Amador County – The Calaveras County District Attorney announced Tuesday that a guilty plea had been entered in a DUI-related vehicular manslaughter case that occurred in July 2010 in which a man driving under the influence of alcohol caused the death of his father in a Calaveras County vehicle accident.

On Monday, Feb. 7, the “defendant Matthew Ryan Thein pled guilty in the Calaveras County Superior Court to vehicular manslaughter” and he also “admitted violating his probation in three other cases,” said Calaveras District Attorney Barbara M. Yook, adding that Thein faces an 11-year prison sentence.

Thein’s father, Michael G. Thein and Karen Lundy died on July 28, 2010, when the van that Matthew Thein was driving crashed while he was under the influence of alcohol. Thein allowed the van to cross the center dividing line and crashed into an oncoming vehicle on Gold Strike Road near San Andreas. Yook said “also suffering serious injuries in the crash were Leah Montoya and her daughter.” During an investigation following the crash, “Thein was found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.”

District Attorney Yook said “in a plea agreement, Matthew Thein pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter and admitted causing injury to multiple victims. Thein also admitted violating his probation conditions in three other cases where he had been granted probation for burglary, vandalism and receiving stolen property.”

Thein’s case will return to Calaveras Superior court on March 14, for a probation department report and for sentencing.

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Amador County – Local business organizations are slated to meet today, that is Thursday, Feb. 10, in Jackson and Sutter Creek.

The Jackson Revitalization Committee meets at 6 p.m. today at the Jackson Civic Center at 33 Broadway.

The committee set goals for completing three projects this year, including new gateway signage, a creek-walk project connecting the city’s parking lot next to Mel & Faye’s with the south end of Main Street (under Highway 49/88) and placement of historic information plaques on buildings in the downtown area.

Another item on the agenda is a request from the Central Sierra Resource Conservation & Development Council to gather information for possible future uses of the old Amador County court house.

The committee meets the second Thursday of every month, and the public is welcomed and encouraged to attend.

The Sutter Creek Business & Professional Association meets at 5:30 p.m. today feb. 10 at “Cinque”, the Serra Fina wine tasting room, on Main Street.

It is the Sutter Creek Merchants general meeting, and will include complimentary finger food and wine tasting. Wine by the glass will be available for purchase.

The Sutter Creek Business & Professional Association owns the website, SutterCreek.org, and it hosts a golf tournament annually, among its regular events and activities.

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Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council on Monday discussed preliminary plans for its Main Street bridge project, with a consensus to remove a public plaza from the bridge sidewalks and place it in front of City Hall.

The council agreed to have Dokken Engineering work on new designs to try to incorporate a public plaza area in front of the City Hall on Main Street, and asked that the rough design illustrations be brought back to the council again, before the Planning Commission works on finer details, such as railing styles.

Councilman Jim Swift said he was not in favor of permanently eliminating parking on the east side of the bridge, which showed in plans that came forward from community meetings on the bridge plans. It also included a “bottleneck” with curbs, to give space on the sidewalk for public booths or a plaza, and guide traffic through in two lanes.

Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha said the idea of putting the plaza area on the bridge was to give visitors a common area to sit and eat a taco or ice cream. He said the only place like that now was two tables in front of Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium, which are always filled.

Councilwoman Sandy Anderson said the Visitors Bureau regularly had inquiries from people asking where they can rest in downtown. She said she would gladly give up a few parking spots for a public plaza.

In public comment, one man said he thought “the evolution of the bridge is creating a great amenity for the city.” Ray Brusatori said he did “not want to lose three parking spaces.”

Al Bierce thought they should install temporary barriers of some sort to simulate the design and see if citizens really liked the idea, because once they start the project, they cannot change it. Bierce said: “I don’t particularly care for it.”

Councilman Gary Wooten said he agreed that they need parking, and he wondered how emergency vehicles would be accommodated with the “bottlenecking to 24 feet” on the bridge. He said “we should look at this more closely before we pour a ton of concrete.”

Mayor Tim Murphy agreed, suggesting use of the temporary barriers. He said a gathering place or plaza is very important, and if not on the bridge, then elsewhere. He suggested and the council agreed to have Dokken work up plans to “incorporate the City Hall frontage,” then bring it back to the City Council, before it goes back to the Planning Commission.

Dokken’s Rebecca Neilon said she would probably return in 2 months. Wooten later suggested they have Dokken work on a grant application for a City Hall plaza.

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Amador County – The former New Jackson Ford Mercury dealership has been purchased by Jerry Wright, owner of two popular wineries in Plymouth.

CB Richard Ellis commercial real estate company broker Mike Luca said Wright’s purchase was finalized in mid-January. Luca said the property was purchased for less than the asking price of $1.7 million, but he was not at liberty to disclose the sale price. Wright owns the Villa Toscano and Bella Piazza Wineries in Plymouth.

The dealership and 7.78 acres of property have stood empty at 11400 Highway 49 in Martell since New Jackson Ford Mercury owner Charles Smith closed on the dealership on March 24, 2009. Luca said the property had been listed for sale by its owner, Ford Motor Credit, for eight months.

The dealership listed at $1.7 million, or $106 per square foot for the 15,932 square feet of building space. The building was built in 1985, with a showroom and office of wood frame with stucco, and a 12-bay service shop made of metal frame with metal siding. It is zoned “Medium Manufacturing,” in which “most light industrial uses are permitted as well as many uses under Commercial 1 and Commercial 2,” office, retail or church.

Charles Smith closed New Jackson Ford Mercury three months after Frank Halvorson had his Prospect Motors dealership closed by GMAC, when the corporation shuttered hundred of dealerships in California in late December 2008. The Prospect Motors building, across Highway 49 from Smith’s old Ford building, was purchased by the Catholic diocese of Sacramento and three local Amador County parishes early last December.

