Jackson Rancheria Tribal Council Member Adam Dalton this afternoon presented the Sutter Amador Hospital Board of Trustees and Sutter Foundation Board with a check in the amount of $1,000,000.

The world traveling Atlanta lawyer at the center of the tuberculosis controversy, with a dangerous strain of TB, was allowed back into the U.S. by a border inspector who disregarded a computer warning to stop him and don protective gear, officials said Thursday. The inspector has been removed from border duty. The unidentified inspector explained that he was no doctor but that the infected man seemed perfectly healthy and that he thought the warning was merely "discretionary," officials briefed on the case told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still under investigation.

According to Reuters the American herb craze has many Americans using the herbal supplements but few actually following the directions on the bottles. Roughly half of adults who use herbal supplements do not use them in accordance with "evidence-based" indications, U.S. researchers report. The findings, which appear in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings for May, stem from more than 30,000 adults who were surveyed regarding their use of herbs.The six herbs studied and their evidence-based indications were: echinacea for upper respiratory tract infection, garlic for high cholesterol, ginseng for mental performance/diabetes, St. John's wort for depression, soy for high cholesterol/hot flashes, and kava-kava for anxiety.

A proposal to ban smoking in cars with children inside, to be heard Wednesday in the state Senate's health committee, is the third bill in three months that has taken California's Legislature into arenas some say are better left to parents. The first would have outlawed spanking, and debate continues over whether to mandate vaccinating seventh-grade girls against a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. California is one of at least 16 states considering bans on smoking in cars with children present. Critics call it the ultimate in "nanny government." Even if smoking around children is a bad idea, it isn't the government's job to stop people from doing it, Walter Williams, a conservative commentator who has written about the nanny state told the SF Chronicle. "If we justify things on the basis of what's good for people, there's no end in sight," said Williams, an economics professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

According to a report released by the California State Legislative Analyst’s Office yesterday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have underestimated the cost of his health care plan by between $150 million to more than $3 billion. The governor has estimated his plan will cost 12 billion dollars a year to bring down insurance costs and extend coverage to the 6.5 million Californians the LAO’s report states that the actual costs may be higher. The Legislative Analyst's Office gave the nonpartisan report to the Senate Health Committee during the first hearing on the proposal Thursday. Though Schwarzenegger released the plan in January,

Thursday marked the first time lawmakers have been able to ask questions about it in an official setting. The proposal would require individuals to buy coverage, employers to help pay for it, and insurers to sell it to anyone who wants it. Doctors and hospitals would also be asked to chip in to help fund the expansion, which would also rely on a significant amount of new federal funding. According to the Sacbee, Kim Belshe, California secretary of health and human services, testified that the governor's plan would change the health care marketplace, making insurance more affordable for working families who would be required to purchase it because more people would be participating in the system. But several members of the Health Committee said the plan relied heavily on financial models without guaranteeing that people could afford the insurance they would have to buy."I don't see anything in the proposal that helps us feel confident that affordability will be achieved," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat from Santa Monica who chairs the committee.

 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has created a challenge that has California students jumping for joy.  As part of his effort to boost students' physical fitness, the governor on Wednesday announced a fitness challenge. He wants to get 20,000 kindergarten through 12th-grade students active for 30 to 60 minutes a day at least three times a week. As an incentive, the school with the highest percentage of participating students at the end of the four-week challenge will win a new fitness center. The next 11 will win $1,000 to buy fitness equipment.

According to the American Cancer Society, fewer people died of cancer in 2004 than in 2003, marking the second consecutive year that cancer deaths have declined in the United States, a new American Cancer Society report shows. According to Cancer Statistics 2007, there were 3,014 fewer cancer deaths in 2004 compared to the previous year. The report is published in the latest issue of the ACS journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. That number is much higher than the drop of 369 deaths reported between 2003 and 2002. And that suggests the trend is more than just a statistical blip, experts say. "This second consecutive drop in the number of actual cancer deaths, much steeper than the first, shows last year's historic drop was no fluke," says John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. "The hard work towards preventing cancer, catching it early, and making treatment more effective is paying dramatic, lifesaving dividends." The number of breast cancer cases in the US has leveled off in recent years, according to Facts & Figures. In 2007, 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected.

Some local faces found themselves behind bars yesterday for a good cause, Muscular Dystrophy.

Over the past decade, the leisure activity most closely associated with corporate success in America has been in a kind of recession. The total number of people in the US who play golf has declined or remained flat each year since 2000, dropping to about 26 million from 30 million, according to the National Golf Foundation. Amador County is home to at least six golf courses that have felt the impact. On Highway 49 alone, there are at least 29 golf courses between Sonora and Auburn. With a modest county wide population of 38,000, local courses are dependent on commuter golfers from the Sacramento area.

According to Dominic Atlan, Director of Golf at Castle Oaks Golf Course in Ione, it’s no secret that golf has been on the decline. He has followed a drop in rounds at Castle Oaks by a yearly average of 8000. “It seems more people are giving up the game than taking up the game,” says Atlan. Other local courses, like Mace Meadows in Pioneer, have made staffing cuts. Once popular and promising courses like the Winchester and Dark Horse in Ione are now in foreclosure. The disappearance of golfers over the past several years is part of a broader decline in outdoor activities, according to a number of academic and recreational industry studies. Escalating gas prices in a worsening economy are also being blamed. But golf, a sport of long-term investors who buy the expensive equipment and build the courses — has always seemed to exist in a world above the fray of shifting demographics. Maybe not anymore.

Local efforts are underway to send two talented young wrestlers to the National Wrestling Tournaments. Wrestling Coach Rodney Plamondon is going public in his fundraising efforts to send Marissa Foreman and Hannah Collins, both members of the Argonaut Wrestling Squad, though the Nationals in March. Funds raised are expected to cover air fare, a rental car, motel rooms, food, and registration fees for the tournament.

The girls need to fly in a day or two before the events for weigh-in. Because of budget restrictions, the girls’ regular coaches and assistants will be unable to attend. Foreman has been a four year Captain of her squad, has previously scored 12 and 6 in the Nationals, and is ranked as one of the top 6 girls in the state. Collins is ranked second place in the girls All-State division and was awarded the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the Heavyweight Division. According to Plamandon, the girls will return with a “priceless experience to share with the high schools and wrestling clubs in the county.” If you’d like to make a donation, please call Jeff Collins at 763-5533 or 256-5550.