“This year, without a lot of flashing going on, we’re already about 3 million dollars out of sync.” These words the words of County Administrative Officer Terri Daly as she began a presentation on Amador County’s proposed budget for the upcoming year at last week’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting. After much deliberation, approval of the budget was delayed and the matter resurfaced again at Tuesday’s meeting. According to Daly, there is still plenty of room for budget adjustments to be made and Amador County is not at the point where it needs to resort to layoffs like many other areas, an infamous example of which is the city of Vallejo, which faces bankruptcy. Amador County’s current budget proposal includes approximately 1.3 million in contingency money, 500,000 dollars to continue the fight against Indian Gaming, a large sum for capitol improvements, and funding to purchase a new jail site. It also includes a contingency for a county employee hiring freeze. Other factors, such as a proposed Early Retirement Incentive Program and the Amador Economic Stimulus package were also factored into the final numbers.

Congressman Dan Lungren held a Town Hall meeting in Ione Monday night where he spoke about gas prices and offshore drilling.  With gas prices expected to go over five dollars a gallon or more, the questions facing most Americans is how to obtain more oil and why aren’t we spending more money on renewable energy research?  President Bush and Republican presidential nominee John McCain are pushing to lift the 26-year ban on offshore drilling, and have received recent criticism from Governor Schwarzenegger and environmentalists. Many experts agree that offshore drilling will not immediately bring gas prices down and may effect the environment. At a recent global warming conference, Schwarzenegger stated that “anyone who tells you (that offshore drilling) would bring down gas prices any time soon is blowing smoke." Lungren supports lifting the ban on offshore drilling, stating that due to upgraded technologies, the risks of polluting the environment are greatly reduced.  When asked about looking at renewable sources of energy, Lungren emphasized the importance of looking at “all the possibilities,” including wind and solar power, biofuels, and more efficient hybrid vehicles, as well as searching for more oil sources in the U.S..

Sutter Creek’s Historic Knight’s Foundry received a face lift this last weekend after years of relative inactivity. A group of 10 volunteers, coordinated by Supervisor Louis Boitano, gathered early Sunday morning and spent 5 hours battling blackberry brambles and brush that had grown up around most of the property. The foundry property was at the point where it posed a serious fire hazard to the surrounding neighborhoods, including downtown, and the city had reportedly received several complaints about its condition.   The City of Sutter Creek has not yet completed its long time goal of purchasing the foundry, but is only 180,000 dollars short after years of pursuing grant money for the acquisition.“It was very rewarding to spend Sunday morning with a group of volunteers willing to donate their time in order to benefit the whole community,” said Duke. The City hopes to complete its purchase of the foundry this year, and eventually restore the property and create a learning center which will include a museum, public tours, and internships and apprenticeships. If you would like more information on the Historical Knight’s Foundry and the Knight’s Foundry Corporation, visit www.knightfoundry.org. The cleanup effort included City Manager Rob Duke, who had spent the previous day working on the Sutter Creek pool.

The City of Jackson Planning Commission and Cemetery Committee both have some new members.  Three new members were appointed to the Cemetery Committee last week.  Walter Hoeser and Warren Carleton were both re-appointed to the committee, and Margot McIntire was newly appointed.  Both Hoeser and Carleton have been on the committee for several years, and Carlton is the current chairman.  McIntire grew up on Church Street and has knowledge of the cemetery.  At a special meeting Monday night, Derek Selman of Martell was appointed to the Jackson Planning Commission, filling Terri Works vacant position.  And finally, Leticia Sexton was re-appointed to the commission as Chairwoman.  Both the Planning Commission and Cemetery Committee positions constitute two year terms.

A recent arrest by the Amador County Sheriff is further evidence of the widespread methamphetamine problem throughout the foothill area. On Thursday June 26, at approximately 9:30 am, a deputy sheriff patrolling in the vicinity of the intersection at New York Ranch Road and Ridge Road located a suspicious vehicle parked at the end of Coventry Court. The vehicle was occupied by two subjects.  Upon contacting the subjects, the deputy noticed both displayed objective symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

A search of both subjects and their vehicle revealed approximately nine grams of suspected methamphetamine, two digital scales, materials used to package controlled substances for sale, a glass methamphetamine smoking pipe and lock picking tools. Both subjects were arrested at the scene and transported to the Amador County Jail for booking.  At the jail, Martin Charles Urias, 40, of Lodi was charged with violation of parole, possession for sale of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of drug use paraphernalia and possession of burglary tools.  Melissa Rae Hendon, 38, of Acampo was charged with possession for sale of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug use paraphernalia.

Effective today, July 1, the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, is implementing fire restrictions on all BLM-managed public lands within the Folsom Field Office boundary.  This includes lands in Nevada, Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Sacramento, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Mariposa counties, a grand total of about 230,000 acres. The fire restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. These restrictions prohibit all open fires on public lands because of extremely dry conditions, according to Brian Mulhollen, fuels management specialist.  “We’re seeing fire fuels conditions in June that we usually don’t see until August,” he said. “We would like to emphasize, with the July 4 holiday approaching, that all fireworks are prohibited.”

State officials from Governor Schwarzenegger on down have publicly condemned the use or purchase of fireworks as blazes across Northern California continue to burn. BLM officials stated that they would take any and all preventative measure. Campers are urged to be familiar with special limitations prior to visiting any public lands in these counties. A valid California campfire permit is required for all fires.  Campfire permits are available free of charge at any BLM, Forest Service, or California Department of Forestry Office, but campers need to be aware of restrictions in the area they are visiting. Violations are punishable by fines up to 1,000 dollars and/or imprisonment for up to one year. For additional information contact BLM’s Folsom Field Office at 916-985-4474.