The former Prospect Motors will house the new “Amador Catholic Center,” to be managed by Father Liam MacCarthy as interim pastor of the three purchasing parishes, Immaculate Conception in Sutter Creek, Sacred Heart in Ione and St. Patrick’s in Jackson.

The Amador Catholic Center, 10 years in the making, was designed by Comstock-Johnson Architects and will feature worship space with 600 seats, a youth center, gymnasium, offices, classrooms, kitchen and a large social hall. Initial renovations are expected to begin this year.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The former New Jackson Ford Mercury dealership has been purchased by Jerry Wright, owner of two popular wineries in Plymouth.

CB Richard Ellis commercial real estate company broker Mike Luca said Wright’s purchase was finalized in mid-January. Luca said the property was purchased for less than the asking price of $1.7 million, but he was not at liberty to disclose the sale price. Wright owns the Villa Toscano and Bella Piazza Wineries in Plymouth.

The dealership and 7.78 acres of property have stood empty at 11400 Highway 49 in Martell since New Jackson Ford Mercury owner Charles Smith closed on the dealership on March 24, 2009. Luca said the property had been listed for sale by its owner, Ford Motor Credit, for eight months.

The dealership listed at $1.7 million, or $106 per square foot for the 15,932 square feet of building space. The building was built in 1985, with a showroom and office of wood frame with stucco, and a 12-bay service shop made of metal frame with metal siding. It is zoned “Medium Manufacturing,” in which “most light industrial uses are permitted as well as many uses under Commercial 1 and Commercial 2,” office, retail or church.

Charles Smith closed New Jackson Ford Mercury three months after Frank Halvorson had his Prospect Motors dealership closed by GMAC, when the corporation shuttered hundred of dealerships in California in late December 2008. The Prospect Motors building, across Highway 49 from Smith’s old Ford building, was purchased by the Catholic diocese of Sacramento and three local Amador County parishes early last December.

The former Prospect Motors will house the new “Amador Catholic Center,” to be managed by Father Liam MacCarthy as interim pastor of the three purchasing parishes, Immaculate Conception in Sutter Creek, Sacred Heart in Ione and St. Patrick’s in Jackson.

The Amador Catholic Center, 10 years in the making, was designed by Comstock-Johnson Architects and will feature worship space with 600 seats, a youth center, gymnasium, offices, classrooms, kitchen and a large social hall. Initial renovations are expected to begin this year.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council on Monday discussed preliminary plans for its Main Street bridge project, with a consensus to remove a public plaza from the bridge sidewalks and place it in front of City Hall.

The council agreed to have Dokken Engineering work on new designs to try to incorporate a public plaza area in front of the City Hall on Main Street, and asked that the rough design illustrations be brought back to the council again, before the Planning Commission works on finer details, such as railing styles.

Councilman Jim Swift said he was not in favor of permanently eliminating parking on the east side of the bridge, which showed in plans that came forward from community meetings on the bridge plans. It also included a “bottleneck” with curbs, to give space on the sidewalk for public booths or a plaza, and guide traffic through in two lanes.

Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha said the idea of putting the plaza area on the bridge was to give visitors a common area to sit and eat a taco or ice cream. He said the only place like that now was two tables in front of Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium, which are always filled.

Councilwoman Sandy Anderson said the Visitors Bureau regularly had inquiries from people asking where they can rest in downtown. She said she would gladly give up a few parking spots for a public plaza.

In public comment, one man said he thought “the evolution of the bridge is creating a great amenity for the city.” Ray Brusatori said he did “not want to lose three parking spaces.”

Al Bierce thought they should install temporary barriers of some sort to simulate the design and see if citizens really liked the idea, because once they start the project, they cannot change it. Bierce said: “I don’t particularly care for it.”

Councilman Gary Wooten said he agreed that they need parking, and he wondered how emergency vehicles would be accommodated with the “bottlenecking to 24 feet” on the bridge. He said “we should look at this more closely before we pour a ton of concrete.”

Mayor Tim Murphy agreed, suggesting use of the temporary barriers. He said a gathering place or plaza is very important, and if not on the bridge, then elsewhere. He suggested and the council agreed to have Dokken work up plans to “incorporate the City Hall frontage,” then bring it back to the City Council, before it goes back to the Planning Commission.

Dokken’s Rebecca Neilon said she would probably return in 2 months. Wooten later suggested they have Dokken work on a grant application for a City Hall plaza.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Calaveras County District Attorney announced Tuesday that a guilty plea had been entered in a DUI-related vehicular manslaughter case that occurred in July 2010 in which a man driving under the influence of alcohol caused the death of his father in a Calaveras County vehicle accident.

On Monday, Feb. 7, the “defendant Matthew Ryan Thein pled guilty in the Calaveras County Superior Court to vehicular manslaughter” and he also “admitted violating his probation in three other cases,” said Calaveras District Attorney Barbara M. Yook, adding that Thein faces an 11-year prison sentence.

Thein’s father, Michael G. Thein and Karen Lundy died on July 28, 2010, when the van that Matthew Thein was driving crashed while he was under the influence of alcohol. Thein allowed the van to cross the center dividing line and crashed into an oncoming vehicle on Gold Strike Road near San Andreas. Yook said “also suffering serious injuries in the crash were Leah Montoya and her daughter.” During an investigation following the crash, “Thein was found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.”

District Attorney Yook said “in a plea agreement, Matthew Thein pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter and admitted causing injury to multiple victims. Thein also admitted violating his probation conditions in three other cases where he had been granted probation for burglary, vandalism and receiving stolen property.”

Thein’s case will return to Calaveras Superior court on March 14, for a probation department report and for sentencing.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.