By Alex Lane -

A wild grass fire whipped by strong winds ravaged a section of open fields and pockets of oak trees near Lake Pardee Thursday afternoon. A swift and strong response by local fire agencies and CDF aircraft quickly stopped the fire in its tracks before it was able to cause any serious damage. The head of the blaze was stopped near Stony Creek Road, leaving small fires burning in tree trunks and in small pockets of brush. The Amador Fire protection District, or AFPD, is responsible for approximately 85 percent of emergency fire, rescue, and medical aid service in the unincorporated areas of Amador County. The latest AFPD statistics for the month of September indicate a total of 111 incident responses. Of these, 62 medical aid and 16 vehicle accidents accounted for 70 percent of the total incidents. Only 5 of the incidents were fire related- 1 structure fires, 1 vehicle fire, 1 outside rubbish fire and 2 wildland fires. 54 percent of the total calls occurred between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm.

By Jennifer Wilson -

Pine Grove locals have recently noticed a new addition to their community park, and it’s not exactly welcome. For some time, numerous homeless individuals have been hanging out in the park, smoking, drinking beer and sleeping on park benches. Many citizens have complained by calling the Sheriff, or lodging complaints with the Pine Grove Community Services District who own and control the park. Currently, the only law being violated is a smoking ordinance. One local mother who called the Sheriff this week to complain about a man drinking beer in the park was told that “no law was being broken.” Many mothers and caregivers have a history of bringing children to play in the park, including Sharon Boyens, owner and operator of Honeybear Preschool, located near the park. Boyens used to bring the children in her care to the park to play, but hasn’t done so in over a year. “It’s a frightening situation. Some of the (vagrants) have approached children getting off the school bus.” Soon, local residents may have some relief from the situation. The Pine Grove Community Services District has been working on a nuisance ordinance “for some time now” says Roy Ragan, a member of the district’s Board of Directors. At their monthly meeting Wednesday, the board discussed the ordinance, which will make it illegal to drink alcoholic beverages, consume illegal drugs, loiter, or smoke in the park. The district has asked Amador County Supervisor Ted Novelli to have County Counsel review the ordinance. Until then, they will be erecting temporary signs around the park that prohibit smoking, drinking, drugs and loitering. Ragan hopes the ordinance “will give us a little more teeth (in getting the vagrants out of the park).” The district’s next meeting is scheduled for November 12th at 9 AM at the district’s office in the firehouse next to Pine Grove Park. The public is welcome to attend.

By Jim Reece -

Members of the Amador Water Agency board of directors and staff joined board members of the Lake Camanche Village Owners Association in dedication of the new Well Number 14 at the end of Village Drive Wednesday. AWA Board Chairman John Swift and District 1 Board Member Madonna Wiebold attended the dedication of the well, which produces 340 gallons a minute. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the well will improve water reliability and delivery capacity in the Lake Camanche Village system by 40 percent. Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo said the well was drilled to about 200 feet and has its pump at about 180 feet. The well has mechanisms for injecting chlorine treatment if needed and attachments for sampling and testing. The well pumps to a pipe that can feed the Camanche system directly or pump to the old 120,000-gallon redwood storage tank on a nearby hill, next to Well Number 9, across a field from the new Well Number 14. Mancebo said the land for the new Well 14 was given by developers and the well and well house. The water’s purity helped state health regional director Joe Spanos approve Well Number 14 for new water customer hook-ups, about 20 per year. Mancebo said the approval was not huge but would be a good economic stimulus. Ken Hazelet, president of the Lake Camanche Village Owners Association thanked the agency, AWA staff and board members. Also attending were LCV Owners Association Board members, Vice President Brad Pinnell, Secretary Scott Tippin and Angela Centini-Field.

