On the same day that county supervisors finalized a reduction of  the speed limit at Ridge Rd and New York Ranch Rd to 45 mph with the hope of reducing traffic accidents on that stretch of road – there were 2 more accidents at that intersection. The California Highway Patrol reported that a Lodi man turned off of New York Ranch Rd onto Ridge Road, but failed to see a Pine Grove man traveling east on Ridge Road at about 50 mph. The resulting collision caused property damage to both vehicles. An hour later, a West Point woman was westbound on Ridge Road Tuesday morning when she turned left onto New York Ranch Road directly into the path of a car driven by a 16-year old Sutter Creek girl. The 2 cars collided, causing moderate injuries to the West Point woman who was transported to Sutter Amador Hospital for treatment.

A telephone scam has hit Amador County. District Attorney Todd Riebe said that an Amador County senior citizen had received a call notifying him that he had won the Canadian lottery and that he was due a check for $410,000 – but the check could not be delivered without a 1% processing fee. The senior’s suspicions were aroused and he told the caller that he didn’t have $4,100. The caller then asked how much money the man had! The man replied, “About $80,” at which point the caller said, “You’re useless!” and hung up. “Fortunately, this is a story with a happy ending because the man didn’t fall for the scam,” said DA Reibe. “Unfortunately, too many seniors in our community fall prey to these scam artists.” Reibe says a rule of thumb in these kinds of situations is that, if it seems too good to be true – it is. Don’t give strangers who contact you your financial or personal information over the phone, by e-mail, or any other means. If you suspect someone has tried to commit fraud, call local law enforcement.

Westover Field got the go-ahead to lease vacant county-owned airplane hangars, even though they do not meet current building and fire codes. One of the hangars, built in the late 1960s, can house 6 airplanes, and the other, built in 1986, can accommodate 12 airplanes. New leases have been held up in the two community hangars, because of possible liability claims resulting from the code violations. Over the years, tenants have made modifications to the individual hangars, which the Building Dept. says do not meet current codes. Fire resistant partition walls, paved floors, and adequate electrical systems are the main items lacking in the large metal hangars.

The County’s General Services Administration will be reorganized to cut costs and rebalance the staff-to-management ratio. County Administrative Officer Terri Daly said that, over the years, various functions and departments have been moved in and out of the GSA, and that the GSA began restructuring in 2005. Now that the county has completed all planned major building projects, she said it was time to take another step of consolidation.

The GSA will merge the Support Services Dept and the Facilities Dept into one, called Government Support Services. This department will be responsible for construction projects, printing, the motor pool, mail service, maintenance of all facilities and parks and custodial services. A new mid-level director will be hired to head the new Government Support Services Dept, with a salary of $7000 per month. Daly said she was trying to find positions elsewhere in the county rather than laying-off the displaced directors of Support Services and Facilities. Daly stressed that no other layoffs were being considered. County government is currently operating under a hiring freeze and many departments are short staffed.

 

Home Depot Jackson has invited you for lunch on January 18. In an e-mail invitation sent to local residents, Home Depot has scheduled an event that the company describes as an “opportunity to meet with you to tell you more about the proposed Jackson store, where we are in the planning process, and answer any of your questions.” The Home Depot e-mail message says that community engagement remains a top priority for the company. The free lunch meeting will be held on Friday, January 18 at 12 noon in Jackson – information on the location will be sent to those who make a reservation to attend. RSVP by Monday, January 14 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians  opened two new amenities at the Jackson Rancheria Casino and the re-opened a third expanded activity at a special event Wednesday afternoon. Each grand opening celebration included a Native American blessing and a ribbon cutting. Wildflower at Jackson Rancheria is the newest addition – it’s an upscale, full-service salon offering haircuts, manicures, spa treatments, and massages. Wildflower offers services for men, women and children, and is set up to accommodate brides and wedding groups. The casino’s Minor’s Camp Arcade celebrated a re-opening of hotel and casino’s expanded family game arcade. The remodeled facility features a snack bar and many new electronic games. The final celebration of the afternoon was for the Miwuk Indian Taco restaurant in the casino’s Main Street Food Court. The new restaurant features traditional Indian flatbread tacos with a variety of toppings. Coming soon in 2008, the Jackson Rancheria Casino will open four more facilities with Grand Opening Celebrations in the works for the RV Park, Gas Station/General Store, new Public Safety Building, and Bronze Eagle Café.

Like other national forests, the Stanislaus National Forest is developing a plan to designate which of its more than 3,000 miles of roads and trails can continue to be used by motorized vehicles. The forest will hold a public meeting to discuss the proposals in West Point this Thursday night. The meeting will be held at the West Point Community Hall from 5 to 9 pm. The first hour, from 5 to 6, will be an opportunity to view large maps. The actual meeting begins at 6 pm. The comment period for this proposal ends on Jan. 18. Comments may be submitted to: Stanislaus National Forest, Sonora office. Maps and tables showing the proposed plan can be found at the web address on your screen

Last night, Jackson City Council heard presentations from 7 candidates for the city council seat left open when councilman Drew Stidger resigned. Eight citizens sent letters to the council expressing their interest in filling the remaining city council term – one applicant, Kathy DuBois, withdrew her name from the process before last night’s special meeting. The council allowed 7 minutes for each of the candidates to present their qualifications to the council members and audience. The council drew candidate’s names at random.

Ione’s new Police Chief Michael Johnson and his narcotics K-9, Hawke, were sworn in at Monday night’s Ione City Council meeting. Police Chief Johnson’s wife and son were present at the meeting, along with officers from Ione and officers from Eureka, where Johnson last served as police sergeant. Johnson spoke briefly, and touched on the goals and objectives he has for the Ione P.D., including instilling professionalism, and moving forward and putting past controversies behind them.

Amador County has a new Chief Probation Officer. Mark Bonini has been promoted to the top spot in the Probation Department following the retirement of Mark Giannini. Bonini started with the county probation department 12 years ago as a deputy probation officer shortly after graduating from Fresno State University, where he played college baseball. As the chief of the department, Bonini says the big jobs on his desk are budget tracking, relationships with other law enforcement agencies and keeping up with changing technology. Bonini is married with 2 young children, is a member of Jackson Lions and coaches his son’s soccer team. When asked about future plans, Bonini said he loves Amador County and plans to stay with the department as long as former boss Giannini, who also started and ended his 30-year career with Amador County Probation.