The Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency hosts a community forum on broadband internet this morning. Recently the organization received a $250,000 grant from the California Emerging Technology Fund to put together a plan to help five area counties improve high speed internet access for households and businesses. The Agencies Sierra Connect project involves Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, Alpine and Amador Counties. “Ultimately, we all want high speed internet to be as universal as telephone service and easy to use for all residents including low-income, seniors and disabled people,” says Project Coordinator Michelle Shelton. “This is vital to the future of our communities.” The forum will be a time to give an overview of the project, unveil the proposed work plan and solicit members for an advisory council. The open forum runs today from 9-11am at the Sonora Elks Lodge. Sonoran contributed.

The tradition lives on as yet another successful duck race took place in Sutter Creek this last Saturday. In picture perfect weather, attendees from miles around gathered together to cheer on  plastic ducks as they lazily made their way through the town’s namesake. Prizes totaling in over $14,000 dollars were awarded to race winners, but the majority of the profits made from duck purchases went to benefit selected non-profit organizations. Along with the standard swimmers, a number of creative ducks sponsored by businesses were featured. Families showed up for live music, food, and to cheer on a popular local tradition since 1988.

Amador County Sheriff Officers were called to the scene of a reported break-in in progress late Friday afternoon. TSPN contributing photographer Bill Lavallie was on the scene to bring you these photographs. The reporting party claimed that 18630 Clinton Road was being burglarized at aproximately 4:30pm. Sheriff's Deputies and a K-9 unit dispatched to the location found three males and a female in the residence. All four were detained while police worked out the details with the owner. All four individuals were held for suspicion of burglary.

It has just been announced that the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, or CCHE, has officially awarded the $850,870 matching grant the City of Sutter Creek had applied for, with a grant writing assist from the Knight Foundry Corporation. The Knights Foundry is nothing if not a piece of local history. The historic building used to be home to a group of skilled local craftsman. One of their most well-known projects are the decorative iron-leaves they created to line the outside of the state capitol. The primary objective of CCHE is to preserve the historic Knight Foundry Iron Works in Sutter Creek for posterity as a skills training center for traditional industrial metal-working crafts, and as a living history educational experience for the public. This capital grant is for the purchase, environmental cleanup and the rebuilding of the cupola iron furnaces.

The funds for this grant had been reserved last year, but it took significant, creative problem-solving to actually have the grant awarded. City Manager Rob Duke's work with CCHE staff cleared the way, and the City Council showed real flexibility in approving the necessary policy adjustments. Mayor Gary Wooten made a strong, succinct pitch for the Knights Foundry at a meeting last week between the City and CCHE. According to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the Knights Foundry, “We can immediately begin spending match money against this grant, which will then be reimbursed by the CCHE dollar for dollar, once the formal grant agreement is approved. This is a very big step toward securing title to the Knights Foundry.”

The driest March and early April in 70 years has turned what was looking like a wet year into a near-drought for California. The water supplies in Pardee and in the Camanche flood control reservoir in Amador County are decreasing. The East Bay's largest water supplier is likely to impose mandatory rationing next month that could include higher water rates, limits on outdoor sprinklers or possibly a ban on car washing. In the San Joaquin Valley, hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland are being fallowed. The problem is a wicked combination of dry weather, low reservoir levels and a court ruling last year that limits Delta pumping to protect endangered fish. Following powerful January storms and a decent February, the recent dry stretch and its potential to affect statewide water supplies may come as a surprise. But it was the sixth-driest March in 89 years, according to state water managers. And the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said the period from March 1 to mid-April was the driest such span in 70 years. The East Bay Municipal Utility District, which serves 1.3 million people in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, is dependent on snow in the Mokelumne River basin. That basin had its second-driest March since East Bay MUD began in 1923, and it is shaping up as possibly the driest April over that time, district spokesman Charles Hardy said. The North Fork of the Mokelumne River, located in the California Sierra Nevada Mountains, is also the primary source for the Central Amador Water Project system, although there have been no reports of a planned rationing by the Amador Water Agency.

The Sacramento Sierra Chapter of the American Red Cross received a new van for training life saving skills from the Tiffany Circle of Women Leaders, a philanthropic group affiliated with the American Red Cross. CEO Julie Van Doreen made mention of such a possibility at a Board of Supervisors meeting two weeks ago. The chapter serves 2 million people in Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Tuolumne, East Yolo and East Nevada counties. It provides food, shelter, clothing and comfort to disaster victims. The Doge Sprinter Van will be stocked with equipment and supplies to teach Amador’s community, especially in remote areas. The van will be pre-stocked with supplies and ready to go to training sites. "We believe there is a serious unmet need for training classes in locations that are not convenient to chapter offices," said Van Doreen, in a prepared statement. Much of Amador County is considered rural, with many of its residents living outside the boundaries of incorporated cities. SacBee contributed to this story.

