Amador County – The Ione Police Department announced that Ione Homecoming appeared to be a success with no major law enforcement issues over Homecoming Weekend, but reported a few arrests unrelated to weekend events.

Ione Police Sergeant Rocky L. Harpham, who took over as IPD acting police chief on Tuesday, May 22, released details of the Homecoming weekend incidents. At about 2:30 a.m. Friday, May 11, a traffic stop based on suspicious behavior led to the arrest of Donald Ghostone, 35, of Stockton and Little Rock, Arkansas. Ghostone was a fugitive from Arkansas with four felony warrants and was booked into Amador County Jail to await extradition.

At 1:45 a.m. Saturday, May 13 Ione Officers recognized Paul Leroy Williams, 48, of Ione as passenger of a vehicle on a traffic stop near Chevron on Preston Avenue. Williams had a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear. During a search of Williams, officers located suspected methamphetamine. Williams was booked into County Jail on his warrant and possession of a controlled substance.

At bout 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 14, Harpham said the on duty Ione officer saw a subject riding his bicycle erratically on South Sacramento Street, in and out of traffic causing a safety hazard for himself and motorists. The Officer conducting the stop recognized the subject as Brian Wright, 43, of Ione. Wright was in possession of a weapon that was a violation of his terms of parole. Wright’s parole agent requested a parole hold and Wright was booked into County Jail, where remained he Tuesday.

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

Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors held a budget workshop Tuesday to discuss potential layoffs with the return of a 40-hour work week in the budget.

Negotiations continue with an employee group, and three other employee groups’ agreements expire in September. Supervisor Brian Oneto said Assessor Jim Rooney told supervisors he could not function with three employees gone and he got to keep two positions, and lost one. He said all departments are cut. “Facilities” is taking a $250,000 cut, custodians and maintenance workers who take care of all buildings. Information Technology has $320,00 in cuts: that’s four people, Oneto said.

The District Attorney faces a $220,00 cut, the Sheriff has two deputies positions empty that he will not fill, and expense reduction of $37,000. Building Department faces $300,000 in cuts. 

Rooney said he thought the board decided to allow two of his positions to remain. County Administrative Officer Chuck Iley said he marked it as a question. Supervisor John Plasse said deficit spending has got to stop, and finalizing the county budget depends on the state budget.

Iley said the “Basic Aid” issue addressed by Alyson Huber’s Assembly Bill 1191, will be heard in a Senate subcommittee today (set for 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, May 23). Iley said: “I think the Senate will do whatever the subcommittee does.”

Plasse and Forster, who testified at Legislative hearings, said it was not looking good for the bill. Forster said “I’m not counting on that money right now.” Plasse said there was very little support from the House. Forster thanked the Service Employees International Union for having its business agent, Steve Briscoe engaged on the issue.

Briscoe said he represents 200 employees in Amador County and the final budget is a work in progress. Briscoe urged Supervisors to take the 24 percent in reserves to address budget shortfalls. He said employee concessions of 10 percent over three years total $1.3 million in savings a year.

Plasse said the board made it available to choose a 36-hour work week or go to layoffs, and employees voted for the short week. Briscoe agreed, but pointed out that other counties have 8-9 percent in reserve. Plasse said that is not the same when the larger counties’ reserve is bigger because they have much larger budgets.

Forster agreed with Briscoe, that they won’t get a final state budget until September, or after governor’s budget initiative. He said if it succeeds in cutting education that means basic aid would continue for quite a while.

One woman asked if county employees voted for 36-hour work weeks, that the county would have fewer cuts. Iley said he was not sure it would offset all of the cuts, but it would address most of them.

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

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-23-12 - Amador County Supervisor Richard Forster with the Supervisor Report on the meeting of 5-22-12.

Amador County Television, TSPN TV, 5-23-12 - TSPN's Sue Slivick drops in at Sutter Amador Hospitals Sleep Lab. 

Amador County Television, TSPN TV, 5-23-12 - "Love, Hope, and Faith" host Heather Murdock welcomes everyone back for a brand new season.

Amador County Television, TSPN TV, 5-23-12 - Heather Murdock sits down with local author Kathy Boyd Fellure 

Amador County Television, TSPN TV, 5-23-12 - Kathy Boyd Fellure discusses her work with the Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-23-12 - Kathy Boyd Fellure shares some of her published children's books.

