Local News
02/02/2011
Mental Health Services Update Released
San Andreas, CA-- Behavioral Health Services has released the Annual Update to Calaveras County's Mental Health Services Act Plan for fiscal year 2011-2012.
Behavioral Health Services is seeking input on the Annual Update during a 30-day public review period now through March 1st. A copy of the Annual Update may be found at www.calaveras.networkofcare.org.
A public hearing regarding this Annual Update will be held March 1st at 4:00 pm at Behavioral Health Services in San Andreas.
Written by tina.falco@mlode.com
Sonora, CA-- Mainly due to the low-priced foreclosures in the state, California's median home price declined nearly 4 percent in December 2010 to $254,000. That's compared to the average home price of $264,000 in December 2009.
According to the San Diego-based MDA DataQuick report, California home sales fell about 13 percent from around 41,800 in December 2009 to about 36,200 in December 2010.
Foreclosures accounted for about 38 percent of December 2010 home sales, up from nearly 38 percent in November and down from around 41 percent in December 2009.
In Tuolumne County the average price of a home last year was $200,000. For comparison, the average home price in 2009 was $225,000.
"I think until we get this foreclosure market cleaned up, we're not going to see any strong appreciation," says Ann Ritchie, Tuolumne County Association of Realtors Director. "I know some of the state has begun to see appreciation and we usually lag a little bit behind. So it could happen next year or it could be 2013, but it will turn around. It always does."
Written by tina.falco@mlode.com
History Series Features Calaveras County Fair
Angels Camp, CA-- Next week the History Channel will feature the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee in their premier episode of "Only in America."
The new series featuring Larry the Cable Guy, shows the well known comedian visiting the 2010 Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. The episode is entitled "Larry Makes Moonshine."
"It was really exciting," said Fair Assistant Manager Laurie Giannini. "They were here for a couple of days and were great to work with. Larry the Cable Guy did everything from jumping a frog to judging baked goods. He even rode on the ferris wheel with Mark Twain. It was really a lot of fun to have him here."
The History Channel's season premier of "Only in America" featuring Larry the Cable Guy and the Calaveras County Fair airs Tuesday, February 8th.
Written by tina.falco@mlode.com
Yosemite Renovates Historic Post Office
Yosemite Valley, CA-- The historic Yosemite Village Post Office, completed in 1925, is receiving new wood shingle siding as part of the park's efforts to maintain and restore historic buildings.
Yosemite National Park crews are currently installing sugar pine shingle siding along the upper level of the building. Once the siding is installed, the crews will paint the shingles dark brown to match the other historic buildings at Yosemite Village.
"We are excited about the renovations to the building," said Bill Carroll, Yosemite National Park's Postmaster. "A lot of the visitors to the park do mail postcards and do come by the post office. It's one of the first buildings they see when they walk up from the Visitors center parking lot. I expect it will make a very good impression on people that are visiting the park."
The Yosemite Village Post Office is open year-round and is where park employees receive their mail each day in post office boxes. It also is a popular destination for park visitors to mail postcards and letters with the Yosemite National Park postmark.
The Yosemite Post Office renovation was funded by the National Park Service.
Written by tina.falco@mlode.com
Sonora, CA -- The teen birth rate in the Mother Lode is lower than the State of California.
The California Public Health Department says the state's teen birth rate for 2009 was 32.1 births for every 1,000 teens. The rate has been declining in recent years, after peaking at 71 births per 1,000 in 1991. For 2009, Tuolumne County reported 26.5 births for every 1,000 teens, and Calaveras County reported 21.4.
The Counties with the highest teen birth rates were Kern (62.8) and Tulare (62.1). Marin County had the lowest (12.0).
Avery, CA -- An Avery man reported minor injuries from an accident Tuesday on Avery Sheep Ranch Road.
The CHP reports that 52-year-old James Pruit was driving near the Black Bird intersection when he failed to negotiate a curve. He went across the northbound lane and off the shoulder of the road. He came to a stop after running head-on into a tree. No other vehicles were involved. The accident happened at 9:55am. Pruit sought his own medical aid, and did not require an ambulance.
The State Controller's Office has released a comprehensive list of wages paid to city, county and community service district employees across the Mother Lode.
The dollar figure listed is not the yearly salary, but rather the total wages paid during 2009. The state did not release the names of the people that received the wages, but only the title of the position. Here is a rundown of the top earners. Districts in the Mother Lode not mentioned are expected to report numbers in the coming months.
