The Amador Branch of the American Association of University Women is inviting citizens to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a mother we all can love – Mother Earth. The “Have A Heart” Program, hosted by three local women, is designed to inform citizens on everyday actions that can make our collective footprint on the planet a bit smaller. Michelle Grondin, Manager of the Amador Farmers Market, will discuss how buying local products effects personal, community and global health. Anne Short, a Solid Waste Program Specialist, will give an overview of our county’s solid waste management. Gwen Starrett, Educator with the Amador County Unified School District, will address water issues including landscapes, and what we can do in our backyards, communities and county. The program takes place Thursday, February 14 at the Sutter Creek Community Theatre between 3 and 5pm. The “Have A Heart” program is free and open to the public.

Also at Monday night’s meeting, the Jackson City Council ruled to allocate zero Housing Equivalent Units - or HEUs - for this year. In other words, no new housing allocations for subdivision applicants in 2008. There were a number of factors considered in this decision, resulting in public debate that questioned whether or not all the proper steps had been taken to make an accurate decision. City Planner Susan Peters, speaking on behalf of the Planning Commission, recommended not allocating any more HEUs, based on the desire to see the impacts of already-approved projects, since none have been built and occupied to date.

TSPN received a report from a local man regarding a scam that cost his daughter $3,300. His daughter advertised a car for sale and a man responded to the ad, asking if he could make a $3,500 deposit on the car while he got financing and had the car smog-checked. After the woman deposited the check, the man came back and said he couldn’t get financing and wanted his deposit back. He offered to pay $100 for the smog check and another $100 for the seller’s time and trouble. The woman wrote him a check for $3,300, which he immediately cashed – in the meantime, the seller’s bank called her to report that his deposit check bounced. The seller is now out her cash and police investigators are looking for the buyer, who used a fictitious name and ID for the transactions. It’s definitely a case of “seller beware” – sellers should insist on cash, money order or certified bank checks when selling vehicles to people who are strangers to you – even if they seem especially nice and trustworthy.

The Amador Creek Bridge on Hwy 49 will be named after Pfc. JayD Ornsby-Adkins, a 21-year old Ione native who was killed in Iraq resolution to name the new Hwy 49 Bypass Bridge over Sutter Creek in honor of Ornsby-Adkins. The Allen family owns the ranch property on both sides of the By-pass bridge requested that the proposed renaming of the bridge should honor all fallen veterans. An Allen family member who was killed in World War II is buried near the By-pass Bridge, according to Supervisor Rich Forster, in discussion at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Forster, who sponsored the original resolution, said at the meeting that Private Ornsby-Adkins mother would have no objection to the change. An inquiry with CalTrans revealed that the Amador Creek bridge was named the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in 1997 but no sign was placed on the bridge at the time. The supervisors voted unanimously Monday to rescind their earlier resolution and to name the Amador Creek Bridge after Jaydee Ornsby-Adkins. The resolution will be sent to Senator Cox’s office to make the request to the state. last year. At the end of last year, supervisors passed a

“Smiles for Kids,” a free program for children who would not otherwise receive dental treatment, will be held on Saturday, February 2.  Last year Smiles for Kids sponsor Jackson Creek Dental Group treated 53 children, at no cost, who “fell between the cracks” in dental healthcare. The doctors and their staff have provided this service to the community on a volunteer basis for the past 23 years.  Patients who meet the criteria will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. To qualify for treatment, children must be 2-18 years of age, qualify for free or reduced fee school lunches, WIC or CHDP, live in Amador or Calaveras County, and they must not be covered by private dental insurance.

The Amador County Transportation Commission will hold a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to consider how the county should use future state Transportation Improvement Program funds. Discussions or decisions made at this meeting could guide the use of Amador County’s primary source of state highway funding for the 5 to 20 years. Options to be discussed include the Pine Grove Highway 88 corridor, using the state money to address 5 additional highway corridors in Ione, Jackson, Martell, Pioneer and Plymouth, and the use of these funds for local road and street improvements. All interested citizens are invited to attend and participate in this important meeting. The ACTC special meeting will be held in the Board of Supervisors chambers at the County Administration Center at 2 pm on Tuesday November 27.

Sutter Creek City Council put its stamp of approval on Sutter Creek’s First Annual Holiday Electric Light Parade. The parade on Main Street will be held at 5:30 on the evening of December 15th, and the only requirement is that parade entries must be lit with Christmas lights. “The more lights, the better,” says parade organizer and community member Toni Linde. There’s no fee to enter the parade and for more information, contact the City of Sutter Creek at 267-5647.

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.

A new general practitioner, Shane M. Patterson, M.D. has joined the medical staff of Sutter Amador Hospital. Dr. Patterson is now accepting new patients at Sutter Amador Hospital’s Jackson Family Practice office. Dr. Patterson completed his residency in general surgery at San Joaquin General Hospital. He received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed his Internship at the Kern Medical Center. Dr. Patterson, along with his wife Heather and daughter Kelsey, currently reside in Stockton but plan to eventually relocate to an area closer to Jackson. Dr. Patterson and his wife were drawn to the rural environment of Amador County and all that this area has to offer. Dr. Patterson’s wife, Heather, is a veterinary in Stockton and is expecting their second child.

A pine needle collection project is being conducted by the Amador Air District to help reduce the volume of smoke generated by smoldering burn piles. Smoke from such fires is harmful to public health and creates a nuisance for residents trying to enjoy the outdoors or let fresh air into their homes. Instead of burning pine needles, pine cones, grass clippings, weeds and leaves, area residents may bring these materials to a central collection point and place them into a dumpster, starting today through Sunday, December 2nd, from dawn until dusk daily, or until the dumpster is full.

Collection locations are the parking lots of Pine Acres Community Services Building at 12990 Tabeaud Road, Pine Grove; Pioneer Park at 25100 Buckhorn Ridge Road, Pioneer; and Mace Meadow Golf Course, 26570 Fairway Drive, Pioneer. There is no charge for this service. Again, only pine needles, pinecones, grass clippings, weeds and leaves will be accepted. For more information, call the Air District at 257-0112.