Cloudy skies and a few doses of rain didn’t lower the spirits of hundreds of campers at the 4th annual Camp Out for Cancer, a major fundraising event for Amador Stars. Cancer survivors, teams of campers, and community volunteers, including 180 high school students, participated in the two-day event that included spending the night in tents on the Argonaut High School football field.

The Amador County Fair Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Troy Bowers as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Amador County Fair, effective November 1 of this year.  The Directors are looking forward to both the enthusiasm and experience Mr. Bowers will bring to the Fair.  Troy has worked with most of the Fairs in California throughout his career. His first stint came as a youngster pulling weeds for his father who was the Kings District Fair manager. Along the way, his family developed electronic data processes for the fair industry, and Troy worked with many of California’s fairs during 12 years with the company.  Subsequently he worked at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, and then 16 years with the San Joaquin Fair in Stockton where he eventually served as Deputy Manager.

As part of a response to a Federal requirement that every state describes it’s most severe highway safety needs, the State of California has released its report and in that report Hwy 88 in Amador County has made the list. The report includes potential remedies to the hazardous locations identified, the estimated costs of the remedies; and impediments to implementation of the remedies other than costs.  The report was lead by Caltrans, who assembled a team of traffic safety stakeholders to analyze available data and explore approaches to identify locations for the 2006 Annual 5 Percent Report.

About three dozen peace loving citizens of Amador County turned out for a candlelight vigil Friday evening in Jackson.  This vigil is part of the Iraq Moratorium effort, sponsored by a number of peace seeking groups. The goal of the nationwide movement is to ask that people break their normal routine on the third Friday of every month and do something to promote peace.

Jackson Rancheria Casino’s seventh annual Giving Season promotion begins October 15 with opportunities for both players and the community to benefit. Players can win a share of over $1,000,000 in Bonus Slot Play through daily drawings at noon. Thirty winners will be drawn daily and each will win $500 in Bonus Slot Play (valid for 21 days). There is no limit to how many times a person can win. In addition, players receive $5 in Bonus Slot Play for every 1,000 Dreamcatcher’s Club points they earn between October 15 and December 20, up to a maximum of $500 Bonus Slot Play.

With crude oil prices hitting three record highs last week and temperatures taking a dive- are we likely to see skyrocketing propane prices? Most Mother Lode area propane dealers say our bottled gas bills are unlikely to reflect these recent increases. According to those in the heating industry, between 70 and 90 percent of homes in the motherlode counties use propane to heat their homes. The Mother Lode's heavy reliance on propane puts it in a California minority.  Of the state's 11.5 million households in 1997, less than 2 percent still use propane to heat their homes. Instead, statewide, about two-thirds are now using natural gas with a quarter using electricity.

After the conviction of Daniel Rocha in the Mokelumne Hill murder of David Jessop, the second step by prosecutors will be taken today when a trial date is expected to be set for the second suspect in the murder, Donald Pińon. Pińon is charged with the March 16, 2005 murder of Jessop, 19, during a failed attempt to steal drugs and money from the home Jessop shared with confessed drug dealer James McLain.

Californians are in a pretty bad mood these days as pessimism about California’s economic conditions hits its highest point since 2003, according to a survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). Housing woes and the spectacle of this summer’s budget battle are taking their toll on residents’ economic outlook— and affecting everything from trust in government to approval ratings of state and federal leaders. A strong majority, 59%, of residents expect bad economic times in the coming year—a 10-point increase since June and a 20-point increase since January. According to PPIC, there has been a significant shift in attitude this year—and it is very likely being driven by bad news about the stock and housing markets.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced the recall of over 1 million cribs from Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa.. The drop-side can detach from the crib, which can create a dangerous gap and lead to the entrapment and suffocation of infants. CPSC is aware of two deaths in Simplicity manufactured cribs with older style hardware, including a 9-month-old child and a 6-month-old child, where the drop-side was installed upside down. CPSC is also aware of seven infant entrapments and 55 incidents in these cribs. CPSC is also investigating the death of a 1-year-old child in a Simplicity crib with newer style hardware, in which the drop-side was installed upside down. CPSC is warning parents and caregivers to check all Simplicity cribs to make sure the drop-side is installed right side up.