Fees for Lake Tulloch, non motorized designated areas on lake on agenda for Oakdale Advisory

Lake Tulloch permit fees and non-motorized designated areas are on the Oakdale Irrigation District Advisory meeting agenda.

To view meeting agenda CLICK HERE

POW Bergdahl free after 5 year captivity in Afghanistan

9:19 p.m. CDT, May 31, 2014

WASHINGTON—

President Barack Obama, flanked by the parents of a U.S. soldier released after being held for nearly five years by the Taliban, said in the White House Rose Garden on Saturday that the United States has an "ironclad commitment" to bring home its prisoners of war.
U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, has been released by the Taliban and is now in U.S. custody after years of on and off negotiations, officials said on Saturday.
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bergdahl was flying to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside the United States. It is located close to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

READ MORE Chicago Tribune Times

  Bergdahl is the only known American soldier held captive since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. 

                                    Last picture release by the Taliban dated November 2011.

Websites to candidates for contested races in Calaveras County

Contested Races in Calaveras County
(Alphabetical Order by Last Name)
District 5

Marti Crane www.marticrane.com
Roy Estakhri www.facebook.com/roy.estakhri
Steve Kearney www.electstevekearney.com/
Darren Spellman www.spellmanforsupervisor.com
District 3
Mike Borean www.democracy.com/mborean/
Merita Callaway www.meritacallaway.com/
Michael Oliveira www.michaeloliveiraforsupervisor.com/
Superior Court Department 1
Grant Barrett www.barrett4judge.com/
Ken Foley: No website or Facebook page could be found
Dana Pfeil www.danapfeil4judge.com/
Superior Court Department 2
Tim Healy www.timhealyforjudge.com/
Hugh Swift www.hughswift.com/
John Trifilo www.trifilo.org/
Sheriff
Pat Garrahan www.democracy.com/patgarrahan/default.aspx
Gary Kuntz www.re-electsheriffkuntz.com/

Source Calaveras Political Junkies

Drifters Marina and Grill Signature Cocktails unveiled

 

Signature Cocktails  

 

 

 

Flea Market TOMORROW 6-1-14 at the Old Corner

Purple Heart Anglers annual "Take a Vet Fishing" event

The Purple Heart Anglers are having their annual "Take a Vet Fishing Event" on Sunday June 1, 2014
.  Anyone who would like to participate or volunteer to help, call Randy (415) 370-9930

FIll the Boot for the Food Pantry a success

At the Memorial Day weekend 'Fill the Boot' event for the Copperopolis Food Pantry held at the IGA parking lot and staffed by Copper Fire firefighters, food pantry volunteers and members of the VFW Post 12118, the mood was celebratory as car after car showed their generosity and support for our food pantry with their donations.

The Copperopolis Food pantry serves at any time between 50 to 60 families per month.

The money raised through he fill the boot events "is the lions share of the annual budget," said pantry Director David Crawford.

 For more pictures CLICK HERE

Public Health press release re: Warm Temperatures Increase Risk of Vehicle Heat Related Deaths

 San Andreas - Vehicle heat related deaths in California have already claimed two children in 2014.  These deaths are preventable.  Calaveras Public Health Services is issuing this reminder to all residents that provide transportation to children. It does not take a heat wave for the risk of heat illness and death to be present for those who are most vulnerable – children, severely disabled and frail seniors.  Pets are also at risk of heat illness and death if left in a vehicle for even a short period of time.

A child’s body temperature rises 3 – 5 times faster than an adult’s body temperature.  Even with the windows of a vehicle rolled part way down, the inside temperature can reach 125 degrees in just minutes.  What contributes to children being left in a car alone?

Sheriff dept press release re: Juveniles Arrested for Valley Springs Arsons

Juvenile Arrested for Valley Springs Arsons
On 5-28-14 at 1900 hours, Deputies were patrolling the Valley Springs area when they noticed smoke coming from Valley Springs Elementary School area. They located a grass fire in a planter box near the Historic Burson School House. The deputies noticed that one juvenile was actively trying to extinguish the fire by throwing dirt on top of it, while another juvenile was trying to leave the immediate area. The Deputies detained both juveniles and Cal-Fire was dispatched to fully extinguish the fire. The male juvenile caught trying to leave admitted to setting the fire and was placed under arrest for the act of Arson. He also admitted to starting an earlier fire the same day in the woodchips on the school playground. The juvenile was transported to Juvenile Probation and later placed in a Juvenile Hall out of the county.

