The Amador Co. Transportation Commission has changed their meeting location for the meeting that is to be held on February 21st. They will now be meeting at the American Legion Hall at 11350 American Legion Drive, in Martell. The commission is to take another look at the unmet transportation needs with special emphasis on a Saturday bus service to Kirkwood. The unmet transportation needs public hearing began in November of 2006, but was continued due to an active group of citizens who wanted to research what transportation needs really are unmet in the County. Raised at the public hearing continued in January were 5 basic recommendations by the group of active citizens who serve on the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council.

The worst possible news out of Iraq for one Amador County mother was received Saturday afternoon when the family of 21 year old Private First Class Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins was notified of his death while fighting for his country in Iraq. Serving with the US Army, Jay-D was a 2005 graduate of Northstar Independence Study, the Amador County Unified Independent Study Program. Ornsby Adkins and two other soldiers died Apr. 28 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. Jay-D was newly married to his wife Ashley in March. JD’s hometown of Ione has reacted with sadness and shock and has established a makeshift memorial to the soldier the downtown area. The Board of Supervisors also declared yesterday that all the County flags be flown at half staff in honor of Jay-D and his family and the sacrifice they have made for our Country.

Assembly Bill 885 is legislation related to statewide minimum standards for onsite sewage treatment systems. The bill was signed in to law by Governor Gray Davis on September 28, 2000. The bill was sponsored by the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators (CAEHA) and was introduced by Assembly Member Hannah Beth Jackson in February 1999. The exact language and rules for the law have been under consideration since that time with this month a draft document was released. These new policies, if adopted by the state, will impact those county residents currently living on septic systems with over a 5000 gallon tank.

The Amador County General Plan Committee has released a working paper that creates a foundation for preparing the goals, policies, and programs in the Amador County General Plan related to infrastructure, public facilities, and services. The General Plan policies related to infrastructure, public facilities, and services will ensure that county residents maintain sufficient facilities needed for the delivery of vital community services and functions such as water, sewage, stormwater, communications, and solid waste reduction and recycling. An efficient and reliable infrastructure is vital to any communities’ health, safety, livability, and economic well-being.