McClintock holds Copperopolis town hall - Calaveras Enterprise

Calaveras County residents had the ear of Rep. Tom McClintock during a town hall meeting held Aug. 7 at the Armory in Copperopolis, where he addressed various issues raised by questions from the public ranging from timber harvesting to water issues to health care changes to Iraq.

To read more pick up a copy of the Calaveras Enterprise or visit   http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_6851d7be-21ad-11e4-b5f5-001a4bcf887a.html

Veterans Corner: County begins to better address veterans’ needs - by, Charity Maness - Calaveras Enterprise

As the need for veteran services rises in our community, milestone meetings are beginning to take place within Calaveras County. The end goal is to implement veteran-specific programs and services.

On April 29, Susan Sells of Calaveras County Behavioral Health hosted a gathering that was initiated with funding from the Mental Health Services Act.


To read full column on the Calaveras Enterprise CLICK HERE

Copper needs poll workers - Calaveras Enterprise

If you love democracy more than money, then Rebecca Turner has a job for you – especially if you live in Copperopolis.
There’s a shortage of election workers signed up to work in Copperopolis during the June 3 election, said Turner, who is Calaveras County’s elections coordinator.
Read more at:
http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_1107ba6a-d706-11e3-9b54-001a4bcf887a.html

Veteran event brings history to life for students - Calaveras Enterprise

 
As veterans and youths huddled together over photos, books, newspaper clippings and souvenirs, the students of Bret Harte High School learned history from those who were part of it.
“I’ve never kept these memories to myself; they are part of my life,” said Murphys resident Tom Christian, who served in U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. “I want (the students) to know what we did and that we were once just like them. I was going to high school just like them. (The war) affected everyone.”

Christian and 22 other military veterans presented at the Bret Harte gymnasium Friday, May 2, for Veteran Oral History Day.
The project corresponded to the completion of curriculum focused on the Vietnam War in Jennifer Truman-Nanik’s U.S. history class. Truman-Nanik began coordinating the annual history day in 1997.

To read full story CLICK HERE

Veterans Deaths extend beyond the battlefield - by Charity Maness Calaveras Enterprise

As the month of March came to a close, a very poignant occasion was celebrated by veterans and military families alike across the U.S.: a zero combat death toll abroad. For the first time since February 2003, the U.S. Central Command confirmed there were no U.S. casualties on foreign soil during the month of March 2014.

While this is something to sincerely celebrate, it is also a time to reflect upon the fact that though no combat-related deaths occurred during March, during that same 31 day period, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 682 military veterans took their own lives.

Twenty-two veterans per day in the United States committed suicide. That is almost one per hour. The suicide rate for combat veterans is double the civilian population of 14 per 100,000, with veteran suicides totaling 30 per 100,000 people.

On March 27, 1,892 flags were planted on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., representing the number of veterans’ suicides since Jan. 1, 2014.

A large percentage of these unnecessary deaths can be attributed to combat-related issues, from combat trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other issues that have gone unnoticed or untreated.

Sen. John Walsh of Montana, an Iraq vet and one of only two combat veterans in the Senate, has introduced a bill titled the Suicide Prevention for Amer-ica’s Veterans Act to help combat this pressing issue.

To read full article click the following link:
http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/people_and_places/article_7af14e96-c725-11e3-b214-0019bb2963f4.html

Copper Fire Explorer attends state academy - Calaveras Enterprise

A 16-year-old Copperopolis resident proved he could take the heat when he attended the annual California Fire Explorer Academy in Healdsburg mid-March.

Marshall Maness, a Fire Explorer with the Copperopolis Fire Protection District, was one of 150 accepted applicants and the only representative from Calaveras County.


“It was great,” Marshall said. “I got a lot of great training and I met a lot of interesting people. It was a really militaristic academy.”

During the program, the explorers were up at 5 a.m. and in bed by 10 p.m. Each day, buses took them to a new firefighting experience. One such experience was at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, where the explorers learned how to deal with fuel fires and biohazards. The explorers also experienced a fully involved structure fire, controlled widespread wildland fires, repelled from a three-story building and performed vehicle extrication.

read more at the Calaveras Enterprise

Is Calaveras County a Good Candidate for a Veterans Court - Calaveras Enterprise

In response to veterans facing charges that stem from mental illness and substance abuse, Veterans Treatment Courts are on the rise in California. There are currently 17 in the state.

