The Supervisor’s race is heating up, and each candidate is hoping that their unique contributions to local government will make them a frontrunner. Incumbents Richard Forster and Louis Boitano are both looking to hold their seats on the Board. Supervisor Forster, whose seat is uncontested, says he is running for several reasons, one of which is to “work against the efforts of outside forces to locate Indian gaming illegally in Amador County.”

The Amador County Youth Coalition now has Nike’s support as it continues to expand on its project to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use. The Youth Coalition is currently collecting old shoes to use in an April 2nd display meant to dynamically illustrate the 1200 lives lost each day due to tobacco.

The Central Sierra Resource Conservation and Development Council, or CSRCD, will be conducting a series of community forums to verify local resource concerns and opportunities. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to attend the forums and be heard on projects to improve their community.

In a letter received yesterday from Governor Schwarzenegger’s office, the Governor “respectively declined” the County’s recent plea request for his assistance in fighting the proposed Buena Vista Casino. “While we appreciate the frustration regarding the length of time the motion has been pending, we believe it would be inappropriate for the Governor to request a federal court to issue a ruling within a set time frame,” wrote Andrea Lynn Hoch, Schwarzenegger’s Legal Affairs Secretary.

Wednesday night’s Amador County Unified School District Board Meeting was filled to capacity with students and parents pleading to the board to save the high school music programs and preserve the job of their music educator, Chris Tootle. Tootle, the most junior music teacher, would fall prey to staff cut-backs if the current version of the proposed budget is approved. Tootle was praised with such comments as “the heart and soul of the music program”. Those commenting listed the music departments many accomplishments, which included expansion from a 15 piece band to 30 plus members.

The Amador Water Agency board of directors proudly welcomed Madonna Wiebold, new board member for District 1 at yesterday morning’s Board Meeting. Wiebold replaces the recently retired Heinz Hamann. Also on the agenda, The Amador Water Agency proudly unveiled its new computerized mapping software. The system will centralize all data related to water supply and wastewater systems, as well as provide the agency with comprehensive maps for assessment and maintenance.

CHP reports indicate an accidents last Wednesday resulting in an arrest. David Norwood, 46, of Mokelumne Hill, was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated. Norwood failed to anticipate a vehicle stopped at the intersection of  Highway 49 and Main Street and collided with it’s rear end. The collision was forceful enough to propel the rear-ended car into the intersection, where another oncoming car collided with its front end. The drivers of the two vehicles that collided as a result of Norwood’s bump reported moderate injuries. 

Each day, six million Californians show up for work knowing that if they called in sick, they wouldn't get paid. Now, a state lawmaker wants to change that by making mandatory sick time available to all workers in California. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, a Democrat from San Francisco, has introduced Assembly Bill 2716, which would provide five sick days each year for employees of small businesses and up to nine sick days a year for those who work for large companies. Ma said that nearly 40 percent of Californians do not currently have paid sick leave benefits. Last year, the city of San Francisco implemented Measure F, which mandates paid sick leave for anyone who works in San Francisco.

A local teen has made a boisterous proposition – to bike ride 100 miles around Lake Tahoe. According to those who know her best, she is fully capable of doing so. Amador County resident Krysta Dremel was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in 2003, when she was only 16. In her words, “I was just a regular kid at Argonaut High School; cancer was the last thing on my mind. I did most things other high school kids do, until I got sick.” When she was first diagnosed she had already developed many complications. “I was on a roller coaster of chemo for three years after that,” she said