Some are calling it a hibernation period, others are calling it a healthy decline while many are shouting that it is a crisis: the housing market. According to a consulting service based out of Folsom, Gregory Group, the latest new-home figures show that quarterly sales have fallen to the lowest of this decade for the northern California area.  The average selling price also has declined steadily and you rarely pass a development or house on the market without a new sign advertising dropped prices. With the housing market in a slump, you can be sure that other industries are taking a hit. Builders have responded to a very slow market not only by cutting prices further but also by either delaying or stopping projects or in a few cases by selling standing homes at auction.

A multi-car accident at the intersection of Highway 88 and Jackson Valley Road sent three people to the hospital Wednesday morning. According to a California Highway Patrol report, Logan Talli, 24 of Ione, was westbound on Hwy 88 when he turned onto Jackson Valley Rd directly in front of an eastbound car on Hwy 88 driven by William Fansler, 74, of Tracy. The resulting collision pushed Talli’s car into a third car waiting at the stop sign on Jackson Valley Rd, driven by Harry Watson, 65 of Ione. Fansler and his two passengers, 72 year old Mildred Fansler and 50 year-old Steve Fansler, suffered moderate to major injuries and were taken to area medical centers. Steve Fansler was not wearing his seatbelt, and according the CHP report, sustained major injuries as a result. Talli and Watson were not injured in the wreck.

The Jackson Planning Commission met this week and approved lot splits on two parcels in Jackson. The first was a request from Sandy and Tony Nurse to divide the 2.8 acre property where Sierra Foothill Labs is located at 225 Scottsville Blvd. The Nurse’s business is currently the only development on the property and there are no improvements proposed at this time. The two proposed lots would measure 49,169 square feet and 41,426 square feet respectively. Neither of the property owners was able to attend the meeting Monday evening however they were represented by Bob Devlin. This property is designated as Low Density Residential by the existing General Plan and is zoned Commercial (C-2). The property is granted a categorical exemption from CEQA as there is no possibility of causing an environmental impact. With no comment from the public, the lot split proposal was approved unanimously.

Will you be putting up Halloween lights this year? Decking the halls with witches and goblins? Decorating for Halloween is becoming more popular every year. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend more on Halloween this year than last, with the average person planning to spend $64.82 compared to $59.06 last year. Total Halloween spending for 2007 is estimated to reach $5.07 billion, second only to Christmas for holiday related spending. While the most popular Halloween activity is still passing out candy, nearly half of consumers surveyed plan to decorate their homes or yards. We talked with local business owners and they unanimously reported great Halloween sales.

Do you owe back taxes to the state of California? If you’re one of the state’s worst 250 tax deadbeats, you’re now listed on the state's Franchise Tax Board new Web site showing names, addresses and past-due amounts– and there’s some interesting names on the list. Among California's most delinquent: singer Dionne Warwick, comedian Sinbad and O.J. Simpson. Warwick ranks 17th on the list and owes nearly $2.7 million; Sinbad ranks 23rd and owes $2.1 million and O.J. ranks 33rd and owes more than $1.4 million.  California lawmakers approved the Web site last year, as the state's unpaid personal income and corporate tax bill topped $6.5 billion. That tab is now nearly $7 billion with over 722,000 outstanding tax liens.

Amador County law enforcement nabbed one of the bad guys Wednesday. At about 4:30 Wednesday morning, an Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy noticed a suspicious pick-up and sedan parked near Prospect Motors in Martell. One of the vehicles, a Silver Ford F-150 pick-up truck, quickly sped away from the area. A DMV registration check flagged the pick up as stolen out of Gilroy, California. With assistance from a second Amador County Sheriff’s Unit and Jackson Police, the deputy attempted to detain the stolen vehicle now traveling at high speed west on Highway 88, accelerating to approximately 90 miles per hour. The pursuit was joined by a California Highway Patrol unit, an Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy and an Amador County Sheriff’s Sergeant, continuing east to Highway 12 and into Calaveras County.

Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe has filed first degree murder charges against William Garrett Oaks, 46.  Oaks, an inmate at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, is accused of strangling his cellmate, Lee B. Merrill, 59, who was found dead in the prison cell Oaks and Merrill shared on September 29. According to Riebe, the murder occurred about 11 p.m. on September 28, about 12 hours after Oaks was assigned to Merrill’s cell. The coroner’s report said Merrill died of asphyxiation. Oaks has a long criminal history of drug and theft convictions, including two felony convictions in Sonoma County for petty theft with a prior conviction and grand theft. Merrill, serving a 16-year sentence for child molestation, was discovered in his cell by prison staff about 6:30 a.m. the morning of Sept. 29 and pronounced dead 30 minutes later at the prison’s medical center. Oaks is facing 25 years to life in state prison if convicted.

Amador County Board of Supervisors heard an appeal Tuesday by Shenandoah Valley man who wants to open a winery and tasting room on Shenandoah Road. Iscander Borjon was appealing a county Planning Department condition of his Use Permit that requires acceleration and deceleration lanes at the entry of his property – a requirement that Borjon said was physically problematic in several ways and one that has not typically been required of wineries in the area. Neighbors of Borjon support the proposed small family tasting room and encouraged the Supervisors to waive the prohibitive requirement. The Supervisors noted that slow vehicles turning in and out of wineries created real safety issues on roads in the area, but felt that a compromise solution could be worked out and asked county staff to go back to the table with Borjon.