The Wal-Mart Store on Wicklow Way in Martell is taking a second shot at obtaining an alcoholic beverage license. On February 12th, the Amador County Board of Supervisors received Wal-Mart’s application for a license to sell beer and wine. The Supervisors denied the store’s original request for a license in October of 2004 in a split 2-2 vote.  In October of 2005, Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated, the world’s largest retailer, announced that it had teamed up with Diageo PLC, the world’s largest liquor company, with a plan to triple the shelf space that store would devote to selling beer, wine, and spirits.

 

The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas and Europe. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3 degrees northeast of the Moon and will shine brightly. The total phase is expected to last nearly 51 minutes. The public is invited to view the eclipse at the Columbia College observatory on the college campus. There is no charge to attend and the event is being presented by the arts and sciences department. The evening activity will be conducted by Wayne Christensen, a Columbia College community education astronomy instructor. The observatory will be opened from 5:30 until 8:00 p.m. for the viewing. Christensen suggests dressing in layers, as it will probably be chilly. For more information, contact Columbia College.

Locals reported yesterday that credit and Debit Card systems at US Postal Service locations were unavailable for use for a brief period yesterday. National reports confirmed that across the nation, the US Post Office experienced a temporary freeze in their credit card systems, requiring customers to pay in cash. However, the outage did not effect all postal service locations. Pine Grove reported system failure while Jackson employees said the system was working as normal. All credit card systems are functioning again as normal. There was no formal statement from the US Post Office on the matter.

If you were wondering whether the recent recall of potentially “sick” beef by the Department of Agriculture affected local schools, breathe f a sigh of relief. According to the Amador School District, local schools have no association with the meat or Meat Packing Company that allegedly mistreated cows and distributed sick meat to schools and restaurants. Hallmark Meat Packing of Chino, Calif., supplies food products to federal school-lunch programs across California and the nation. Workers at the slaughterhouse were videotaped in an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States as they cruelly kicked, prodded and dragged sick cattle to slaughter.

left on the Board after the departure of Heinz Hamann. Hamann retired last week in a formal ceremony. The Water Agency thanked Hamann for his 10 years of leadership and contributive efforts on projects including the Amador Dry Creek Watershed, the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant expansion, the Amador Transmission Pipeline and the Regional Wastewater and Recycling Master Plan, among others. The Board is expected to conduct interviews for those candidates who have expressed an interest in the District 1 seat.

TSPN has received reports of a vehicle accident occurring at a day care center in Ione. According to our sources, an elderly woman lost control of her car while using a nearby carwash, reportedly because her ignition was stuck. Terri Murrill, a witness at the scene, said the vehicle exited the car wash and crshed into a parked van which in turn collided with a telephone pole. The woman was patially thrown into the back seat. The car kept moving and collided with a parked car next to a day care center. Officials have reported no injuries so far.

CHP reports indicate a t-bone collision occurred between two trucks in Ione last Thursday. The occupant of a 1998 Ford traveling northbound on the SR-104 in Ione entered the intersection of 88/104 directly in the path of an oncoming 1991 Chevy. The driver of the Chevy applied his brakes and attempted to avoid the other vehicle, but a collision occurred in the middle of the intersection. Neither occupant was reported as being injured.

On February 26 the Amador County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to vote whether to accept or to reject the Intergovernmental Services Agreement that has been negotiated with the Buena Vista Indian Tribe. Citizens voiced their opinions in the third in a series of town hall meetings last Saturday in Jackson. There was a lot of frustration expressed by the panel and the participants over the lack of support from the federal and state governments.

The Bureau of Land Management has approved a new Sierra Resource Management Plan, or RMP, for Central California. The Sierra RMP’s purpose is to provide direction and guidance for more than 230,000 acres of public land located primarily in nine central California counties including Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Tuolumne and Yuba counties. The RMP in intended to help define the role of the Bureau in meeting the public’s need for open space; safety from wildfire; clean water; economic opportunities on public lands, said Bill Haigh, Folsom Field Office manager.

Pleasant winter weather and the President’s Day holiday insured a very busy three-day weekend at the Kirkwood Ski Resort. Skies stayed relatively clear and, at a temperature of 22 degrees in the day and lower at night, the snow pack stayed groomed and packed. The surrounding roads, which until recently required chains or 4-wheel drive, were wide-open, allowing weekend skiers from across California easy access to the slopes. Kirkwood opened a total of 65 trails, 37 of which were maintained and groomed.