Amador County - Surrounded by family members, First District Senator Dave Cox was sworn-in this week to once again represent the people of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Placer, Plumas, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Sacramento and Sierra Counties. “Representing the people of twelve counties is a great responsibility that I take with great pride,” said Cox, adding: “I am appreciative of the trust and confidence that have been placed upon me.” Cox vowed to continue to serve the North State area with the same dedication and service he has had for the last four years. Cox was re-elected to serve his second and final term in the State Senate on November 4th with 62.3 percent of the vote. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – Dozens of ranches in and around Ione literally made their mark at a developing new downtown Ione business recently. The newly developing Clark’s Corner café held a branding party recently and Mayor Andrea Bonham, co-owner, let ranchers come in and sear their mark into a section of wall. Bonham said 90 people attended and burned 63 brands on the wall. She and co-owners Kraig Clark and Kenny and Franci Clark re now trying to find more wall to add some historic brands that they were unable to fit. Ron Speer led off the party with his “R-Speer” brand. He has worked 3 months on the project and was given the first spot on the wall. Others included Amador County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Forster. The heavy steel cattle brands from each of the ranches were heated in a propane gas pot to red hot, then burned into the old wood, left from when the space at 12 West Main Street in Ione was Oliver’s bar. Also left from the old bar is and finely finished oak refrigerator, now used as storage and a display case, and another set of wooden refrigerator doors that will be windows to an office. Clark’s Corner sports a new yellow paint job on the exterior walls of the old building. Inside new lamps and vintage-style fans hang from the completely redone ceiling, and new flooring throughout offers more oak wood grain. A few weeks ago, Bonham hosted the Amador Chamber Of Commerce Mixer at the café. Clark’s Corner is behind schedule in its original opening day, but is scheduled to open December 13th, on the same day as the Ione Christmas Parade. Bonham said the Clark’s Corner will have old fashioned carolers singing on its stage. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Sutter Creek Fire Department doled out the winnings of a 181,000 Dollar State grant Monday, with the award to be split among 5 firefighting jurisdictions in Amador County. Sutter Creek Fire Captain and grant program director Dan Barnes and members of the local brigades will each get about 36,000 dollars worth of new extrication equipment from the California Office of Traffic Safety. He said that includes 5 sets of hydraulic Hurst extrication tools, 5 heavy airbags, rescue stabilization struts, portable lighting and a portable gasoline powered hydraulic power unit. The power generator powers two Hurst tools at a time. The grant is part of the “Regional Extrication Improvement Program,” and gives the equipment to Sutter Creek and Jackson Fire Departments; Battalion 20 of the Amador Fire Protection District, which covers Plymouth and Fiddletown; AFPD Battalion 10, which covers Upcountry; and the Lockwood Fire Protection District. Barnes said he has been working on the grants since last winter and he’ll wrap up the grant in another year. He will also file quarterly reports on the equipment’s usage, as part of the grant, so that statistics on results may be known, such as patient conditions after being saved with the equipment. The equipment was delivered 2 weeks ago, just before the election. Barnes said “this is a good thing for Amador County. We got Measure M passed and now this. We’re taking steps in the right direction.” Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Early Sunday morning was no vacation for area firefighters who were called to the scene of a major structure fire in the Buckhorn area. Fire personnel arrived at 26472 Luttrell Court five minutes after the 7:45 am dispatch. Firefighters quickly controlled the fire and damage was confined to the residence, which was a total loss, with minimal spread and damage to the adjacent garage structure. The fire was contained less than an hour later at 8:30am. The owner of the 1100 foot structure and the family that resides there were both out of the area at the time of the incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Agencies involved included Amador Fire Protection District 10, CAL FIRE, and the American Legion Ambulance Service. A total of four fire engines, 1 water tender, 1 air support unit and 16 personnel were involved in fighting the blaze. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors voted 3-0 Monday to authorize its Board President Terence Moore to sign a construction contract with Mountain Cascade Incorporated to begin the Plymouth water pipeline project. In the same vote, the board directed AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie to issue a “Notice To Proceed” on the project. They also authorized staff to complete the project, “not to exceed the estimated project cost of 10,661,694 Dollars. But approval of the project’s cost was subject to review by the new AWA Board of Directors. District 1 Board Member-Elect George W. “Bill” Condrashoff questioned the project cost being authorized by the board, saying the number seemed to differ from the amended agreement with the city of Plymouth. John Swift presided over the meeting and he and Madonna Wiebold and David Thomas took a break to have Finance Manager Michael Lee print the cost breakdowns. Abercrombie said the “not to exceed” clause in the wording was used similarly in starting projects of late such as the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant and the Amador Transmission Pipeline, and if the cost was to go over that total amount, he would approach the new AWA board.