Sheriff Dept Press release re: SWAT Call in Burson

Swat Call in Burson
On 5-29-14 at 1700 hours, Deputies were dispatched to the 10000 block of South Camanche Parkway for a male subject shooting at propane tanks in the front of his residence. Deputies were able to identify the subject as Lee Matthew Smith (31 years old). Neighbors confirmed the subject was armed and was actively shooting prior to our arrival. Deputies immediately set up a perimeter around the residence and alerted neighbors. Lee Smith had active warrants for his arrest and was a convicted felon prohibiting him from possessing a firearm. After deputies made several attempts, Smith refused to answer his door and phone. The Calaveras County Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) were dispatched along with the Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT). HNT attempted to contact the subject through use an of a PA system for hours without success. Prior to SWAT making contact with Smith, he exited out the back of the residence and attempted to flee. Deputies on the perimeter were able to make contact with Smith and place him under arrest. The incident took about six hours and no injuries were reported.

Hunters Fire 677 acres 90% contained

Hunters Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated:	May 30, 2014 6:45 am
Date/Time Started:	May 26, 2014 3:33 pm
Administrative Unit:	CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa Unit
County:	Mariposa County
Location:	Hunters Valley Access Rd. Bear Valley Area
Acres Burned - Containment:	677 acres - 90% contained
Estimated - Containment:	6/02/14
Structures Threatened:	0
Structures Destroyed:	2 unoccupied residences and 1 outbuilding
Evacuations:	Evacuation orders were lifted for residents. Information from the Mariposa County Sheriff.
Road Closures :	The road closures have been lifted for residents only.
Injuries:	9
Cooperating Agencies:	CHP, CDCR, Mariposa County Sheriff, Mariposa County Fire, US Forest Service, BLM and dozens of local fire agencies
Total Fire Personnel:	756
Total Fire Engines:	65
Total Fire crews:	29
Total Helicopters:	1
Total Dozers:	4
Conditions:	No anticipated change from current fire perimeter is expected. A decrease in wind is expected, and the fire perimeter is expected to be reinforced using aggressive mop up and tactical patrol of the fire line. The reduction in reported acreage burned is due to more accurate mapping.
Phone Numbers	(209) 966-4784 (Fire Information)
Phone Numbers	(209) 966-3614 ( Road Closure Info )

Community Garden stringless beans ready for picking

Feel free to stop by for some of the delicious, stringless, beans.  They are coming on strong now and need to be harvested 2x a week if we are to keep production up.

And as always, the Community Garden would love some volunteers.

Garden work day will change, beginning this weekend, to Saturday morning.   They will meet 5-31-14 at 9:30 am, and quit by 11:30.

Grant Barrett for Judge - Experienced and Fair

Paid for by Grant Barrett for Judge 2014 (FPPC  1363039)

 http://www.barrett4judge.com/

Sonora PD press release re: Vehicle vs Pedestrian accident

28 May 2014, at approx. 8:00 am, emergency personnel responded to Church Street near Barretta Street for a reported vehicle vs. pedestrian accident.

Staci Criswell, 47 of Sonora, was operating a 2004 Hyundai eastbound on Church Street between 20-25 miles per hour, when she failed to see Thomas Belcher, 51 of Sonora, who was crossing the roadway in front of her.

16th Annual Kids Fishing Clinic

Weekend weather

• 5-30-14
• Friday Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
• Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 48. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming north after midnight.
• Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon.
• Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. North northwest wind around 7 mph.
• Sunday Sunny, with a high near 87.
• Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

Lake Tulloch Lions scholarships awarded to 4 deserving Copperopolis seniors

4 deserving Copperopolis seniors received $1,000.00 scholarships from the Lake Tulloch Lions at the Bret Harte Senior awards night held on May 21, 2014.

The recipients were:
Darrell Lucas, Ryan Soulier-Doyle, Diana Munoz, and Jennifer Munoz.

 Ryan Soulier-Doyle

 Darrell Lucas

Recipients were chosen based on scholastic performance, ACT/SAT scores (if taken), essay content and style, proposed career and life goals, monetary need and intent to gain employment while in school, participants in school and community, and residency in Copperopolis.

For over ten years the Lake Tulloch Lions Club has gifted at least 4 Copperopolis seniors per year with a $1,000.00 scholarship for further education.

The LT Lions raise these funds for scholarships and other community programs and donations through their annual Crab Feed and their Hot Copper Nights Car Show.

The LT Lions give a large percent of their proceeds back to the community of Copperopolis. They also support several District Projects:  camperships for Camp Pacifica, the Lions Eye Foundation, save glasses for the Lions in Sight, support Relay For Life, help youth get MedicAlert bracelets when needed, helped with the Lions kitchen for the Rim Fire, plan to use the Eyemobile, collect pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House in Madera, and supported the Rose Bowl Float.

cm
updated: 5:51 am 6-3-14

Winning Way Advice Column - '15 myths about job hunting' part II - by, Marge Powers

15 Myths about Job Hunting (Continued)  Part 2

This is Part 2 of my answers to reader Alex Hummel regarding his question on the process of Job Hunting:

Myth 8:  If you can’t Schedule Job Interviews between 9am and 5pm you’re Out of Luck.

