Amador County – A 26-year-old man faces multiple felony drug charges after a traffic stop in Ione early Tuesday, and added to the growing list of drug-related arrests by the Ione Police Department.

Ione Police Chief Michael Johnson said in a release Thursday that Daniel Halsell, 26, was taken into custody following a traffic enforcement stop at about 1:30 am on Tuesday, December 14th. An Ione Police officer stopped Halsell for a minor traffic infraction.

Johnson said “upon further investigation it was discovered that Halsell was in possession of controlled narcotic substances and drug paraphernalia.” Halsell was arrested and booked into Amador County Jail on multiple felony drug charges.

The “arrest is consistent with the on-going efforts to combat drug trafficking, illegal possession of drugs,” and driving under the influence “within the Ione city limits,” Johnson said, noting that his “officers are proactive in their drug related enforcement efforts and hoping to send a message that the Ione Police Department will continue to have zero tolerance for drugs in the community.”

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

Amador County – Amador Water Agency staff last week reported two spills discovered recently, including an estimated 15,000 gallons of raw sewage that leaked near Wal-Mart, and about 385,000 gallons of raw water that leaked onto Mace Meadow Golf Course.

Operations Manager Chris McKeage reported the spills last week to the AWA board of directors, including the estimated loss of 15,000 gallons of wastewater.

AWA General Manager Gene Macebo said an air release valve stuck in the open position and allowed wastewater to spill at a rate of about 10 gallons a minute. The valve was located next to a drainage swell that passes under the Wicklow Way bridge near Wal-Mart. Mancebo said the swell is a tributary to Rock Creek, but they do not believe sewage reached the creek. The leak was first noticed December 1st, and they were not sure how long it was leaking.

Mancebo said: “Somebody had noticed an odor and we investigated and that’s how we found it.” No sanitizing chemicals were needed, and the agency was only instructed to clean up the site.

McKeage said the other leak, discovered November 29th, was larger, but involved raw river water used as backwash to clean filters in the Buckhorn water treatment plant. He said it was still considered a spill, and was reported.

It was estimated about 385,000 gallons of backwash water spilled onto Mace Meadow Golf Course, and they did not find the leak for about two weeks.

Mancebo said during the storm, a tree fell and due to the ground being soft and wet, the tree broke the pipeline. It was not noticed for a while because it was under a tree and snow in a remote area.

Backwash is sprayed in summer at the golf course, and stored in a pond during winter. The pipe was carrying water to storage when the leak occurred.

The golf course captures runoff and stores it in ponds, and uses the water as irrigation. Mancebo said the leaking backwash flowed into the Mace Meadow ponds, went through the ponds, and “we believe some of it eventually did get out of the ponds and into a tributary to Pioneer Creek.”

He said: “We have had spills before, and water in backwash ponds is better quality that creek water during a storm event.”

They went through the reporting process and the Amador County Department of Environmental Health did not instruct the agency to add any sanitizing chemicals at either site.

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

Amador County – The Plymouth Planning Commission hosted a workshop Wednesday for comments on two developments proposed by Reeder Sutherland Incorporated and its Draft Environmental Impact Report.

The city and the applicant for Shenandoah Ridge and Zinfandel subdivisions led a presentation, and took public comment. Three people spoke, but only one was a Plymouth resident.

Kathy DuBois of Jackson said the map shows no buffer areas between residential and agricultural zones. She also said the Draft EIR did not include architecture styles, and criticized dead end roads in the plans.

Jennifer Mason of Plymouth said she lives across from the city sewer plant and has cows, horses and sheep, but was more worried about traffic speeding on Old Sacramento Road. She said the rugged area in the south part of the Zinfandel footprint was steep, and a wildfire there once spread at “six miles a minute.”

Elida Malick of Fiddletown asked why the “two separate and distinct projects” were “lumped into one EIR.” She also asked if she could get an extension on the comment period, because the document was hard to digest, especially over the holidays. Malick also wondered about Old Sacramento Road becoming a main route in and out of the development.

Plymouth consultant Edward Heming said the two projects were joined under one EIR because the California Environmental Quality Act likes to see comprehensive impacts. He said the projects are going in under a pretty close time frame, and they felt that splitting the projects would be a piecemeal approach.

Heming said the city and applicant would have to give approval of an extension on the comment period. Bob Reeder, of Reeder Sutherland, said later that an extension was unlikely due to delays and time constraints already faced. He noted that Plymouth has changed city planners several times since he has been developing the projects.

He said the comment period required was 30 days, but it was already extended to about 45 days, ending December 31st.

Stefan Horstschraer said they have discussed fire exit roads and a management plan with AFPD Chief Jim McCart. He said connection of Old Sacramento Road came from the city planner in 2005, and traffic speed would be addressed in the EIR. He doubted people would use the road to go to Sacramento, but likely would use it to get to Latrobe Road.

Horstschraer said city documents address architecture guidelines. The Plymouth City Council discussed buffer zones in depth in public hearings for its recent General Plan update, and declined to include buffer zones in the document.

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

Washington, D.C. – Following a much anticipated tax vote, Congressman Dan Lungren, who represents California’s 3rd District, including Amador County, explained in a release why he supported the legislation.