Amador County – Amador Superior Court Judge Susan Harlan will hold a Driving Under the Influence sentencing with an audience of approximately 300 students and faculty 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Argonaut High School.

Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency’s Friday Night Live coordinator Megan Taylor announced the sentencing of an Amador County resident who “was recently arrested for DUI and chose to participate in this assembly in order to demonstrate to the students at Argonaut High School the consequences of drinking and driving.”

Taylor said following the sentencing, A-TCAA’s Friday Night Live program and members of the Amador Juveninle Justice youth Advisory Board will facilitate an interactive panel discussion.” The panel includes Harlan, Sheriff Martin Ryan, District Attorney Todd Riebe, CHP officer Craig Harmon, Chief Probation Officer Mark Bonini, Public Defender Randy Shrout and a recent victim of DUI crime.

Harmon reported that 159 DUI arrests and 46 DUI-related collisions occurred in Amador County in 2011. It is estimated 40 percent of all traffic accidents with a fatality are alcohol related. Taylor said motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 15-19, with the primary collision factor being alcohol.

In order to further decrease the number of alcohol-related deaths involving drivers under age 21 who have been drinking, Taylor said it is necessary to continue to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving among this population through multiple traffic safety prevention programs such as the DUI Court in Schools program.

She said counties across the state are implementing similar programs. The Amador program was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“The intent of the panel is to allow for significant dialogue among the panel and students in attendance,” Taylor said. “Following the panel discussion, Toni Fancher will speak about the consequence and impact of a DUI in a person’s life.”

Taylor said they hope the “sentencing will teach students about the very real and severe consequences of driving under the influence.” She said “too many lives continue to be altered or lost due to drinking and driving. I hope this experience will convince students to avoid making a terrible mistake.”

Conducting a DUI sentencing at a high school is an innovative strategy to help reduce community alcohol problems, including motor vehicle crashes, Taylor said. Students will witness the legal implication and learn about the consequences.

Drinking and driving continues to be a leading cause of collisions resulting in injury or death, and statistics show 30 percent of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash at some point in their lives.

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

Amador County – Amador County Supervisors at their early May meeting voted 4-0 to direct staff to look at costs involved with owning Pioneer Park, on which the county already operates one of its two community centers.

General Services Director John Hopkins said Pioneer Veterans Hall on Buckhorn Ridge Road is one of two community halls the county runs. He said “we lose money and you have to subsidize it to run it,” including maintenance, repairs, utilities and insurance. He said if Supervisors are aware of the total cost for owning Pioneer Park, they can make a better decision. Supervisors approved Hopkins working on the total costs with Amador County Recreation Agency director Tracey Towner to consider a purchase of the 27-acre park through the Bureau of Land Management’s Recreation and Public Purpose Lease program.

The county has a lease on the park through 2020 with BLM and Towner said it would be better to own the land, so they do not have to “go through BLM to move a tree or put in a septic system.” She said “in fact, we already own the park,” and do not pay rent. “This is just formalizing it.”

Towner said parks are places where people go in economic times like these, and they have seen increased use at Mollie Joyce Park and Pioneer Park. Towner said people take ownership of public places.

Supervisor John Plasse said in times like these, we’ve got to make decisions from a fiscally prudent position, and we can’t make decisions based on emotion. Hopkins said before you embark on the due diligence, you should take a look at the total cost.

Supervisors Brian Oneto noted the proximity of Mollie Joyce Park and Pioneer Park, and wondered if the county needs “two parks that close together.” Towner said they are two vastly different parks, and Mollie Joyce ball fields are too small for adults.

Supervisor Ted Novelli said “we own about $2 million in assets up there,” and the cost to build another ballpark would be half a million dollars. County Counsel Greg Gillott said recreation “impact fees should be used in the relative vicinity of where the impact occurs.”

Novelli asked to look at costs in both good and bad years. He said the county has done a great job on Pioneer Park and if they want to buy property that may be the one they want to buy. He said the “wrong elements” have been out there, but ACRA and the County should get together, do their homework and bring some of these financial figures, to see if they both can afford it.

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