Amador County – Amador County Highway Patrol Officers assisted in a high-speed pursuit last Saturday that originated in Stockton and eventually ended in Calaveras County. The pursuit began on Highway 99 near Woodbridge Road after a San Joaquin County CHP Officer noticed Stockton resident Stephen Earl Wise, 50, driving recklessly. According to the official arrest report, Wise did not stop when prompted and the pursuit entered Amador County at Highway 88. Amador CHP units took over the pursuit of Wise, which passed through Jackson and continued down Highway 49 into Calaveras County. At times the chase exceeded 100 miles per hour. Wise veered off on Neilsen Road, where he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. Responding Calaveras CHP Officers tazed and subdued Wise when he resisted arrest. Wise was suspected to be under the influence of drugs and was charged on multiple felony counts. It was later determined that Wise was avoiding arrest because of parole violations. Wise was returned to San Joaquin County where he is being held in the county jail. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – Following huge turnouts at recent town halls in Jackson and Citrus Heights, Congressman Dan Lungren announced Tuesday that he will be holding a district-wide tele-town hall on Thursday, August 27 at 5:30pm. Rough estimates indicate that over 600 people attended the Citrus Heights Town Hall and over 400 people strained to hear the Congressman speak in Jackson last Saturday. Each of these town halls focused on the highly contentious issue of health care reform. The tele-town hall will take place from Lungren’s Gold River Office. Between 175,000 to 200,000 homes will be automatically called in the 3rd Congressional District that night. Residents will be asked if they want to participate then placed in a cue and selected to ask questions of the Congressman. A third in-person town hall meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26 at 2729 Prospect Park Drive in Rancho Cordova beginning at 7pm. Arrangements have been made to accommodate 2000 people. Congressman Lungren serves as Ranking Member on the House Administration Committee in addition to serving on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Amador Regional Planning Committee next week will hear presentations on Jackson and Plymouth municipal wastewater treatment systems and also hear about those 2 cities’ plans for the future. The committee has requested that each member jurisdiction of the Regional Planning Committee present an overview of its wastewater treatment facilities and plans. The intent was to discuss challenges and share solutions related to the treatment and disposal of wastewater, and to seek opportunities to coordinate efforts whenever feasible. Next Wednesday’s meeting will feature presentations on the city of Jackson’s wastewater treatment master plan; and a presentation on the city of Plymouth’s wastewater treatment facilities and plans. In past Planning Committee meetings, staff members from Sutter Creek and from Ione have given presentations on those cities’ wastewater treatment systems. The Planning Committee’s membership includes the Amador County Board of Supervisors, represented by Supervisors Brian Oneto and Board Chairman Ted Novelli. Current committee members are Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy of Sutter Creek; Mayor Connie Gonsalves of Jackson; Novelli and Brian Oneto; Councilwoman Andrea Bonham of Ione; Councilwoman Pat Fordyce of Plymouth; and public member Renee Chapman. Some future agenda items for the Planning Committee include General Plan Update Presentations. Amador County’s update is still in progress. Amador County’s General Plan Panel has met since last October on the project. The Ione Planning Commission 2 weeks ago made a recommendation to the Ione City Council, which will consider its General Plan Update in a meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday. On August 13th, the Plymouth City Council approved its General Plan Update. Plymouth has spent nearly half a million dollars on its update. Other Amador Regional Planning Committee future agenda items include individual presentations on current and proposed wastewater treatment and recycled water distribution facilities and programs. Another is the drafting of a program document supporting the sharing of revenues from major new and relocated commercial developments. Another future agenda item is establishing a system to share personnel and material resources between jurisdictions. Another is recirculation of the updated memorandum of understanding (which created the planning committee). The Amador Regional Planning Committee meets 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 2nd, at the Sutter Creek Community Building on Church Street. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento – State Senator and 1st District representative Dave Cox announced on Tuesday that he is backing GOP candidate Paul Hegyi in his run for the 10th Assembly District seat in 2010. “Paul Hegyi will be a tireless public servant and is an outstanding candidate for the 10th district,” said Cox, adding: “Paul will be a reformer and understands the need to protect California families and businesses from increased taxes and reckless spending, which is what got us where we are today.” “I am proud to have Senator Cox co-chairing my campaign," said Hegyi. “As the Senator representing most of the 10th district, he knows the issues we face and I look forward to working with him as a member of the Legislature.” Cox’s support comes on the heels of endorsements from Assistant Republican Caucus Leader Martin Garrick of San Diego and Senator Tony Strickland, who represents portions of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties. Garrick said Hegyi, “knows what needs to be done to fix the system and is committed to reining in out-of-control state spending.” Hegyi said the current 10th District Assemblywoman, Democrat Alyson Huber, voted for “the largest tax increase in California history” when she backed the February budget and associated tax hikes totaling an estimated $16 billion. He also said she refused to rein in out of control public employee pensions. “The current mess in Sacramento could have been prevented if our elected leaders would have the courage to make tough decisions. Unfortunately, Alyson Huber has chosen to leverage the future of our state and push those tough decisions off to future legislators,” said Hegyi. Hegyi is currently serving as chief staff to Assemblyman Van Tran and made an unsuccessful bid for the same seat in 2008. As of early July, he had raised nearly four times as much campaign money as his primary opponent, Lodi Republican Jack Seiglock. The 10th Assembly District was narrowly won by Huber after a heated campaign battle with Sieglock last fall. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - An estimated crowd of 400 people filled and surrounded the Jackson Civic Center on Saturday morning to hear Congressman Dan Lungren give his take on the highly contentious topic of health care reform. TSPN was on hand to record the town hall meeting, which will be playing all week during the “Our Sports Show” segment. Lungren, a Republican who represents the 3rd Congressional District, spoke against health care legislation pushed for by President Obama and many Democrats, which includes the idea of a public option. He said it would be a slippery slope towards a government takeover of the country’s private health care system. Lungren’s words were met with a combined chorus of cheers and boos from the divided crowd in attendance. Although Lungren said he favored some reform, he called government-backed healthcare programs a form of “rationing,” and said he supported a more surgical approach. Outside, protestors and supporters of the reform plan paraded back and forth carrying signs. One fervent opponent carried a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, while a number of Democratic supporters waved signs reading “Health Care Can’t Wait” and “Medicare for All.” The majority of those in attendance seemed aligned with Lungren’s views on the matter, although supporters of Obama's healthcare plan turned out in large numbers as well, surprising for a county whose makeup consists mostly of older, retired Republicans. A couple heated arguments sparked outside between reform supporters and those satisfied with the status quo. We have two clips of speakers from the town hall representing both sides of the debate. The first is Amador County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Hartmann, and the second is a union retiree. Check our online programming schedule at tspntv.com to find out when you can watch the debate on TSPN TV. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – For the second consecutive year, Amador County will walk away with major prizes for its California State Fair exhibit thanks to the hard work of builders Kam Merzlak, Doug Westcott and Kurt Todden. Amador County was awarded one of only a handful of gold ribbons and Merzlak’s team won Best Design. The latter award was especially impressive considering stiff competition from other counties and six or seven exhibits constructed by set builders from Universal Studios. Fairgoers are going wild for the exhibit, which consists of a replica of the famous Kennedy Mine headframe and a turning tailing wheel. As if that weren’t impressive enough, the exhibit also includes a running stream and an animatronic gold miner panning for gold. “The more eye-catching it is, the more people will stop,” said Merzlak. So realistic was the display that some judges were convinced Merzlak himself was animated when he made a 90-second presentation on Amador County from atop the 18-foot high headframe replica. Merzlak said visitors have been so interested in the exhibit and what Amador County has to offer that they have already handed out literature to over 1000 people. “We wanted to replicate the Kennedy Mine experience for visitors to the Fair, and I think we succeeded,” said Merzlak. Financial backing for the project was provided in part by the Board of Supervisors, Stan Lukowicz, the Sutter Creek Promotions Committee, Sue Underwood, Sharyn Brown and Debbie Dunn. The Amador County Kennedy Mine exhibit will be on display at the State Fair until Monday, September 7. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – One of 9 members of the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, the Amador Water Agency learned earlier this month that the regional Joint Power Authority could qualify for some regional project funding. Funding is coming from a revision to the “Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act,” which took effect in March. If the state approves the Upper Moke Authority’s application to be an approved regional organization to run projects, it could qualify for some of the $5.83 billion in Proposition 84 funding. Upper Moke Authority Executive Officer Rob Alcott told the AWA board August 13th that the state water board is not looking at non-regional projects, and “they’ve put big dollars here to incentivize regional projects.” He said they are using “state money to get regions to work together on solutions.” Alcott said the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority has a list of about 30 projects that he expects the Authority would get reimbursed by the state. That included the probable best project: a leak detection program that Amador and Calaveras county organizations could benefit from. Besides a possible fast-tracking of the Amador-Calaveras leak detection program, Alcott said another early candidate for Prop 84 funding would be a planning grant. The funds in the program total $1.5 billion for water quality and regional water management projects. There is also $928 million for river and lake protection; $580 million for sustainable communities; $450 million for forest and wildlife conservation; and $65 million for water planning and design. AWA Board Chairman Terence Moore asked staff if the agency’s 50 or so projects had been targeted with timelines. Engineering and Planning Manager Gene Mancebo said as money comes available, the agency sees how they fit into those projects. Agency Attorney Steve Kronick said the “pots of money are only going to be provided to regional agencies, not individual agencies.” AWA Director Don Cooper said they hear about resource planning, but he thought they should channel more conservation through the Upper Moke JPA. He said they should also work together toward implementing the “best management practices” for water companies, as required in Assembly Bill 1420. He said regionally, the JPA should realize the power they have as a group. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie agreed, saying the portion of the cost they pay would get smaller, for the same benefits to each agency. Alcott said the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority should hear by September whether it is chosen as an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan select organization, to qualify for funding. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ione – The Ione Planning Commission this month signed off on its work on the city General Plan update, recommending approval of the documents, which will be considered by the Ione City Council Wednesday. Planning staff said the recommendation comes “after a year of planning, public meetings, workshops and input from residents and businesses.” The Ione City Council will consider adopting the updated General Plan and corresponding Environmental Impact Report. The meeting is open to the public, and will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, August 26th at Ione City Hall. Ione’s Planning Commission met earlier this month to review the updated General Plan and EIR after public comments were received over a 45-day review period. City Planner Christopher Jordan in a release last week that “after minor changes to the documents, the commission made a recommendation for the City Council to adopt the updated General Plan and certify the EIR.” Jordan said the General Plan is an official document that will serve as a guide for future development of housing, parks and recreation, transportation, community character, and health and safety in Ione. The EIR analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the General Plan. Once the document is certified, it will become the primary environmental document to evaluate planning and permitting actions associated with projects in the city. Jordan said the “Ione General Plan Update is a blueprint for guiding and developing” Ione’s future, and it “addresses land use, circulation, housing, natural resources, open space, community character, economic development and safety.” He said “community participation and contribution have been essential” as the city has “attempted to preserve (its) history and create a viable and flourishing community that current and future generations will be glad to call home.” See the documents involved with the Ione General Plan Update online at www.ionegeneralplan.com. Also, documents can be seen on file at City Hall, during business hours. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - The Amador County Republican Central Committee announced last Thursday that it will launch a ‘YouTube’ video contest for all Amador County High School Students. A briefing will be held for all interested parties at 3:00 pm PDT, Wed, August 26th at its Martell Plaza Headquarters, Martell Road in Martell. The competition, entitled: “The United States System of Economics: Capitalism or Socialism?,” features cash prizes, exposure on the internet, and a lunch with Congressman Dan Lungren. The Committee said the Judges Panel is made up of Amador County Professionals with a mixture of political affiliations. “The contest is intended to provide students with an educational, enjoyable and unique opportunity to increase their understanding of government's impact on their personal lives,” said Republican Committee Chairman, Dr. Arnie Zeiderman, adding: “We’re really happy to be, perhaps, the first in California to provide this framework and that it will, hopefully, will add value to local and State-wide secondary education.” A full description of the contest, including rules, topic, judging and judges, schedules and more are available at the www.amadorgop.com. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – Amador County Jail inmate Jeffrey Lee Walker was found dead in his cell on Thursday, August 20, according to a release by the Amador County Sheriff’s Department. Undersheriff Jim Wegner said in the release that Walker, 48, of Sacramento “was found having hanged himself from a window grate using a strip of cloth suspected to be torn from a bed sheet.” The discovery came during a routine cell check. Walker had been in custody at the Amador County Jail since June 17 due to an alleged violation of probation. He was originally arrested on August 28, 2007 for possession of a narcotic controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, possession of drug use paraphernalia, and impersonating another to create liability. Walker plead guilty to transportation of a controlled substance in 2008 and was granted probation. He was housed in a cell by himself. “He was one of nineteen inmates housed in a cell block with a Corrections Standards Authority rated capacity of twenty two inmates,” said the release. Detectives from the Amador County Sheriff0Coroner’s Office are conducting the death investigation and have asked the California Department of Justice Bureau of Investigations to conduct an independent review of the investigation. The forensic pathologist examination of Walker will be conducted by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office. The Amador County Sheriff’s Office will also conduct a separate investigation into the incident. Walker’s death is the first to occur in the current Amador County Jail since it opened in 1984. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.