He said he supported the December 16th bill “because it will prevent the government from claiming a larger share of your income essentially preventing a job-killing, $624 billion tax increase on all Americans during a recession.”

He said: “The enactment of the tax bill agreement should be seen as but the first step in working to improve the economic well being of our nation’s families and small businesses.”

Lungren said: “Preventing scheduled tax increases on January 1st is not a tax cut,” but is merely allowing people “to keep income that was scheduled to be sent to the IRS had we failed to take legislative action to stop it.”

He said “pro-growth policies and serious action by the new Congress to reduce federal spending are both necessary to the creation of a fiscal environment that is consistent with sustained economic recovery.”

Lungren said: “It is not the government’s money, and the attempt to let taxes automatically rise was simply a version of fiscal sleight of hand.”

He said “there are provisions in the tax agreement which I would not have included,” but “we must not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.” He said spending in the bill such as ethanol subsidies “are simply pork,” and he believes that “any extension of unemployment benefits should be paid for with reduced spending.” He said while some “suggested that we could have gotten a better deal if we had waited until the new Congress is sworn in, there is no assurance of this.” Lungren said “both the Senate and the White House would certainly fight any attempts to expand pro-growth tax policy. A continued struggle might continue for months.”

Lungren said “increased withholding taxes would have begun at the turn of the New Year.” He said at a time when our economic recovery remains fragile, imposing a new tax burden on individuals and businesses could stifle growth or even threaten a double dip recession.”

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

Amador County - Sutter Amador Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

Their mammography program also passed the annual State and Federal inspection led by the California Department of Public Health, Radiology Health Branch.

Mammography is a specific type of imaging test that uses a low dose x-ray system to examine breasts. A mammography exam, called a mammogram, is used to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast diseases in women.

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

“Sutter Amador Hospital voluntarily goes through this rigorous review process to ensure that we meet nationally accepted standards of care,” says Judy Vermason, Radiology Manager. “Receiving the ACR Gold Seal of Accreditation is a testament to our commitment and expertise in advanced diagnostic imaging.”

The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 34,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

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

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors heard about impacts from the mid-November storm, and thought part of the information may be used as a snapshot to show potential savings of the Gravity Supply Line.

Construction manager Barry Birge said the agency made it successfully through its first furlough day, and then the storm hit. Snow was removed at pump stations, and generators were delivered to run the pumps, which carry raw water to the Buckhorn water treatment plant, whose customers are the Central Amador Water Project service area.

General Manager Gene Mancebo said power was off and on for 24 hours at the pump stations, and about 200 gallons of diesel fuel was burned by the generators during the outage.

Mancebo said 110 overtime hours were worked, including all systems in the agency. About 10 hours of overtime were worked on the pump stations. About 50 customers lost water pressure, and were notified by customer service that they were under a boil water order.

Operations manager Chris McKeage said well over $2,000 was spent at Buckhor just for diesel fuel, burned to run the pump stations during the outage.

Director Gary Thomas said the storm costs could possibly be used to get a “snapshot on hours” and costs. He said that could possibly be used to sell the Gravity Supply Line, which would replace the water line that feeds the Buckhorn plant and runs on electric pumps.

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

Amador County – The Jackson Rancheria plans a ribbon cutting for its new “High Limit Room” and a Holiday Turkey Drive, both set for this Friday, December 17th at the casino.

The events were announced last week by Carol Cook, content developer for the Jackson Rancheria Casino marketing department.

Cook said the big day starts at 9:45 am with the Ribbon Cutting at the new High Limit Room, followed by drawings throughout the day with chances to win “Promotional Play,” gift bags, and a custom leather jacket.

The Holiday Turkey Drive runs throughout the afternoon and into the evening on Friday, as donors are asked to drop off a turkey at the Jackson Rancheria General Store on Highway 88 at Dalton Road. The Turkey Drive will be conducted between noon and 8 p.m., and those who drop off a turkey will receive a $10 dining credit for each turkey, with a maximum limit of two turkeys per person.

The turkeys will go to the Interfaith Food Bank in Jackson.

The Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, in Jackson. For more information, call (800) 822-WINN or visit JacksonCasino.com.

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 last week took over as lead agency in an alignment project for the Prospect Drive intersection on Sutter Hill, and authorized staff to seek funding from the state for the estimated $1.7 million project.

City Manager Sean Rabe in a report said the city has $1.7 million available, with half each to be paid by local and state funds. The Amador County Transportation Commission in November approved Sutter Creek to be lead agency for construction of the project, under Proposition 1B, a competitive state and local partnership grant, though which the city is slated to get $885,000. Amador County’s Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee funding of $885,000 is also available. Both funding sources are available for construction only.

Rabe said the environmental document was approved in June, design is complete, right-of-way has been acquired from the school district, and an acquisition offer was sent in November to Ed Swift. A Caltrans encroachment permit was in progress.

The project would build an extension of Prospect Drive to align it with Bowers Drive, in an intersection on Highway 104. It would not signalize the intersection, but would build conduit to do so. Rabe said it would be signalized at a later date.