In statewide news, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted late last week that California would face a budget deficit of more than $10 billion in the fiscal year that starts July 1st. "This is why we have to make all kinds of cuts across the board," he told a group of prosecutors and criminal investigators at a conference near the Capitol. "I hate making those kinds of cuts, but we have no more money," he added later in comments to reporters. "We have to live within our means. We are out of whack every one of the next few years by $10 (billion) to $12 billion. You cannot tax your way out of that." Democrats have proposed a combination of budget cuts and tax increases to deal with the deficit. "There is no way that a cuts-only budget will be enacted with a deficit of that size," said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez of Los Angeles.

Schwarzenegger initially forecast a $14.5 billion deficit for the 18-month period starting in January. The legislative analyst later said the gap between projected revenue and expenses was $16 billion. Lawmakers then cut that figure to about $8 billion by authorizing more borrowing, delaying some payments and making other budget changes. Since then, tax revenue to the state has been below expectations as the downturn in the housing market has spread to other parts of the economy. Schwarzenegger is scheduled to reveal his revised budget proposal for the next fiscal year on May 14. In another budget-related development Thursday, Republican lawmakers proposed giving schools $2.1 billion more than Schwarzenegger proposed when he released his initial budget plan in January. They proposed making up the difference in part by cutting welfare programs. The Republicans also favor some money-saving recommendations made by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office, such as eliminating vacant state government positions.

-Thursday night marked the 27th and final General Plan Advisory Committee Meeting, or GPAC. The county and its consultants wrapped up and summarized the ideas from the last meeting.  Additionally, the county provided GPAC and the members of the audience with the results of the surveys that were conducted over the last month. Most of the replies were split down the middle, especially in response to a question regarding Rancho Arroyo Seco.  About half of the respondents think the potential future development in Ione should be included in the General Plan.

Many people had colorful comments, including one that referred to “Nazi environmentalists” that some found funny, and others an insult.  John Carlson, a member of GPAC, found the reference offensive and was “even more insulted that people laughed at it.”  Carlson went on to say that the members of GPAC and the county had worked “very hard” and didn’t deserve that type of comment.  There was some discussion on whether the remark would be stricken from the record. Additionally, the committee expressed some final concerns and comments. 

There was talk of sustainable development, “green” building methods, low impact development in regards to water quality, and watershed overlays. Jeffrey Gibson, President of the Amador Wine Grape Growers Association, says his organization’s official position is “No watershed overlay.”  According to the public survey, many other citizens felt the same way. At the end of the meeting, Supervisors Richard Forster and Ted Novelli both spoke to the committee and thanked everyone for their hard work and dedication.  Indicating that GPAC was only the first step of the process, Forster said, “If anyone thinks that this is over, we are far from it. It’s important we get it right. The next step in the General Plan update process will be a series of public workshops to be held in June.  We’ll keep you updated on those workshops when the dates and locations are announced.

Can the City of Plymouth afford to operate the public pool this summer? No determination has been made, yet it was a hot topic of discussion at the city council meeting Thursday evening. The pool, which is generally open from the last 2 weeks of May until the first 2 weeks of September, has become a significant expense for the city.  An estimate for necessary repairs by Lincoln Equipment Company was approximately 51 thousand dollars, which included a new filtering system and new pumps and motors. The City’s current financial state is becoming more and more of an issue.

Last March, the General Fund held roughly 1 million dollars compared to a current balance of 394 thousand dollars. Pool upkeep and maintenance costs are projected to be 51-thousand. ACRA Director Tracy Towner-Yep approached the Fair Manager to see if he would sell the pool to the City for a bargain price. The offer is being considered. Concerns regarding maintenance were also raised, as the pool requires nearly 35 hours of work a week, roughly the cost of another full time position. Vice Mayor Fordyce had several recommendations, including having someone from the city appear before the Board of Supervisors to request money for the pool, approaching developers and requesting funds, or shutting down the pool for this season until other funding outlets can be determined. Tracy Towner-Yep reminded the council of the Prop 12 money received in 2000 to “reline” the pool. Citizen Gary Colburn stated in public comment that “people pay taxes in order to receive services, the pool is a service.” Councilmember Baldwin recommended that Public Works Director Selby Beck contact pool companies and request bids for necessary repairs. The matter will be discussed further at the next scheduled meeting.

Also at Thursday’s Plymouth City Council meeting, District 5 Supervisor Brian Oneto presented Rich Martin, Project Manager for the Plymouth Fire Department, with a 15 hundred dollar check. The funds, which were taken from Supervisor Oneto’s discretionary fund, are to aid in improvement and construction projects for the Plymouth Fire Department, and to commend all of the hard work that has accomplished thus far.