California Highway Patrol officials will begin enforcing another long-anticipated restriction taking effect today- hands-free cell phone usage. In an upcoming broadcast, TSPN plans on bringing you exclusive video coverage of California Highway Officials enforcing the new law. California’s latest traffic affiliated regulation is actually under two separate laws. One law prohibits all drivers from using hand-held wireless devices. The second law pertains to those less than 18 years old. Younger drivers are not allowed to use a cell phone at all. Worried that distracted drivers are causing too many accidents on California streets, roads, and highways, State Senator Joe Simitian from Palo AltoSimitian says, “Cell phones are the number 1 cause identified in distracted driving accidents for all five years the CHP has collected data.” Electronic signs on state highways now warn drivers of the impending fines. If you're caught breaking the laws you'll be fined 76 dollars for the first offense and 190 for any additional offenses. Officers say there will be no grace period. introduced the bill. On his Web site,

The deadline for entries in the upcoming and highly anticipated Amador County Fair, which takes place July 24-27, is drawing near. Entry forms and fees are due by 6:00 pm, Saturday, July 12. The Fair showcases the talents of the local residents, and neighboring counties, who would like to share their best needlework, beautiful blooms, tasty jams and jellies, and outstanding garden produce.  According to CEO Troy Bowers, the fair is truly a reflection of the lifestyle of the Foothills, with community spirit and neighborly attitudes. Artists can enter paintings, sculptures, or photographs. Rock hounds can show off their collections, handcrafted jewelry, or that rare find. Most categories are open to residents of Amador, Calaveras and El Dorado Counties. 

Home Arts, Art, and Photography are also open to Tuolumne County and Gems and Minerals can be entered by all California residents. Entering your best work in the County Fair makes attending the Fair even more fun with the anticipation of searching through the displays to see if a ribbon is prominently displayed on your exhibit. You also have more of an appreciation for the effort that has gone into the other entries and the hours spent on the displays, said Bowers. Submitting your entry forms by July 12 allows building supervisors to plan and set up for the displays during the Fair.  Forms and guidebooks are currently available at the Fair Office, and the 4-H Office, feed stores and County libraries.  The guide is also posted on the Internet at www.amadorcountyfair.com.  If you need assistance, the Amador County Fair staff is glad to help and explain the rules. Call the Fair office at 209 245-6921. A complete schedule of the due dates and locations for actual exhibits, judging and release dates is included in the Entry Guide.

Firefighters on Sunday had battled more than a thousand wildfires burning throughout Northern California to a stalemate, but forecasters said dangerous fire conditions would not relent anytime soon. No new major fires had broken out Sunday as fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services. But a "red flag warning" - meaning the most extreme fire danger - was still in effect for Northern California until 5 a.m. Monday. The coming days and months are expected to bring little relief. Forecasters predicted more thunderstorms and dry lightning through Tuesday, similar to the ones that ignited hundreds of fires a week ago. Meanwhile, a U.S. Forest Service report said the weather would get even drier and hotter as fire season headed toward its traditional peak in late July and August. Lower-than-average rainfall and record levels of vegetation parched by a spring drought likely mean a long, fiery summer throughout Northern California, according to the Forest Service's state fire outlook released last week. Already the fires now burning will take weeks to months to fully bring under control, the report said. Those blazes were mostly sparked by lightning storms that were unusually intense for so early in the season. But summer storms would likely grow even more fierce, according to the Forest Service.

"Our most widespread and/or critical lightning events often occur in late July or August, and we have no reason to deviate from that," the agency's report said. The blazes have scorched more than 556 square miles and destroyed more than 50 buildings, said state emergency services spokesman Gregory Renick. Air quality districts from Bakersfield to Redding issued health advisories through the weekend, urging residents to stay indoors to limit their exposure to the smoky air. Air pollution readings in Northern California are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, state air regulators said. On Saturday, President Bush issued an emergency declaration for California and ordered federal agencies to assist in firefighting efforts in Butte, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, and Trinity.

A two-year dispute over who should pay the multi-million dollar cost to clean up a former Amador County Gold Mine has been settled. After a lengthy stalemate, the subsequent legal proceedings between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Honeywell International Inc. and land developers came down to a court decision over who should cover the 4.3 million dollar cost of removing arsenic near a residential neighborhood. The mine in question is the Central Eureka near Sutter Creek, which produced gold worth an estimated 36 million dollars between 1855 and 1958. Years later, nearby property was purchased by Nehemiah Development company as the site for a development constructed in 1977 called Mesa De Oro. But like many potential areas of development in our County, the future of Mesa De Oro was threatened unstable soil, the accumulated result of years of mining tailings.

In this case, the mesa was actually an eleven foot mound of crushed ore. After a contractor digging at the site showed signs of arsenic exposure in 1994, the Environmental protection Agency, or EPA, declared the mine and surrounding property a Superfund site. The EPA took extensive measures to render the land usable, including the removal of contaminated soil, fence construction and a sediment basin to capture run-off. The dispute began when the EPA sued the Central Eureka Mining Company’s successor, Honeywell International and its partner Nehemiah Developers to recover the cleanup costs. While Honeywell settled for 2 million, Nehemiah filed cross complaints against 36 other developers and property owners. On June 12, a Contra Costa County Court judge approved the last of the settlement agreements. Charles Bruner, the developer of the Vista Ray subdivision in Sutter Creek, agreed to reimburse 20,000 dollars of the cleanup costs. The remaining costs went to the EPA and totaled 1.75 million. The case is being looked at as a cautionary tale for property owners and Real Estate developers who live and work within the Mother Lode region.