Mayor Gary Wooten asked about through lanes, and said going straight across Highway 104 might be a challenge at times.

Dokken’s Matt Griggs said the intersection’s long center lane will be divided into a left-turn lane onto Prospect, and a left-turn lane onto Bowers.

The proposed budget included contingencies of $110,000, construction contract for $1.5 million and management at $160,000. Councilwoman Linda Rianda said the project would have minimum impact to city staff. Rabe said he would monitor the project, and make sure bills get paid.

He said the project will be ready for bidding in early spring of 2011, upon receipt of Prop 1B funds. He said “bidding of the project may be delayed as the Proposition 1B allocation may be dependent upon the sale and priorities of state bonds.” Rabe said “even with the potential bond delays, staff believes construction will proceed in 2011.”

The council voted 4-0 to approve the city’s lead agency status on the project, and authorized Rabe to request funding and contact Caltrans Local Assistance and the California Transportation Commission. They also approved using the services of Weber Ghio and Associates and Dokken Engineering to manage construction.

Councilman Jim Swift abstained, due to a conflict of interest with a Swift Family Trust owning adjacent property.

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

Amador County – Outgoing City Manager Dixon Flynn received kudos from the Plymouth City Council last week.

On Thursday, Flynn gave his final city manager’s report, and said Zinfandel and Shenandoah Ridge projects were a first and that “we don’t do this in Plymouth.” Hawk’s View subdivision was nowhere near the scale of Reeder’s project, which plans for nearly 500 units, to be annexed into the city. He said the city council must “do the right thing by the developer and do the right thing by Plymouth.”

He said “government cannot create jobs, but it can create opportunity for the private sector.” Plymouth has come close to doing that in lifting a building moratorium, with its new potable water pipeline, built with the Amador Water Agency. And it also is nearing completion of a renovation of its wastewater system.

Earlier in the week, Flynn said Reeder Sutherland is seeking an agreement for its two developments, and might seek concessions or reductions based on the bad economy, but the city council should steer away from that. He said if the council gives a concession based on the bad economy, it must make the same deal for developers that followed.

Flynn said the economy has changed Plymouth from having eight developers looking at projects in the town, to now just one active project of Reeder Sutherland.

On Thursday, Flynn thanked the council members, including outgoing Mayor Pat Fordyce and Councilman Mike O’Meara, both retiring from the council.

Fordyce said she missed the hiring of Flynn, but she has seen more done in Plymouth in the last few years than she has seen in “many, many years.”

Flynn even wrote a poem as part of a resolution last week honoring Councilwoman Pat Shackleton’s 55th wedding anniversary with her husband, Denny. Shackleton said she was there when they hired Flynn, and has “certainly never been sorry.” She said Flynn has “probably done six years of work in three years” for the city.

Mayor Greg Baldwin said “this man took home volumes and volumes” and probably did his job around the clock.

Vice Mayor Jon Colburn said Flynn has done a tremendous job with the city, and has “done double the hours he was contracted for, and cut his hours in half” so the city could continue to operate.

Colburn asked that the city “prepare a proclamation of great gratitude from the city,” and he asked Flynn to return January 13th for a city resolution in his honor. Flynn said he would attend.

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

Amador County – Amador County received three appeals on the Planning Commission approval of a permit for the Buena Vista Biomass Power plant two weeks ago, and the Board of Supervisors has set an appeal hearing for January 4th.

Amador County Planning Department planner Cara Augostin said the department received three appeals by the close of the appeal period, which ended 5 p.m. Monday. The letters included one from four appellants, Donna Ogelvie, Frank Costa, William May and Jerry Cassesi.

In their letter, dated December 9th, the four said they submitted the appeal fee check for $361, and noted that they “wish to appeal the permitting process, the approval of the Subsequent (Environmental Impact Report), the adoption of overriding considerations and the approval of the project.”

Another appeal was filed December 3rd via Federal Express by Kevin P. Bundy, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Bundy in the letter said the “SEIR fails to meet the minimum requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act,” and alleged the “Commission’s certification of the SEIR and its approval of the project are not supported by substantial evidence, represent a failure to proceed according to law, and constitute a prejudicial abuse of discretion.”

His appeal was “based on the Center’s comment letters regarding the project,” which included seven submissions made between February 8th and November 30th.

One submission, study from Mary S. Booth for the Center for Biological Diversity, was critical of the biomass power industry’s generators and emissions. An attorney for Buena Vista Biomass Power answered the letter in a submittal to the planning commission, and criticized the study, pointing out that on her “Linked In” web page, Booth describes herself as an opponent of biomass energy plants. The site, in part, said: “Currently, my work focuses on opposing the large-scale biomass energy plants that are being proposed all over the country.”

The Center responded with a letter that said the attorney’s comments were out of line, and asked the Planning Commission to ignore the comments.

The third appeal, filed December 9th by Thomas Strout of Ione, also alleged a failure to comply with CEQA, and asked supervisors to “decline to certify” the Final Subsequent EIR.

Strout wrote that his “appeal is also based on the failure to adequately respond to comments” he made, which alleged deficiencies in the description of the project, inappropriate use of a Subsequent EIR, and inadequate analysis of emissions.

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