In statewide news, the attorneys general of 10 states are urging the California Supreme Court to delay finalizing its ruling to legalize same-sex marriage. The states involved are Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah. The attorneys general say they have an interest in the case because they would have to determine if their states would recognize the marriage of gay residents who wed in California. They want the court to stay its ruling until after the November election, when voters likely will decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage. California Attorney General Jerry Brown, whose office originally argued to uphold the state's one man-one woman marriage laws, is urging the Supreme Court not to grant the stay.

A melted garage and one wall is all that is left standing after a fire destroyed John and Cindy Borgerding’s home on Carbondale Road early Wednesday morning.  “I yelled at all the kids to get out, get out!” says Cindy.  Once they realized a fire had started, husband John “grabbed a hose and ran back inside, but it was too late. It was just too hot.”  The fire, which was started by a reading lamp igniting bedding, engulfed the house before firefighters arrived. Although the house is a total loss, the Borgerdings were able to escape unharmed with their four children, ages 9 to 16, and even rescue their dogs, cats, and hamster. “It just burned so fast,” says Cindy, who is thankful that her family is safe.  The Borgerdings say they were awakened by smoke and says that their one smoke alarm did not go off.  “We were so worried about clearing brush around our house, we didn’t even think about the inside,” says John.

  Local fire personnel recommend replacing your smoke detector batteries twice per year and keeping fire extinguishers current, which you can do by simply checking the needle on the gauge.  Green is good; otherwise, take it to a certified fire extinguisher servicing company. The family is amazed at the immediate outpouring of support they have received.  Sharon Watson, a local real estate agent, heard of the tragedy and launched into action, collecting clothes and other items.  Donations in the form of clothing and K-Mart or Wal-Mart gift cards can be dropped off at Prudential California Realty in Jackson, across from Perko’s.  The sizes needed are girls 10-12, boys size large or men’s small, women’s pant size 10-11 and medium shirts, men’s size 36-38 Wranglers, and men’s XL shirts.  Shoes are needed in men’s sizes 8 and 11 wide, and women’s sizes 5, 7 and 9. Additionally, Ione Elementary will be setting up an account at Bank of Amador in Ione to accept monetary donations.  For now, the Red Cross has placed the family in a local hotel and they are researching where they will go from there, a task that may prove difficult, as the family owns 10 horses and several dogs and cats.

What is thought of as a common staple in American households is now being regarded as a menace to California’s water supply and agriculture.  Ordinary salt, an abundant and naturally occurring substance worldwide, has long been a problem in California.  As early as 1978, the state has recognized the over saturation of salt in our water supply, which mainly comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and also from surface runoff.  According to the California Department of Water Resources, or DWR, about 2.8 million tons of salt enter the San Joaquin Valley’s rich agricultural fields each year, enough “to fill 8 football fields – each 100 feet high.”  And, only 350,000 tons leave the valley, leaving over 2.4 million tons of salt in the soil. Too high of a salinity level can inhibit and impede crop production. The issue facing California is how to maintain a salt balance, a task that has proved extremely difficult. The DWR reports that, “11 semitrailers, each loaded with 25 tons of salt, would have to depart each hour, every day throughout the year, to strike this balance.”

During this decade, growers, in conjunction with the state, have made efforts to reduce water usage by conducting effective irrigation, comprehensive groundwater management, development of sequential drainage reuse systems and filtration drainage treatment systems, and the development of evaporation ponds.  But, with the state’s population increasing by about 600,000 people per year, the problem is worsening exponentially.  Some experts have estimated that the salt problem will cost California 1 billion dollars in lost farm food commodities and 30,000 lost jobs by the year 2030. In response to this dilemma, the Central Valley Water Board formed the Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability, or CV-SALTS in 2006. The mission of CV-SALTS “is to maintain a healthy environment and a good quality of life for all Californians by protecting our most essential and vulnerable resource: WATER.”  For more information on this effort, you can visit their website at www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley.

Finally, the Jackson City Council recently made the announcement that the terms of two Planning Commissioners, Letitia Sexton and Terri Works, and three Cemetery Committee members, Warren Carleton, Jean Campbell-Mueller and Walt Hoeser, are expiring June 30. The city is currently accepting applications for these seats until June 18. The Council will make their appointments for these seats at their regularly scheduled meeting June 23rd. 

