Jackson - Local filmmaker Sue Wilson’s documentary “Broadcast Blues,” described on its website as the “movie the media doesn’t want you to see,” is being shown by the Amador Democratic Party as part of their dinner and a movie night. The film tackles “corporate media growth and consolidation, deregulation, the Fairness Doctrine, manipulation of news content, indecency, the importance of broadcast Localism, how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) responds to citizens who commission it- and more,” says Randy Bayne, Chair of the Amador County Democratic Central Committee. Wilson, a 22 year veteran of the journalism industry, has always been concerned with the growing control media giants have over the airwaves. “I saw what was happening to real people and to society and journalism as a result of bad policies and said ‘No more’,” Wilson told the Sacramento Bee in March. Specific to her film, Wilson examines Clear Channel Communications monopoly of publicly owned airwaves and a court ruling allowing Fox News to broadcast news that does not have to be true, according to her website. “I think people feel disempowered," said Wilson. “People need to feel [that] they’re powered. Policy makers only change laws and rules when the public stands up and starts to scream.” The documentary earned Wilson top prize at the Sacramento International Film Festival, leading to appearances on nationally syndicated talk shows and mentions at the Huffington Post. On a local level, Sue has appeared publicly to promote her film, including at the County Fair this year. “What’s really great about Sue Wilson living in Amador County is that she is going to join us for the showing of her movie,” said Bayne. The Amador Democratic Party Dinner and a Movie event takes place Friday, October 16 from 6-9:30pm at Thomi’s Banquet Room, 627 South Highway 49 in Jackson. The event includes a Spaghetti Dinner and a showing of “Broadcast Blues.” You must RSVP. For more information on the event, call 257-1397. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – A Sutter Creek committee of volunteers got an early boost on plans to tend the city Gateway Park at the junction of the Highway 49 Bypass and Old Highway 49. Amador County Supervisor Louis Boitano pledged to give part of his discretionary funds for the project. Organizer Ed Arata gave the Sutter Creek City Council a presentation on the committee’s formation last week, when 8 people gathered at the Gateway Park to talk about the park’s upkeep. Arata said the core group last week wanted to form a long-term standing volunteer committee to take on Gateway and other city landscape projects. He said: “I’m amazed at how fast this came together.” Mayor Gary Wooten said the committee was a “great idea” and he will volunteer to help if he is in town when work is done. Arata said some of the volunteers were residents of the nearby mobile home park, who were tired of looking at the weeds at the park. He said they identified goals and decided to ask the city council for liability clearance for the group to work on the city park. Arata said Dee Kennard of Sutter Creek will head the committee, which will be under the direction of Kathleen Lynch of Amador City. Lynch is the landscaping architect who designed the Gateway Park, which was built last year. But Arata said the “city has been unable to maintain this site due to budget and manpower constraints.” Arata said the group laid out plans for the site and possible future projects. They plan to pull weeds and get them off the site, apply a pre-emergent chemical at the site before winter, and find a rough estimate of costs for chemicals, mulch and parts for an irrigation system. Arata said the costs were estimated at $1,500 to $2,000 per year. After he spoke, Supervisor Boitano took the podium and said he will “commit $2,000 out of my recreation fund so you won’t have to worry about money for the Gateway Park.” The recreation funds can be dispensed at his discretion in District 4. Other work includes checking and repairing an irrigation system, surveying plant loss and getting an estimate for plant replacement. He said they would seek an undetermined source of funding from donations or local service groups, to keep the committee working on projects. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – A Sutter Creek committee of volunteers got an early boost on plans to tend the city Gateway Park at the junction of the Highway 49 Bypass and Old Highway 49. Amador County Supervisor Louis Boitano pledged to give part of his discretionary funds for the project. Organizer Ed Arata gave the Sutter Creek City Council a presentation on the committee’s formation last week, when 8 people gathered at the Gateway Park to talk about the park’s upkeep. Arata said the core group last week wanted to form a long-term standing volunteer committee to take on Gateway and other city landscape projects. He said: “I’m amazed at how fast this came together.” Mayor Gary Wooten said the committee was a “great idea” and he will volunteer to help if he is in town when work is done. Arata said some of the volunteers were residents of the nearby mobile home park, who were tired of looking at the weeds at the park. He said they identified goals and decided to ask the city council for liability clearance for the group to work on the city park. Arata said Dee Kennard of Sutter Creek will head the committee, which will be under the direction of Kathleen Lynch of Amador City. Lynch is the landscaping architect who designed the Gateway Park, which was built last year. But Arata said the “city has been unable to maintain this site due to budget and manpower constraints.” Arata said the group laid out plans for the site and possible future projects. They plan to pull weeds and get them off the site, apply a pre-emergent chemical at the site before winter, and find a rough estimate of costs for chemicals, mulch and parts for an irrigation system. Arata said the costs were estimated at $1,500 to $2,000 per year. After he spoke, Supervisor Boitano took the podium and said he will “commit $2,000 out of my recreation fund so you won’t have to worry about money for the Gateway Park.” The recreation funds can be dispensed at his discretion in District 4. Other work includes checking and repairing an irrigation system, surveying plant loss and getting an estimate for plant replacement. He said they would seek an undetermined source of funding from donations or local service groups, to keep the committee working on projects. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Amador County Transportation Commission announced an October schedule to start its 2010 Regional Transportation Plan Update. 4 public meetings, starting October 20th in Plymouth, will take public input for the update. ACTC Executive Director Charles Field told a Sutter Creek traffic ad hoc committee last week that the commission’s Computer Mapping Exercise tool, the CMX, may not be the solution for Sutter Hill. He said no Martell businesses pay CMX fees, because Amador County Supervisors did not require participation. Field said ACTC’s Regional Transportation Plan needs to be updated and is being updated. Foothill Conservancy’s Tom Infusino said ACTC had a great idea with the CMX, if it was approved “up front.” But the Martell developments do not participate. Field said the ACTC board of directors was worried about the CMX, that, “if we get this wrong, we’ll have the worst rural county in the state.” Councilman Pat Crosby, an ACTC board member, said “we are all trying to do the same thing, and that is to take care of traffic in this area.” He asked about putting Allen Ranch Road into the CMX matrix, because it “is the only road that decreases traffic in this area.” Field said Allen Ranch Road is not currently part of the CMX and he was “not sure it ever will be.” He said they could add more work, money and partners, but he wants to “finish swallowing the bite that we’ve taken,” then they can do Airport Road and Allen Ranch Road. He said “let’s finish the essential Martell area first.” Field said the next step of CMX is to lower its scope and “support alternate routes” to ease traffic and “avoid 7-lane intersections.” The Regional Transportation Plan update includes public meetings October 20th in Plymouth, October 22nd in Jackson, October 27th in Pine Grove, and October 28th in Ione. ACTC planner Neil Peacock invited said it will plan for the “region’s future transportation needs.” He said the Regional Traffic Plan will “forecast future traffic demands based on anticipated growth throughout the region, in order to plan infrastructure needed to avoid congestion.” He said it is “ACTC's primary responsibility to implement and regularly update the RTP in order to plan, prioritize, and fund transportation improvements of regional significance.” ACTC staff plan to have a group of “citizens and stakeholders” recommend “policies and priorities.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - Local filmmaker Sue Wilson’s documentary “Broadcast Blues,” described on its website as the “movie the media doesn’t want you to see,” is being shown by the Amador Democratic Party as part of their dinner and a movie night. The film tackles “corporate media growth and consolidation, deregulation, the Fairness Doctrine, manipulation of news content, indecency, the importance of broadcast Localism, how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) responds to citizens who commission it- and more,” says Randy Bayne, Chair of the Amador County Democratic Central Committee. Wilson, a 22 year veteran of the journalism industry, has always been concerned with the growing control media giants have over the airwaves. “I saw what was happening to real people and to society and journalism as a result of bad policies and said ‘No more’,” Wilson told the Sacramento Bee in March. Specific to her film, Wilson examines Clear Channel Communications monopoly of publicly owned airwaves and a court ruling allowing Fox News to broadcast news that does not have to be true, according to her website. “I think people feel disempowered," said Wilson. “People need to feel [that] they’re powered. Policy makers only change laws and rules when the public stands up and starts to scream.” The documentary earned Wilson top prize at the Sacramento International Film Festival, leading to appearances on nationally syndicated talk shows and mentions at the Huffington Post. On a local level, Sue has appeared publicly to promote her film, including at the County Fair this year. “What’s really great about Sue Wilson living in Amador County is that she is going to join us for the showing of her movie,” said Bayne. The Amador Democratic Party Dinner and a Movie event takes place Friday, October 16 from 6-9:30pm at Thomi’s Banquet Room, 627 South Highway 49 in Jackson. The event includes a Spaghetti Dinner and a showing of “Broadcast Blues.” You must RSVP. For more information on the event, call 257-1397. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek - Effective on the 1st of this month, the City of Sutter Creek adjusted the hours that it will be open to the public. The new hours will be Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am until 5 pm. They will be closed on Friday. This change will impact the public service counter and public phone numbers, but not Public Safety. Emergency Services will still be available. