An early morning brushfire this morning was reported around 4:20 near the Buena Vista Landfill transfer Station on Buena Vista Rd in the Ione area. Jackson Valley Fire Personnel, Cal Fire Crews and Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies all responded to the scene. The fire was reportedly about one half to three quarters of an acre burning in some brush. No structures were threatened, however it was discovered that there was no power going to the…

This week the Amador County Local Agency Formation Commission will meet. The commission, mandated by California State law, is responsible for reviewing and approving proposed jurisdictional boundary changes, including annexations and detachments of territory to and/or from cities and special districts, incorporations of new cities, formations of new special districts, and consolidations, mergers and dissolutions of existing districts.

A businesses owners request to place an illuminated sign on their building on Main Street generated a discussion of what is allowed under City codes for the Historic area. Marcia Alexander requested to install a 40.5 square foot illuminated sign that would be attached to the existing sing on the roof at the rear of the building which faces Hwy. 88. The illuminated sign will situated over the existing mounted sign as it will provide…

Monday an environmental group filed suit against the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board claiming that tens of thousands of farms have been illegally exempted from laws requiring the monitoring and reporting of toxic water runoff. The lawsuit targets the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board's "ag waiver" program, which allows farmers to join coalitions rather than test their own runoff. According to the suit, millions of pounds of pesticides and fertilizers are…

Monday proved to be almost as busy as weekend activity with local Deputies arresting vehicle thieves and the CHP responding to a serious drunk driving accident near Van De Hei Ranch Road. Also on Monday was accident on Sutter Ione Road that sent the driver to the hospital. According to Officer Drake Wilburn’s report 23 year old Mitchell Hodson, of Sutter Creek was driving his 2002 Chevy S-10 southbound on Sutter Ione Road at approximately…

Some local teens are getting a head start on promising careers in health care. Sutter Amador Hospital (SAH) awarded scholarships to three students preparing to head to college this fall to study a field in health care. The scholarships were awarded during awards ceremonies prior to graduation in the spring. Every year, SAH awards scholarships to local students dedicated to making a difference to the health of our community. SAH’s merit-based scholarship program was established to support the advancement of health care in the communities we serve, and to promote the training and development of future health care professionals.

Last night was a busy night for the Amador County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol. Around 7pm a white Subaru Outback was reported rolled in the middle of Hwy 88 near Van Dei Hei Rd. The vehicle came to rest on its top in a gravel lot adjacent to the roadway. Trapped inside was a 44 year old Pioneer woman. Once removed by Amador Fire Protection District Battalion 10 crews, the woman was…

A ”Be On The Look Out” was issued for two men in a green Toyota RAV4 that had reportedly stolen a fishing pole at the Bear River Reservoir. A resident at Bear River Reservoir called in a complaint to the Sheriff's Office that someone had stolen a fishing poll and a can of gas from his residence. The resident was able to provide law enforcement with a license plate number for the thieves, and Amador…

The City of Ione is proud to announce that the Police Department has recently been awarded first place in the 2006 California Law Enforcement Challenge competition for Police Department’s with 10 officers or less. The Law Enforcement Challenge is a competition between similar sizes and types of law enforcement agencies.  It recognizes and rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in the United States. 

The Jackson Planning Commission met last night and one of the items before them was the review of the Conditional Use Permit for K. Hovnanian Forecast Homes Temporary Model Home Sales Office.  On November 20, 2006 the Planning Commission reviewed the businesses request for a conditional use permit to operate their temporary model home sales office in Pine Meadows subdivision on Scottsville Boulevard. At that time the office included signs and flags, which many nearby…