Amador County – An Ione man and an Angels Camp woman were arrested Monday for charges including possession of a controlled substance, providing false identification and resisting arrest after the man was chased through the parking lot at Jackson Rancheria casino.

At approximately 4 am that morning, Jason Lee Rydel, 33, was spotted by a Sheriff’s Deputy while unsuccessfully attempting to break into a locked Ford Explorer in the lower parking lot of the casino complex. The deputy was driving through the parking lot on a routine check. Rydel claimed the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend and he was attempting to break in because he did not have the keys or the door code. The registration information he provided did not match the name of the person he claimed was his girlfriend.

Rydel then provided the officer with what was supposedly his own name and date of birth, but when no record was located based on that information, Rydel fled the scene on foot.

According to a release from Undersheriff James Wegner: “The subject ran through the parking area, towards New York Ranch Road, then back towards the casino. As the subject fled, the deputy observed him throw an object. The deputy subsequently caught the subject, who was taken into custody without further incident.”

Upon further inspection of the area where Rydel had thrown something, the deputy discovered “a clear plastic baggy containing methamphetamine.”

Rydel’s true identity was subsequently revealed. He was “arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, providing false identification to a peace officer, and obstructing/resisting a peace officer,” said Wegner.

Jackson Rancheria Security officers advised the deputies that during the incident a woman subject had entered the Ford Explorer and moved objects from that vehicle into a nearby Honda Accord.

“Deputies contacted the female subject who was identified as Michele Elaine Smith, 29, of Angels Camp. They also contacted a female seated within the Honda Accord. The female, a 37 year old from San Andreas, was on active CDC parole,” said Wegner.

A subsequent search of the Honda Accord resulted in the discovery of methamphetamine and methamphetamine paraphernalia that belonged to Smith. A search of the Ford Explorer found unlawfully possessed narcotic prescription medications.

Smith was arrested and charged with possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The arresting deputy received assistance from additional Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies, Officers from the Jackson and Sutter Creek Police Department, and Jackson Rancheria Casino Security officers.

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Amador County – A public hearing on an amendment to the permit to operate the Buena Vista Biomass Power plant this week included talk of potential new jobs created by the plant’s reopening.

Applicant Otoka Company, owned by Michael J. Monston, of Bloomington, Minnesota, seeks to truck in woody biomass waste to be burned in the power generation plant on Coal Mine Road in the Jackson Valley.

Steve Brink of the California Forestry Association and Associated California Loggers Executive Director Eric Carlson both spoke in support of the project, for its increase in forest jobs, and potential for helping manage forests.

Calaveras County Supervisor Steve Wilensky also supported the plant. He said the 50-mile radius around the plant “includes my entire district,” where “people have been laid off my whole life.” That radius is identified in the Subsequent Environmental Impact Report as the source for fuels, from forest management.

Wilensky said in the past, 22 mills operated in Calaveras County, but now zero operate there, the last one having closed 12 years ago.

The EIR is thorough, Wilensky said, but he wanted to comment on biological and forest resources. He said it is biologically unsound because plantations have not been managed, leading to three catastrophic fires burning tens of thousands of acres each, the latest affecting Amador County.

He said the economy has “broken four or five generations of continuity,” forests “have been neglected for the better part of a generation,” and “it’s time to put people back to work.”

Robert Smith, a local contractor, said he was currently removing forest fuel through a federal Job Training grant on 450 acres with the Bureau of Land Management. But he said the grant ends soon, and “nine families are about to be out of work.”

Jackson Valley resident and BVBP critic Jerry Cassesi said he is not against jobs, but he thought jobs would mostly be tri-county, not local, at the Buena Vista Biomass Power plant. He said a full EIR might find a better way to use a truckload of wood chips and keep people working.

Cassesi said work already has begun at the Buena Vista power plant on Coal Mine Road, where the county used the Draft EIR to authorize construction. In a letter, he asked for an extension of 30 to 90 days to further review the SEIR, for which comments were due Thursday, Sept. 30.

Commissioner Ray Lindstrom asked about construction already occurring at the plant, and Planner Nathan Lishman said restorative work had been done at the plant, but the company has been told by the county to stop work.

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

Amador County – The Jackson City Council issued a proclamation of congratulations Monday to the Jackson Woman’s Club to mark the 100th anniversary of formation of the non-profit organization.

Mayor Connie Gonsalves read the proclamation made “on the occasion of their Centennial Celebration, 1910 to 2010.”

Jackson Woman’s Club President Jaimie Little said the club plans a Centennial Celebration October 9th. The celebration marks to the very day 100 years ago that the Woman’s Club of Jackson was incorporated, back on October 9th, 1910.

