Jackson – Judge David S. Richmond set a $3 million dollar bail last Friday during an arraignment on information in the case of Kenneth John Zimmerman. Zimmerman is accused of murder after his neighbor O’Sullivan was shot dead in a dispute in Fiddletown on August 16, 2009. In a packed courtroom that included supporters of Zimmerman and O’Sullivan’s family, Public Defender Richard Cotta and Deputy District Attorney Stephen Hermanson made their final arguments before Zimmerman’s trial date was set. Zimmerman, who was present in the courtroom, again entered a plea of “not guilty” to charges including murder and false imprisonment after he allegedly blocked O’Sullivan’s wife, Krista Clem, from leaving the property and threatened her life. Stephenson said another search warrant was executed by the District Attorney earlier that week during which an additional shell casing was discovered that sheds new light on the case. The main focus of the arraignment centered on whether Zimmerman should be allowed the opportunity to be set free on bail. Judge Richmond said he felt “some bail should be set” since the court noted no special circumstances for Zimmerman to face “life without parole or death.” Cotta argued that the “court has a difficult time finding that there is a substantial likelihood of harm” against Clem and her four children. He disputed various accusations against his client, such as a 9-1-1 call Zimmerman made in which he said he was going to shoot O’Sullivan. Cotta said that took place after the actual shooting. Cotta said the autopsy report shows the bullets in O’Sullivan were fired laterally and called any inference that O’Sullivan was shot in the back “simply wrong.” Cotta said “(Zimmerman) wants his jury trial; he looks forward to it” and “it’s not murder until the jury says its murder.” Cotta said “there’s been no finding that these charges are true, (and they are) a mere presumption.” Hermanson countered that “the defense is continuing to ask the court to engage in speculation.” He said Zimmerman “represents a substantial risk of harming Ms. Clem in this case” when considering the alleged threat he made against her life. Hermanson asked that Clem and her daughter Lydia, both present throughout the arraignment, be allowed to speak as victims, a right granted under Marsy’s Law, which guarantees victims rights to participate in certain court proceedings. Cotta disputed this, asking if the defense could call people to speak on Zimmerman’s behalf, but was overruled by Richmond. Cotta argued that the “presentation of a minor appeals to the sympathy…of jurors.” This was also disputed by a Zimmerman supporter in the audience who was ejected from the courtroom by a bailiff after speaking aloud twice. Krista Clem, wearing dark sunglasses, told the court her “kids were having nightmares” and she believed Zimmerman “would have no qualms whatsoever about killing me.” She said O’Sullivan’s family in Ireland concurs with her statement. Her daughter Lydia Clem pleaded with the court not to let Zimmerman out of jail because he threatened her in the past and yelled at her “the day my daddy died.” She said her “daddy was the only protection for the family and now he’s gone.” Richmond said Zimmerman could serve from 61 years and 4 months to life in state prison if convicted. The trial date was set for mid-January. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County School District board and Superintendent Dick Glock were lambasted Wednesday for allegedly failing to investigate hate crimes and the harassment against Justin Zysman, a Jewish student at Amador High School. Barry Broad, speaking on behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Sacramento region, and a crowd of angry parents crowded the conference room at the Amador County Unified School District building to address the “serious situation this board is in now.” Justin Zysman also spoke before the board and broke down in tears when discussing an incident in which the words “Burn Jew, burn” were etched into his locker. One parent said those words were left there for 13 months and a swastika was carved into Zysman’s desk. Before the meeting, the board was served with a lawsuit by attorney Etan Rosen alleging wrongdoing against Zysman, although the details of that lawsuit could not be viewed by TSPN at the time this story was written. Glock and ACUSD board president Mary Walser have declined to comment. The board did discuss the possibility of litigation in the closed session portion of the meeting. Anne Baird, a representative of Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, was also present at the meeting. She said that she will report back to Huber and they will be monitoring the situation. TSPN will have more information on this issue as it develops. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Hospice of Amador and Calaveras will again have two locations for its annual Hospice Tree of Lights for Christmas remembrance ceremonies, which will be held in Calaveras County on Saturday, December 5th and in Amador County on Sunday, December 6th. Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Ann Metherd announced the upcoming festivities last week, inviting the public to participate. This year’s motto is “Celebrate the life of someone you love with a light on the 2009 Hospice Tree of Lights.” This is the second year there will be trees in both Amador County and Calaveras County for the community to honor loved ones. People can celebrate the life of someone they love with a light, Metherd said. For each $10 donation, Hospice will place a light on the tree in the county of choice, and list the name of the person on a name board at that site. The festivities at both locations will include music, a candle lighting celebration, refreshments, and a 5 p.m. lighting of the tree. The Hospice Tree of Lights ceremony in Calaveras County will be lit 5 p.m. Saturday, December 5th at the Calaveras Senior Center, 956 Mountain Ranch Road, in San Andreas. The Hospice Tree of Lights ceremony in Amador County will take place 5 p.m. Sunday, December 6th, at the Hospice Thrift Store at 10776 Argonaut Lane in Jackson, just off Highway 49 & 88. For information, go to either of the Hospice of Amador or Calaveras thrift stores, or call (209) 223-5500. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – Judge David S. Richmond set a $3 million dollar bail last Friday during an arraignment on information in the case of Kenneth John Zimmerman. Zimmerman is accused of murder after his neighbor O’Sullivan was shot dead in a dispute in Fiddletown on August 16, 2009. In a packed courtroom that included supporters of Zimmerman and O’Sullivan’s family, Public Defender Richard Cotta and Deputy District Attorney Stephen Hermanson made their final arguments before Zimmerman’s trial date was set. Zimmerman, who was present in the courtroom, again entered a plea of “not guilty” to charges including murder and false imprisonment after he allegedly blocked O’Sullivan’s wife, Krista Clem, from leaving the property and threatened her life. Stephenson said another search warrant was executed by the District Attorney earlier that week during which an additional shell casing was discovered that sheds new light on the case. The main focus of the arraignment centered on whether Zimmerman should be allowed the opportunity to be set free on bail. Judge Richmond said he felt “some bail should be set” since the court noted no special circumstances for Zimmerman to face “life without parole or death.” Cotta argued that the “court has a difficult time finding that there is a substantial likelihood of harm” against Clem and her four children. He disputed various accusations against his client, such as a 9-1-1 call Zimmerman made in which he said he was going to shoot O’Sullivan. Cotta said that took place after the actual shooting. Cotta said the autopsy report shows the bullets in O’Sullivan were fired laterally and called any inference that O’Sullivan was shot in the back “simply wrong.” Cotta said “(Zimmerman) wants his jury trial; he looks forward to it” and “it’s not murder until the jury says its murder.” Cotta said “there’s been no finding that these charges are true, (and they are) a mere presumption.” Hermanson countered that “the defense is continuing to ask the court to engage in speculation.” He said Zimmerman “represents a substantial risk of harming Ms. Clem in this case” when considering the alleged threat he made against her life. Hermanson asked that Clem and her daughter Lydia, both present throughout the arraignment, be allowed to speak as victims, a right granted under Marsy’s Law, which guarantees victims rights to participate in certain court proceedings. Cotta disputed this, asking if the defense could call people to speak on Zimmerman’s behalf, but was overruled by Richmond. Cotta argued that the “presentation of a minor appeals to the sympathy…of jurors.” This was also disputed by a Zimmerman supporter in the audience who was ejected from the courtroom by a bailiff after speaking aloud twice. Krista Clem, wearing dark sunglasses, told the court her “kids were having nightmares” and she believed Zimmerman “would have no qualms whatsoever about killing me.” She said O’Sullivan’s family in Ireland concurs with her statement. Her daughter Lydia Clem pleaded with the court not to let Zimmerman out of jail because he threatened her in the past and yelled at her “the day my daddy died.” She said her “daddy was the only protection for the family and now he’s gone.” Richmond said Zimmerman could serve from 61 years and 4 months to life in state prison if convicted. The trial date was set for mid-January. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County School District board and Superintendent Dick Glock were lambasted Wednesday for allegedly failing to investigate hate crimes and the harassment against Justin Zysman, a Jewish student at Amador High School. Barry Broad, speaking on behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Sacramento region, and a crowd of angry parents crowded the conference room at the Amador County Unified School District building to address the “serious situation this board is in now.” Justin Zysman also spoke before the board and broke down in tears when discussing an incident in which the words “Burn Jew, burn” were etched into his locker. One parent said those words were left there for 13 months and a swastika was carved into Zysman’s desk. Before the meeting, the board was served with a lawsuit by attorney Etan Rosen alleging wrongdoing against Zysman, although the details of that lawsuit could not be viewed by TSPN at the time this story was written. Glock and ACUSD board president Mary Walser have declined to comment. The board did discuss the possibility of litigation in the closed session portion of the meeting. Anne Baird, a representative of Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, was also present at the meeting. She said that she will report back to Huber and they will be monitoring the situation. TSPN will have more information on this issue as it develops. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The nonprofit Foothill Conservancy filed a lawsuit in Amador County Superior Court Thursday seeking to stop the expansion of the Pardee Reservoir, being pursued by the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Foothill Conservancy Executive Director Chris Wright announced the lawsuit in a release November 18th. The suit seeks “to protect the Mokelumne River from the proposed expansion of Pardee Reservoir” in Amador County, a project that is included in the East Bay MUD “2040 water plan.” The suit was filed jointly with two other organizations, including California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, whose Executive Director Bill Jennings called East Bay MUD “a municipal vampire” that has “spurned reasonable alternatives that would have assured its customers of a reliable water supply.” The other plaintiff is Friends of the River. John Tinkl of the Calaveras Community Action Project said a new Pardee Dam “would be a disaster for the region's recreation, economy and scenic beauty,” and it “flies in the face of other options that could meet potential water needs but not harm” the region. Wright said the suit “is only the second lawsuit Foothill Conservancy has filed in its 20-year history.” He said it “is such an important issue, and people care so much about this river,” they had to do it, and hoped “people who care about the Mokelumne will donate to help cover (their) legal expenses.” Wright said the “lawsuit seeks to overturn the Environmental Impact Report on which the water plan and reservoir expansion are based.” He said the EIR included “one expansion option that would flood the entire Middle Bar reach of the Mokelumne River and up to a mile of the Electra Run above Highway 49.” Wright said the East Bay utility’s board voted October 13th to approve the 2040 Plan, which “retained 4 alternatives for a new Pardee Dam, 3 of which would destroy the Middle Bar reach and historic 1912 Middle Bar Bridge.” Wright said the Mokelumne River, which feeds Pardee Reservoir, “is not the property of East Bay MUD, and they are not above the law.” He said the EIR “doesn’t comply with the California Environmental Quality Act” by “failing to adequately analyze and mitigate the impacts on Amador and Calaveras counties from the new Pardee Dam.” The case also alleges East Bay MUD “inadequately responded to concerns” and ignored testimony from public hearings in Sutter Creek, San Andreas and Oakland. The suit asks the court to set aside approval of the 2040 water plan. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Hospice of Amador and Calaveras will again have two locations for its annual Hospice Tree of Lights for Christmas remembrance ceremonies, which will be held in Calaveras County on Saturday, December 5th and in Amador County on Sunday, December 6th. Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Ann Metherd announced the upcoming festivities last week, inviting the public to participate. This year’s motto is “Celebrate the life of someone you love with a light on the 2009 Hospice Tree of Lights.” This is the second year there will be trees in both Amador County and Calaveras County for the community to honor loved ones. People can celebrate the life of someone they love with a light, Metherd said. For each $10 donation, Hospice will place a light on the tree in the county of choice, and list the name of the person on a name board at that site. The festivities at both locations will include music, a candle lighting celebration, refreshments, and a 5 p.m. lighting of the tree. The Hospice Tree of Lights ceremony in Calaveras County will be lit 5 p.m. Saturday, December 5th at the Calaveras Senior Center, 956 Mountain Ranch Road, in San Andreas. The Hospice Tree of Lights ceremony in Amador County will take place 5 p.m. Sunday, December 6th, at the Hospice Thrift Store at 10776 Argonaut Lane in Jackson, just off Highway 49 & 88. For information, go to either of the Hospice of Amador or Calaveras thrift stores, or call (209) 223-5500. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Employees of the Amador County Recreation Agency recently picked up a loan for the second season in a row from Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Not in the form of money or lift tickets. Instead, ACRA for the second straight season has borrowed Kirkwood’s Innova Discatcher disc golf baskets, and will be working in the near future on setting the 19 baskets in place at Mollie Joyce Park in Pine Grove. On Wednesday, ACRA program coordinators Adam Lindsey and Matt Nestor worked with volunteers to mark out the pin placements for the flying disc golf course. Nestor and Lindsey have gathered funds aimed at creating a permanent disc golf course at Molly Joyce Park, and Merzlak Signs owner Kam Merzlak is sponsoring tee sign maps for the 18-hole disc golf course. Part of creating the permanent course is fastening steel sleeves in the ground, in which to mount the disc golf baskets, which are heavy wire baskets lined with steel chains, which catch the disc. The games are scored like golf, with the lower the score, the better. The course was designed and laid out by El Dorado County professional disc golf pioneer Charlie Callahan, and local players, including Ione pro master Ray Birch, and amateurs Paul Dalmau of Pine Grove and Brandon Wedge of Sutter Creek. Nestor said the next step for the project is to give a budget to ACRA Executive Director Tracy Towner-Yep to auger holes in which to plant the basket sleeves. ACRA’s goal with the project is to build the county’s first permanent, year-round disc golf course with professionally sanctioned baskets. Nestor, Lindsey, and local players plan to host tournaments to raise money to build out the permanent course, including purchasing new baskets. Molly Joyce Park Superintendent Pete Staple, also of ACRA, and the group mapped out the layout of the course Wednesday, in the effort to put in the basket holders. Hand crews from the Pine Grove fire camp helped clear part of the park of weeks and will be working this burn season on helping clear fairways for the course. The work will help with fire hazards at the park, which was deeded to ACRA by Fred Joyce on February 5th, 2008, on condition that the park be maintained for public recreation use. The baskets on loan from Kirkwood are built to specifications sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association. Kirkwood loaned the basket to ACRA last year, in an attempt to have a permanent, year-round disc golf course at the Kennedy Mine, but problems led to its removal. The baskets will be used at Molly Joyce Park until ski season ends at Kirkwood. For information, call ACRA at 223-6373. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County Assessor Jim Rooney was voted by his peers to be executive secretary of the California Assessors’ Association, which puts him on track to be the group’s president in 2013. The announcement came as Rooney has increased his presence in the CAA, including working to get the association’s Northern California Assessors Association annual conference in Sutter Creek next year. Connie Breedlove, assistant to the current president of CAA, announced the vote to select Rooney in a press release Thursday. Ventura County Assessor Dan Goodwin, current president of the California Assessors’ Association in the release congratulate Rooney, saying his “election has Rooney on track to become President of the Association in 2013.” Rooney’s peers, “with unanimous approval, took the vote on October 28th, at the CAA’s Annual Conference.” It means Rooney will serve on the Executive Committee for the next 5 years, “with responsibility for guiding legislation and professional standards concerning property taxes, as well as promoting uniform practices among California’s 58 county assessors.” Rooney said he was “honored and humbled to be chosen for this position.” He said he “has always been a vocal Assessor who has tried to promote standards and legislation that are beneficial to the taxpayer.” For the last 5 years, Rooney has been a member of the CAA’s Legislative Committee, which Goodwin said “monitors legislation being considered in Sacramento, and recommends legislation that the association feels would be beneficial.” Goodwin said in “an interesting side note: the Amador County Assessor will likely be the Association's president in 2013, more than 100 years after the last Amador County Assessor was President of the statewide association.” Honorable Clarence Jarvis was President in 1912, over a span of 101 years. Goodwin said that year the annual conference was held in Jackson and it happened to be the same year that the wives of the assessors formed their own association, according to historical records, which Mr. Rooney also organized as the chairman of the CAA’s History & Preservation Committee. Rooney will be busy in the coming year, as he will be hosting the Northern California Assessors Conference in Sutter Creek from August 9-11, 2010. Goodwin said assessors from all parts of the state will be attending the conference and many have expressed interest in bringing staff to attend the conference in Amador County. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The USDA California Rural Development department recently wrapped up another project in Amador County with a November 2nd ceremonial turning of the tap for the new Plymouth Pipeline project. The Rural Utility Service of USDA is working on another $17.2 million in project proposals in Amador, according Public Information Coordinator Sarah Pursley. Just completed was the Amador Water Agency potable water pipeline to Plymouth, which “is now complete, and was done ahead of schedule and under budget,” Pursley said. There are a few administrative items being completed, and USDA expects water to be available to the residents by the end of the year. She said “not only will the city of Plymouth have a reliable supply of high quality water, but Sutter Creek will enjoy a new footbridge that was built to carry the pipe across Sutter Creek.” The bridge was dedicated September 4th. She said the pipeline benefits other communities along its 7.4 miles connecting Plymouth’s main water tank to the Tanner Water Treatment Plant in Sutter Creek. The increased pipe size provides an increased volume of water and better fire flows in Sutter Creek, Amador City, Drytown and Plymouth. The original estimated project cost was $12 million, and the estimated final cost is $10.8 million. Pursley said USDA Rural Development’s contribution was a $5 million loan and $4.25 million grant. The USDA is currently working with the AWA on a few applications for projects in the county. One is a new gravity supply line that would transport water to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. Its estimated cost is $13.4 million, and Pursley said California Rural Development is $8 million loan and $5 million grant. Another project they are working on with AWA is a new water tank and distribution lines for the Lake Camanche Improvement District. She said the “project is estimated to cost about $1.8 million and USDA Rural Development’s investment will depend on funding available from other partners.” Pursley said through its “Community Facilities,” USDA is “working with the Amador Fire Protection District on an application for a new fire station.” She said the “proposal is to build a new station in Pine Grove on a site the district owns.” The new station would serve the Upcountry communities, she said, and the project is estimated to cost about $2 million. USDA Rural Development’s investment “would depend on the investments of other funding partners.” Pursley said it was likely that “funding for the new projects will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.