Come to a Hospice Tree of Lights ceremony and celebrate the life of someone you love. For each $10 donation, Hospice will place a light on the Tree and list the name of the person you wish to remember on a Memorial Board at the site. The Tree of Lights Ceremony will be Sunday, December 2, 5:00 pm at the Hospice Thrift Store in Jackson. For more information, call 223-5500 or go online at www.hospiceofamador.org.

Amador County has beefed up its challenge to the casino development proposed by the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians. The county has submitted new information to its case pending before a US District Court Judge – the results of a study commissioned by the county and conducted by Stephan Beckham, an American Indian scholar and history professor at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. The county claims that there is no evidence that the Pope-Oliver family claiming tribal connections to the Buena Vista land ever operated as a tribe.

California Highway Patrol officers were kept busy with DUI related accidents on local highways over the holiday weekend. On Thanksgiving Day, Jeremy Stahnke, 26, of Sun City, sustained major injuries when he allowed his vehicle to run over a steep embankment on Hwy 88 east of Tabeaud Rd. He was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital for treatment of his injuries, and was arrested for DUI. Thomas Jauch , 49, of Ione was arrested for DUI on Sunday night when he drove his 2006 Nissan off the roadway at a high rate of speed, and into a barbed wire fence on Camanche Rd. Also on Sunday, Bryon Van Ness, 37, of Ione as pulling a trailer on Buena Vista Rd east of Stoney Creek at about 50 mph. According to the CHP report, Van Ness made an unsafe turning movement and lost control of his truck, running off the road and taking down about 60 feet of barbed wire fencing, and ultimately rolling the truck. Van Ness was not injured but he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Also on Sunday, a 20-year old man was arrested for hit and run after an accident at the intersection of Hwy 16 and Hwy 49. According to the CHP, a 60-year old Placerville man was eastbound on Hwy 16 at a stated speed of 50 miles per hour when Gerardo Chavarin of Placerville turned left onto Hwy 49, directly in the path of the oncoming car. The Sacramento man swerved to avoid a collision but was unsuccessful -- he was ejected from his car and fortunately received only minor injuries. Chavarin fled the scene but was followed by a witness who flagged down CHP Officer Merrill, who stopped and arrested Chavarin.

The holiday season is always a special time of year. It is also a time when thieves and con artist prey upon innocent victims caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. Here are some tips from local law enforcement to help you have a safe and happy holiday season.  Around the house: Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows when you leave the house, even for a few minutes or just going down the block. We all want our homes to reflect the joy of the season, but avoid displaying gifts where they can be seen from a window or doorway. Inside and outside, decorations should not impede a clear vision of your property. 

The last 2 Senior Flu Shot Clinics held by Amador County Public Health Dept are scheduled for today and tomorrow. Today, flu shots are available between 2 – 3:30 pm and there’s an Early Bird Clinic on Thursday from 6:45 – 7:30 am. Both clinics will be held at Amador County Public Health office, 1003 Broadway, Suite 203 in Jackson. These clinics are targeted for high-risk individuals including those 60 and over or those with chronic medical conditions or children 6 months to 5 years. The cost is $20 for high-risk individuals and the Health Department will bill Medicare for those who are eligible. To find flu shots at other locations, go to the following websites: www.findaflushot.com www.raleys.com www.flumist.com

The final Amador Government 101 workshop topic will be held this Wednesday at the County Administration Center in Jackson. The focus of the workshop will be on related county agencies including water, recreation and transportation agencies, the school district, the air quality district and Amador Community Foundation. Speakers will include Superintendent Mike Carey for the Amador County Unified School District, Tracey Towner-Yep with the Amador County Recreation Agency, Charles Field with the Amador County Transportation Commission and Roseanne Chamberlain with Amador LAFCO. The speakers will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30. An open public question and answer period will be held from 8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The public is welcome to attend for absolutely FREE. Free childcare is also provided so that parents with young children can attend. TSPN is taping all of the workshops for broadcast at a future date. For more information, call Debbie Dunn at 296-5435.

 

Thanks to efforts from snowmaking crews and help from Mother Nature, Kirkwood Mountain Resort officially began lift operations for the 2007-08 winter season on Sunday.  Kirkwood opened Chair 5 with access to intermediate and advance terrain on its Race Course run. Resort officials continue to assess operations in regards to opening additional terrain and lifts. Kirkwood’s General Manager Chip Seamans says that recent cold temperatures have enabled the resort to run snowmaking full-time and operators are keeping their fingers crossed for a little help from Mother Nature. With limited operations, lift ticket prices are also reduced with Adult tickets at $29, Juniors at $24, Seniors at $16, Child/Senior plus at $6 and Under 5 at $3. Visit Kirkwood’s web site at kirkwood.com or call the Snowphone at 877-KIRKWOOD for daily updates on resort operations.

Sutter Creek resident Mike Sweeney just released his first book - Your Book of Poems.  Many of the poems in the book were written during Sweeney’s 20-year hike of the 2,650-mile Mexico to Canada, Pacific Crest Trail that he completed in August of this year.  At first, Sweeney says he just wanted to write a book of poetry on his hikes.  Eventually, however, he realized that he was writing a guide to overcoming writer’s block -- by setting goals to help inspire his fellow baby boomers get back to doing things rather than just being spectators. Your Book of Poems is a guide to using goals, action plans, and imagination to create a book in one year or less.  It contains everything needed (including templates) to not only write a book, but to use this experience as a bridge to accomplishing additional goals in music, art, sports, or whatever a person aspires to accomplish. Your Book of Poems is published by Infinity Publishing under Sweeney’s pen name: Sweonardo da Vinci.  He’ll be signing books is at Hein and Company on Saturday, December 8th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.   It can be purchased locally at The Bubble Gum and On Purpose bookstores in Sutter Creek and at Hein and Company in Jackson.