Research has shown that the traditional Drug and Mental Health Courts do not always meet the needs of veterans. The veteran-court process helps catch the vets who may fall through judicial cracks, ensuring they receive the services they are entitled to as veterans, and it also transfers some of the financial strain of treatment from the county level to the federal level through the use of specific treatment programs offered through Veterans Affairs that address the specific criminogenic needs of the veteran.


To read full Calaveras Enterprise article CLICK HERE

New 'Veterans Corner' column on the Calaveras Enterprise

According to 2013 stats from the California Department of Veteran Affairs, Calaveras County is home to about 5,498 veterans. If you’ve done the quick math, that is just a smidgen over 10 percent of the entire county’s total population.

With that said, the Calaveras Enterprise recognizes the need for veteran outreach and will begin featuring a twice-monthly Veterans Corner, with featured articles about and for veterans and their families.

This column will cover current veteran legislation, local veteran events, veteran interviews, the latest in research on Agent Orange, post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and highlight the many wonderful veteran organizations we have scattered throughout the county.

Read more on the Calaveras Enterprise

Copperopolis women’s group’s teddy bear project reaches veterans - Calaveras Enterprise

When the women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12118 Ladies Auxiliary in Copperopolis see veterans in need, they jump to their aid.

Ladies Auxilliary member Eva Murphy combined two loves of her life – sewing and veteran support – when she brought the idea of Veteran Honor Bears to the Ladies Auxiliary in May of 2013. The idea was welcomed with open arms and grew in leaps and bounds from there.


Thus far, the women have distributed more than 60 teddy bears to infirm, ill or ailing veterans from all services and all conflicts.

“I know they are scared and alone, too proud to admit they are frightened,” Murphy said with tears in her eyes. “I can only hope the bears bring them peace, comfort, and that they know someone cares.”

Read more at the Calaveras Enterprise

by
Charity Maness

Eight high school boys to learn political process - Calaveras Enterprise

Boys State attendees a select group
While their classmates are enjoying summer vacation, eight select high school boys from Calaveras County will spend one week learning about the structure of city, county and state governments with an emphasis in legislative sessions, court proceedings and law enforcement. Basically, they’ll get a poli-sci crash course.


The training event, to be held later this month, is hosted by the American Legion Boys State, founded in 1935. The organization said it is “among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for U.S. high school students.”

To read full Calaveras Enterprise story by Charity Maness CLICK HERE

Lake swimmers treated for parasitic rash - Calaveras Enterprise

A parasitic snail larvae that leaves human victims with an itchy rash has led the Army Corps of Engineers to post signs to warn swimmers at New Hogan Reservoir.
In the summer of 2012, leeches were the prominent parasite, but this year, snail larvae believed to be transferred by waterfowl excrement have been leaving some lake goers scratching a red, inflamed rash for several days after exposure to tainted water.

To read full Calaveras Enterprise article by Lucas Youngblood CLICK HERE

Bret Harte to weigh lay offs - Calaveras Enterprise

With a May 15 deadline approaching, the Bret Harte Union High School District Board of Education will decide whether to lay off teachers on Monday. Trustees will also resolve whether to move Vallecito High School to the district’s Angels Camp campus.

To read full Calaveras Enterprise article by  Mike Taylor CLICK HERE

Calaveras County has a new CAO

Starting in May, Calaveras County will have a new county administrative officer. Lori Norton, current deputy county administrator for Sonoma County, was selected from more than 30 applicants who applied for the position after former CAO Jeanne Boyce stepped down in December of last year.
 
To read full Enterprise article by Kristine Williams CLICK HERE

Enterprise Asks Questions of District 4 Supervisor Candidates

Tom Tryon responses:
 http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_86dee99a-a42a-11e1-a62c-0019bb2963f4.html

Debbie Ponte responses:
http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_9333cd6a-a429-11e1-86df-0019bb2963f4.html#user-comment-area

Russ Thomas responses:
http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_1d1a379e-a42a-11e1-8d05-0019bb2963f4.html

Calaveras Enterprise helping Elementary Schools

Facing tight budgets, schools across Calaveras County are cutting back extra-curricular activities, music programs, sports programs, field trips and more, even while increasing class sizes. Here’s an opportunity to help our schools in this difficult time.

The Calaveras Enterprise has developed a new program to provide money for the

schools and to reach more readers with news about education in our community. The way it works is that we’ll pay participating schools a minimum of $20 or half of the subscription cost for each new subscription identified with that school.