The Jackson City Council reviewed a request from the “No Casino In Plymouth” otherwise known as the NICP Group to support a bill introduced by Congressman Dan Lungren to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. In a memo to the Council Dr. Elida Malick, Director of the NICP said, “The amendment proposed in this bill seeks to change the law to ensure that community input is considered in land acquisition decisions and that Tribes cannot circumvent local governmental entities by claiming to be an exception to Section 20 of the IGRA.”

If you see smoke plumes on the horizon out Hwy 104 near the county line- there is no reason to be concerned. Yesterday continuing through today Cal Fire crews will continue to conduct “Live Fire Training” exercises for fire apparatus engineers. The training is happening just off of Hwy 104 near the Amador/Sacramento County line on the “Chance Ranch”. According to Cal Fire Public Information Officer Tobie Edmonds live fire training is one of the best tools used by Cal Fire to train their fire apparatus engineers. Cal Fire crews, concluding engines, dozers and hand crews were joined by several engines from the Sac metro Fire department.

If you see smoke plumes on the horizon out Hwy 104 near the county line- there is no reason to be concerned. Yesterday continuing through today Cal Fire crews will continue to conduct “Live Fire Training” exercises for fire apparatus engineers. The training is happening just off of Hwy 104 near the Amador/Sacramento County line on the “Chance Ranch”. According to Cal Fire Public Information Officer Tobie Edmonds live fire training is one of the best tools used by Cal Fire to train their fire apparatus engineers. Cal Fire crews, concluding engines, dozers and hand crews were joined by several engines from the Sac metro Fire department.

The family of the toddler injured when he was allegedly attacked by his mother’s boyfriend, Neil Farkas, is now speaking out asking for the communities help. This past week end the 19th month old identified by his family as Kai Edmunds was transferred from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to Pedaitrics. Kai is now able to open his eyes and has some movement on his left side- however it is still to early to know how his right side will respond once his brain’s swelling subsides. Kai is still on a ventilator- although his family states that he is improving slightly each day. One thing the family is sure of is that this will be along medical recovery process. The family is asking for your prayers and support, each and every one of you is very much appreciated. Now the family is facing the hard reality of the medical expenses-  The community has set up a bank account for Kai in care of his mother Gabrielle Richardson “Donation”, Guaranty Bank 11992 State Hwy 88, Ste 2048, Jackson, Ca 95642 Ph (209)223-3191

An urgent message out from the Amador County Sheriff’s Department regarding reaching them. On May 21, 2007, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office was notified by a local citizen who stated that the phone number listed in several of the local phone directories for the Amador County Sheriff’s Office, 257-1305, was not being answered. This is not the correct number to reach us. The correct number for the Amador County Sheriff’s Office is 223-6500.  If there is an emergency please call 911.

Friday afternoon saw two wildland fires- one in Amador County and one in Calaveras County- both fires placing local fire crews on high alert. The Amador County fire broke out around 3:30 pm near Surrey Junction off of Ridge Rd and Woodside Lane.  The fire burned dangerously close to homes and was contained to less than one acre.

Last Thursday the AWA board of directors reviewed a request to fund up to $10,000 toward the Local Agency Formation Commission’s Municipal Service Review. LAFCO Executive Officer Roseanne Chamberlin was present to further explain to the Board what the Municipal Service Review (MSR) is. The MSR is required by the Government Code she explained and includes service reviews of agencies for whom LAFCO sets boundaries and a sphere of influence. “…because other private and government entities are also integrated in the organization of services provided by local governments, they are included in the descriptive sections of the report,” said Chamberlin.

Last Tuesday the BOS decided to move forward with revising a portion of the County Code pertaining to Sea-Land Storage Containers. On May 16, 2006 Title 19 of Amador County Code was amended to include regulations pertaining to sea-land storage containers in order to encourage appropriate locations and uses for such containers and to protect visual quality in the County. The Board went through a series of public hearings and received very little input. Within the last year however, existing and proposed situations have surfaced; these situations demonstrating that a review and or possible amendment of the sea-land storage container ordinance may be needed.

The Mountain Lion Foundation is recruiting 4H and FFA Clubs throughout the Central Sierra as Rural Partners to explore and implement simple and cost effective methods of preventing the loss of pets and livestock to mountain lions. As more and more people live and recreate in this area, interaction with wildlife has been on the rise.    As a result, almost one-third of the mountain lions killed in California for livestock depredation are killed in the Central Sierra.

Cindy Sheehan, the "peace mom" who made headlines in 2005 by staging a marathon protest outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, announced on Memorial Day that she no longer wants to be seen as a leader of the anti-war movement. In a 1,245-word letter posted on the liberal DailyKos blog, Sheehan said her campaign to end the war in Iraq had strained her relationship with her remaining children, cost her a marriage and left her nearly penniless. "This is my resignation letter as the 'face' of the American anti-war movement," Sheehan wrote. "I am going to take whatever I have left and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost."