A Review Request for a Use Permit and Reclamation Plan by George Reed Inc. to expand the Jackson Valley Quarry was accepted recently by the Technical Advisory Committee. The Jackson Valley Quarry currently consists of a 74 acre parcel containing a quarry, processing plant, scale house, storm water ponds, parking and loading areas as well as stockpiles.

During the annual Sutter Amador Hospital Auxiliary installation ceremony held on Monday, September 18th, outgoing president Kathy Glunt presented a check for $20,000 to Anne Platt, CEO. The check represents the final installment of a $100,000 pledge the Auxiliary made in support of the hospital’s Outpatient Services Center.

In a bold new effort designed to eradicate one of the nation’s deadliest crimes, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Monday launched its national Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which aims to literally wipe out drunk driving in the United States.

FBI agents conducted a search in Oakdale last week, looking for any evidence linking Joe Luis Resendez Jr., 38, to six bank robberies over the last year, including three in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. Resendez was arrested Sept. 28 after Calaveras County Sheriff's deputies chased him into the Jackson area following a robbery at the Umpqua Bank in Valley Springs. According to the Union Democrat FBI spokeswoman Karen Ernst would not say what agents were looking for or whether any new evidence was found when Resendez's house was searched Wednesday.

The City of Ione is on a tight, but doable, timeframe for the resolution of the violations of state water rules last winter and spring. In a recent meeting of the Ione City Council City Manager George Lambert states that the State Regional Water Quality Control Board is requiring, as part of the City’s mitigation plan, that the city fix pond number 7 completely by October 20th. According to Lambert the pond project is “essentially complete.” By December 15th the City must have their sanitary sewers operation maintenance plan submitted to the state for approval.

The Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council is trying to beat statistics by educating the community on domestic violence and how it affects everyone involved. Safe From the Start is a free two-hour workshop that will include information on reducing children’s exposure to violence. According to information from the Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council an estimated one out of every four children in California is directly exposed to violence as a victim or a witness.

The Amador County Business Schools-Alliance will hold a breakfast meeting at the Jackson Rancheria Hotel to discuss the focus of the upcoming year.

The three car accident that occurred yesterday morning On Hwy 16 near Rancho Murrieta appears to have been caused by an alleged drunk driver. A Jeep Cherokee, A small school bus and big rig were involved in the wreck, which was reported at about 6:30 a.m. on the Jackson Highway near Murieta Drive in eastern Sacramento County. The road remained closed as of noon Monday as CHP officials conducted their investigation. Wreckage was littered along about 300 yards of the road.

The governor has issued an emergency proclamation to move forward with housing some California inmates in other states as a result of prison overcrowding. The order will allow the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to immediately contract with out-of-state incarceration facilities to temporarily house prisoners. Corrections officials estimate the state will run out of beds in the state's 33 prisons as soon as January 2007.

Next week is CDF’s annual Fire Prevention Week and CDF is reminding all residents of some fire dangers that , well, are part of every day life. As part of Fire Prevention Week the State Fire Marshal is emphasizing everyday situations that can lead to injury and one of those is something as simple as cooking, According to state statistics 290 people die and 4,380 are injured each year nationwide in house fires associated with cooking equipment.