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Oakland – The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), beginning Monday, October 5, began to dramatically increase the amount of water being released into the Mokelumne River from Camanche Reservoir. The flow releases, which will range from 325 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 2,000 cfs and fluctuate through October 19, are in large part to create a “pulse flow” that will hopefully attract salmon to begin spawning in the river. This action is being coordinated with other river and reservoir managers in the south Delta area, also working to improve fish production. EBMUD is posting notices at public access locations and issuing advisories to people along the Mokelumne River below Camanche Reservoir to alert them that there will be much more water coming down the river than there has been during the last three years of drought. EBMUD wants to ensure the safety of the public and those who live and work along the river during this two-week effort to increase fish spawning. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - Four classes of kindergartners from Jackson Elementary paid a visit to the Jackson Fire Department Monday to learn about fire safety. The annual visit coincides with National Fire Prevention Week. TSPN caught up with teacher Kelly Churchill, whose class was the last to visit the site. “Some of them don’t have fire plans at home,” said Churchill. “It’s important that they learn fire safety.” The citizens-in-training were treated to a generous tour of the facility by Tawny Thornhill, Louie Podesta, Robert Grayhouse and Jenny Tremaine, all firefighters. They showed the kids the fire equipment, trucks and most importantly, methods of fire safety. Churchill said her students learned the importance of dialing 9-1-1 and what to do in case of a fire-related emergency. At the end of their tour, students were given pint-sized fire helmets before they posed together in a group photo. They were then treated to cookies courtesy of the firefighters. Said Thornhill: “They are a great group.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sonora - The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors will today consider building a new Superior Court complex southeast of Sonora to be utilized by Amador and Calaveras counties. The total cost of the project was estimated to be $266 million in 2007. It involves moving all court business from the existing historic courthouse in downtown Sonora where court has been held since 1899. It will span across 50 acres and is meant to accommodate growing staff and government facilities. The new complex, titled the Law and Justice Center, will include a new jail and sheriff’s offices to replace the 50-year old existing quarters; offices for the district attorney, public defender and probation departments; a new county headquarters for the California Highway Patrol; and a juvenile detention center that could be built by 2013 using $21 million in funding from the state. This latter facility will be utilized by Amador and Calaveras counties as a way to cut costs associated with sending youth offenders to facilities in the Central Valley. Construction would begin on the juvenile hall. The cost of the new courthouse would be funded by the state because it took over all court functions from the counties. Some Sonora citizens and county employees have criticized the project for its potential impact on downtown businesses and restaurants that have come to rely on money from county employees. The Board will consider the Environmental Impact Report at their meeting today, the first step in a long process towards preliminary approval of a plan that has yet to show exactly where funding will come from. If approved, it is expected to be 20 years before the project is completed. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - If the life-sized purple people around town have caught your attention, then Operation Care is doing its job. The organization has placed 30 silhouettes of women, children, men, and even a dog at various locations around Amador County as a reminder that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The display was inspired by the national “Silent Witness Exhibits” founded in 1990 to honor women who have been murdered as a result of domestic violence. Each silhouette has a different, real life story or situation,” said Operation Care Executive Director Lynn Shield in a release last week. She said there is even a silhouette of a dog protected on a restraining order to reflect new legislation passed on January 1st that allows pets to be protected. Barbara, a program participant, helped to kickoff the campaign by posing with the silhouette that represents her. She is a 42-year-old woman who has lived with abuse since childhood. “My last relationship was almost my death. I was so badly beaten that my left lung is paralyzed and I have no teeth left in my mouth,” she said. Hers is one of the many heartbreaking stories of abuse attached to each of the purple people. But thanks to Operation Care, many of the stories have a silver lining. “Today I have learned to live a new life thanks to Operation Care,” said Barbara. “I have learned that I was the victim and I was a good person,” she said. In addition to the purple silhouettes, posters declaring “Peace Begins at Home” will be distributed throughout Amador County. Included with these are baskets that symbolize courage, survival, honor, and dedication to ending domestic violence. Look for all 30 purple people displays. If you or someone you know needs help, dial 911 or call the 24-hour crisis line at 209-223-2600. Operation Care provides safe shelter for women, men, and children, as well as counseling, support services, crisis intervention, education, and referrals. For more information, to make a contribution, to volunteer your services, or to obtain purple ribbons for your group, office, or organization, please call 209-223-2897. Story by Alex Lane, from a press release This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.