Fire season is upon us two weeks sooner than usual and CAL FIRE Amador ElDorado Unit Chief Bill Holmes urges all citizens to act soon to create defensible space. It is anticipated that burning will be suspended in early June due to the dry conditions and recent rise in temperatures. Citizens are urged to act soon to dispose of their yard trimmings and debris. Cal Fire is doing their part and new recruits were on…

The Amador County Unified School District recently discussed their homework policy. The item was requested by trustee David Dutra after hearing multiple complaints from parents regarding the lack of notification from teachers when students have fallen behind on their assignments. Currently, the Board Policy and administrative regulation require teachers to notify parents about consistently miss assignments. How to do this in an efficient manner was the discussion between board members and members of the district’s administration. Elementary Teacher Mike Delaney commented that this does not appear to be much of a problem at the Elementary level.

The first draft of the Amador County Recreation Agency’s budget was brought to the agency’s board at their last meeting, and the second draft will be brought for review at the next meeting. However, according to the Amador Recreation Agency’s staff the agency is suffering growing pains, as any new agency does in the first few years, but the outlook of finances leveling off is looking up.

One of two wards who sued the state over a videotaped fight with staffers three years ago at the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility has reached a cash settlement. The second involved ward’s case awaits trial. The attorney for Vincent Baker, 23, of Stockton wouldn't name the amount of the tentative settlement because everybody involved agreed to keep it quiet until the deal is final. Baker and former Chaderjian ward Narciso Morales, 24, were captured…

Beginning today postal rates increase, meaning  a standard 1-ounce letter will cost 41 cents to mail, that’s up 2 cents from the previous 39-cent rate for a first-class stamp. A postcard will take 26 cents to send and a large 1-ounce envelope will cost 80 cents to drop off. If your mail generally consists of first-class letters weighing an ounce or less, however, you may wish to invest in what the US Postal Service is…

There may be good news about the state budget this year. Good news that was unexpected because of what was forecast as a downtrend year for the state fiscally. However, because billions of extra dollars unexpectedly flowed into state coffers last month things are looking up. That's not to say the budget debate will be easy.

U.S. and Iraqi forces exchanged fire with suspected Sunni insurgents earlier today, killing two and wounding four of them during a massive search for three missing American soldiers. The search is taking place in a volatile area south of Baghdad, according to the Iraqi army. An al-Qaida front group, the Islamic State in Iraq, claimed Sunday that it had captured U.S soldiers in a deadly attack on a U.S. convoy the day before in Sunni…

School Board Report Video Coming Soon