Amador County – The Rancho Arroyo Seco development has donated funds to support the music program at the Ione Elementary School. A favorite of students and teachers, the program serves all students in grades 1-5 with weekly classroom instruction in music theory and appreciation. The program was in jeopardy of being cancelled due to lack of funding, but the donation has enabled it to continue through this school year. The program is taught by music instructors Michelle Hansen and Melissa Johnson. Students are introduced to the Kodaly method of music theory that includes pitch and rhythm as well as composing, singing and improvising. They express this learning with instruments such as rhythm sticks, cymbals and tambourine. This is the second school year that the program has been in place. School Principal Laurie Amick summed it up, saying, “Students need the arts such as music to discover and expand their world and enhance their ability to learn and express. As a former music teacher, I am very pleased this program is part of our student’s curriculum.” Rancho Arroyo Seco managing partner Bill Bunce and ranch manager Tom Swett attended a music session in Mrs. Edward’s second grade classroom last week. “It is such a pleasure to see first hand, students so engaged and enjoying this worthwhile program.” said Bunce. The students in Mrs. Edward’s classroom presented Bunce and Swett with a personal thank you note on chart paper and signed by each student. He continued, “Rancho Arroyo Seco is very pleased to be able to contribute to this program, and to see the results of that effort touching so many students.” For more information on this program, contact Ione Elementary School. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County Business – Sierra Pacific Industries announced Monday that it will close 2 of its sawmills, making it the third such announcement for SPI this month. SPI on March 2nd announced that it would be closing a mill in Quincy in May. On Monday, the Sonora and Camino plant closures were announced. All three closures were based, in part, on reduced harvests in national forests. SPI spokesman Mark Pawlicki earlier this month said the Quincy closure came about because of the “reduced availability of national forest timber resulting from litigation,” which “forced SPI to transport logs over long distances at greater cost to keep the mill running.” Quincy manager Matt Taborski said the “environmental litigation has not only reduced the mill’s raw material supply, but also increased the risk of wildfires in the area.” On Monday, Pawlicki said SPI will also close a biomass-fueled electric power plant in Sonora, along with the mill there, affecting 146 employees in Sonora. The Camino closure will affect 164 workers, and the Quincy closure affected 150 workers. Pawlicki said approximately 160 people in Quincy “will remain employed at the large-log facility and biomass electric generation plant” in Quincy. SPI said the “difficult lumber market combined with reduced timber harvests on nearby national forest lands and state regulatory burdens were the primary drivers behind the decision to close the plants” in Sonora and Camino. The Camino plant will operate until about June 12th, Pawlicki said, and the Sonora sawmill and power plant will be open “until sometime in mid-July to deplete existing log decks.” Reasons for the two closures announced Monday included a “downturn in new home construction,” which has “reduced both the demand for lumber and the price,” Pawlicki said. And “there has been a fall-off in the amount of national forest and private timber for sale” in those areas, “causing uncertainty of supply.” He said the “Timber Harvest Plan” review process complexity and cost have “dramatically” slowed plan approvals. He said a “short timeframe” in current law limits harvests and “forces landowners to harvest timber, even in bad markets.” And he said “litigation of national forest timber sales by environmental organizations has put over 400 million board feet of potential sales on hold.” Workers at the Sonora and Camino millworkers are represented by the Carpenter’s Industrial Council union, and were notified of the mill closures on Monday. SPI said it will consider affected employees for other job opportunities within the company for those interested in relocating or transferring. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Senator Dave Cox, whose district covers the Northeastern part of the state, issued the following statement after Sierra Pacific Industries announced the closures of sawmills in Camino, Sonora and Quincy: “The closure of these sawmills is devastating to the workers and the families who depend on these jobs,” said Cox. “It is especially disheartening to know that these closures account for almost half of the jobs in each of the local communities.” Cox added, “In the rural County of Plumas, the unemployment rate is already at 18.9 percent – fourth highest in the state. With California’s economic crisis, this announcement could not come at a worse time for workers of these sawmills.” In last month’s budget negotiations, Cox met with the Governor and legislative leaders several times. Cox argued that the state needed to begin to end the stranglehold placed on job providers in order to create job opportunities. Specifically, Cox asked that the state revise its timber harvest laws with a Timber Harvest Plan/Forest Conservation Plan to allow professional foresters to manage California’s forests and allow for proper thinning. “With California facing the highest unemployment rate in over a decade, my goal in budget negotiations was to create a more job-friendly environment so people can go back to work. I was told that my recommendations were too extreme,” he said. Sierra Pacific Industries also announced the closure of a sawmill in Tuolumne County affecting 146 workers and their families. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Board of Supervisors heard a pitch Tuesday from supporters of Assembly Bill 648, which would authorize rural hospitals to directly employ physicians to provide medical services. It would also require a rural hospital to develop and implement a policy regarding the independent medical judgment of the physician. The Existing California Health and Safety code requires the department to provide expert technical assistance to “high-risk rural hospitals.” AB 648 would allow hospitals to be more proactive in directly recruiting and hiring doctors. The bill was introduced by Assembly Members Wesley Chesbro and Sandre Swanson, and is now before the California Legislature. “Physicians coming out of medical school are hesitant about the risks of operating their own business,” said Anne Platt, Sutter Amador Hospital CEO. “If a hospital is able to employ a physician, it can provide security and health insurance that would be difficult to obtain otherwise,” she added. The bill itself states that many hospitals in the state are having great difficulty recruiting and retaining physicians. There is a shortage of physicians in rural communities across California. Dr. Bob Hartmann, a hospital physician and resident at Health and Human Services, said the average medical student coming out of training owes $147,000 and is reluctant to set up in rural areas. Furthermore, 90 percent go into larger, more established groups like Kaiser Permanente, he said. Supervisor Brian Oneto questioned whether physicians would lose their autonomy or remain happy under the umbrella of the hospital. Platt said she had “never seen that situation” and “if there were a situation where a physician were being dictated to, the physician would leave.” Also on hand was a representative from the Amador County Commission on Aging who said attracting quality care to our area was all the more important because we have one of the highest county populations over age 65. Platt and Hartmann warned of resistance from the California Medical Association, although the group has not stated a position on the bill. A motion in support of the bill was passed 4-0, with Supervisor Oneto abstaining because he wanted to confer with doctors. 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 on Thursday morning will consider a staff report asking that it send letters to various regional entities to hold comments on a potential Pardee Lake expansion, pending results of more studies. General Manager Jim Abercrombie will ask the AWA board to consider sending letters to the East Bay Municipal Utilities District board and also Jackson City Council explaining AWA’s position on the proposals that are part of East Bay MUD’s “2040” water management plan. Abercrombie will submit for approval draft letters to the 2 groups, with copies of the letter to Jackson to also be sent to mayors of Ione, Plymouth, Sutter Creek and Amador City; and Amador County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ted Novelli. The letter to Jackson would answer a letter from Jackson City Council asking AWA to “urge East Bay MUD to adopt higher conservation levels in its 2040 Water Supply Management Plan instead of expanding Pardee Reservoir.” Abercrombie in a staff memo to the AWA board said he expects East Bay MUD to do appropriate environmental work, and he also urged the AWA board to send a letter to East Bay MUD encouraging that they answer all comments from a meeting AWA hosted last week on the 2040 plan. Abercrombie also would urge future meetings on the plan be held in Amador and also Calaveras and Alpine counties. In the memo, Abercrombie notes that the AWA is “responsible to provide water supply to the land use agencies like the city of Jackson.” He said the agency drafted a “comprehensive water demand projection,” which forecasts the need for 20,000 feet more of additional water supply to meet Amador County needs, based on projected growth. In the memos and in the draft letters, Abercrombie noted that the AWA was the lead agency the last few years in developing the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, which lists potential future projects that include expansion of dams at Bear River Reservoir and Pardee Lake. Both would be used to increase surface water for Amador’s water supply, while reducing rain runoff and adding to surface water, which San Joaquin County could inject into its aquifer for storage. Abercrombie noted that partners in the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, included Calaveras County Water District, the cities of Jackson and Ione, and the Amador County Board of Supervisors. He said all members approved the IRWMP agreement, which included the Pardee and Bear River lake expansions. AWA meets 9 a.m. Thursday to consider the item and other matters on its regular agenda. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State - The Sacramento-area unemployment rate has jumped to 10.8 percent, according to data released last Friday by California’s Employment Development Department. That’s a loss of 4,000 jobs in the Sacramento metro area during the month of February, most of which occurred in the retail sector. This latest round of job losses has now pushed unemployment to another record high since 1990, up from 10.4 percent in January. The biggest decline came in nonfarm payroll positions, where 116,000 jobs were lost. Statistics released in late January 2009 by California State University, Sacramento, estimate that the jobless rate in Amador County will rise significantly. The annual average Unemployment Rate for Amador County in 2008 was 7.7 percent, up from the 2007 rate of 5.9 percent. The forecast for 2009, based on actual data through December, 2008, is a two percentage point increase to 9.8 percent. According to different data from the Employment Development Department, Amador County suffers from an 11.9 percent unemployment rate, accounting for 2,180 people out of work in February 2009. The total estimated Amador labor force is approximately 18,370. State government officials are warning that the tempo of layoffs is also speeding up. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he is depending on the success of national policies to boost employment and stabilize housing and banking. The good economic news, according to economist and Asian trade expert Sung Won Sohn at Cal State Channel Islands, is the assurance of federal aid from the Obama stimulus package and the Federal Reserve's move this week to ease credit. California’s employers led the nation in mass layoffs in February as the state's unemployment rate hit 10.5 percent, the highest level since April 1983. Big corporations, which must file mandatory government reports every time they lay off at least 50 people, gave pink slips to 45,557 Californians last month. Last month's national rate was 8.1%. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Hundreds of California High School rodeo riders and their families and fans filled the Plymouth arena at the Amador County Fair Grounds last weekend for three days of championship competition. The 2009 Challenge of Champions Rodeo opened 7 a.m. last Friday and contestants from the 9 high school districts around the state competed in 12 different categories of rodeo. The Challenge of Champions is the annual sanctioned championship of the California high School Rodeo Association, and has been in existence for 36 years, including the last 12 years in Plymouth’s Benny Brown Arena. The event was sponsored by major Amador County local sponsors, the Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel & Conference Center. Craig Williams of Plymouth was rodeo director of the Challenge of Champions. Each year, competitors fill the 49er Village campsites, and camp out in the back parking areas of the fairgrounds. The competitions included boys and girls cutting, bull riding, steer wrestling, pole bending, barrel racing, tie down roping and goat tying. Other categories were breakaway roping, saddle bronco riding, bareback riding and team roping. Incahoots Barbecue Restaurant catered the rodeo. Amador County Fair CEO Troy Bowers offered a “salute to the parents, officials, friends, sponsors and relatives who give of themselves to help our youth.” He said: “As everyone knows, the fast times and high scores don’t just happen. So to those behind the scenes who don’t get the buckle, a tip of the hat.” CHSRA President Deston Dishio gave a thank-you to Challenge Rodeo Director Craig Williams for “countless hours of hard work to make this rodeo happen.” She also thanked the Jackson Rancheria, and at of the riders’ personal sponsors and their parents, who probably made the trip a possibility for many of them. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - A suspected drunk driver sustained injuries while resisting arrest during a battle with Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies in Pioneer last Sunday. Acting on a tip, Sheriff’s deputies initially began following the driver who was believed to be operating a car while under the influence. As the driver passed through Pioneer, the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver continued on and pulled into the parking lot near the Pioneer Resort Hotel. He then exited the vehicle, ignoring orders by the deputy to stay put. According to Sheriff reports, the driver exhibited aggression and fearing the vehicle’s passenger may also get involved, the deputy called for backup. Officers from the Sheriff's office, CHP and US Forest Service arrived on scene. According to eye witness reports, the driver was aggressively resisting arrest and had to be physically subdued by deputies, during the fight, the driver sustained lacerations to his hands and arms, but medics on the scene determined that the injuries were not critical. A large amount and array of alcohol was found in the vehicle. The driver faces a list of charges including assault on an officer, resisting arrest and DUI. The passenger may be charged with public intoxication. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Ione Recreation Commission will see the “Conservation & Open Space” and also “Circulation” Elements of the city’s General Plan update today. Staff reports to the commission this week included a memo from Daniel Hamilton of Pacific Municipal Consultants, and a summary of the elements, along with drafts of each. The Conservation and Open Space document includes a Vision Statement, Related Plans and its relationship to other elements, along with goals, policies and action items. Hamilton said the major issues covered “include agriculture, air quality, flooding, land reclamation, land use, minerals, recreation, scenic resources, soil conservation, a trails system, water supply, and wildlife.” Hamilton said the element included “policies to create a trails system throughout Ione, preserve creeks and wetland areas, protect environmentally sensitive areas and biological resources, and protect water quality.” The element contains “Major Policies of Interest,” which Hamilton said “are among the areas most discussed by the Executive Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council,” in their work on the Conservation and Open Space Element. Policy includes coordination “with relevant State and local agencies, property owners, and local interest groups to restore, enhance, and preserve creeks in and around the city of Ione.” The policy says that “Public and private projects shall be required to avoid impacts to wetlands if feasible. If avoidance is not feasible, projects shall achieve no net loss of wetlands, consistent with state and federal regulations.” Actions include requiring “setbacks and buffers for all development within areas containing wetlands or for development which will occur adjacent to wetlands or waterways.” City Manager Kim Kerr reported that the “General Plan is proceeding to be completed on time in August,” and “staff wanted to provide copies of relevant elements, such as Circulation and Conservation and Open Space, for review and comment by commissioners.” She said “commissioners should provide any comments they have so (staff) can ensure that they get incorporated. The elements are preliminary draft plans that will be going through the approval process in the next few months, but staff wanted to allow the commissioners the time to review and comment. The commission – made up of Russell Baldwin, Rosemary Johnson, Mark Lively, Laurie Lord and Fraser West – also is likely to select a new chair and vice chair for the upcoming year. The Rec Commission meets at 6 p.m. today at Ione City Hall. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Erratic and rainy weather patterns darkened the skies over Amador County, but the end-of-winter gales were not enough to bring rainfall back to normal levels. In the upcountry, residents reported a variety of weather patterns, from heavy snowfall to hail. Local measurements indicate that rainfall in Amador County is now approximately 82 percent of normal. Rainfall in the Sacramento region as a whole is now 76 percent of normal, according to climatology reports by the National Weather Service. About a tenth of an inch of rain fell in downtown Sacramento on Sunday, while other areas reported four-hundredths of an inch. Sunny skies and warmer temperatures will continue this week. The good news is that there was a significant amount of snowfall in the Sierras, which makes up the majority of year round water supplies in our reservoirs. From 1 1/2 to 2 feet of snow fell at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort and in the Soda Springs area. The same levels were predicted at Kirkwood Ski Report. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.