Little will be a guest on TSPN’s AMLive Wednesday, October 6th, to promote the 100th anniversary festivities and talk about the history of the club.

The proclamation of the Jackson City Council said the club was incorporated as the “Woman’s Improvement Club of Jackson,” with the purpose of “advancing the city of Jackson in the county of Amador, state of California along the lines of civic, social and educational improvement.”

Gonsalves read the proclamation, which noted that the “initial goals of the club were to establish a high school in Jackson … and maintain the beautification of this school’s grounds.” Jackson High School was dedicated June 19th, 1913.

Woman’s Club of Jackson contributed $100 toward the creation of the “State Alpine Highway,” now known as State Highway 88. In 1917, the club reincorporated as the “Woman’s Club of Jackson,” and “was awarded a donation for its community support by W. F. Detert to purchase the Constitution Saloon and borrowed monies to create a suitable meeting establishment.” The former saloon building at 47 Summit Street was sold to the Native Son’s of the Golden West.

In 1917, the proclamation said “the ladies of the club concentrated their energies on rolling bandages, knitting garments, and preparing packages for the troops abroad” during World War I.

The club created a city park, named Detert Park, “which included their donation of playground equipment in 1939,” and “when a scout hut was constructed” there in 1944, the club “provided funding for the fireplace and chimney.”

With the proclamation, Jackson City Council “congratulates the Woman’s Club of Jackson on the occasion of their 100th Anniversary and wishes them continued success for the next 100 years.”

The city seal and council signatures were to be added to the proclamation, including Mayor Gonsalves, Vice Mayor Wayne Garibaldi, and council members Patrick Crew, Marilyn Lewis, and Keith Sweet, with a signature of attest by City Clerk Gisele Cangelosi.

The Jackson Woman’s Club Centennial Celebration is 2-5 p.m. Friday, October 9th at the Jackson Civic Center, 33 Broadway.

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

Coloma – A 25-mile trail along the South Fork American River will open Friday (October 1), according to a regional organization. The American River Conservancy announced last week that the trail would be open.

Noël Robinson, of the ARC, said the trail has three access points, located in Magnolia Ranch in Coloma; Cronan Ranch at Pilot Hill; and Salmon Falls, a newly built bridge at Acorn Creek in El Dorado Hills.

 Robinson said the South Fork American River conservation initiative was launched in 1990 “to protect native fisheries, wildlife habitat and the high quality of water flowing to Sacramento and 22 million water consumers downstream.”

ARC and the Bureau of Land Management have worked together to protect the “river canyon from impacts of subdivision and development,” he said. South Fork American River is immediately above Folsom Lake and the greater Sacramento region and “is the most popular river for whitewater boating in the western United States.”

The river provides drinking water via the federal Central Valley and State Water projects. Robinson said the canyon hosts 117 bird species including bald eagle and osprey as well as black bear, bobcat, river otter, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon.

The trail will open October 1st and take hikers, fisherman, bird watchers, mountain bikers and equestrians through pine and oak landscapes to river side and scenic overlooks of the lower South Fork American River Gorge.

A ribbon cutting ceremony opens the trail on 10 am to noon Thursday, September 30th at Salmon Falls.

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

Amador County – Amador County may be the source for high concentrations of arsenic found in nine percent of northern San Joaquin County’s groundwater.

A newly released, five year study from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reveals high areas of arsenic concentration appear to be in the areas surrounding Stockton and south of Stockton near the eastern edge of the Delta.

Wells in Lodi did not have high arsenic concentrations.

The study’s authors say most of the arsenic arrived in the area as runoff from the Sierra Nevadas. Samples for the survey were taken from 61 wells in areas of Amador, Alameda, Calaveras, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

The USGS analysis focused solely on untreated groundwater from wells. More than 40 percent of the state’s drinking water comes from groundwater.

The report is designed as an informational tool to increase awareness of the issue for regional resource managers and water agencies. It is the most recent indication that higher than average levels of arsenic are prevalent throughout this region.

The Sierra Fund conducted soil tests on a number of public trails near mine shafts in the foothills earlier this year and discovered some cases of extremely high levels of arsenic, lead and asbestos. Researchers said these levels are a result of the extensive mining conducted in our area since the Gold Rush era, when miners dug deep into the earth to expose pockets of toxic contamination.

Speaking with SFGate.com in June, Elizabeth Martin, Sierra Fund chief executive, called these findings “the longest neglected environmental problem in California.”

Arsenic occurs naturally in many minerals and is mainly associated with sulfur and metals. It is considered extremely poisonous. People exposed to arsenic in their drinking water may be at increased risk for more serious illness or death.

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