The San Andreas CHP are currently investigating a motorcycle collision that occurred at an unknown time but after 5pm on Saturday, March 22 on Murphys Grade Road, approximately 2.2 miles east of Lower French Gulch Road. Earl E. Wiggins, a 61 year old male from Hathaway Pines, was last seen at his work in Angels Camp at 5pm on Saturday. He was riding a black 1997 Harley Davidson. He was reported as missing on Sunday when he failed to show up for work.

The report was filed with the Calaveras County Sheriffs Department. Wiggins was finally located by friends and family members on Tuesday after they retraced his normal routes. A preliminary investigation has revealed that Wiggins was traveling eastbound on Murphys Grade Road when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway and ran off the roadways edge.

Wiggins and his motorcycle were located approximately 75 feet over the roadway edge and  down an extremely steep embankment. Any witnesses to this collision are encouraged to contact the California Highway Patrol, San Andreas Office at 754-3541. This is the third fatal collision that has occurred in San Andreas’ CHP jurisdiction for 2008, and the first motorcycle fatality. In 2007, the CHP investigated 5 motorcycle fatality collisions.

The Amador County Waste Management Department has partnered with Amador High School’s Earth Club to create elementary school assemblies on recycling and litter reduction.  Members of the Earth Club have developed a performance that will promote the Waste Management Department’s guiding priorities:  REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE, or the 3R’s.  Elementary students will learn from their older peers the importance of reducing waste, reusing materials over and over, and then recycling almost everything else.  The Earth Club is scheduled to perform at Sutter Creek Elementary and Primary Schools, Pioneer and Pine Grove Elementary Schools, Jackson Jr. High, and a public appearance at the Jackson Library on April 3 at 10:30 a.m.

The concept of high school students teaching elementary students originated last summer when Amador High School Teacher Mr. Joe Anooshian, Principal Allen Van Velzen, and Waste Management Staff Anne Short discussed the need for a campus beautification make-over at Amador High School.  Over the years, the landscaping has deteriorated, while littering and vandalism on campus have increased.  One possible project involved students in the revitalization of their school grounds to help instill a sense of appreciation and respect for the high school campus. As discussed, this type of effort may even help improve students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding stewardship of their surroundings.  Since high school seniors are required to complete 10 hours of community service, they could apply the hours earned from the project towards their credits. For more information, please contact the Amador County Waste Management Department at 223-6429.

According to the April edition of Sunset Magazine, Sutter Creek is one of California’s best small towns and the best town in the Gold Country. Magazine columnist Peter Fish cited many reasons for what he considers a very competitive ranking. “Set in a tidy green dell — Sutter Creek is the kind of town that makes you recall words like "dell" — with a Main Street lined with balconied 19th-century buildings. The prettiest Main Street you've ever seen? Quite possibly.” Said Fish. Fish describes the town as a compact and convenient place to experience the flavor of the local area. He wrote that Sutter Creek’s qualities included “first-rate home stores, restaurants that reach beyond the steak-and-whiskey gold country staples, and wine-tasting venues that celebrate Amador County’s way with the vine”. He notes the Sutter Creek Visitor’s Center, the Monteverde Store and Museum, Sutter Gold Mine Tours, and Daffodil Hill as prime attractions.

Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel’s popular series of comedy shows return on Thursday, April 3, when 3 Blonde Moms deliver their high-energy, semi-scripted standup comedy show jam packed full of hysterical material about being a Mom, having a Mom, kids, schools, husbands, in-laws, and more. If you have a family, know a family, or want a family, this is the show for you!  The show is in the Grand Oak Ballroom at the Jackson Rancheria Hotel. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the laughter starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 each and are available at the Dreamcatcher’s Club booth in the casino.

Amador County’s Technical Advisory Committee met on Wednesday to review the newest updates to a requested Master Plan amendment concerning the Martell area. The applicant, a development partnership, has applied to change the land uses in the area just west of the existing Amador Ridge shopping center. But the real issue was presented by the Amador County Historical Society, who expressed their concerns on the cultural significance of the railroad in that area. Eugene Buckley asked that an environmental impact report, or EIR, be completed in order to identify the potential impacts of removing the railways. Buckley noted that the developer filed for an abandonment of the railway in 2004, and per the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, an EIR should have been done at that time due to the significant cultural changes that may occur.

