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Salmonella Scare Forces Growers To Plow Under
Since a salmonella scare has caused many
customers to shun what's
normally a summer favorite, tomato farmers across the nation have had to plow
under their fields and leave their crop to rot in packinghouses. As losses across the supply chain top $100 million, industry leaders are calling for a
congressional investigation into the government's handling of the as-yet
unsolved outbreak. McDonald's Corporation, Wendy's International and Yum
Brands resumed offering some tomatoes on their menus in the last few weeks.
But now tomato farmers said their summer season has already withered
despite U.S.
authorities' recent announcement that some other type of fresh produce might
have caused the country's largest salmonella outbreak.
The outbreak has sickened 922 people in 40 states.
"Now the government has a doubt as to whether it was tomatoes after they've already blackened our eye?" said Paul DiMare, president of The DiMare Companies in Johns Island, South Carolina. "June and July are the best time of the year for tomatoes, but our movement has completely stopped in the United States." Farmers, packers and shippers fear it could take months to rebuild the $1.3 billion market for fresh tomatoes. In Fresno County, deep in California's heartland, one grower chose to lose 225,000 dollars by letting his tomatoes rot in the fields this weekend because he would have taken a bigger hit hiring crews to harvest them, said Ed Beckman, president of the statewide cooperative California Tomato Farmers. Officials with the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said the sheer complexity of the outbreak and the industry's vast international supply chain have hampered efforts to find the sources of contamination. However, recent evidence links the salmonella outbreak with the consumption of food that took place in restaurants, which has resulted in the broadening of the investigation to include foods commonly consumed with tomatoes, such as jalapeno peppers fresh cilantro, scallions, and onions.
2008 District Attorney’s Office Report
The Amador County District
Attorney’s Office has just released
its 2008 Annual Report, a comprehensive account of the department’s future
goals and accomplishments over the previous year. The report also
includes statistics on prosecutions, trends and suggested methods of improving
the system in the future. “We
have accomplished many of our goals in 2008, but we don’t intend to rest on our
laurels- we will continue our efforts to seek justice, serve justice and do
justice while maintaining the highest ethical standards,” said District
Attorney Todd Riebe. According to the report, the number of felony and
misdemeanor arrests has increased over the years since 1996 in conjunction with
county population growth. An interesting figure of note is that misdemeanor
arrests have grown steadily over the years, while felony arrest growth has been
relatively smaller. Perhaps the most educative part of the report is the
outline of the many departments that make up the Office’s complex inner
workings. The Criminal Division alone encompasses several different
departments, including narcotics, elder abuse, prison crimes, child abduction,
worker’s compensation fraud and auto insurance fraud.
Of course, the report also
highlights the Office’s many accomplishments, including public seminars
educating citizens in the area of elder abuse, insurance fraud and internet
crimes against children. Most notable of these accomplishments is the
formation of the Amador County Combined Narcotics Task Force Team in
cooperation with the Sheriff’s Department. The two entities also created the
Amador Law Enforcement Response Team, designed to assist police departments in
the investigation of major crimes committed within their jurisdictions. “Public safety is the top
priority of (our) Office. Whether it is crime prevention, reducing recidivism,
or helping victims…the DA’s office is proud of our contribution towards making Amador County
a safer place to live,” said Riebe.
Ione Fire Station Groundbreaking
A large
crowd was in attendance for a ground breaking ceremony Thursday morning for the new Ione fire station.
The event was hosted by Mayor Andrea Bonham, city council members Lee Ard, Skip
Schaufel, Kim Kerr, and Fire Chief Ken Mackey. A significant crowd had gathered at 600 Preston Avenue to show support,
including local residents, Ione police and fire personnel. The station
is still currently in its design phase, and will not begin construction until
at least August of this year. The station is scheduled to be completed in early
2009. According to city manager Kim Kerr, the design of the new fire house includes fire suppression
sprinklers, a facility for waste oil, a trash collection site, and vinyl floor
coverings. The Planning Commission is scheduled to make a decision
regarding the fire station at their July 8th meeting, and the City
Council has added the item to their agenda for their July 15th
meeting. During the groundbreaking ceremony, an emotional Bonham addressed the
crowd and expressed her gratitude to the community for all of its support and encouragement. Chief Mackey also spoke to the audience
saying, “it’s been a lot of hard work” and that “it’s time.”
Councilmember Ard addressed the fire personnel present, saying that in his
opinion, “you’re the best station going right now.”
School Board Prepares For Upcoming School Year
The Amador County
Unified School
District is gearing up for the 2008-09 school
year. A special board workshop Tuesday marked the first
official day for new Superintendent Richard “Dick” Glock. At the meeting, board members discussed their
vision and goals for the upcoming year, making several changes to the existing
Vision and Goals poster. In relation to the board’s vision, Glock quoted the
book Results Now, How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and
Learning, which talks about the huge
difference between well-known essential practices and the reality of most
classrooms. The book lectures about consistent curriculum, authentic literacy
education, and professional learning communities for teachers. Taking from the book, Glock said, “simple plans work best – those with a direct focus
on straightforward actions and opportunities.” He also recommended that
teachers “analyze their achievement data, set goals, and then meet at least
twice a month – for 45 minutes.” Glock brings a wealth of experience from his
previous superintendent positions, including eleven years with the Temecula
Valley Unified School District in Southern California, as well Superintendent
of Schools in Nebraska.
The board also discussed streamlining the suspension
and expulsion policies and looked at the possibility of hiring four retired
administrators to sit on the Expulsion Hearing Panel. Another item the board felt needed
streamlining was Dress Code
Policy enforcement. Collectively, the
board recognized the need to address and enforce dress code policy violations
at the very beginning of the school year, as well as notifying parents
of the policy. The board also touched on
homework policies, as well as the proper procedure for staying in touch with
parents or guardians regarding missing assignments and failing grades. And finally, the board requested a copy of
the board’s cell phone
policy, which regulates student use of cell phones at school and outlines the
proper procedure to follow when phones are confiscated.
Free Ice Cream!
Anyone who
is present to donate blood at
the Jackson Elks Community blood drive on Monday, July 21 will receive a coupon
for a free pint of Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream. Thanks to the generosity of
local donors, when you receive care at a Sacramento-area hospital, such as Kaiser
Permanente, UC Davis Medical Center, Sutter or Mercy hospitals, the blood you
receive comes from BloodSource blood donors. BloodSource provides blood to Sutter Amador
Hospital in Jackson. Blood donations are used to treat burn victims,
transplant patients, people who must undergo surgery, those injured in
accidents, patients with leukemia and more. To give blood, you must be
in generally good health, free from cold symptoms for at least 48 hours and at
least 17 years old. The drive is sponsored by the Jackson Elks Lodge 2426.
Anyone who visits a BloodSource center or mobile drive during the month of July
will be automatically entered to win one of five gas cards worth $500. For more information about the
Jackson Elks Community blood drive please call Kathy at 209-223-1905.
New Foreclosure Bill
Lawmakers have sent Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill requiring more notice from lenders seeking to foreclose on homeowners. The legislation by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, both Democrats, passed the state Senate on Wednesday.It requires mortgage holders to provide a 30-day warning before filing a default notice, which typically precedes foreclosure. It also gives tenants at least 60 days to move out of a home that is being foreclosed.Lenders that repossess homes also must maintain the properties so they don't cause neighborhood blight.Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says the governor expects to sign the bill.
Alleged Voyeur Booked On Misdemeanor Charges
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