The Sheriff’s Office has released the press release regarding yesterday’s Officer involved shooting. Yesterday around 2:37pm pm the Amador County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call from a male suspect at 15732 Butte Mountain Road in Jackson. According to the press release the suspect stated he had a firearm and was going to kill his family. The caller refused to provide any other details and terminated the call.  The Sheriff’s Department responded to the address in force while a 911 Dispatcher attempted to re-contact the caller.

 

 

Local fallen soldier Private First Class Jay-D Ornsby Adkins will be returning home this Saturday afternoon. Ione Mayor Jerry Sherman and Police Chief Bob Olson will be accompanying the family of Ornsby-Adkins to Mather Air Force base in Sacramento where the family will bring Ornsby Adkins home for burial. Please join the community, family and friends of Private First Class Ornsby Adkins in honoring him with a procession down Main Street Ione at approximately 12:30 pm Saturday. Services for the soldier will be held at 10 am on Wednesday at the Church of the Nazarene on Ridge Rd in Sutter Creek. Because of the crowds expected to honor Ornby-Adkins, parking will also be offered at the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, also located on Ridge Rd. The Jackson Rancheria Casino will provide busing between the churches beginning at 9am. Burial will follow the service at the Garden of Valor at the Sunset Cemetery. A reception will then be held at the Evalyn Bishop Hall in Howard Park, Ione for a celebration of Ornsby-Adkins life.

Amador Fire Protection District’s activities continue to be on the rise. In March the AFPD responded to a total of 125 incidents while in April they responded to 145 incidents.  Medical aid calls soared from 68 last month to 91 in April. Also on the rise were vehicle accidents, up from 25 to 27 vehicle accidents in April. Both medical calls and vehicle accidents accounted for 81% of the total incidents.  5 of the incidents were fire related: with 2 structure fires, 1 cooking fire and 2 vehicle fires.  54% of the total calls occurred between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.(

Saturday the Great Sutter Duck Race was also the scene of a simple procedure that may help people in need of a bone marrow transplant. Jim Archer of Inventex, sponsor of the event, states that over 130 people received the simple swab procedure. According to BloodSource who administered and will be handling the swabs, the samples will now be tested and the results are put on a registry that is has become international. A BloodSource Marrow Specialist, Liz Ustick who was present on Saturday says, “Doctors who have patients with leukemia (and other cancers) will look at the registry to see if they (the samples) match their patients. If they are a match there is further testing that is done on the (donors) blood. If they are the perfect match they will go on and donate the marrow.”

Its almost summertime and that means its almost time to dive right in and join the fun at the Jackson Pool at Detert Park. Certified Red Cross swim instructors and lifeguards provide up-to the-minute swim lessons, techniques and safe recreational swimming. Lap swim is also provided for the enjoyment and fitness of swimmers. This year the City is offering several types of activities including : MINI SESSIONS ~ one week crash course of introduction to water adjustment, floating, kicks, arm strokes and stroke refinement for the older swimmers. The classes range all the way from beginner to advanced swimmers. The pool opens June 9th and lessens begin on the 11th. Recreational swimmers can purchase daily, monthly or seasonal passes for swimming enjoyment. Sign ups are being handled by mail and forms can be obtained at the City Offices at 33 Broadway in Jackson or at the City’s website  http://ci.jackson.ca.us/. Deadline for class sign ups is June 1st. Call 223-1646 for further information.(

The Pine Grove Bluffs was the subject of a public hearing this week in front of the Board of Supervisors.The subdivision was originally proposed as 28 residential units on 32 acres at the corner of Ridge Rd and Hwy 88. The developer Del Rapini had approached the county about changing conditions regarding traffic impacts to the intersection of Ridge Rd and Hwy 88. The Rapini’s also own a commercial piece on the corner adjacent to the proposed housing tract proposed to be the Pine Grove Shopping Center under a subdivision map approved back in 1984. When the residential subdivision was originally approved in 2005 the traffic conditions required that the developer create a turn lane on Ridge Rd from Mineral Lane to Hwy 88

Amador County had two accidents on Tuesday that sent 4 to the hospital.  The first accident occurred on Hwy. 49 at Sutter Ione Road. According to Officer Cheryl Wilburn the accident occurred at approximately 6:25pm when Molly Colby, 26 and of Sutter Creek was eastbound on Ione Road and stopped at the stop sign on Hwy. 49 and then proceeded to continue straight across the Highway directly into the path of 69 year old Barbara Garden of Carmichael who was north bound on Hwy. 49 approaching Sutter Ione Road. Garden applied her brakes but was unable to stop and struck the right side of Colby’s vehicle. Colby and her one year old passenger were uninjured in the accident but Garden and her passenger were both transported to SAH for treatment of minor injuries

With record low rainfall increasing the risk of wildfires statewide, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared May 6-12 Wildfire Awareness Week. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will host public events throughout the state to educate Californians about wildfire safety and preparedness. The single most effective measure foothill and mountain property owners can take to protect their property from a wildfire is to clear a “Defensible Space” free of dry grass, brush, and all flammable vegetation for a distance of 100 feet around their home and other buildings.  Defensible Space not only helps to protect your property from a wildfire, but also provides a safe area for firefighters to do their job.   Wildfire Awareness Week is designed to remind all Californians that we each have the ability and responsibility to make our homes “Fire Safe”. 

In other Cal Fire news the Amador-El Dorado Unit of Cal Fire will conduct Hand Crew Exercises in the area of Marble Valley (the Parker Development) for three days. The exercises began May 1st and include conservation crews from Pine Grove, Growlersburg, and Washington Ridge. The Conservation Camps will conduct a four-mile hike, construct hand cut fire lines and chain saw training. Interested persons such as reporters and photographers are invited to attend media day on May 3 at 7:30 a.m. and to view the exercises, which prepare hand crews for the upcoming fire season. Cal Fire is currently authorized to operate 39 Conservation Camps statewide that house nearly 4,000 inmates and wards. These camps are operated in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Through these cooperative efforts Cal Fire is authorized to operate 196 fire crews year-round. These crews are available to respond to all types of emergencies including wildfires, floods, search and rescue, and earthquakes. When not responding to emergencies, the crews are busy with conservation and community service work projects for state, federal, and local government agencies. Fire crews perform several million hours of work statewide each year.

Jackson’s Fire Chief Mark Morton announced this week that with great cooperation with the Police Department an arsonist has been moved out of town. According to Morton a couple weeks ago crews responded to a fire at 300 New York Ranch Rd.  The fire only grew to a 50 by 20 foot area thanks to the fast response by local fire volunteers. After extinguishing the blaze local authorities began investigating how it may have begun. Discussions with local witnesses revealed that a male juvenile was present when the fire began and may have further information.