While it’s certainly true that a majority of job interviews are conducted during traditional business hours, employers will certainly find time during ‘off hours’ to interview desirable job seekers.  And it’s often better to interview during these times because there are fewer distractions.

Myth 9:  The Most Qualified Job Seekers Get the Best Jobs.

Nope.  Probably the biggest misconception about interviewing, it is not always the best qualified person who gets the job, but the job seeker with the best mix of qualifications, interviewing skills and has rapport with interviewers.  If you get a job interview, it’s because the employer thinks there is a strong enough match of your skills, education and experience to do the job – and at the interview, you need to prove why you are the best person to fill the job.  Actually, in most cases, people get hired if the employer likes them and thinks they are going to make them look good.

Elect Tim Healy for Judge Dept 2

Paid for by Tim Healy for Superior Court Judge 2014.  FPPC # 1362643

My name is Tim Healy and I’m running for Superior Court Judge Department 2.  I am the only candidate for Department 2 who as a Criminal Prosecutor has dedicated his professional career to public safety, victims’ rights and seeking justice for all. 

Copperopolis Olive oil company - more than handcrafted oils

Of course Copperopolis Olive Oil Company in Town Square has delicious handcrafted olive oils, but did you know they have beautiful olive wood products, soaps, lotions, handmade glass dipping dishes, cook books, and more!


Stop in and see whats new!

785-6868
11-5

Board of Supervisors 5-27-14 meeting video

May 27 BOS meeting video Part 1 CLICK HERE

May 27 BOS meeting video Part 2 CLICK HERE

Video of Calaveras Planning Commission, Calaveras County Water District, and Calaveras Board of Supervisor’s meetings graciously supplied by Calaveras Public Access TV and accessed through the Community Action Project.

June 11 Golf Tournament at Saddle Creek Benefits Free Mobile Clinic

(Sonora, CA) – Sonora Regional Medical Center’s 18^th Annual Golf Classic will be held on Wednesday, June 11 at Saddle Creek Resort in Copperopolis.  All proceeds from the tournament go toward funding Sonora Regional Medical Center’s Project HOPE, a free mobile health clinic serving people in the community who typically do not have health insurance.  The clinic is available twice a week at the Crossroads Shopping Center in Sonora and once a month at Interfaith.

Taxpayer Alert candidate forum videos

This is an update on our cable PATV program "Taxpayer Alert" which is a public service effort by volunteers and sponsored by the Calaveras County Taxpayers Association. 

For those who do not have Calaveras cable TV, or are out of the area, you can still watch as these programs are uploaded to YouTube and can be accessed on line. We have linked the programs below, with the most recent first. We have also co-hosted candidate forums with the Calaveras Enterprise which are posted below. 

Rebecca Callen, Auditor/Controller  

Rebecca discussed the county budget including a range of possible solutions to the $8 million shortfall.

Pete Kampa, Public Water Consultant

Pete was Manager of the Tuolumne County Water District for 20 years and shares wisdom and ideas on public services.

Judge Candidates Department Two

This 1/2 hour show is moderated by Joel Metzger. Participants are: Tim Healy, John J. Trifilo and Hugh Swift.

Judge Candidates Department One

This 1/2 hour show is moderated by Joel Metzger. Participants are: Grant Barrett, Dana Leanne Pfeil and Kenneth M. Foley.

Sheriff Candidates

The 1/2 hour show is moderated by Stephen Crane, Editor. The participants are Sheriff Gary Kuntz and challenger Patrick Garrahan.

 

District 3 Supervisor Candidates

The one hour show is moderated by Stephen Crane, Editor. Participants are: Merita Callaway, Mike Oliveira and Mike Borian.

 

District 5 Supervisor Candidates

The one hour show is moderated by Joel Metzger, Editor. Participants are: Marti Crane, Steve Kearney, Darren Spellman and Roy Estakhri

 

 

Runner-Sponsored Bill to Help Disabled Veterans Moves to Assembly

SACRAMENTO – A George Runner-sponsored proposal to protect California’s disabled veterans cleared the Senate this week with unanimous, bipartisan support. Senate Bill 1113, authored by Senator Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley), would help ensure that disabled veterans who encounter bureaucratic delays can still claim a key property tax exemption.

“Disabled veterans should not miss out on tax benefits to which they are entitled just because the federal government, for whatever reason, is unable to give them their 100% disability rating in a timely manner,” said Runner. 

Angels Camp PD press release re: stolen vehicle

On 05/21/2014 at approximately 3:00 PM, an Angels Camp Police Department officer located a reported stolen vehicle in the 300 block of South Main Street.