The new board is to take the oath of office at 11 a.m. Friday at the AWA office under the direction County Registrar Sheldon Johnson. Condrashoff said he was concerned that the “total project cost” in the agreement with Plymouth was $8.5 Million Dollars, but the board was considering approving the amount of $10.6 Million dollars. Abercrombie said a “big chunk of that” is Plymouth’s $1.3 Million Dollar participation fee. Lee said the difference included contingency costs, construction management and easement costs. He said “the agency’s costs will not be known until the project is completed.” Condrashoff said he would like further details of the “sunk costs,” and asked that it be placed on the soonest agenda possible. Abercrombie suggested the board approve the completion of the project, and advise him to come back to brief the new boards. On board direction, he said he would place the cost briefing for the Plymouth Pipeline on the January 8th agenda. The board meets once this month, December 11th and Abercrombie said that agenda is full of items. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Democrat Alyson Huber’s Assembly campaign declared victory over Republican Jack Sieglock late last week after final vote tallies from Sacramento County swung the overall count in her favor. Huber had a 12-point lead in the southeastern part of Sacramento County included in the 10th Assembly District. In other less populated areas of the District, Sieglock led by 9 or more points. "When I started my campaign for State Assembly, many people said that this seat was not winnable,” Huber said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. “But growing up I had overcome tougher obstacles. So I committed myself to this campaign and with the help of so many dedicated supporters we prevailed,” she added. The vote count in Amador and El Dorado counties was certified last week. According to certified results, Sieglock led in Amador County by 3,068 votes, or 54.66 percent over 37.28 percent. After the Sacramento County certification last Wednesday, the overall vote difference was 12,408 votes in Huber’s favor. According to the California Secretary of State's Web site, Sieglock led with less than 6,000 votes in San Joaquin County before the holiday. Voting officials said it was unlikely that he could overtake Huber's overall lead with the remaining outstanding ballots. As of 2pm last Wednesday, Huber led the overall race by 505 votes. Sieglock has told media outlets he does not expect to win. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – Black Friday 2008 received some good reviews from a few local businesses last week. Wolf Hein of Hein & Company Booksellers, 204 Main Street, said it was his “very best Black Friday for sales ever.” It was up 15 percent from last year on Friday and up 10 percent on Saturday. His bookstore has had the best November since it opened 20 years ago. Most of his items are used and discounted and he saw people in tough times were “value shopping” – thus thinking more about the purchases. He said he saw the same thing happen after 9-11, “when times are bad, people slow down.” He said a used book costs one-third the price of a new book and makes a thoughtful present. Further down Main, Richard and Sherry Small of Richard & Sherry’s Wood Carvings, 33 Main, said they had a busy Black Friday. Richard Small said he sold a lot of bigger items, like a slot machine and sculptures. It wasn’t a record but it was good business, with sales similar to 2007. Richard Glade, owner of Full Circle Trading Company, 15 Main, said he also was busy Friday and Saturday, during the Black Friday Open House. He saw some people coming back from last year and also had first-time visitors to his shop. And he sold three of his American Indian-themed acrylic paintings, a first for him on a Day-after-Thanksgiving shopping day. Glade said his sales were up about 20 percent over last year. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – If you glanced at the night sky on Sunday, you likely witnessed a rare celestial occurrence. A tight 3-way conjunction between Venus, Jupiter and the crescent moon was visible in the clear night sky throughout Amador County and most of the world. People around the world witnessed the event, regardless of location or light pollution. Europeans got an added treat. For three hours Monday evening, the crescent moon actually eclipsed Venus. Astronomers call such an event a “lunar occultation.” A clear evening allowed locals to enjoy the event from dusk until late in the night. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Sutter Creek Planning Commission approved the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort’s Environmental Impact Report on Monday, sending the project’s developers to work on the Final EIR. Commissioner Cort Strandberg said he still had unanswered questions to traffic and economic mitigations, but commissioners Frank Cunha and Chairman Robin Peters convinced him that there were steps left in the process that still allowed the city to pause the process for answers to any questions that were known or unforeseen. Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe said that Gold Rush was working on an update of its Economic Impact Study. He said the city was still working with Gold Rush to find a solution to wastewater, which the developers will fund. Gold Rush staff said that they expected to have the Final Environmental Impact Report out by January 19th. Cunha suggested a 3-to-1 ratio of oak tree mitigation in areas outside of a 2-mile radius of the Sutter Creek “Sphere of Influence,” but also limited to preserving trees in western Amador County. That would mean the preservation of three oak trees for every one lost in the project.

Cunha said he was “trying to encourage the retention of trees in the county.” City Consultant Anders Hauge said it was “setting policy” and “we haven’t really looked at the implications of having that policy.” Standberg supported keeping tree mitigation in Amador County, but Hauge said the nexus for oak “habitat mitigation” was a 2-to-1 ratio. Cunha said the EIR preserving 10 percent of oak trees was not enough, noting that 60 trees per acre could be trimmed by developers to 6 trees per acre. And in any given acre with 6 trees, they could cut down 5 trees. Peters said it was up to the city to see that it is achievable. The commissioners decided to omit the 3-to-1 ratio, in lieu of further study, but raised the overall preservation of oak trees to 20 percent. The Planning Commission passed a resolution saying the Draft EIR fit into the city General Plan and next will start to explore the Gold Rush Ranch Specific Plan, starting 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3rd. The meeting will open with a presentation by developer Greg Bardini. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Tempers flared at Monday’s Jackson City Council meeting during a heated debate over the closure of Main Street for downtown events. Alyshia Miller, Co-owner of Theresa’s Restaurant, spoke on behalf of some Jackson Gate Road business owners who believe they are unfairly excluded when downtown events block off the entrance to their roadway. On the flip side of the debate was Toni Fancher, President of the Historic Jackson Business Association, which includes downtown businesses but does not include proprietors on Jackson Gate Road. Miller focused on this in her argument, saying “it is ironic that such an event would exclude our historic businesses.” Jackson Gate Road was the main artery into Jackson before Highway 88 was built. She pointed out that two of the three symbols on the Jackson Flag – the Kennedy Mine Tailing Wheels and St. Salva Church - are on Jackson Gate Road, yet they still weren’t taken into consideration when establishing the Business Association. “We’re not asking for fair and equal treatment, just validation,” said Miller.

Fancher pointed out that this was a matter of public safety, not inclusion or exclusion. She said they need the entire 3-way intersection at the north end of Main Street for wagons to turn around at events like the upcoming “Christmas Delights.” She said it was in the interest of public safety. “I think this has gotten so blown out of control, fighting about something like this. It floors me that it’s gotten this far without trying to have a meeting with the people involved,” said Fancher. This led to a broader debate over alterations to the closure that would still include passage to Jackson Gate Road. Neither side could present data on the fiscal impact or benefit of the intersection closure. However, Fancher yelled out “1,500 people each year!” from the audience as one man commented on the Christmas event.

Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla questioned why Jackson Gate businesses couldn’t be more proactive and come downtown to sell goods during these events. The item was postponed for further discussion after the holidays. The council encouraged the HJBA and Jackson Gate Businesses to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter further. On Tuesday, Police Chief Scott Morrison took on the task of measuring the exact dimensions of the intersection in an effort to accommodate both parties. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).