City of Sonora
1. City Administrator - $154,306
2. Police Chief - $116,526
3. Police Sergeant - $115,488
4. Community Development Director - $107,784
5. Fire Chief - $102,419
City of Angels Camp
1. Police Sergeant - $121,356
2. City Administrator - $120,887
3. Police Chief - $105,778
4. Finance Officer - $96,341
5. Police Sergeant - $92,381
Tuolumne County
1. Behavioral Health Psychiatrist - $213,942
2. Public Health Officer - $161,348
3. County Administrator - $151,890
4. County Counsel - $147,098
5. Director of Community Development - $143,459
Calaveras County
1. Behavioral Health Psychiatrist - $187,284
2. County Administrator - $150,219
3. District Attorney - $133,492
4. County Counsel - $129,899
5. Director of CAL Works - $127,803
Tuolumne Utilities District
1. General Manager - $142,730
2. District Engineer - $126,139
3. Operations Manager - $119,145
4. Finance Director - $117,483
5. Communications Technician - $108,509
Groveland Community Services District
1. General Manager - $146,445
2. District Engineer - $139,372
3. Dist/Coll Systems Sup. - $111,530
4. Fire Chief - $109,502
5. Admin/Finance Manager - $85,280
Calaveras County Water District
1. Assistant To GM - $137,976
2. General Manager - $125,914
3. Director of Utilities and Eng. - $120,743
4. District Engineer - $115,599
5. Director of Financial Planning - $103,996
Wallace Community Services District
1. General Manager - $45,360
2. Account Clerk - $5,563
3. Office Clerk - $5,523
4. File Clerk - $3,213
5. Office Clerk - $198
Saddle Creek Community Services District
1. Maintenance Manager - $79,762
2. General Manager - $57,766
3. Landscape Maintenance - $32,516
4. Landscape Maintenance - $27,192
5. Landscape Maintenance - $22,224
Jamestown Sanitary District
1. Operations Manager - $93,994
2. Supervisor/Operator- $62,328
3. Secretary/Finance Officer - $50,902
4. Plant Operator #1 - $49,597
5. Plant Operator #2 - $49,597
Tuolumne Sanitary District
1. Chief Plant Operator - $62,722
2. Grade II Operator - $43,513
3. Grade II Operator - $26,484
4. Grade I Operator - $16,181
5. District Secretary - $2,574
San Andreas Sanitary District
1. General Manager - $119,296
2. Plant Operator - $50,681
3. Plant Operator - $49,375
4. Executive Secretary - $45,647
5. Plant Operator - $39,179
Murphys Sanitary District
1. Operations Manager - $81,576
2. Grade I Operator - $51,918
3. Grade I Operator - $51,432
4. Administrative Assistant - $48,200
5. Administrative Assistant - $11,720
Valley Springs Public Utility District
1. Plant Opr/Foreman - $52,597
2. Admin. Secretary - $34,427
3. General Manager - $30,000
4. Plant Opr/Maintenance - $20,861
Leland Meadows Water District
1. Mechanic - $16,080
2. Secretary/Treasurer - $7,073
3. Laborer - $1,043
4. Laborer - $195
Sonora, CA -- One of the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors goals for 2011 is to develop a plan to strengthen the County's fire and first responders system.
The county is nearing completion of a Fire and First Responders study, so a joint meeting has been called with numerous agencies on February 15th to discuss a short and long term plan of action. Invited to attend are firefighters from the City of Sonora, Columbia Fire, Jamestown Fire, Groveland CSD, Tuolumne Fire, Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, Twain Harte CSD, MiWuk-Sugar Pine Fire, Strawberry Fire, CAL Fire, Sierra Conservation Center and USFS.
The meeting will be at 6:30pm, February 15, at the Sierra Bible Church.
Many Twain Harte residents are not pleased with the way that Waste Management handled trash and recycling pickup during the November snowstorms.
District Three Supervisor Evan Royce was Wednesday's KVML "Newsmaker of the Day".
The Twain Harte Homeowners Association will host a town hall meeting tonight to address the topic. Scheduled to be on hand are Royce, Waste Management representatives and county staff members. Some Twain Harte residents report that there was no trash pickup for two weeks, and there was no reduction in the monthly bill to make up for the lack of service. Waste Management offered a voucher for customers to transport trash to Industrial Way at no charge, but many felt it wasn't a viable option.
The Town Hall meeting begins at 7pm, at the American Legion Hall in Twain Harte (Community Center). It is open to the public.
The "Newsmaker of the Day" is heard each weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47am.
Written by mark@mlode.com
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