The Amador Water Agency has joined in new technology, which has opened a new world of possibilities in allowing them to offer better customer service and employee efficiency.  Continuing in its efforts to seek innovative ways to save time and money and perform functions more efficiently, the Amador Water Agency is beginning an Automated Meter Reader program. 

Yesterday morning the fire alarms sounded at Sutter Amador Hospital. As emergency crews responded, hospital maintenance crews discovered the alarmed had sounded from inside the Intensive Care Unit conference room. Once it was further investigated, crews discovered that the alarm was related to a light bulb issue. Apparently, gases from a faulty light bulb had escaped into the air causing the highly sensitive alarm to sound. The situation was well in hand and no patients were ever in any danger.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. It is estimated that about 178-thousand women & 2-thousand men in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2007.

The Ione City Council met Tuesday Evening, to discuss  the Capital Improvement Plans and also improvements for Howard Park. Included in the Capital Improvement Plan is the task of Street Striping and Painting, which would be done separately from a new slurry seal for the roads in the park. Specifically, one outstanding project which does stand out in regards to the Street Striping project, will involve the need to paint the curbs red, with a designated measure of linear feet.

With all the discussion over API’s and AYP’s, STAR scores and teacher accountability a new study out finds that Americans, in general, think the nations kids are sacrificing to make gains on standardized tests. A poll released by Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup Poll, the 39th Annual Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, says that among this year's major findings are that 52 percent of Americans believe that the Federal No Child Left Behind is limiting what children are taught. The sacrifice, according to Americans polled, is at the expense of subjects such as art, science, health and social studies. A significant majority of those surveyed also believe that more must be done to prepare students to compete in a global economy.  National Education Association President Reg Weaver says "Narrowing the curriculum and teaching to the test are only two of the unintended consequences of No Child Left Behind, and educators were the first to sound the alarm on this trend," Weaver continues saying "The law's single-minded focus on test preparation is robbing students of the opportunity to think critically and solve problems.” Weaver says “We need to prepare them for the real world, for success in the new industries of tomorrow like alternative energy, medical research and technology” says Weaver.

It is most obvious at sunrise and sunset- smoke on the horizon coming from both the north and the southwest with two major wild land fires now burning. About 1,300 firefighters are on the scene now to battle a wildfire burning in Henry Coe State Park. A spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire has now consumed about 11,000 acres as it moves in southwesterly direction through Henry Coe State Park.

A familiar sight on other roadways is now out and operating  in the City of Jackson- a motorcycle police unit. The unit began operating within the City of Jackson yesterday with Officer Victor Capaz manning the traffic enforcement unit. The motorcycle unit was purchased through grants from the Special Indian Distribution Fund controlled by a committee from the Jackson Rancheria Band of Me-Wuk Indians.

The Amador Unit of the CHP is reporting the total numbers for the Maximum Enforcement period that took place over the Labor Day Holiday weekend. According to Public Information Officer Craig Harmon, the weekend yielded 7 Driving Under the Influence arrests and 2 non injury accidents, neither if which was related to drinking and driving. “All in all it was a relatively calm weekend” stated Harmon, although he did note that 7 DUI arrests are a significant number. Harmon says that all law enforcement agencies in the county on the look out impaired driver and he states emphatically “there is zero tolerance.”