Local fire departments are reporting their February call totals and there is no let up in sight for the increasing numbers. The Amador Fire Protection District reports their volunteer crews reported to 137 incidents in February. 86 of the calls were medical aids. Those combined with 17 vehicle accidents to account for 75 percent of the incident totals for the month. 5 calls were fire related including 2 structure fires, 2 chimney fires and 1 grass fire. Of all the Battalion 10 and 20 calls 49 percent of the calls occurred between 8 am and 5 pm. Sutter Creek Fire Protection District volunteers were also active with a total of 53 calls requiring their response. 36 calls were for medical assistance, 3 structure fires, 1 chimney fire, 2 motor vehicle accidents and two rescue calls. Medical aid accounts for approximately 70 percent of the calls.

Hwy 88 near Peddler Hill was the sight of quite a mess Saturday afternoon. California Highway Patrol Officer Mike LeMasters reports that at approximately 12:15 pm Saturday afternoon a 1999 Peterbuilt with a trailer full of 45,000 pounds of corn grain became separated when the trailer broke away from the cab causing the vehicle to jack knife blocking the east bound lane. LeMasters states the situation only became worse after the heavily traveled road started to jam with traffic heading westbound. LeMasters and two Department of Transportation, Caltrans, workers worked on traffic control while tow crews attempted to right the truck. However, the situation suddenly only got worse as the trailer ripped open releasing grain on the roadway. The remaining grain was offloaded from the trailer which was towed to a Caltrans yard. The lane was reopened about 6 hours after the accident at 6:15 pm. LeMasters compliments the Caltrans staff for their traffic control measures which he states helped prevent any more traffic collisions in the backup.

A popular recreation site in the Pine Grove area is closed to the public until April. According to the AWA’s General Manager Jim Abercrombie the water agency has asked that Tabeaud Lake remain closed to the public for the public’s own safety as the agency works in the area to complete the Amador Transmission Pipeline. A sign at the entrance says access to the lake and its recreational activities will not be open until sometime in April.

A state lawmaker wants to reduce the number of unwanted animals in local shelters by requiring California pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs and cats. Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, is carrying legislation that would require dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by four months of age, otherwise their owners could face potentially steep fines. "It's a huge problem," Levine said. "My legislation will help by turning off the spigot so to speak. It will help reduce the number of animals going in (shelters) by reducing the number of animals that are breeding," he said." Called the "California Healthy Pets Act,"

This week, on Thursday March 8th a trial readiness conference will be held in Amador County Superior Court in the matter of the people of the state of California versus Zachary and Starlene Taylor. The Taylors stand accused of a violation of penal code 597b, a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. The indictment stems from an incident on July 5, 2005 when the Taylors allegedly subjected their pet, a growing dog to “needless suffering” according to the complaint filed in Amador County Superior Court, by failing to adjust the size of the dogs collar in accordance with the dogs rate growth. District Attorney Todd Riebe states that his office is no stranger to animal abuse cases. Riebe states “Our office takes animal cruelty cases very seriously not only because of the needless pain and suffering caused our county's pets, but because studies have repeatedly shown that animal abuse is often a predictor for crimes of family violence.”

The Jackson Hills Golf Course Community will appear before the Planning Commission tonight. The much debated project has been in the works for over 5 years. The last time the project appeared before the Commission they asked that staff develop facts and findings for the project and suggested that a special meeting be held to solely discuss Jackson Hills. Staff is expected to return with their findings of fact and the Commission could possibly make their recommendation to the City Council as to whether or not to approve the project. According to the developer, New Faze Development, the Jackson Hills project is the result of a community-oriented planning process that will have economic contributions and long term tax benefits to Jackson as well as provide a source of funding for community road improvements, schools, utilities, and fire and police protection. However, members in the community are worried about the impacts that a development of this size may have on the City of Jackson and its infrastructure. Most mentioned concerns have been the amount of traffic this development will bring, its affect on the current sewer situation, as well as the concern that Jackson Hills will not be paying for its impacts on the local community. The Community will have an opportunity tonight to have all of their concerns addressed by both the Developer New Faze Development and the Commission. The meeting begins at 6pm.

The Central Valley Region Water Quality Board has notified the City of Ione through a correspondence dated February 20th that the City's submission of their waste water discharge report required under a cease and desist order from the state agency is incomplete. The Regional Board's environmental scientist Scott Kranhold writes to the city that there are 15 items of concern to the Regional Board that the city must respond to in a revised Report of Waste Discharge, however, according to one local waste water official the letter is more routine than a surprise. According to the letter the City must notify Regional Board Staff by March 15th when they will have a new report completed. Also, the city is required to report how the city plans to process waste water for new construction in the city that the Regional Staff expresses concern over in the February 20th document. State staff is concerned that the growth in the city will cause the Waste Water Treatment Plant to exceed its treatment and disposal capacity before the environmental review, permitting, and construction can be completed on improvements to the city's waste water system.

Hospice of Amador is looking for volunteers from the community for their Griefbusters program. Griefbusters give their hearts, time and support to children or teens who have experienced the loss of a loved one. It is a meaningful and rewarding experience to help these young people through their grief. Hospice of Amador will hold a Griefbuster training on April 23 & 24 & May 11. For more information about the 20 hour course and to set up a screening interview, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Ann Metherd, at 223-5500 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Hospice of Amador is a non-profit agency providing quality end-of-life care to patients and families in Amador and northern Calaveras counties for 25 years. Visit www.hospiceofamador.org for more information about our services.