With a nationwide recall of millions of containers of dog and cat food underway, many pet owners called stores and veterinarians offices this weekend, all worried that the kibble in their cupboard may be deadly. Menu Foods, the Ontario-based company that produced the pet food, said Saturday it was recalling dog food sold under 46 brands and cat food sold under 37 brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.

The Amador County Teachers Association, or ATCA and the Special Educators of Amador County, SEAC, have announced a tentative settlement in contract negotiations with the Amador County Unified School District and County Office of Ed. The deal was reached yesterday after a mediation session. According to ATCA President Mike Delaney the deal must still be approved by the union’s membership ranks and, in accordance with state law, “sunshined” to the public before School Board approval, which is also pending. Delaney states he appreciates the board and the negotiators that all worked hard and creatively to craft a deal he characterized as “reasonable”

A small fire damaged an outbuilding yesterday in Plymouth. The fire on Old Sacramento Rd near Latrobe Rd was reported about 7 pm at the Skaggs trucking yard. Amador Fire Protection District Battalion 20 and Calfire Crews all responded to the blaze which was quickly contained.

Yesterday morning at approximately 7:30 am scanners across the County sounded with reports of a vehicle versus pedestrian accident. The accident occurred at a construction site at 19610 Lockwood Lane across from Shakeridge Road. It was reported that a 42 year old male. Later identified as Mike Burchard of Pioneer was doing electrical work on site and was apparently hit by a vehicle pinning him between the house and the vehicle. Burchard suffered a laceration to his leg, pain to his left ankle and also a possible broken hip, as medical personnel on scene reported that there was deformity in his the area of his right hip. Amazingly, after such an ordeal the man remained conscious and was walking a bit after the accident.

BloodSource and Sutter Amador Hospital have announced a MotherLode Community Blood drive to be held on April 5th 11am to 6 pm at the Jackson Civic center. This important event to meet the community’s need for blood and blood products is being sponsored by the ACUSD ROP Medical Arts Program. BloodSource supplies blood and blood products to Sutter Amador Hospital and many other Sacramento area hospitals as well. To give blood you must be in generally good health, free from cold symptoms for at least  48 hours, 17 years of age and older and at least 100 pounds. There is no upper age limit for blood donations.

The 104th anniversary of California’s State Flower, the California Poppy, will be celebrated April 6, 2007. Because fall and spring are the best times to plant the poppy this anniversary is offering a unique opportunity to celebrate the state flower and increase its presence on local hills and pastures. The California Poppy Project © is offering one free packet of seeds to adults in all 58 counties of California. The California Poppy Project was established in 1987 with the goal to “Help preserve our trails, paths, highways, coastal areas, parks and safety rest stops from the blight of discarded litter!” To date more than 100,000 free packets have been distributed statewide with the assistance of the Native Daughters of the Golden West (NDGW). California Poppy seeds are drought tolerant and recommended in mild climates. It is illegal to pick California Poppies that grow on public property.

CAL FIRE moved equipment and personnel to Southern California last week in anticipation of extreme fire danger posed by the combination of high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity. According to Tobie Edmonds Communications Officer with the CAL FIRE Prevention Bureau, the Amador/ El Dorado Unit of CAL FIRE has sent 3 Engines, 2 from Amador County and 1 from El Dorado County, as well as two Hand Crews from Pine Grove Camp,  two hand crews from Growlersburg Camp, 1 Engine from Nevada and 1 from Tulomne-Calaveras Unit, for a total of 86 people to the fire that was raging through Orange County, but is now contained. As a result of the recent fires CAL FIRE is reminding homeowners in areas susceptible to wildfire to protect their property with Defensible Space as required by state law. “By removing dead vegetation 100 feet from homes and following a few simple steps, homeowners can drastically increase their safety,” said Director Ruben Grijalva of CAL FIRE. “In California it is not a question of if a wildfire is going to occur, but more of a question of when.”

It’s official, today Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved California's presidential primary to Feb. 5, in an attempt to give our state, the nation's most populous, a greater say over the nominating process. "Now California is important again in presidential nominating politics ... and we will get the respect that California deserves," Schwarzenegger said during a bill-signing ceremony outside the historic Leland Stanford Mansion, a former governor's residence and orphanage. California has not played a prominent role in a presidential primary since 1972, when George McGovern beat Hubert Humphrey for the Democratic nomination. Schwarzenegger is hoping that by moving the presidential primary from June to early February, the state will again play a significant role. The presidential primary is not likely to be the only question before voters next February. The ballot also might feature a package of political reforms that Schwarzenegger is hoping to craft with the Democrat-controlled state Legislature.

The State Department of Fish and Game is considering changing the kind of bullets that can be used when hunting certain types of animals in certain areas. Current regulations provide for methods to be used in the “taking” of big game. Those methods include the use of the traditional bullet which contains lead. The new regulation proposed would require non–lead bullets, muzzleloader balls, and/or shotgun slugs for the taking of big game mammals in the geographic area inhabited by free–ranging California condors. Alternatives to the proposed action are “no change” to existing regulation, requiring non–lead bullets statewide, and extending the Proposed Action to the historic California condor range which increases the geographic area up into the Southern Sierra Nevada.

On Friday, March 16, Ranger Pipelines, the Agency’s contractor for the Amador Transmission Pipeline Project, will be holding a special ceremony, a “blessing of the pipeline,” to commemorate the last section of pipeline being installed, as well as in recognition of a successful and safe project being as there were no injuries during construction.  The Contractor still has a couple of loose ends to tie up like around Lake Tabeaud which will remain closed as the contractor works on a building in the parking area, electrical, and paving.