Stockton, Calif. topped the nation in mortgage foreclosures for the third quarter of this year. Stockton recorded one foreclosure filing for every 31 households during the quarter, the highest foreclosure rate among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas. According to a study compiled by RealtyTrac, a total of 7,116 foreclosure filings on 4,409 properties were reported in the Stockton metro area during the quarter, up more than 30 percent from the previous quarter. Sacramento and Oakland also showed up in the nation’s top 10 metro foreclosure rates. California cities accounted for seven of the top 25 metro foreclosure rates, while Florida and Ohio each accounted for five of the top 25 spots. "Increasing foreclosure activity was not limited to just a few hot spots," said James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. "In fact, 77 out of the top 100 metro areas reported more foreclosure filings in the third quarter than they had in the previous quarter."

Representatives from the Gold Country Chapter of the American Sewing Guild have presented Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan with 24 handmade cuddle quilts to be given out by deputies to children who have experienced a traumatic event. The Amador County Gold Country Community Service Co-Chairs, Jan Hopkins and Peggy Breyer, along with Roseanne Lauters said of the quilts, "Please use them knowing they were made with love and care by American Sewing Guild members. Guild members, as well as generous members of the community donated the fabric." Sheriff Ryan thanked the members of the guild saying, "This is a great example of the best of Amador County -- the community partnering with law enforcement to help those in need." The cuddle quilts will be placed in each deputy’s car where they can be immediately given out as the need arises.

manner on Hwy 88, leaving cars and trucks scattered along both sides of the highway. The accident occurred at about 6:30 pm on Monday evening near Sunnybrook on Hwy 88. Michael Storey, 45, of Ione, pulled into the lane of oncoming traffic and struck the side of a pickup driven by a 17-year old Ione boy, who was forced into the embankment on his side of the highway. Storey then steered back into his lane, running into a second car driven by a Stockton man, who then ran off the road and down an embankment.Amador County Sheriff Sergeant Middleton flushed the hit and run driver out of his hiding place about 25 minutes later. Five people were injured in this accident -- four were taken to SutterAmador Hospital by ambulance. The truck driven by the young Ione driver, who lives less than a mile from the scene, was severely damaged but the young man escaped with only scratches to his hands and face. According to the CHP, Storey was arrested for driving under the influence, and hit and run, both resulting in bodily injury. A Bill Lavallie story Storey fled the scene and hid in a cluster of bushes nearby.

Weather was a likely contributor to an accident on Emerson Way and Bingo Drive early Sunday morning. According to the California Highway Patrol, a Stockton man was stopped at the stop sign at Bingo Way when a Nevada woman approached the stop sign, braked but slid on the wet roadway and rear-ended the Stockton man. Neither driver complained of injuries, but this is a reminder that, early in the rainy season, road oils built up over the summer and rain mix to make roads very slick.

Tonight’s session of Amador Government 101 will focus on city government. Amador Government 101 is the ongoing workshop series offered by decision and policy makers to help the general public better understand Amador County Government. Tonight’s workshop will start at 6:30 with an overview of city incorporation and presentations by representatives from Amador City and Plymouth. City managers from Ione, Jackson and Sutter Creek will address the workshop from 7:30 to 8:30. An open public question and answer period will be held from 8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Workshops are held at the County Government Center on Court Street in Jackson -- the public is welcome to attend any of the workshops for absolutely FREE. Free childcare is also provided so that parents with young children can attend. After Wednesday night, there is one more workshop left in the series, on November 28th. TSPN is taping all of the workshops for broadcast at a future date.

Thursday is the annual Great American Smokeout. Smoking cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of premature disease and death in the United States, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Cancer Society challenges all people who smoke to give up tobacco for 24 hours on Thursday, November 15 in hopes that they will stop smoking forever. According to the American Cancer Society, a smoker who quits reduces his or her risk of developing smoking-related heart disease, stroke, many cancers and emphysema. An estimated 15% of Californians are current smokers -- most smokers have thought about quitting at some point in their lives.

The California Department of Forestry and Cal Fire have lifted the suspension of burning on private lands within the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, including Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. Burning will be allowed, with a valid permit, with open hours on permissive burn days/nights, as established by the Air Pollution Control District in each county. Before doing any burning, you must obtain a valid permit from the fire protection agency having jurisdiction over your area, and check the current burn status by calling your county’s Air Pollution Control District.

As we enter another winter season, natural gas bills for PG&E's residential customers are forecast to be 13% higher this November, compared to November 2006, with total average gas bills expected to be $50.50 for the month. This increase is driven in part by higher expected usage, this year, and in part by a 7 percent higher cost of gas. The Western US is entering the winter with very full storage fields and without physical damage from hurricanes to the supply system, which boosted gas prices in past winters.

More than half of California school districts charge fees for riding the school bus, ranging from one dollar to almost 5 dollars per day, according to a press release from the Amador County Unified School District. Transportation represents a major cost to school districts and rising fuel costs are increasing that impact on school budgets. Funds that could be spent on education in the classroom are being tapped just to get kids to the school.