there was smoke coming out of the back of the truck. By the time the driver was able to stop and investigate the flames had begun to explode from the rear of the truck. There were no injuries but both vehicles were a total loss.

Fire season is upon us two weeks sooner than usual and CAL FIRE Amador ElDorado Unit Chief Bill Holmes urges all citizens to act soon to create defensible space. It is anticipated that burning will be suspended in early June due to the dry conditions and recent rise in temperatures. Citizens are urged to act soon to dispose of their yard trimmings and debris. Cal Fire is doing their part and new recruits were on the fire line Friday as part of a training drill in Ione. The new firefighters spent several hours setting back fires, cutting fire lines with bulldozers, and learning about special tools that allow them to shoot an explosive device into remote areas.

The Amador County Unified School District recently discussed their homework policy. The item was requested by trustee David Dutra after hearing multiple complaints from parents regarding the lack of notification from teachers when students have fallen behind on their assignments. Currently, the Board Policy and administrative regulation require teachers to notify parents about consistently miss assignments. How to do this in an efficient manner was the discussion between board members and members of the district’s administration. Elementary Teacher Mike Delaney commented that this does not appear to be much of a problem at the Elementary level.

The first draft of the Amador County Recreation Agency’s budget was brought to the agency’s board at their last meeting, and the second draft will be brought for review at the next meeting. However, according to the Amador Recreation Agency’s staff the agency is suffering growing pains, as any new agency does in the first few years, but the outlook of finances leveling off is looking up.

One of two wards who sued the state over a videotaped fight with staffers three years ago at the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility has reached a cash settlement. The second involved ward’s case awaits trial. The attorney for Vincent Baker, 23, of Stockton wouldn't name the amount of the tentative settlement because everybody involved agreed to keep it quiet until the deal is final. Baker and former Chaderjian ward Narciso Morales, 24, were captured by surveillance cameras fighting with two youth correctional counselors on Jan. 20, 2004. The video, which was nationally broadcast, sparked wide debate about the state's inability to rehabilitate juvenile offenders committed to the state and brought attention to the high levels of violence at the Stockton lockup., Six staffers were fired in connection with the 2004 brawl and eventually won back their jobs through a long appeal, which the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is still fighting. The staffers have taken their case to a state appeals court to keep their jobs.

Beginning today postal rates increase, meaning  a standard 1-ounce letter will cost 41 cents to mail, that’s up 2 cents from the previous 39-cent rate for a first-class stamp. A postcard will take 26 cents to send and a large 1-ounce envelope will cost 80 cents to drop off. If your mail generally consists of first-class letters weighing an ounce or less, however, you may wish to invest in what the US Postal Service is calling the "forever" stamps. These stamps, which cost 41 cents, can be used in perpetuity without any extra postage for as long as you own them. While the forever stamp is getting quite a bit of press, the Postal Service also is introducing something called shape-based pricing. By folding the contents intended for a large 1-ounce envelope into a 1-ounce, letter-size envelope, you will save as much as 39 cents apiece. Customers who can squeeze the contents of a first-class mail package into a large envelope can save 33 cents apiece.

There may be good news about the state budget this year. Good news that was unexpected because of what was forecast as a downtrend year for the state fiscally. However, because billions of extra dollars unexpectedly flowed into state coffers last month things are looking up. That's not to say the budget debate will be easy.

School Board Report Video Coming Soon