There’s lots of family Halloween fun scheduled around the county. This Saturday, the whole family is invited to the Amador Cooperative Preschool “Halloween Masquerade Ball” fundraising event at the fabulous Jackson Rancheria. For Adults, there will be Appetizers, and surf & turf dinner with a no-host bar. There will be special children’s plates and vegetarian entrée. Activities include costume contest, raffles, live auction, children's art silent auction, dancing, and door prizes. Tickets can be purchased at Realty World in Jackson or call 257-0622. Also on Saturday, the Jackson Haunted History tour of Jackson Cemetery starts at 6:30 pm at Fantossi Marble Works across from the cemetery entrance on Church Street in Jackson. On the tour, tales of murder, poisoning, and the Wells Fargo Bank Stage coach shoot-out will be recreated by Argonaut High School Drama students. The price of the Tour is $5.00 and you should bring a flashlight.  Because of the nature of the re-enactments, this may be too scary of younger children

A motorcycle passenger was injured Monday afternoon when the motorcycle she was riding on slipped on road debris. According to the California Highway Patrol, Randy Kirkpatrick, and Francine Serpa, both of San Andreas, were riding Kirkpatrick’s Harley Davidson on Silver Drive. Kirkpatrick prepared to make a left turn into the STP gas station when his back tire hit some road debris and the bike slid out, spilling both riders onto the roadway. Serpa suffered a compound fracture to her ankle and was medi-flighted to San Juan Medical Center. Kirkpatrick was uninjured.

A strike team of fire captains, staff and a fire engine from Mule Creek State Prison in Ione has been directed to assist in battling the widespread wildfires across Southern California. As of today, Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered more than 2,300 inmates and 170 custody staff from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to work hand-in-hand with firefighters from state agencies and city and county fire departments.

When you order a cord of wood, how do you know what you are getting? Mike Boitano of Amador County’s Department of Weights & Measures cautions viewers about getting what they pay for. He said 3-4 complaints are filed each year with his department. To avoid getting ripped off, buyers need to know how much wood comes in a cord. By law, wood must be sold by the cord or some portion of a cord. A cord of wood is equal to 128 cubic feet, or a tightly stacked woodpile 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 4 feet high. The best way to make sure you are getting a full cord is to have the wood stacked immediately, preferably by the person delivering wood. Have an area marked off the size of a cord.

You can help clean up our great outdoors at two locations on Saturday, November 3. Spend a fun and productive day picking up trash along the banks of Lake Camanche Reservoir or the Mokelumne River, while enjoying the fall morning and resident wildlife. For the Camanche Reservoir clean up, meet at Camanche South Shore Marina at 8:00 am for sign-in. For the Mokelumne River clean-up, meet at the Jackson Senior Center, Jackson at 8:30 am for sign-in.

A pine needle collection project is being conducted by the Amador Air District to help reduce the volume of smoke generated by smoldering burn piles. Smoke from such fires is harmful to public health and creates a nuisance for residents trying to enjoy the outdoors or let fresh air into their homes. Instead of burning pine needles, pine cones, grass clippings, weeds and leaves, area residents may bring these materials to a central collection point and place them into a dumpster, starting today through Sunday, December 2nd, from dawn until dusk daily, or until the dumpster is full.

Collection locations are the parking lots of Pine Acres Community Services Building at 12990 Tabeaud Road, Pine Grove; Pioneer Park at 25100 Buckhorn Ridge Road, Pioneer; and Mace Meadow Golf Course, 26570 Fairway Drive, Pioneer. There is no charge for this service. Again, only pine needles, pinecones, grass clippings, weeds and leaves will be accepted. For more information, call the Air District at 257-0112.

A group of Amador County citizens is forming an organization of volunteers to help stabilize and reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Amador County. Project spokesperson Jerry L. Scott says the new group plans to work with all stakeholders including concerned citizens, business organizations, agricultural organizations, faith based organizations and the cities of Sutter Creek, Jackson, Ione, Plymouth, Amador City, and the County Board of Supervisors to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Amador County. The group calls itself Amador County Citizens For Stabilizing & Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and will be implementing a national program called Cool Cities and Cool Counties, a program Scott says has been successful in over 500 cities and several counties throughout the U.S.  Scott is asking for interested volunteers to join the group -- If you’d like more information about this effort, call Jerry Scott at 296-1775.

TSPN's own Jackie Paschane was married Friday Oct 19th to Brian Elia at Foresthill Lodge near Auburn.  Brian is an Argonaut High School graduate, and Jackie graduated from Amador High School.  Jackie has taken her experience at TSPN-TV News off to new adventures as a news producer at KCRA TV in Sacramento. Brian works in Construction and Farm Equipment sales, also in Sacramento. The couple will make their home in Ione. Good luck and happy trails to Jackie and Brian from everyone at TSPN.

Battalion Chief Ray Blankenheim is leading a Strike Team of five Engines manned by Battalion 10, Battalion 20, Jackson Fire Dept, Sutter Creek Fire Dept and Mule Creek State Prison firefighters. According to Amador Fire Protection District Chief, Jim McCart, about 17 AFPD firefighters left Sunday night about 8 pm for assignment on the Witch fire in San Diego county. First stop is the city of Ramona where authorities have evacuated the entire 36,000-resident town. Two CalFire strike teams from Pine Grove Camp left Sunday night and Monday morning. They are headed for Prado Regional Park in San Bernardino County. The Witch Fire is one of the biggest wildfires burning in the region -- San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender said at a news conference the Witch Fire "will probably be the worst fire this county has ever seen -- worse than the Cedar Fire." Wildfires in Malibu and San Diego County have forced evacuations of nearly 250,000 people from homes, hospitals and nursing homes.  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven Southern California counties as Santa Ana winds continue to fan the wildfires and firefighter resources became stretched.  According to AFPD’s McCart, local crews could be gone up to 8 days.

A spectacular crash on Ridge Road sent a Sutter Creek woman to the hospital Sunday. M. Emerson, 64, was headed west on Ridge Road at a reported speed of 50 – 55 miles per hour in a 35 MPH zone. Emerson lost control of her vehicle on a notorious curve near Dapple Road, hit the ditch on the right side of the road and cart wheeled her vehicle down the road, which ultimately landed on its roof.  It took firefighters from Pine Grove Battalion 10 and CDF several minutes to extract the victim from the tumbled car.