According to local weather watcher Jimmy Nettle our rainfall this year is less than half of what it was last year. Last year was an extremely wet year, true, but how does this year’s 20 plus inches of rain compare with an average year? According to National Weather Service statistics the average rainfall for the county is 28 inches per year. Although there are technically still two full months left in the rainfall season it is doubtful we will get another 8 inches of rain. Statewide this is the trend and now the State Department of Water resources has issued concerning statements regarding the California Water Supply. This is the lightest Sierra snow pack since 1989 according to the DWR.

Saturday at the Pine Grove Community Park a 3 year old boy was injured when he apparently climbed a fence to play on the fountain in the park. Pine Grove Community Services District Board Chair Paul Johnston said there are conflicting stories about what happened. One story is that the boy, after climbing over the fence, reached up and grabbed the fountain sprayer- a pineapple shaped piece of concrete at the top- and it subsequently broke off and hit him in the head causing the child to fall. The second possible situation is that the boy while climbing the fence began to fall and reached out and tried to grab the fountain causing the top of the fountain to topple and hit his head. Johnston said that the parents are the only ones who would have been witness to the event since apparently no one else was in the park. The parents transported the young boy next door to the Pine Grove fire station and medics were called. The child was subsequently transported to the Pine Grove Camp to be airlifted to UC Davis receive further care. Johnston stated that he hopes the child is doing well. TSPN has received reports that the child suffered no serious injuries

The City of Jackson has announced a special public hearing Monday, May 7th for the Jackson Hills Golf Course project. The project has been extremely controversial among the community. It is proposed to be located south of Hwy. 49, with access to the project from French Bar Road, as Clinton Road will provide secondary access. The project is proposed to be developed in 2 phases. At build out it will include 540 lots on approximately 516 acres, a golf course, recreation and community center. The project land uses would require modification of the existing General Plan land use designations and zoning. The project is listed on the Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites List as set forth in the Government Code. Copies of the Final EIR, Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program associated with the proposed project are available for review at the City’s Offices. The document is also available on the City’s website, at ci.jackson.ca.us and at the Amador County Library in Jackson. On Monday night the Planning Commission is expected to make their recommendation to the City Council for the project determination. The Meeting will be held at 6pm at the Jackson Civic Center

The Amador-El Dorado Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CAL FIRE is reminding residents that burning permits are required as of May 1 every year and that they are free at local fire stations. Keep in mind if the fire were to escape your control and/or burn the property of someone else, you could face civil liability and/or criminal charges. As in past years, the public should expect that burn permits will be suspended in the near future as weather and fuel conditions change.

The Plymouth City council recently had the final reading of their newly completed Tree Preservation and Landscape Requirement ordinance. The goal of the ordinance is to create regulations for the city that will retain as many trees as possible while still being consistent with the economic enjoyment of private property for the protection, preservation and maintenance of native trees.

Saturday the Great Sutter Creek Duck Race was held in Sutter Creek. This was the 20th year of the charitable event put on by the Immaculate Conceptions Men’s Club. The race benefits many local charities that this year will split approximately 25,000 dollars. The beneficiaries this year include 12 local groups, including

• Amador County Child Abuse Prevention Council - ACCAPC

• Amador County Kiwanis Club

• Amador County Special Education – APERS Amador Cooperative Preschool

• Amador Polar Bears • Camanche Lake Community Center

• Gold Nugget 4-H Club

• Knights of Columbus / the Mother Lode Newcomers

• and the Volcano Theatre Company.

An accident occurred on Hwy. 49 yesterday around noon, when the driver of this Buick apparently allowed her vehicle to begin drifting on the roadway. Realizing that the vehicle was drifting the driver overcorrected causing her to loose control causing the vehicle subsequently running off the embankment of Hwy 49, landing in the parking lot of the new Coldwell Banker. That was unfortunate, for the two parked vehicles on which the Buick landed on top of. The Jackson Police Department closed one lane of traffic for about 20 minutes to allow emergency vehicles access to the accident scene. The road was closed again later for another 10 minutes as the tow truck had to situate on the Hwy. to retrieve the vehicle. According to Jackson Police Captain Christy Stidger the driver of the vehicle, was uninjured except for a scratch on her knee and opted to seek her own medical care.

An accident occurred at the intersection of Previtali Road and Hwy. 88. According to a witness on scene a red Mitsubishi appears to have been rear ended while attempting a turn. A 10 year old passenger in the Mitsubishi was transported to SAH with complaints of pain to their neck and head.

A motorcyclist from the Roseville area came to Amador County for lunch Saturday but wound up in a helicopter headed for UC Davis. The male driver indicated that "something ran into the road" and he hit his breaks hard.  The motorcycle and its rider then somersaulted and landed in a ditch. The motorcycle then bounced about 50 feet down that ditch. The driver suffered fractures to the lower extremities and was flown out by helicopter. Later Saturday afternoon a  CHP officer was involved in a foot pursuit of a "possibly wanted suspect" when the suspect apparently resisted arrest. Both the CHP and the Amador Sheriff's Office put out an "Officer Needs Assistance" call. Shortly after the the call for help the CHP officer who was attempting the arrest had to use mace on the suspect.  The suspect was taken to the gas station on Silver Drive and medics flushed the mace off his face using a hose.  He was then taken to the hospital for evaluation.