Amador County will soon be the home to 176 acres of new oak woodlands- courtesy Caltrans. According to Caltrans Public Information Officer Chantal Miller, the state transportation agency is in the process of planting 176 acres of oak woodlands beginning at the acorn stage.This replanting is part of the Environmental Impact Report mitigation requirements for the new Hwy 49 Bypass. Miller explains that when the bypass construction occurred Caltrans, and its contractors, destroyed about 20 acres of established oak woodlands.

The steps of the National Hotel in downtown Jackson hosted a ceremony last night. The informal ceremony was in the form of the Skeleton Crew Motorcycle Club handing over a generous donation to Operation Care. The check, in the amount of 6-hundred dollars, was raised by the local motorcycle club during the Buster Westfall Memorial Run. Buster’s son John explains the gift. Next the President of the Skeletin Crew spoke Operation Care’s rep explains what this donation means to the local support services group.

Tuesday night an Ione Interim West Bypass Community Meeting was held at Ione Junior High, the meeting was presented by the Amador County Transportation Commission and Dokken Engineering. The topics discussed at the meeting included Project Background and Initiation, Alternative Analysis, Approval of Route Adoption and Environmental Document, Design and then finally Construction.

Amador County Treasurer/Tax Collector Michael E. Ryan is reminding taxpayers that unsecured taxes for the 2007-08 fiscal year are due and payable, and will become delinquent if not paid by 5 pm on Friday, August 31, 2007.  Unsecured taxes are typically owed on boats, airplanes, business property, possessory interests, and mining claims.  After August 31, delinquent unsecured taxes will be subject to a 10% penalty. 

Marcia Hulse and her husband celebrated her birthday at Jackson Rancheria Casino in a big way.  “What kind of present did (they) send me home with!?” she exclaimed after winning a $811,780.96 MegaJackpot on a dollar Wheel of Fortune slot machine. The Fairfield couple has been putting in a whole new front yard recently so most weekends are filled with yard work, but luckily they decided to take a break for one weekend and visit Jackson Rancheria on August 11. Marcia loves to play Blackjack but chose to start with a little slot play. After putting about $50 in a quarter Wheel of Fortune machine, she switched to the dollar machine and hit the progressive jackpot.

If your children do not have health insurance, help is available. Healthy Families is low cost insurance for children and teens. It provides health, dental and vision coverage to children who do not have insurance and do not qualify for free Medi-Cal (families that qualify for Medi-Cal, with a share of cost, are still eligible for Healthy Families). Monthly premiums range from $4- $15 per child, depending on the provider chosen and the family’s income, up to a maximum of $45 per family per month. Through a grant provided by the United Way California Capital Region, the Upcountry Community Center is able to provide families with Certified Application Assistance. Trained assistants are able to supply more information, answer questions and help families complete the application. To see if you qualify, or for more information, call Ruthella at 296-2785.(

When you hear the initials B-L-M you usually think of undeveloped land, wild and scenic rivers and picturesque vistas but now the Bureau of Land Management has assumed a new role- Geothermal power provider. This week the federal agency held a competitive auction of lease parcels for geothermal energy resources on federal public lands.

A devastating turn last night in the search for six miners still missing deep underground at a Utah coalmine. The search was abruptly halted after a second cave-in killed three rescue workers and injured at least six others who were trying to tunnel through rubble to reach them. All rescue workers were evacuated from the mine Thursday evening and work underground was stopped. Asked if the search would be suspended, "that's something to be determined," said Rich Kulczewski, a U.S. Department of Labor spokesman. The cave-in at 6:39 p.m. was caused by a mountain bump in which pressure can force chunks of coal from walls of the mine with great force.(

Following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the central coast of Peru on Wednesday, August 15, the American Red Cross is now positioning resources to assist their Peruvian counterparts as needed. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation), American Red Cross and other Red Cross national societies pre-position relief supplies in Panama for emergencies in the region. Two planes loaded with tents, plastic sheeting, blankets and jerrycans (for clean water) for 2,000 families will be sent from Panama to the city of Pisco on Thursday evening.

The investigation into last Friday morning’s catastrophic fire at the old Georgia Pacific mill site in Martell continues with some high powered help. According to Amador Fire Protection District’s Chief Jim McCart after he evaluated the situation last Friday and Saturday he determined that the scope of the “fire cause investigation” exceeded the capabilities of our local fire investigators.