The Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Council (Council) and Central Sierra Resource Conservation and Development (CSRC&D) have announced a joint workshop to provide watershed residents and interested parties with an update on activities completed as part of the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Assessment and Planning Project, and Council and CSRC&D activities. The date of the workshop is Thursday June 21, 2007 6 p.m. Also, Prior to the public workshop, there will…

Some faulty bolts over the Memorial Day weekend caused some concern among AWA staff regarding the Transmission pipeline when water was reported spouting out the pipeline. AWA crews arrival on the Mondani property located off of New York Ranch Road determined that an air release valve that is attached to the pipeline had become unattached and was in turn was shooting water that was visible from the roadway. According to Gene Mancebo, Manager of Engineering…

CalFire has announced that due to weather indications for thunderstorms and concerns about the fire season being off to an early start, the state fire agency will begin staffing their watch towers. Volunteers are getting ready to staff look out towers like Mount Howell Look Out Tower in Placer County as forecasters expect thunderstorms in the high sierra Thursday. Lightning is notorious for starting wildfires and this year has been responsible for several devastating fires…

If a new law, Assembly Bill 105, passes through the State Assembly, teenagers under the age of 18 will be banned from using tanning beds.  AB105 raises the minimum age kids may use tanning devices to 18. Under current law, children 14 to 18 can use tanning booths with parental permission. According to leading dermatologists tanning beds can be even more dangerous than natural sunlight because they primarily use ultraviolet "A" wavelengths. The ultraviolet "A"…

Last year the event brought thousands of bicyclists into Amador County, many complaints from local residents, loud concerns for the county’s law enforcement agencies and tragically one death of a participant in a traffic accident. This year the promoters of the Sierra Century Ride will be holding the event in Calaveras County. A century ride is a 100-mile race, and this one involves long climbs and long downhill stretches. This year's ride will begin and…

This Monday morning, debris burning in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties will be banned and that means the Amador El Dorado Unit will not be far behind. The announcement comes on the heels of increased fire activity in the foothills, including a 111-acre wildfire last week in San Andreas and a small grass fire Tuesday in the Sonora area. "It does seem that conditions are more severe earlier this year than past years," said CalFire Tuolumne…

Last night a bizarre incident delayed the Sacramento fund raising dinner of Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton while the Sacramento County bomb squad investigated a coffin brought to the area by anti-war protestors. Anti-war activists Virginia and Stephen Pearcy, who made headlines in February 2005 for hanging an effigy of a soldier on their Land Park area home, brought a flag draped coffin as a protest against the U.S. involvement in Iraq. Shortly before 6 p.m.…

A female bank robber dubbed the 'Pony-Tail Bandit' by the FBI has hit banks in three different states this month alone,including a Roseville bank last week. The FBI believes the unidentified female bank robber is responsible for bank robberies in Austin, Texas, Lynwood, Washington as well as the Roseville caper. The FBI’s Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, the Roseville Police Department, and law officers in Washington and Texas are investigating the robberies.  The woman is…

The world traveling Atlanta lawyer at the center of the tuberculosis controversy, with a dangerous strain of TB, was allowed back into the U.S. by a border inspector who disregarded a computer warning to stop him and don protective gear, officials said Thursday. The inspector has been removed from border duty. The unidentified inspector explained that he was no doctor but that the infected man seemed perfectly healthy and that he thought the warning was…

The investigation is continuing into the Vogan Toll Road fire that occurred early last Friday morning. According to Jackson Fire Chief Mark Morton, he, the Jackson Police Department and Cal Fire investigators are all working closely on leads they have received. Jackson PD Captain Christy Stidger said they do suspect that the fire is arson. Stidger said that Tom Oldeg, the CDF arson investigator, Fire Chief Mark Morton and Jackson Detective Chris Mynderup have all…