News Archive (6192)
Over the past decade, the leisure activity most
closely associated with corporate success in America has been in a kind of
recession. The total
number of people in the US
who play golf has declined or remained flat each year since 2000, dropping to
about 26 million from 30 million, according to the National Golf
Foundation. Amador
County is home to at
least six golf courses that have felt the impact. On Highway 49 alone, there
are at least 29 golf courses between Sonora
and Auburn. With a modest county wide
population of 38,000, local courses are dependent on commuter golfers from the Sacramento area.
According
to Dominic Atlan, Director of Golf at Castle Oaks Golf Course in Ione, it’s no
secret that golf has been on the decline. He has followed a drop in rounds at
Castle Oaks by a yearly average of 8000. “It seems more people are giving up the game than taking up
the game,” says Atlan. Other local courses, like Mace Meadows in
Pioneer, have made staffing cuts. Once popular and promising courses like the Winchester and Dark Horse
in Ione are now in foreclosure. The disappearance of golfers over the past several years is part of a
broader decline in outdoor activities, according to a number of academic and
recreational industry studies. Escalating gas prices in a worsening economy are
also being blamed. But golf, a sport of long-term investors who buy the
expensive equipment and build the courses — has always seemed to exist in a
world above the fray of shifting demographics. Maybe not anymore.
Local efforts are underway to send two talented
young wrestlers to the
National Wrestling Tournaments. Wrestling Coach Rodney Plamondon is going
public in his fundraising efforts to send Marissa Foreman and Hannah
Collins, both members of the Argonaut Wrestling Squad, though the Nationals in
March. Funds raised are expected to cover air fare, a rental car, motel rooms,
food, and registration fees for the tournament.
The girls need to fly in a day
or two before the events for weigh-in. Because of budget restrictions, the girls’
regular coaches and assistants will be unable to attend. Foreman has been a four year Captain
of her squad, has previously scored 12 and 6 in the Nationals, and is
ranked as one of the top 6 girls in the state. Collins is ranked second place in the girls All-State
division and was awarded the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the
Heavyweight Division. According to Plamandon, the girls will return with a
“priceless experience to share with the high schools and wrestling clubs in the county.” If you’d like
to make a donation, please call Jeff Collins at 763-5533 or 256-5550.
Tobacco
Reduction of Amador County is offering a chance to help smokers fulfill a New
Years Resolution. Tobacco
Reduction and the American Lung Association are giving an 8-session “Freedom
from Smoking” course beginning January 29th. This free
program is one of many steps the organization is taking to reduce tobacco use
in AmadorCounty. Other objectives include
reducing access to tobacco products for minors, countering pro-tobacco
influences and reducing exposure to second-hand smoke. In order to achieve
these goals, the organization will be educating tobacco retailers and
collaborating with Amador
County schools, among
other activities. One of the programs notable accomplishments is the adoption
of an ordinance prohibiting smoking near the doors and ventilation systems of
county buildings.
According to a study specific to Amador County, there were 68 smoking-related deaths and 74 potential years of life lost in 1999 alone. The County’s direct smoking costs that year was over 13 million, and the resulting loss of productivity cost the county an additional 8 million plus. Since this study, the local population has grown rapidly and there are still a significant number of smokers. For more information on the stop-smoking program, call 223-6638, or visit Tobacco Reduction of Amador County’s webpage at www.co.amador.ca.us.
Assembly Bill 105 to Prevent Minors from Tanning in Tanning Booths
Written by
If a new law, Assembly Bill
105, passes through the State Assembly, teenagers under the age of 18 will be
banned from using tanning beds. AB105 raises the minimum age
kids may use tanning devices to 18. Under current law, children 14 to 18 can
use tanning booths with parental permission. According to leading
dermatologists tanning beds can be even more dangerous than natural sunlight
because they primarily use ultraviolet "A" wavelengths. The ultraviolet "A" that you get in a tanning booth is
hundreds or even a thousand times more intense than what you get from natural
sunlight and with malignant melanoma now
the leading cause of cancer deaths among woman aged 25 to 29 Assemblyman Ted
Lieu, D-El Segundo wrote the bill. If it passes and is signed into law, the
teen tanning booth ban would take effect January 1, 2008.
Blood donations from Amador County
donors are estimated to have saved 300 lives over the past year, according to
Veterans Blood Drive Chair Robert Saracino. Six Veterans Blood Drives in 2007 collected 396 units of
blood. Stephanie Kresse of Blood Source, the firm that performs the blood
collection, says the Amador County Veteran’s blood drive is “phenomenal”
in the way it has grown. Blood collected by Blood Source is used at Sutter Amador
Hospital, Mark TwainHospital and other hospitals in the
region. Blood collected at the Veterans Blood Drives also benefits veterans who
need blood and don’t have insurance coverage.
The next Veteran’s Blood Drive will be held Feb.4 at the American Legion Hall in Sutter Hill. Along with the usual whole blood collection process, Blood Source will also collect “Double Red Blood Cells.” According to Kresse, Double Red Blood Cell Collection collects 2 units of red blood cells from one donor I one sitting. At this time, only men are being asked to donate with the new process and it takes a little longer. According to the American Red Cross, only a fraction of those who can give blood do. Yet sooner or later, virtually all of us will face a time in which we will need blood. For more information about the Amador County Veterans Blood Drive, call Robert Saracino, 223-4389.
Could there be a link between the increasing numbers of children diagnosed
with autism and some pesticides used to control insects? According to
The California Department of Public Health a new study suggests there is a
possible link between some pesticide exposures and autism.
A new report allows Californians needing a coronary bypass to see which
surgeons have the best and worst mortality rates for that operation. The
report, released late last week, names and rates 302 surgeons who performed
heart bypass operations at 121 California hospitals during 2003 and 2004. It
was prepared by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
Jackson – Representatives of the Amador Water Agency and the City of Jackson met Wednesday to discuss wastewater updates and the city’s future water storage needs. The casual outreach meeting focused on a number of topics and was meant as a way to brainstorm ideas. Referring to a recent study on creek flows in Jackson Creek, Jackson City Manager Mike Daly said the “study’s conclusion was that there is no significant detriment to creek habitat if we were to stop discharging effluent in summer months.” He said the next challenge is meeting wastewater discharge permit requirements by October, 2012, that require the city to lessen its volume contribution of wastewater effluent into Lake Amador to lower than 5 percent of what is in the lake. He estimated it would cost $80,000 to complete an alternatives analysis study but he expected to have that completed by the end of this year. Amador Water Agency Director Bill Condrashoff suggested using more wastewater for grazing cattle and crops. Daly said they have also considered discharging into the Mokelumne River, but called that the most “politically sensitive” option. Also discussed was Jackson’s dry weather water flow, which is steadily decreasing and is expected to be about 420,000 gallons a day by November. Daly said that is 60 percent of the City’s capacity. Gene Mancebo, AWA interim General Manager, said his agency “has been told they would receive a regional recycling grant for close to $270,000 through the state.” Condrashoff said it would be useful for Jackson to think of places they can use recycled water. Mancebo said “regional projects tend to get dollars more frequently and are looked at more favorably than individual projects.” This transitioned into the topic of future water storage needs for the city. Jackson currently has a 1.25 million gallon clearwell tank near the La Mel Heights area and another .25 million gallon tank at the south end of the city. The 1.25 million gallon tank is under serious consideration for replacement because of leaks and a capacity barely suitable to assist in serving all of Jackson’s customers. A Jackson rep said he received estimates that it would cost $1 million to replace the tank. Mancebo said that was “awfully affordable in today’s economy.” All these topics will be discussed again during future meetings. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
