Tom
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:48
Supes Support Law Proposing Harsher Sex Crime Penalties
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors gave unanimous support Tuesday to “Chelsea’s Law,” a high-profile proposal that authorizes increased penalties for violent sex crimes against children, including mandatory life without parole for those who commit the most heinous sex crimes. As proposed by Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, the bill is designed to “isolate these particularly harmful predators and prevent them from inevitable additional violence.” The bill would increase the time a convicted child molester remains on parole, allowing officials to monitor some violent sex offenders for life, as well as bar registered sex offenders from visiting parks frequented by children. In a letter to the Board, Fletcher said he believes “this combination of increased sentencing, enhanced supervison and the creation of “safe zones” will significantly decrease the current frequency of horrific violent sex crimes against children by repeat offenders and also save young lives of promise.” The bill’s monniker comes from 17-year-old Chelsea King, who was raped and murdered last February after being attacked on a park trail in San Diego. The murderer was a violent sex offender who was convicted 10-years prior of violently molesting a 13-year old but only served five years in prison. “Chelsea’s story has become a lightning rod for change after too many children and families in California have suffered similar tragedies,” said Fletcher. The Board sent a letter to the legislature urging approval of the bill. The proposal won a key legislative victory by passing through one house earlier this month. Supervisor Richard Forster said he puts his full support behind the proposal, including “advocating for stiffer penalties and capitol punishment if necessary.” He said “this is a very serious issue and we need to protect our kids out there in the community.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Friday, 25 June 2010 06:53
Bill Bunce - Measure N Victory 6-25-10
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News Interview Videos
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:58
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 6-25-10
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News Broadcast Videos
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:49
AWA Declares Emergency, OKs $20K CAWP Pump Repair
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors approved an emergency repair of a failed pump on the Central Amador Water Project system Thursday, with approval to spend up to $20,000. The board declared an emergency that would not allow a bid process on the work, and staff began to look at the failure of the pump at Silver Lake Pines, which carries water to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. Operations Manager Chris McKeage said water was coming out all over the concrete at one of 2 main pumps at the location. Director Don Cooper said the pump station no longer had a “backup” in place, but water still flowed because the backup pump was being used. The board discussed whether the public had been notified of the issue. Cooper said he would prefer to wait until they “get that pump out of the can” to see how long it will take to replace. He said that “if it definitely looks like it is going to be out of service for 2 or 3 weeks, then we can go to level 1 notification.” General Manager Gene Mancebo said if it was winter, he would not send a notice, but the level of concern and demand in summer might merit a conservation notice. He said if demand increases, they could urge a major conservation effort. McKeage estimated the costs could be $10,000 to $20,000, and President Bill Condrashoff asked if the CAWP finances were adequate to cover such a cost. Mancebo said CAWP has $25,000 in operating cash and $30,000 in reserves, so it could drop the level down pretty low. The board voted 4-0 to declare the emergency and 4-0 to approve the repairs, not to exceed $20,000. McKeage said he would come back with a report on repair costs “after the fact.” Cooper said there was “no component of notifying the public” in his motion to approve the repair work. Vice President Debbie Dunn agreed with Cooper that they should see how long the repairs would take before deciding to notify customers or the media. Director Gary Thomas said he would rather have notifications made, because a pump was down and they have “100-degree weather coming up.” The pump (number 2) that failed went out on Wednesday (June 23rd). Cooper said the pumps were working, but without the backup pump in place. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Water
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:48
Supes Support Law Proposing Harsher Sex Crime Penalties
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors gave unanimous support Tuesday to “Chelsea’s Law,” a high-profile proposal that authorizes increased penalties for violent sex crimes against children, including mandatory life without parole for those who commit the most heinous sex crimes. As proposed by Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, the bill is designed to “isolate these particularly harmful predators and prevent them from inevitable additional violence.” The bill would increase the time a convicted child molester remains on parole, allowing officials to monitor some violent sex offenders for life, as well as bar registered sex offenders from visiting parks frequented by children. In a letter to the Board, Fletcher said he believes “this combination of increased sentencing, enhanced supervison and the creation of “safe zones” will significantly decrease the current frequency of horrific violent sex crimes against children by repeat offenders and also save young lives of promise.” The bill’s monniker comes from 17-year-old Chelsea King, who was raped and murdered last February after being attacked on a park trail in San Diego. The murderer was a violent sex offender who was convicted 10-years prior of violently molesting a 13-year old but only served five years in prison. “Chelsea’s story has become a lightning rod for change after too many children and families in California have suffered similar tragedies,” said Fletcher. The Board sent a letter to the legislature urging approval of the bill. The proposal won a key legislative victory by passing through one house earlier this month. Supervisor Richard Forster said he puts his full support behind the proposal, including “advocating for stiffer penalties and capitol punishment if necessary.” He said “this is a very serious issue and we need to protect our kids out there in the community.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:46
