We all know that 9-1-1 is the universal emergency number.  Land line 9-1-1 calls always go directly to Amador Sheriff’s Office dispatcher, but did you know that cell phone 9-1-1 calls go to the San Joaquin office of CHP and can take some minutes to be directed to Amador County dispatchers?.  That’s the way the system was originally set up when cell phone calls were rare.  Now that cell phone 9-1-1 calls are frequent, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office has changed their system to allow all 9-1-1 calls to be directed to the local dispatcher – but the system isn’t working yet -- they are waiting for AT&T to install the necessary equipment to switch the system over.

And you can vote to put the Amador - Argonaut Big Game on KCRA Channel 3’s Game of the Week. Go to KCRA.com home page, scroll down to High School Playbook section and click on Web Poll Game of the Week for Nov. 9. You can vote an unlimited number of times – so vote early and vote often. Voting ends at 9 pm Thursday.

Biologists are searching for answers as an unprecedented number of bears and mountain lions have drowned in what is known as the Tiger Creek Canal. The flume in the North Fork of the Mokelumne River is owned by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company who has documented that from mid-September to mid-October, 15 bears and two mountain lions have drowned.  According to Paul Raquel, a senior biologist supervisor for the California Department of Fish and Game who was hired by PG&E to help investigate the deaths, "It is an unusually large number of animals that have been lost." He and other biologist are finding few clues for what could be the cause for the record numbers.

Main Street Ione recently underwent major improvements when Cal Trans completed a series of projects to make the segment of highway safer and the sidewalks ADA compliant. The City of Ione is undertaking their own projects to make some improvements to surrounding streets including East Main Street. According to City Manager Kim Kerr the projects consist of storm drain and street improvements for East Main Street, and asphalt concrete overlays for Pleasant Valley Road and Oak Ridge Circle.  The improvements were included into the City’s budget for Fiscal Year 2007-08. 

Information released last week reveals that the owners of a historic gold mine in the Sutter Creek are putting their company up for sale.  Sutter Gold Mining Inc., based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has hired the Toronto investment banking company IBK Capital Corp. to find a potential buyer, merger candidate or joint venture partner. The mining company (TSX Venture Exchange: SGM) hopes gold prices, which hit a 27-year high on Wednesday, will attract a suitor. Sutter Gold Mining chief executive officer Hal Herron told the Sacramento Business Journal that about 25 companies are interested. "Most likely it will be a stock-for-stock exchange so it will be tax-free for shareholders," he said.

The CHP report for the accident that occurred on last Thursday at Climax West has been released. According to the report Daniel Hockaday, 18 and of Pioneer was driving a 1998 Toyota Tacoma on Climax Road westbound at a stated speed of 45 mph. Lesley Scheller, of Jackson was driving a 2005 Toyota Matrix eastbound on Climax at a stated speed of 35 mph. Hockaday reported to Officer Merrill that his vehicle left the roadway to the north and that he attempted to re-enter the roadway, but due to his excessive speed he lost control of the Tacoma. The vehicle continued out of control westbound along Climax road where it sideswiped the left rear of Scheller’s vehicle. Officer Merrill states that after the collision the Tacoma continued in a southwest direction and off the roadway to the south and collided into a tree with the left rear end of the vehicle. The Tacoma continued head on into another tree where it finally came to rest. Thankfully no one was injured in the accident.

Last week the Assembly held a committee hearing to hear Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal on universal health care. Senator Dave Cox and other Senate Republican colleagues responded introducing the Senate Republican’s health care reform called the CalCare Plus- a package of 24 pieces of legislation that they say offers access, affordability and choice in healthcare without new taxes as well as reaches out to rural areas like Amador County.

Good news for recent graduates and undergraduate students of the University of California system was delivered last week when a state appeals court ruled that the University of California system overcharged 35,000 graduate and undergraduate students nearly $34 million in fees four years ago.

For the first time ever Thursday, Amador County Sheriff’s office promoted a female officer to the position of lieutenant, and another correctional officer to sergeant. Thursday’s Sheriff’s office promotions ceremony was held in the Board of Supervisors chambers and was attended by a number of county dignitaries, Sheriff department staff and friends and family. Sheriff Martin Ryan officiated at the swearing in ceremony, first promoting to sergeant Correctional Officer Adam Stone.