Flu season is in full swing, and with packed emergency rooms across the country, the CDC has declared epidemic status in 49 out of 50 states. That's up from 44 states last week. Karen Woods, Emergency Department Director at Sutter Amador Hospital, is in a unique position to observe how the flu has affected the local population. “We usually have only so many beds and staff and we have to plan for surge capacity,” said Woods. “This (season) we’re receiving 20 percent above our normal volume.” Many experts blame the increase in patients on this season’s flu shot. The vaccine only covered two of the three major strains.

State – Public health officials are working to confirm a possible case of swine flu at a school in Sacramento County. The deadly airborne flu virus which originated in Mexico and has killed as many as 105 people in the Mexico City area has now being detected in at least seven people in California. The federal government issued a public health emergency Sunday to help with the distribution of drugs to treat and prevent spread of the virus to regions most affected. At least 50 people in the United States have been confirmed positive. California state and county public health officials were asking federal authorities Sunday to warn Americans against traveling to Mexico. St. Mel school in Fair Oaks has shut its doors through Wednesday after a seventh grader who recently returned from Cancun fell ill last Wednesday. A group of classmates are also being tested for infection by swine flu. “If we start seeing more cases, and more serious cases, that will require much more serious intervention. It will dictate how aggressive our actions are,” said Gil Chavez, deputy director of the center for infectious diseases at the California Department of Public Health. Even though the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert level in response to the flu in Mexico, the federal government has issued statements saying there is nothing to panic about. “We've been fortunate to have a very mild flu (in the United States), but we may only have seen a fraction of what's out there," said Chavez. Anticipating the flood of concern amongst local residents, Public Health Officials in Amador County have posted information on swine flu on their website, including symptoms and methods of prevention. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission board of directors last week approved 2 resolutions to commence studies on Highway 88 in Pine Grove and on Highway 49 in Plymouth. The expected widening project of Highway 88 has a total cost estimate of $2.27 Million Dollars, while the Plymouth Circulation Improvement Project was approved for $89,105 dollars. Both would conclude next May. Neil Peacock, planner and program manager for both projects, said the Plymouth project included a schedule, starting with forming an oversight committee and a developing public participation program in April and May. June through August will be for data collection and preliminary analysis, and then 3 community meetings in September through November will look at the project overview and general plan policy guidance; land use, traffic & the environment; and then funding strategies. In January 2010, Peacock scheduled a joint “city council and Planning commission meeting” and draft of a plan, with plan revision and a funding program handled next February and March. Next January to April will be used to develop and screen improvement recommendations and alternatives; then the selection of the final alternatives will occur in April and May 2010; with “adoption of the final preferred alternative” in May. Peacock has held outreach meetings with 2 Upcountry grassroots quasi-political groups, the Upcountry Community Council in Pioneer, and the Pine Grove Community Council in Pine Grove, describing the steps in the project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Criminal justice officials from the African country of Rwanda made a visit to Amador County on March 3rd and 4th to observe our system of law and how to best implement that in their home country. This unusual arrangement was made by Howard Mosley, Chief Deputy Inspector General for California and an adjunct professor a McGeorge School of Law. The Rwandan government contacted Mosley to help implement a witness protection program to safeguard witnesses called to testify against those people responsible for the genocide that killed between 800,000 and 1 million Tutsis in 1994. The Tutsi tribe population in that country was almost completely wiped out by opposing Hutus after the Hutu President was assassinated by Tutsi officers, sparking riots. Mosley developed a program for the Rwandan delegation designed to track a fictional case from its initial report to law enforcement to arraignment in Superior Court. “Mr. Mosley believed that the delegation would be more comfortable and learn more by observing the best practices implemented in a smaller agency with limited resources- since that is the reality of Rwanda,” said District Attorney Todd Riebe. The delegation was comprised of Martin Ngoga, Prosecturer General for Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority, Anne Gahongayire, Secretary General of the Rwandan Supreme Court, Stephane Nyembo, Head of the Information Communication Technology Unit and Michael Rukata, First Counselor of the Rwandan Embassy in Washington, D.C. They visited the Sheriff’s office March 3rd for an overview of the Amador law enforcement agency before visiting the District Attorney the next day. Over the two day period, the delegates were informed on everything from preparation of trial exhibits, to the role of the D.A. and the victim witness office, to the utilization of technology systems. In a briefing before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Sheriff Martin Ryan said “it was great having them here and showing them the latest technology. We’ve also been invited to Rwanda.” Riebe summed up his impression of the visit, saying: “It was a humbling experience to get to know people who have endured hardships beyond the imagination and yet have persevered and put themselves in a position where they can make their country a better place to live. Staff Reports, Contributions by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A 16-year-old girl was injured Thursday morning at Amador High School when a pickup truck driven by a parent ran into her. Amador High School Principal Al Van Velzen said it happened at about 8 a.m., before school started. Megan Gregorius, 16, of Pine Grove, a junior at Amador, was hit by a truck and was Transported to Sutter Amador Hospital by ambulance. Van Velzen said “it wasn’t’ an emergency situation.” He said “A parent was driving a car at just low speeds out of our drop-off area and hit her.” He said the pickup truck bumped her. “I don’t think she even fell down.” Van Velzen said she was recovering; and “From what we hear, she has a bruised shoulder and ribs.” He did not want to release the name of the parent and he was not aware of any charges filed. Officer T. Delrio of the Sutter Creek Police Department said “Charges are not going to be filed against the driver. Per witness accounts, he was going at a very, very low speed,” and the girl ran out of the bushes and ran out in front of the truck, which then hit her. Delrio said “she did suffer a couple of broken ribs.” Gregorius “claimed she was run over” by the truck but witnesses at the scene said otherwise. He said it looked like she was coming out of the bushes, running to class, then got hit. She got up to run on to class, Delrio said. The driver, Jason Zysman, 32, of Amador County, told her to stop and lay down because she was just hit by his truck. He told her he is a firefighter or some type of trained first responder, and she said, “help me,” then he helped her, Delrio reported. “She was in quite a bit of pain.” Story by Jim Reece.

California's vast network of reservoirs - which destroyed more than 5,000 miles of salmon habitat when their dams were erected decades ago - could turn out to be a savior for a species on the brink of collapse, according to a newstudy. Those dams store cold water, which the study says will be vital to the salmon's survival as climate change is expected to warm California's rivers."Paradoxically, the very thing that is constraining fish now, we could use those to our advantage," said study author David Yates, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The peer-reviewed paper will appear in a future issue of the Journal of Climatic Change. It comes at a time when the number of salmon returning to spawn in Central Valley rivers, which are crucial to the West Coast stocks, are at historic lows.

Earlier this month, federal fisheries regulators recommended that fishing along California's coast and most of Oregon be suspended for the year. It was the first time the Pacific Fishery Management Council had taken such a drastic step, one that is jeopardizing the $150 million West Coast salmon industry. Unfavorable ocean conditions, habitat destruction, dam operations, agricultural pollution and climate change are among the potential causes. Federal authorities declared the West Coast ocean salmon fishery a failure Thursday, a move that opens the way for Congress to appropriate economic disaster assistance for coastal communities in California, Oregon and Washington. Yates'  research projects that an increase in air temperature of 3.6 degrees to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit could be lethal for the young winter-run and spring-run salmon in the Sacramento River. The increase in water temperatures would vary depending on the depth and flows of the river. Higher water temperatures can be offset if federal water managers preserved the cold water stored behind Shasta Dam, near the head of the Sacramento River, and released it when the salmon head upriver. Salmon that once headed far upstream to cooler, mountain streams are now forced to spawn in valley waters because the dam blocks their path.

According to Menu Foods, the manufacturer of pet food that began recalling that food over contamination issues, their recall is now expanding. The original recall included wet cat and dog food produced with adulterated wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc.  Menu Foods is now expanding the recall to include cuts and gravy and select other products which do not include ChemNutra wheat gluten but which were manufactured at any of Menu Foods’ plants during the period that ChemNutra wheat gluten was used at that plant. The new concern is over the possibility of cross-contamination. Menu Foods has received a report from a customer and has received study results, both of which indicate cross-contamination. As a result, Menu advises the public:-  Additional items in the United States and Canada have been added to the recall list as well.

Amador County – A federal lawsuit was filed last week to block Congressman Dan Lungren’s resolution to engrave “In God We Trust,” and the Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C. Lungren, California's 3rd District representative, including Amador County, said in a release last week that he expected some unfounded opposition, despite a 410-8 vote by Representatives to pass his resolution. He said: “Despite the clear intent of the U.S. Congress, which overwhelmingly passed the resolution, we expected that there might be some frivolous objections.” Lungren said: “It is patently absurd to say that it is unconstitutional to place the National Motto in the (Capitol Visitor Center) when it currently adorns the rostrum of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.” The motto adorns numerous Washington buildings, but it is part of the basis of the suit alleging a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The suit, filed July 14th in the U.S. District Court of western Wisconsin, alleged the terms “In God We Trust,” and “under God,” in the Pledge of Allegiance, when engraved on the walls of the visitor center, will violate the First Amendment. The resolution passed Congress July 9th by a landslide 410-8 vote, and a similar resolution passed in the Senate, sponsored by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. The Freedom From Religion Foundation announced on its website that it had filed a federal lawsuit July 14th “to stop the prominent engraving of ‘In God We Trust’ and the religious Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.” The suit’s plaintiffs, foundation co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, are suing Stephen Ayers, acting Architect of the Capitol, seeking to stop the engraving, on grounds of a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause. In the suit, Barker and Gaylor allege the visitor center is " an extension of the Capitol rather than a stand-alone facility” and is “intended to be … the sole point of entry to the seat of American government." The suit said “the history of the motto ‘In God We Trust’ evidences no secular purpose,” and “was first adopted during the Cold War (in 1956) as a reaction to the purported ‘Godlessness’ of Communism.” It said the motto “excludes and treats as outsiders the millions of adult Americans … who are not religious.” Gaylor and Barker’s suit said “the mandated language diminishes nonbelievers by making god-belief synonymous with citizenship.” Gaylor and Barker said the Freedom From Religion Foundation is an “organizational plaintiff” in the suit. Online, see www.visitthecapitol.gov. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dan Lungren released a statement Friday opposing what he called “the majority’s ill-conceived Cap and Trade legislation,” which he said “will put a cap on the amount of carbon which can be emitted. Companies then buy and sell permits which allow them to emit carbon dioxide.” In a release by e-mail, Lungren, a Republican who represents (District 3, including Amador County), said: “We all can agree that the health of our environment is important. However, this cap and trade bill is not the answer to weaning ourselves off foreign oil or stopping greenhouse gasses.” Lungren said: “Depending on how the system is structured, the Tax Foundation estimates cap and trade could reduce U.S. employment by 965,000 jobs, household earnings by $37.8 billion (dollars), and economic output by $136 billion (dollars) per year or roughly $1,145 (dollars) per household.” Lungren pointed out that Warren Buffet last week repeated criticism of cap and trade as a method to control pollution, saying it would be “a huge, regressive tax.” Lungren said: “President Obama himself explained in 2008” that under his “plan of a cap and trade system, the electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Coal power plants, natural gas, you name it, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. That money will be passed on to their consumers.” Lungren said “Manufacturers will ship their plants to countries with less stringent environmental safeguards, hurting American workers and the environment.” He said “During these difficult economic times, higher energy prices and massive job losses are the last thing American families need.” He said “The United States has the technological know how to create cleaner ways to power our economy. We can increase our use of nuclear power, produce more natural gas and find a cleaner way to use our most abundant natural resource, coal.” Lungren said his “constituents deserve better than this massive national energy tax,” and he said he would “continue to fight for a comprehensive energy solution that creates jobs, makes energy more affordable, helps clean up the environment, and ensures our energy independence.” He said he would “oppose any effort to impose a national energy tax on working families.” Congressman Dan Lungren serves as Ranking Member on the House Administration Committee in addition to serving on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – About 175 people in all participated in the Amador County branch of the 2009 PUSH America Journey of Hope bicycle ride and luncheon at Saint Sava mission Tuesday morning in Jackson. About 60 national members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, from colleges and universities all over the country, rode into Amador County from Sacramento in the early stages of their cross-country ride to reach out to communities, organizations, and people with disabilities. ARC of Amador Executive Director Mike Sweeney and about 120 people, including his staff members and ARC participants greeted the riders, who set out Sunday from the Golden Gate Bridge on the cross-country ride, called “Journey of Hope.” The destination is Washington D.C., and the ride is to raise awareness and funding for people with disabilities. ARC, which assists people with disabilities in the community of Amador County, has been a host organization and fundraising beneficiary of Journey of Hope and its Pi Kappa Phi bicyclists for 21 years now. The fraternity has several philanthropic events under its PUSH America program. On Tuesday, Sweeney greeted the riders and their pace vans and treated them to a hotdog lunch on the picnic tables at Saint Sava Mission. Sweeney said in Nevada, the 60 or so riders and their assisting vans will split into a northern route group and a southern route group. He said it was a good way for the program to spread the word to more communities and also to assist more communities. Push America’s website said the group “has been cycling all across the country on behalf of people with disabilities since 1988.” PUSH America has visited more than 30 states, and the “cycling events are carrying with them a message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities.” 2 of the group’s team events, Gear Up Florida and the Journey of Hope, “provide grant funding to partnering organizations, through an application process, located in the cities we visit.” For information online, see PUSHAmerica.org. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.