United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced yesterday that Plymouth bank robber JIM BRIAN SMITH, 26, of Orangevale, California, has pled guilty to two felony counts of bank robbery before United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. The case was investigated by the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Roseville Police Department, Amador County Sheriff's Department, Grass Valley Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, and Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The Jackson Planning Commission met last night to discuss what date would be appropriate for a meeting with Amador County Transportation Commission to discuss possible mitigations and changes for the Jackson Hills Project, at least changes to how the project is currently proposed. City Planner Susan Peters said that at the special meeting held March 5th that the Planning Commission decided to continue public hearings regarding the issuance of a Planning Commission recommendation to the City Council because they wanted to establish a meeting date with ACTC.

The Amador County Fair has also announced the pre-weigh-in dates for large and small animals that exhibitors plan to show in this summer's Fair competition. Any 4-H, FFA, Grange or Independent Exhibitors who do not file the appropriate paperwork and pre-weigh-in their animals by the designated date will be disqualified from selling their market animals during the Fair.

Friday night marked a significant milestone in Amador County this year- a record count of fatal accidents in the first 3 months of the year. A total that now has reached 8 after an accident reported around 7:00 pm Friday night claimed three more lives. According to information currently available two full size trucks were involved in a head on collision on Highway 88 near the Pioneer Trailer Park in Pioneer. Three men in the front seat of one of the pick ups were all declared dead at the scene. The driver of the other pick up was airlifted from the Pine Grove Camp Helispot to Sutter Roseville Hospital. Hwy 88 was closed for about one hour. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

This weekend the weather was absolutely perfect for the Jackson Lions Club’s Annual Dandelion Days event. The event is an important fundraiser for the Lions Club with the majority of the proceeds going to local scholarships and donations to local organizations. Main Street Jackson was packed with booths, vendors and people both Saturday and Sunday as crowds this year were heavier than the last few years which saw inclement weather conditions.

Ranger Pipelines, the Amador Water Agency’s contractor for the Amador Transmission Pipeline Project, held a special ceremony on Friday. It was a “blessing of the pipeline,” to commemorate the last section of pipeline being installed, as well as recognition, of a successful and safe project. The construction of the pipeline was an uneventful process and there were no injuries or mishaps during the installation. The ceremony was held on a private ranch off of Bosse Rd. Dignitaries including Water Board Members, Supervisor Brian Oneto and Water Agency staff were all present for the blessing.

According to the Associated Press a former state prison guard from Mule Creek State Prison has plead guilty to smuggling methamphetamine into MCSP and delivering it to inmates, Sacramento County prosecutors said. John Charles Whittle, 47, a 22-year veteran of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, admitted taking methamphetamine to an inmate at Mule Creek State Prison. Internal affairs investigators said they intercepted a package mailed to Whittle’s home in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights on Aug. 17.

Tonight the City of Jackson will hold a Planning Commission meeting that will once again discuss the Jackson Hills Project. At their last meeting the planning commission decided to hold a workshop on the 500 plus home subdivision, golf course and recreational facilities proposal for acreage located behind Raley’s off French bar Rd. Major concerns over the traffic impacts of what could be potentially 2500 cars has been a concern of the city’s citizens and the Amador county Transportation Commission which recommended against the project during the Environmental Impact stage last year. The Commission will also be picking a date for a workshop with the ACTC to look at possible mitigations for the developers to defer and diffuse some of the traffic impacts. The meeting is tonight at 6 o’clock..

Country Trio SHeDAISY’s place in the music world begins with Kristyn Osborn’s songwriting, with her ability to probe her psyche and, by extension, ours. The fact that she and sisters Kelsi and Kassidy are equally adept at placing those songs in intriguing and memorable settings, at making them come alive in the studio and on stage, is the rest of the multi-platinum equation. SHeDAISY will perform in Dalton Town Hall at Jackson Rancheria Casino on Thursday, June 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $69, $59, $49, and $39 and can be purchased online or by phone from Ticketmaster or in person at the Jackson Rancheria Box Office. The Box Office is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and accepts credit cards, checks, Dreamcatcher's Club points, and cash. For more on SHeDAISY, visit shedaisy.musiccitynetworks.com. Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, Jackson, CA 95642. For more information, call 1-800-822-WINN or visit jacksoncasino.com.

California schools are in need of sweeping, comprehensive reforms if the state is to raise the quality of education and student-achievement rates, according to a long-awaited research project that rigorously assesses how K-12 schools are governed and financed. The structural problems are so deep-seeded that more funding and small, incremental interventions are unlikely to make a difference unless matched with a commitment to wholesale reform states the report. The 22 studies, requested by a bipartisan group of state policy-makers, will be released in two parts. The first half was unveiled in Sacramento last week by Stanford University researchers, state lawmakers and representatives from the foundations that underwrote the nearly $3 million project.