Yesterday afternoon around two o’clock a head on collision closed both Ridge Rd and New York Ranch Rd. The fatal accident involved a Chevy Cavalier and a Honda CRV both registered out of Pine Grove. According to witnesses on scene, the accident occurred, when for unknown reasons, one vehicle, the Chevy crossed into oncoming traffic just east of Bates Rd. near Ridgeview Court striking the Honda head on.

Law enforcement agencies across Northern California are on the lookout for a man authorities are calling the "Nor Cal Rapist."

Weekend accidents were fairly low this past weekend and did not include any accidents nearly as serious as we saw last weekend. How ever accident trends in the county are still up over years past. An accident occurred on Thursday at 3:50pm at Raven Road south of Hwy 88. According to the report, written by investigating Officer Brian Hagemann, 56 year old Gary Baker of Pioneer was driving his 2006 Ford south bound on Raven road when he entered a curve in the roadway and was unable to maintain the vehicle on the right half of the roadway. In turn the vehicle ran off the east roadway edge and the front of the Ford struck a tree. Baker escaped the accident with only minor injuries.

Amador County’s future will be the subject of a public meeting sponsored by the Amador branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on Wednesday, October 25. The meeting will take place from 5 to 7 PM in the large conference room of the Amador County General Services Building, 12200B Airport Road, Jackson. Refreshments will be served. Spearheading and co-moderating the meeting will be Patrick Blacklock, Amador County Administrative Officer. Mary Thorpe of AAUW will co-moderate. Speakers will be Francisco Rodriguez, President, Consumnes River College, who will discuss the future of higher education (ie, a possible community college) in Amador County (5-5:45 PM);Susan Grijalva, Amador County Planning Director, who will discuss the forthcoming Amador County General Plan (5:45-6:15 PM); and Roseanne Chamberlain, Executive Director, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), who will discuss LAFCO’s role in land use planning from 6:15-6:45 PM. All speakers will answer questions following their presentations. For further information or to submit questions for the panel in advance, the e-mail address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and the FAX number is 245-3886.

 

CHP’s busy weekend began Saturday morning at approximately 11:40am when an accident occurred on Ridge Rd at New York Ranch Road intersection. According to Officer LeMaster’s report, Deborah Ginnelly, 45 and of Pine Grove was westbound on Ridge Road and was stopped within the intersection to make a left turn onto New York Ranch Road. She had been stopped for a few seconds when 23 year old Richard Honey of Jackson approached at 45 miles per hour and observed that Ginnelly was stopped, however, he assumed that by the time he reached the intersection Ginnelly would have turned.

The Plymouth City Council this Thursday, at their regularly scheduled, meeting will hold a discussion regarding a copy of a letter of September 19, 2006 from Carl J. Artman, Associate Solicitor, Division of Indian Affairs to James E. Cason, Associate Deputy Secretary U. S. Department of the Interior on the matter of the Ione Band Indian Lands Determination as well as, a discussion about the letter dated September 26, 2006 from James E. Cason, Associate Deputy Secretary to Matthew Franklin, Chairman of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians stating that the Associate Solicitor, Division of Indian Affairs, has reviewed the Ione Band’s request application fee-to-trust and determined that the lands that are subject to that application will qualify as “Indian Lands” within the meaning of the IGRA on which the tribe may conduct gaming.

Amador County is not the only county looking to bypass the current Hwy 88 where the Hwy runs through small towns.

This accident tied up traffic in Pioneer on Hwy 88 last night. The 8:40 pm accident was caused when a driver swerved to miss a deer in the roadway. According to witness reports, after swerving to avoid the deer, the westbound driver over corrected, causing the car to flip and come to rest upside down in the west bound lanes of Hwy 88. The driver of the car was injured and transported to Sutter Amador Hospital for evaluation. Two passengers, including a child were uninjured. The accident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol

In California, the deadline to register to vote for an election is 15 days before Election Day, so for the Nov. 7 general election that means the last day to register is Monday, Oct. 23. You can register to vote by contacting the elections department office at 223-6465 or stopping by the departments offices at 12600 Airport Rd- just follow the signs on the building. Voters please note: In Amador County if you are one of the thousands of residents whom vote absentee and you decide to return your voted absentee ballot by mail, you will need 63-cent postage this year because the lengthy ballot will weigh slightly more than 1 ounce. 

 

The CHP report on the crash that occurred yesterday morning around 5:30 has been released. At approximately 5:30am a three car accident was reported on Hwy 88 between the Hwy 124 Junction and Martin Lane. After arrival on scene, California Highway patrol Officers ascertained that the incident was really two separate accidents. The first accident was a solo vehicle into a bank. According to Investigating Officer Deborah Zaragoza’s report 26 year old Juan Sierra of Lodi was driving his 1995 green Ford on Hwy. 88 when due to his level of intoxication drove the vehicle to the right and off the roadway proceeding to drive up the southside embankment. The Ford’s right front wheel struck a rock hard enough to disable the vehicle and it reentered the lane and came to rest blocking the eastbound lane of 88 and thus creating a traffic hazard.