By Jim Reece  -

Sutter Creek Fire Chief Butch Martin gave information about the county-wide Measure M and told the Sutter Creek City Council on Monday how its passage could affect the city volunteer firefighting force. Martin told the council that if passed, the ½-cent sales tax would fund two full-time day-shift firemen in Sutter Creek and one full-time night-shift fireman for the city. Like all departments in Amador County, Sutter Creek would get the ½-cent sales tax and use the money only to pay its personnel, while using existing facilities and equipment. He said the November 4 Measure M needs a two-thirds majority of the vote to pass. Martin said “we ran this a couple of years ago. It was close, but no cigar.” Back then, the vote in favor was 64 percent, just shy of the 66.66 percent-plus-one vote needed to pass. He said 24-7 staffing at the Sutter Creek Fire Department would not mean three engines always at the ready. Instead, it would be good for a quick first response and it would make sure all of the engines were ready to go. It will not do away with the volunteers in Sutter Creek, Martin said, but it “will take the load off for a major incident.” Martin said “I know the economy’s not good right now, but we wouldn’t be asking for it if we didn’t need it.” Last year, fire department calls went from 525 to 630, more than a 100-call increase, adding, “I hope it doesn’t do it again this year.” 85 percent of those were medical calls. Martin said Amador County is the only county in California that will be getting firefighting funds from statewide Proposition 172 sales tax. “We raised heck about it and there is some money coming to Amador Country for fire,” he said. Five years ago, with a staff of 35 firefighters, he was “on top of the world” and never thought about consolidation. Now, they are down to 17 volunteers and he believes consolidation is the answer. He said three firefighters who volunteer for the city and himself handle the bulk of responses in town. The passage of Measure M will put 12 volunteer firefighters in locations around Amador County, at stations in Sutter Creek, Jackson, Pine Grove, Ione and Plymouth. He said he didn’t know what would happen if it didn’t pass. “It’s time to pass this,” he said. “I’d hate to see a good foundation fall apart.”

By Alex Lane -

Major efforts are underway towards the restoration of Caples Lake, after malfunctioning underwater slide gates prompted emergency repairs on July 18th. Caples, situated on the Eastern border of Amador County near Kirkwood Resort, has undergone a dramatic transformation. El Dorado Irrigation District officials, in cooperation with the Department of Fish and Game, have approved a 246,000 dollar plan to restock the lake after 36,000 acre feet of water and more than 25,000 fish were displaced to nearby Jenkinson Lake and its tributaries. The restocking plan was approved at their latest board meeting. It will be implemented in a two phase process. Phase One will begin in the spring of next year after the lake thaws. “We are hoping it just rains a ton so there is more water in there,” said Deanne Kloepfer, Department Head for Communications. Phase Two will follow over the next nine years. The board plans to acquire additional funding for further fish restocking over that time. “In (Phase One), we want to provide some trophy opportunities as well as rebuild the fishery,” Kloepfer said. Caples Lake is well-known amongst Amador County residents for its breathtaking scenery and excellent high-elevation fishing conditions. In the meantime, a temporary “bladder” dam was installed on September 20th to store as much water as possible and still protect repair crews. The lake has been almost completely dewatered between the bladder dam and main dam. Problems began in July when two badly deteriorated, 85-year-old slide gates failed. As a result, emergency underwater crews were called in for extensive repair work. Once repairs are complete, the bladder dam will be removed.

By Jim Reece -

Volunteers filled their respective Amador County party headquarters office this week as Democrats and Republicans geared up for the final stretch into Election Day 2008, Tuesday, November 4. Candidates of the second election of the New Millennium likely need no further introduction at this point, but as McCain and Obama gird up their loins, the same occurs in races around Amador. Said to be “non-partisan,” – pretty much only in name – the races locally nevertheless separate many of the candidates by the two major parties. Both of the major parties, Democrats and Republicans, have headquarters staffed by volunteers in Amador County. The Amador Republican Party is in Martell and the Amador Democratic Party is in Jackson. The Democratic Headquarters sells bumper stickers and buttons for the various races from the top down, that is, down to local races that have stickers and fliers on the front window. Those include Bill Condrashoff, who is running for the Amador Water Agency, and Keith Sweet and Judy Jebian, who are both running for the Jackson City Council. The Republican displays focused on bigger races, McCain and Palin and Congressman Dan Lungren’s reelection bid, along with Jack Sieglock for Assembly, who faces Democrat Alyson Huber in the District 3 race.

