An accident that occurred on Monday should remind us that icy roadways are still a concern even though temperatures have warmed up over the last couple of weeks. According to CHP Officer Patrick Ong’s report, Angela Jones, 40 and of Ione, was traveling on Hwy. 88 east bound west of Aqueduct Volcano Road, at 50 mph descending down a hill grade and approaching a curve to her right. Jones encountered black ice ON THE ROADWAY…

After midnight last night it was be official- this January was the driest since 1889. Rainfall accumulation for the month is was at 0.07 inch, which broke the record set in January 1889 of 0.15 inch. The normal amount of rain for the month is 4.18 inches. In 2006, 3.07 inches fell on the city. Today will be the 27th dry day in a row, well short of the longest winter dry spell, which was…

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has secured a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration entitled “Statewide Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Reduction Effort.”  This grant will provide funding for DUI enforcement in an effort to remove impaired drivers from California’s roadways.  CHP personnel will be deployed on an overtime basis with the mission of apprehending impaired drivers.  In addition to enforcing DUI laws, officers will also enforce all…

A group of killer whales has been caught on camera cruising up and down the Northern California coast, traveling unusually far from their feeding grounds, scientists said. Photos taken last week show about a dozen killer whales in two family-group pods swimming off Half Moon Bay. It's a rare sight off the Central California coast -- but why they're here is even more unusual. Killer whales, or orcas, have been seen in this area less…

Recently, on a 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court struck down California's sentencing laws and affirmed, through that decision, that there are limits on a judges' discretion during sentencing. The result could be shorter sentences for thousands of California state prisoners. This ruling is just the latest in a series of High Court rulings that limit judges' discretion in sentencing defendants. The court has held repeatedly that a judge may not increase a defendant's sentence…

A new CHP program is trying to deter teens from drinking and driving. According to the CHP statistics because of the increasingly lower age of alcohol and drug users, motor-vehicle accidents are now the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 20. This new program, The Right turn Program, is aimed at middle schoolers for an early outreach to educate kids on the dangers of not only drinking and driving, but also how…

California Highway Patrol Officer Mike LeMasters responded to an early morning accident on Friday January 26th when an Pioneer man fell asleep at the wheel. According to LeMaster’s report Robert Schmidt, 39, of Pioneer was driving his 2001 Ford Van west bound on Hwy. 16 at 60 mph when he fell asleep and drifted off the south roadway edge and subsequently, down an embankment. The van rolled over numerous times until finally coming to a…

Amador County is deeply involved in the process of updating its general plan. This plan will be the “master plan” for the future development of the county and will aid the county in either keeping the Amador we know or changing into a new place. Now the need for information from agricultural stakeholders cannot be stressed enough. To that end, an Agricultural Stakeholder's Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Amador…

More teenagers in California are buckling up according to a recent study.  Figures from the study indicate 90.8 percent of the state’s high school students use their seat belts when driving or riding in a vehicle. In the study conducted for the federal government by California State University, Fresno, 100 California High Schools were randomly sampled.  In addition to the 2.5 percent statewide increase in seat belt use from the previous year, the study found…

The Buena Vista Band of Me-Wuk Indians released their new draft tribal environmental impact report on Friday. The Flying Cloud Casino, proposed by the tribe in the Jackson Valley, has been scaled back according to the new document, at least in the initial phases. The 448 page draft environmental document states that the tribe’s ultimate goal is a 2,000 slot machine and 80 card table casino project, but that the tribe has elected to look…