ACES Waste Service wants to raise trash collection rates in the City of Jackson by 3.3%, effective January 1st. The rate request reflects a 3.3 % increase in the Consumer Price Index – allowed under the terms of ACES’ franchise agreement with the city. ACES letter to the city of Jackson notes that a small additional increase may be necessary early next year due to an expected increase in fees charged by the Buena Vista landfill where ACES takes trash collected in Jackson. If the Jackson City Council approves the rate hike when they consider the request at tonight’s council meeting, the rate for a 96-gallon trash cart would increase about 45 cents per month. Also at  tonight’s City Council meeting, Bob Devlin will present his “Concepts for Alternative Transit in Amador County” and ask for a resolution of support for Devlin’s Amador Transit Project. Devlin has worked the past two years to research and promote the use of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles on special Alternative Transit Lanes in Amador County in order to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. Devlin’s project received a unanimous vote in favor of his project’s goals last week from the Sutter Creek City Council. And Bob Devlin will be joining us here at TSPN studios at noon to talk about the little electric cars he hopes will change the way we think about driving.

 

The Amador Learning Center has announced its spring schedule of Cosumnes River College classes in Amador County. The Amador Learning Center, which holds classes at Independence High School at Sutter Hill, will be offering Business English, Beginning Word Processing, Introduction to Electronic Spreadsheets, Basic Emergency Medical Technician, and Plant Propagation. Classes begin in January. For more information on the Amador Learning Center or to register for classes, call 916-691-7411 or go online to www.losrios.edu/class-schedules.html.

Last week’s winter storm brought almost 2 feet of snow to Kirkwood Resort and almost 3 feet to some Lake Tahoe ski resorts. Kirkwood Resort has opened up a few more chair lifts and is open 7 days a week. And if you’re thinking of taking advantage of the new snow, remember that Amador Regional Transit System offers Saturday bus service to Kirkwood. The ride costs only $10 and reservations must be made before noon on the previous Friday. If there are at least 12 riders reserved, the ARTS bus will leave the Arts Terminal on American Legion Drive Saturday morning at 6:30 am and return at 4 pm. If the minimum number of passengers is not met, all passengers’ money will be refunded. For more information, call ARTS at 223-2877.

Governor Schwarzenegger is trying again to change the way the state draws its congressional and legislative districts. Redistricting is an issue the governor says he’s championed since he was elected, and he plans to chair a new campaign to put an initiative in front of voters in November. The measure the Governor supports calls for a 14-member citizens’ commission to draw the district lines for state legislative races and the board of equalization.  Right now lawmakers draw them.  But legislators would continue to draw the congressional districts under the proposal. 

Ione City Council met Tuesday evening to discuss multiple issues regarding City finances. Opening the discussion was the presentation of the City’s Quarterly Financial Report, with the next report coming in January of 2008. This is the first time quarterly reports have been presented at city council meetings and Ione City manager Kim Kerr said she plans to make it a regular practice.

 

Next on the agenda was the appointment of 2 council members, Andrea Bonham and Lee Ard, to help the City Council meet its financial reporting oversight responsibilities. Further training for the project is required and both appointees will attend a League of California Cities training in Sacramento in January. The City also applied for the California Integrated Waste Management Board Tire-Derived Products Grant, requesting a $100,000 grant to replace the bark that currently is used on the play structures in city parks, for a recycled tire product. The rubber chips have several advantages: it is actually easier to clean and the rubber is much heavier than bark chips and won’t fly away during wind storms.

It’s once again fog and rain season, and with that comes the need to drive cautiously, says the CHP. Two local motorists would probably agree. According to a CHP report, a Citrus Heights man collided with a wire fence post on Latrobe Road this past Tuesday after losing control due to a wet road conditions. And a Pioneer man rear-ended the truck of an Elk Grove driver on Ridge Road at the Old Ridge Road intersection when thick fog didn’t allow visibility of the stopped vehicle. Be careful with the change in weather and don’t become an accident statistic.

On the subject of driving -- the California Department of Motor Vehicles is making videos for YouTube – and the infamous bureaucracy also has a MySpace page. DMV is the nation's only state motor vehicle agency reaching out to younger drivers via YouTube. 55 educational videos on a variety of topics, include Top 10 Reasons for Failing the Driving Test, Maintaining Control of Your Car if You Get a Flat Tire, and – not to be missed --  How Not to Get Hit by a Light-rail Train. Beginning drivers can prep for their behind-the-wheel driving test, right there on the popular Internet video website. DMV officials say they hope to reduce the state's 50 percent failure rate for first-time test takers. The state is experiencing a historic teen population boom, peaking this year at more than 600,000 16-year-olds, the riskiest drivers. To check it out, or send your teenage driver to the YouTube classroom -- the site is www.youtube.com/californiadmv.. Contribution from Sacramento Bee

A Lincoln man won over 1 million-three-hundred-thousand dollars playing a Star Wars penny slot machine at Jackson Rancheria Casino on November 26. “I never thought Star Wars would pay me more than $1 million!” said the 36-year old winner, who asked to remain anonymous. This is the largest single jackpot in Jackson Rancheria Casino’s history – the winner hit the MegaJackpot on the game machine. Jackson Rancheria Casino has had over 40 of the progressive MegaJackpot winners, more than any other casino in Northern California. “We have now awarded six jackpots over a million dollars and paid out over $19 million through these popular machines,” said Mike Pistoia, Director of Marketing and Player Development at the casino. Jackson Rancheria Casino features over 1,500 slot machines, and is the largest employer in Amador County, with more than 2,000 employees.

We’ve all been raking a lot of leaves the past few weeks – and burning has traditionally been a popular leaf-disposal method. Burning, however, requires a permit, can be restricted on certain days -- and it’s polluting. But there are options for disposing of the bounty of leaves -- Instead of burning pine needles, pine cones, and leaves, area residents may bring them to dumpsters provided by the Amador Air District. This weekend is your last chance to take advantage of this free program --On Dec. 8, 9, 10 – That’s Saturday through Monday, you can take pine needles and leaves to a dumpster at Amador Pines Unit 2, at the park and pond corp yard at 27039 Inspiration Dr.  Just needles, pine cones, and leaves, please, no branches or wood.

Licensed day care workers are required to complete a California Child Care Preventive Health and Safety Class – if you need this class for your license, the American Red Cross is offering two sessions over the next month – on Saturday, December 15 and one on Saturday, January 5. Both classes will be held from 9 am – 5 pm at the Red Cross office in Sonora. To register for these classes, or for a full list of the other CPR and First Aid classes offered by our local Red Cross office, call 533-1513.