Tobacco Survey Reveals Illegal Underage Sales Made Locally
Amador County – A recent survey conducted by Tobacco Reduction of Amador County reveals that 7 percent of local Amador County stores sold tobacco to underage teens. “Accompanied by undercover law enforcement, minors attempted to purchase tobacco products at all types of retail establishments, including convenience stores, gas stations, liquor stores, grocery stores and drugstores, to determine how easily minors can purchase cigarettes and chewing tobacco,” says a release from the Amador County Public Health Department. "Carelessness or complacency is not acceptable when it comes to the health of our youth," said Larry Fossen, Tobacco Reduction of Amador County Community Coalition chairman. "This highlights the importance of awareness and prevention efforts. Our local tobacco retailers need to ensure they are not selling any form of tobacco to youth under 18." Tobacco retailers have the responsibility to check identification, verify age and post state mandated age-of-sale warning signs. Another related law states that as of January 2005, the self-service display of tobacco products is against the law. This includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, bidis, pipe tobacco, roll your own tobacco, and any other product containing tobacco. The self-service display of tobacco paraphernalia is also against the law. "This public health issue is extremely relevant to our community. Unfortunately, we see a higher smoking rate here in our county than compared to the rest of the state," stated Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County health officer. "Tobacco use causes future disease and seriously harms our kids while they are still young." In California, only 13 percent of the entire population currently smokes. While the rate reported in Amador County is nearly 19 percent. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S. Each year, cigarette smoking results in about 443,000 premature deaths. Most smokers become addicted to tobacco before they are legally old enough to buy cigarettes, and most adolescents who become regular smokers continue to smoke into adulthood. Because the likelihood of developing smoking-related cancers, such as lung cancer, increases with the duration of smoking, those who start at younger ages and continue to smoke are at highest risk for cancer and other diseases. "I find it extremely distressing that tobacco companies blatantly target new young consumers with their development of new products," commented Gretchen Carlson, Amador County Unified School District nurse. "The sad reality is that curiosity becomes addiction." The TRAC program and its educational projects are funded by Proposition 99 taxes through the California Department of Public Health. For more information on underage tobacco sales or cessation resources, contact the TRAC office at 223-6638. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:45
Bridge To Kindergarten Preps Dozens Of Kids For 1st Day Of School
Amador County – The Amador First 5 Bridge to Kindergarten program entered its second week Monday, and wraps up next Thursday, having helped dozens of children prepare for their official first day of school in kindergarten classes across Amador County. Some of the children have come out of a year of preschool, while others did not get that opportunity. Cheri (Sha-Ree) Garamendi, First 5 School Readiness Coordinator, is director of the Bridge to Kindergarten. She said the program is designed to help children prepare for Kindergarten, and “a priority is given to kids with little or no preschool.” Garamendi said this year, the program was “able to accommodate all of the kids.” There are 111 students at all 6 elementary schools in the Amador County Unified School District. That includes 2 classes each at Ione, Plymouth and Jackson Elementary Schools, and 1 class each at Pine Grove and Pioneer Elementary Schools. The 3-week program sends home a weekly envelope to get families accustomed to the district’s Tuesday Envelope. There is also a survey each week, with one focused on literacy, another on dental health, and the third a program evaluation. The students get graduation backpacks with supplies to use at home throughout their kindergarten year, Garamendi said. The Bridge program tries to help with academic and social skills and observe what students’ families need to work on to help the child get ready to enter school. Classes are smaller in the program, with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio. That will change as they enter kindergarten, due to budget constraints, as the district is looking to go to either a 1-to-28 or 1-to-30 teacher-to-student ratio in its classrooms. First 5 has a number of programs that help with education, literacy and health for children age zero to 5. Garamendi said they also work with Dad & Me and Mother’s Club, and are “big on parent involvement.” Other programs include the Amador Cooperative Preschool, Imagination Library, and the Oral Task Force “Smile Keepers.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Education
Thursday, 24 June 2010 06:05
CALFIRE Burn Permit Suspension to Begin July 1
Amador County - Unit Chief Bill Holmes of the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit of CAL FIRE, announced today that all burn permits within the State Responsibility Area (SRA) will be suspended at 8 AM on Thursday July 1st in Amador County and on the western slope of El Dorado County. Chief Holmes adds “this will be the last weekend you can burn your four foot by four foot backyard burn piles, so take this opportunity to finish up your defensible space clearances.” Note that this does not apply to the Lake Tahoe Basin so if you have questions regarding the Basin please call 530-543-2600. For information regarding proper burning techniques and other life-saving information, please visit the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov or the Ready-Set-Go website at www.readyforwildfire.org. Other “green” options for disposing of your vegetation are available through your local Fire Safe Councils. Visit the Amador Fire Safe Council website at www.amadorfiresafe.org or the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council website at www.edcfiresafe.org. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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