Buckley also argued that the dismantling of the railways in Martell is of cultural and historical significance, and therefore should be investigated and documented. Dave Brown and Gary Blanc, representatives of the developer, countered that the railways were documented and recorded in 2004 as part of the abandonment process. Brown noted that the sections of road that crossed the existing railways were constructed so that the original rails could be replaced if the abandonment is rejected by the Surface Transportation Board, or STB, which is the sole agency that can make a decision on the use of the railways. 

Buckley argued that some of the rails have already been torn up and provided pictures of bent rails that had been removed in the Martell area. The committee agreed that further research was needed on the potential impacts of removing the railways, but noted that the decision was ultimately up to the STB, and it was agreed that an EIR would not be completed on the railways. Traffic congestion was one of the potential items identified in the proposed amendment. The committee agreed to conduct a focused EIR on traffic issues. At their next meeting, the committee will discuss the hiring of a consultant to prepare that EIR.

Also at the meeting, Tax Assessor Jim Rooney warned the board about the effect of the current recession on future property tax revenues. He did not want them to be surprised since property tax revenue contributes to 60 percent of school funding. In the past 4 to 5 years, property tax revenue have increased annually between 12 to14 percent, primarily due to changes in ownership and new construction. This is substantially higher than the Prop 13 annual maximum property tax assessment increase of 2 percent.

Rooney is projecting that there will still be an increase in property tax revenue this coming year, but it will remain between 4 to 5 percent. The downturn in the real estate market has caused the downward reassessment of properties purchased in the past 2 to 3 years. This is a relatively small proportion of properties that are being reassessed. Rooney said that even though these homes may be reduced in value by 20 to 30 percent, when the market rebounds, as is typical, property tax revenue will also rebound. Barbara Murray, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, said there was some built in protection for school funds from the state. Amador Schools are qualified for 25 million dollars from the state.

After the Amador County Board of Supervisors deadlocked over approval of the Intergovernmental Services Agreement, or ISA, drafted by Tribal and County staff over months of negotiations, the Buena Vista Tribe yesterday announced it will file a demand for binding arbitration, as provided for under its Tribal-State Gaming Compact signed with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Under rules set up in the Compact and by both parties, the County and the Tribe had until March 18, 2008, at midnight to submit to each other their respective last, best written offers for purposes of arbitration.

Yesterday, the Tribe submitted its last, best written offer to the County. However, the County advised the Tribe yesterday that it will not be submitting an offer to the Tribe. Furthermore, the County stated it will not be participating in the arbitration proceedings. "As the County has acknowledged, the earlier-negotiated ISA offered the County terms and mitigation measures that went well beyond those required by the Compact," said John Tang, CEO of the Buena Vista Rancheria. "Our last, best written offer made to the County yesterday, and the only one that will be before the arbitrator, is nearly identical to the one previously negotiated. We could have made substantial and justifiable changes to the ISA that would have been much more favorable to the Tribe, but chose not to. Half the Supervisors who voted supported the negotiated ISA. We want to build on that.” An arbitrator will be selected in the coming weeks and it is expected that the arbitrator will issue an award by the end of April.

The Ione City Council meeting began on a sad note Tuesday evening with Councilman Jeff Barnhart reading his letter of resignation. He stated that his decision was not an easy one to make, and that his time on the council was a wonderful learning experience. He cited work as the main contributor to his resignation, and left the meeting immediately after the letter was read. City Manager Kim Kerr then informed the council that no further decisions could be made that night. Council directed staff to put the discussion regarding options for the City on the March 24th Special Meeting which begins at 4 p.m. Council approved a time change for the Planning Commission, changing their meeting time from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to promote consistency. Also, a ½ cent special tax for fire will be on the ballot this November for residents of the County to vote on. Allocation of funds will be determined by call volume and will be adjusted annually.