 

A massive rebuilding of about a mile of busy Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento begins this Friday, May 30th. Detours and delays are expected to cause consternation for the estimated 200,000 motorists who use that section of the freeway daily. At various time, northbound and southbound lanes will be closed to all traffic during the six-week project. Caltrans says there will be approximately two weeks of lane and ramp restrictions to each direction of I-5 from the Capitol City Freeway-U.S. Highway 50 interchange to Richards Boulevard so contractors can replace freeway drainage and pavement. After curing, an additional week of lane and ramp restrictions will take place to allow time for the contractor to apply a polyester sealant. The area is called the "Boat Section" because it is below the water level of the nearby Sacramento River. In the late 1960s when I-5 was being built, the area had to be drained and a system of pumps installed to keep it from filling up with water during storms. “The problem is underneath the surface,” Caltrans says. “River silt and sand have blocked the drainage system that has been in place since the road was completed in the early ‘70s. As ground water has pushed through joints in the seals slab, the water has nowhere to go but up through the pavement. This is causing cracks, spills and deterioration on the surface.”

 

Late Saturday evening, a full complement of firefighters from the Amador Fire District Battalion 10 and Cal Fire were called out to a blazing house fire on Buckhorn Ridge Road in Pioneer. The approximately 50-year old structure was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. The fire had progressed so rapidly before arrival that part of the rear of the house was gone and the fire had spread across most of the roof area. Fortunately for fire crews, the rains had lessened the threat of the fire spreading to the tall pine trees surrounding the house, which could have then spread to other homes close by. After hours of fighting the blaze in the darkness, fire crews finally extinguished the fire.

A serious accident involving a vehicle and a bicyclist suggests once again that Amador County roads may not be the safest place for cyclists. Early Sunday afternoon, Thelbery Frisby, a 51 year old Scaramento man, was driving on Volcano Road in Sutter Creek when he lost control of his Buick, swerving across the road into the opposite lane and colliding head on with a group of bicyclists. According to the CHP accident report, the front byciclist narrowly missed being struck by the Buick, but the second byciclist was struck head-on and flung up onto the windshield of the car. The bike was in turn dragged and rolled over multiple times by the vehicle. The rider was left with a broken leg and arm and considered seriously injured. Local emergency crews had the injured rider airlifted to an area hospital. Another rider had leg andface injuries that did not require treatment. Frisby was tested for driving under the influence at the scene and was determined to be under a high level of intoxication. Wet roads and hazy weather may also have been contributing factors.

Even though it lacks any sort of drive-up window, Papa Murphy’s in Jackson got an unexpected drive-through customer on Friday morning. The driver of a car lost control and lurched onto the sidewalk, crashing through the front window of the store. Despite the obvious cosmetic damage, the store did not recieve any structural damage. There was significant damage to the front end of the vehicle. At the time of this report, it still remains unclear why the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Despite the unfortunate historical association between drunk drivers and the Memorial Day Weekend, local reports indicate that the numbers of drunk-driving incidents were down in Amador County. There were a total of six reported accidents in Amador County over the three-day weekend, the majority of which were minor with no injuries. According to California Highway Patrol officer Craig Harmon, between Friday at 6 p.m. and Monday at midnight, there were 12 seat belt tickets and 48 speeding violations issued for a total of 78 citations.

With the 127th Annual Italian Picnic and Parade coming up this weekend, many may wonder a little about the Italian Benevolent Society, or IBS. The “Societa de Unione e Beneficenza Italiana” was formed in 1881 with 33 charter members, all of Italian ancestry, and was stationed in Amador City.  The purpose of the society was to provide aid to sick Italian-Americans who could not work, and to provide proper burials for deceased members when their families could not. That year, a private picnic was held by the society, and the annual Italian Picnic was born. In 1897, the picnic moved to the Fuller Brothers’ Grove between Jackson and Sutter Creek, and in 1912, to its present location on Highway 49 in Martell. 

In 1981, the IBS celebrated its centennial anniversary, which was recognized by then President Ronald Reagan in a personal letter where he thanked the society for its contribution to “the propagation of Italian culture here in America.” Over the years, the society has made numerous improvements to the grounds, including planting over 100 trees just last year, according to society member Rick Wagstaff.  More renovation plans are in the works, including expanding the current dining hall, and the society will break ground after this weekend’s picnic. Since 1881, the picnic has grown from a gathering of friends to a full three-day weekend of fun events, including a carnival, rodeo, music, dancing, and great food.  This year’s event starts this Friday, May 30th at 5 PM and also features bingo, a bocce ball tournament, Italian food, Tri-tip BBQ, rock and roll music Friday and Saturday nights, and the traditional parade on Sunday, June 1st in Sutter Creek.  For more information, visit the society’s website at www.italiansociety.net and click on “Picnic Information.”