By Jennifer Wilson -

Daniel Lindecker, a local boy scout who completed a whopping 528 hours of community service this summer, received a Block “A” Community Block Service Award at Wednesday’s School District Board meeting. Lindecker, who started scouting as a Cub Scout, volunteered at a number of summer events, including Camp Winton, helping younger boys learn new skills and complete activities, and the advancement ceremonies of area Cub Scouts, to name a few. Superintendent Dick Glock praised Lindecker’s hard work in the community and said, “We are very proud of you.” Glock added that the most hours he has seen were “about 177,” and that 528 hours was quite an accomplishment. Lindecker enjoys helping others, and noted an outdoor event at which he helped other scouts learn to fish. “Some of them had never even been fishing. They were really excited.” Daniel’s older brother Patrick is also involved in scouts and was just advanced to an Eagle Scout this past weekend. Boy Scouts help boys in grades 6 through 11 to build character, respect for others and themselves, and learn about their world and interacting with others. There is also Cub Scouts, for younger boys in grades 1 through 5, and for older boys, Venturing, which is for boys and girls age 14 to 20. Amador County has a number of packs and troops under the Golden Empire Council. For more information about scouting or to find a troop near you, call Jim Duncan at 209-274-2980, or Tom Harris at 209-402-9958.

TSPN TV is celebrating twenty years as Amador County’s premier source for local television news, information and entertainment. Owned and operated by Tom and Sue Slivick, the homegrown operation has grown to a cast and crew of over 25 individuals. Our station now fills a spacious studio located at 206A North Main St. in downtown Jackson. “Not many small rural communities have the opportunity to have their own commercial TV station that continuously provides vital information that is so valuable to a community,” says Sue Slivick. This popular digital enterprise is a commercial venture, funded by advertising and sponsorships from businesses, and supporters like The Halvorson Family of Dealerships, who has advertised with TSPN and sponsored The Game of the Week, continuously, for the past 20 years. Many local businesses find TSPN to be an easy, affordable venue for advertising. The TSPN news team works to provide informative, fair and balanced reporting. Whether watched on TV or online TSPN delivers you the very best in local news, information and entertainment. TSPN is seen on Comcast Cable, Volcano Vision and easily accessible online at www.tspntv.com.

By Jim Reece -

The Sutter Creek Planning Commission met last Wednesday and commented on another six chapters of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort Draft Environmental Impact Report. A laundry list of categories drew some public comment and remarks from the commission. In the public services and facilities element, staff found the EIR sufficient in that, like the city’s General Plan requires, Gold Rush will pay its fair share of new, improved or expanded public services and facilities. Likewise, the developers will fund improvements to the collection and treatment systems to keep pace with needs. In the safety element, Anders Hauge, consultant for the city, said that no open mine shafts were found on the Gold Rush property, but they would go look again just to be sure. The General Plan requires capping any such shafts. Staff found that sufficient soil investigation had been completed at the site. Staff also found that FEMA had not designated the site a 100-year flood plain. The report said “Hilly topography and drainage within existing swales, Stony Creek, and tributaries within the site minimize the potential for flooding.” Findings also said the project will control peak flow runoff such that it does not significantly add to flooding hazards. Chairman of the commission Robin Peters asked about language placing fire hydrants in wildland fire areas of the property. Hauge said the intent was to get hydrants out in some of the hundreds of acres of open space areas, to meet fire suppression requirements in the General Plan. The project will provide peak fire flows of 1,500 gallons per minute. On the noise element, Commissioner Mike Kirkley said that constraints of the project put conflicting land uses – housing – close to the noise of the existing SPI wood mill in the area. A consultant for Gold Rush said the comment gives them reason to go back to the noise data, decibel readings, to see if the mill was operating on that day. The Commission still needs to go through the EIR’s housing element, at a meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, then it will discuss changes and recommendations at later meetings scheduled through February 2009.

Staff Report -

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department are collaboratively investigating several vehicle burglaries which have occurred in the Jackson and Pine Grove area. During one of the burglaries, the suspects stole credit cards, which were subsequently utilized in a business in Martell. Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies recovered surveillance video of the subjects utilizing the stolen credit cards. The male and female subjects depicted in the photographs are wanted for questioning. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the male subject or his female companion are asked to contact Detective Tom Rayzor or Detective Luke McElfish of the Amador County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 223-6500, Detective Chris Mynderup of the Jackson Police Department at (209) 223-1771 or the Secret Witness Program at (209) 223-4900.