The room was rocking all night long with lots of pretty in pink as over 300 Bunco Players dressed in pink to support the Amador STARS 3rd Annual Amador County Bunco For Breast Cancer event at St. Sava Mission last Friday. The event was sponsored by Pat Thurin and Pioneer Travel Service located in Pine Grove. Everyone came together for a good time and to support friends and family members who have been touched by cancer. Even the men in the room got into the act by showing that Real Men Wear Pink, including Dr. Bob Hartmann, who arrived "dressed by my office staff", he declared, "down to even my pink flip flops. This is a marvelous event and I am so happy to have been invited to participate in it," said Hartman. Over 100 silent and live auction items were donated by the community. Co Chairs of the event, Ginger Rolf and Pat Thurin were happy to see a sell out crowd for the third year in a row. The event last year raised over $13,000 and this year, Amador STARS is pleased to announce they have topped the $16,000 mark!

The Friends of Amador County, a group formed in opposition of the Buena Vista Band of Me-Wuk Indians proposed Flying Cloud Casino, is reacting to the Final Environmental Impact Report from the tribe. The reaction to just one issue, the issue of school bus safety, was swift and angry according to Friend’s President Jerry Cassesi. According to the Final report from the tribe they agree that "Certain loading points in the area lack adequate space to accommodate pick-up, drop-off and vehicular traffic circulation at the same time, creating potentially hazardous conditions."  According to Cassesi, although the tribe admits those dangers to the community’s children, their response is inadequate and in fact states Cassesi, it is arrogant.

On Monday’s Agenda for the Sutter Creek City Council meeting was an item that drew quite a crowd. The Goals and Policies Document regarding the Community Facilities District and Powder House Estates was discussed as well as the concerns expressed regarding  a Mello Roos Bond, specifically the problems that Ione experienced with the program. Mark Northcross spoke to Ione’s problem and explained that the Bond money went in before the developer began the project and money promised by the developer never materialized. The difference with Sutter Creek would be that the Bonds would not be sold until the Public Improvements were under construction, and largely completed. The cost of public improvements includes approximately $4 million, and would be financed up to 75%, the developer of Powder House Estates would be paying $1 million out of pocket.

At approximately 4:28pm yesterday afternoon a vegetation fire was reported at 17252 Shake Ridge Road at Stone Jug Road. According to Camino Dispatch the small grass fire was contained quickly. Local Fire Crews responded with 5 engines and a dozer.

Yesterday afternoon a car spotted with out any license plates leaving the Jackson Rancheria Casino was identified as a stolen vehicle after Jackson Rancheria Tribal police became suspicious of the vehicle and its occupants. Once questioned by the tribal police the driver and passenger fled the Rancheria and as law enforcement moved in on the driver and passenger, the driver decided to move on out, at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. According to the California Highway Patrol the car, identified as a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban, was spotted leaving the Jackson Rancheria Casino. A Be On The Look Out was broadcast countywide for the car reported stolen out of Fairfield on April 30th.

The Jackson Planning Commission will meet tonight to review Notices of Intent to Develop. In February of 2007 the Planning Commission recommended to the City Council that they adopt 68 HEUs for the upcoming year, which was the number of HEU’s needed for Jackson Hills to complete phase 1 of their project. The City Council after some deliberation chose to set the allocation at 106, based on the same formula used in 2005 of spreading the remaining sewer capacity over three years. Staff then advertised for request for Notices of Intent to Develop and four different developers responded by the March 31st deadline.

This weekend hundreds of car enthusiast walked the streets of Jackson this weekend for the 11th annual Gold Country Car Cruise Car Show. The show just gets bigger every year and this year around 200 cars entered the event. The weather was perfect for the well organized event which benefits the downtown Jackson business associations.

Jackson’s Legal Counsel, Tom Gibson, recently gave a presentation on Redevelopment Essentials to the City Council. During the formation of the City’s Economic Development Committee the topic of redevelopment was broached. City Manger Mike Daly says, “Redevelopment is a complex issue, but when used successfully in municipalities throughout California to enhance economic development within their communities. Gibson then took the center stage with his power point presentation explaining the “Essentials of Redevelopment.” First and foremost every community has a Redevelopment agency, but they remain dormant until the City Council or the BOS enacts an ordinance declaring a need for the agency which remains active until another ordinance is adopted declaring that a need no longer exists.