Witnesses reported seeing a heavy-set female with dark hair wearing a blue tank top exit the stolen vehicle and enter a nearby business. The female was later picked up by a Hispanic male in a blue sedan, possibly a 90s model Toyota Camry. The suspect was caught on surveillance video.

Electronic Waste Recycling

Electronics Waste Recycling Event

The CHS Earth Club would like to invite you to get rid of your old, broken electronics to be recycled! This event will take place on Saturday May 31 from 9am - 1pm in the lower parking lot of Calaveras High school. E-Waste contains a variety of toxins which leech into the environment when thrown into landfills and not properly disposed of. Please bring the items to CHS to be recycled. This event offers you an easy way to recycle any electronic device that is not useful or is no longer working. Such items include televisions, computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, radios, record players, tape players, CD players, DVD players, telephones (landlines and cell), answering machines, copiers. Pretty much anything electronic! Items NOT able to be recycled are batteries, smoke detectors, x-ray equipment, fluorescent lights and ballasts. All you need to do is bring your e-waste items to Calaveras High School on May 31 and drop them off, no cost to you. Onsite Electronics Recycling (209-234-7994) will be gathering the e-waste and hauling it off. Please take advantage of this local, convenient event in San Andreas to help ensure electronics are recycled and not tossed into our landfills.  The members of the Calaveras High Earth Club would like to thank the community members for continuing efforts to recycle not only electronics but also glass, plastic, aluminum and plastic bags. 

Youth Tennis Clinics

Registrations Open For

Youth Tennis Clinics

            Registrations are now being accepted for a series of Youth Tennis Clinics to be held in Calaveras County beginning June 9.

            Organized by Angella Woods, a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) since 2003, the program is open to all junior players, ages 6 to 17, with a special emphasis on current and aspiring high school athletes.  The sessions will be held at Bret Harte High School, Angels Camp, and the Wintercreek Tennis Facility in Murphys

Cal fire to suspended outdoor burning June 2, 2014

TUOLUMNE-CALAVERAS UNIT SUSPENDS OUTDOOR BURNING

 

San Andreas – Monday, June 2, 2014 at 8:00 AM, the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will suspend outdoor burning within State Responsibility Areas of Tuolumne County, Calaveras County, Eastern Stanislaus County and Eastern San Joaquin County. These restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.

Statewide, California has experienced record-breaking low rainfall, low humidity, and low fuel moisture levels, along with higher than normal temperatures and increased fire activity.  CAL FIRE began its transition to fire season months earlier than normal this year.

Come see the new arrivals at Flourish

Come check out the new arrivals and wonderful selection of clothing, accessories and more at Flourish in Town Square.
Open 7 days a week from 11-5.
785-8788

Copper Volunteer Fire Association scholarship awarded to

The Copperopolis Volunteer Firefighters Association Dennis Powers $500.00 scholarship was awarded to Robert Gonzales at the Bret Harte Senior Awards night held 5-21-14.

 The award is named after Chief Dennis Powers, Copper Fire Chief for 27 years and given by current Copper Fire Chief Steve Kovacs.

Murphys Fire also presented a scholarship named after Dennis Powers as he was a Battalion Chief with that Dist for many years. Unbeknownst to both Murphys Fire and Copper Fire they both chose the same recipient for the Dennis Powers scholarship award. Well done Robert.

According to Roberts father Kenny Gonzales, Dennis was the driving force for Robert (Bobby) to want to become a firefighter. Robert will be attending college studying Fire Tech in the fall.

To be eligible, candidates must be entering into the fire or ems fields and either attending a 2 or 4 years college. 

Youth Swim Team

Free digital child ID

Board of Sups votes 5-0 to accept the FEMA maps for Lake Tulloch only

Much discussion was had about the FEMA flood zone maps for the Lake Tulloch area at the 5-27-14 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Currently the homes on Lake Tulloch lay within what FEMA has designated as a flood zone however, those maps are in question as the fact remains the water level cannot reach over 513.9 without pouring over the spillway. In addition the County has not ever issued permits for homes below the 513.9 level.

New maps drawn up by an independent consultant and supplied to FEMA allowed them to recreate their own maps, thereby taking the homes on the lake out of the flood zone.

This will alleviate the additional burden of flood insurance for some 400+ homes on the lake.

The concern addressed by most Supervisors is if this acceptance of the Lake Tulloch map would be a blanket acceptance of the flood maps for the whole County. Therefore, they asked the County  Planner to rewrite the acceptance of FEMA's new maps clearly stating that they were being accepted by the BOS for the Lake Tulloch area only.

Onions ready for the picking at Community Garden

After months of care and nurturing the onions at the Community Garden are ready for picking!
Please come by and help yourselves!
While there, feel free to pick a couple weeds too.

Hot Rods and Harleys Poker Run to benefit local VFW