January 31, 2012 02:02 pm
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If a community is indeed judged by how it treats its weakest members, Tuolumne County government, law enforcement and health care leaders are guilty of making us all look bad.
We are, of course, talking about what has happened to our county’s system of emergency psychiatric care over the past two years, highlighted in a Jan. 20 Union Democrat investigation.
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December 20, 2011 11:27 pm
We cautiously applaud Tuolumne Utilities District General Manager Pete Kampa and his staff for doing the right thing and re-examining a proposed water rate hike. The original proposal is harmful to local residents and the rates and timing are far too aggressive in this sluggish economy.
At the 11th hour, Kampa, who is up for a contract renewal, on Monday pulled the rate hike request from the board’s Tuesday agenda, saying he and his staff will go back to the drawing board to draft a less-severe plan.
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December 20, 2011 11:26 pm
Four-term Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors member Dick Pland announced on Wednesday that he won’t run for re-election next year, leaving behind a nearly 50-year legacy of public service in the county.
The 5th District board member from Jamestown has often served as the voice of reason on the board. More than once during the board’s regular Tuesday morning meetings, Pland has swayed contentious votes with a stiff upper lip, and a thoughtful opinion.
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December 20, 2011 11:25 pm
Joel Phelan, husband of Columbia Elementary School District Board President Laura Phelan, at a trustees’ meeting last Tuesday described our school reporter Lacey Peterson as “an unethical tabloid reporter, who continues to falsify information.”
This and Mr. Phelan’s remaining rant — claiming that Peterson has a “conflict of interest” — was allowed to stand unchallenged at the meeting. It would have been inappropriate for Peterson to say anything.
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November 30, 2011 07:00 am
Tuolumne Utilities District board members next week will consider a planned series of rate increases that would boost residential water and sewer bills about 30 percent over the next four years, starting in January.
District officials say it’s needed because the district is losing a lot of money on its operations — about $2 million a year on water alone. The district also lacks enough reserve funds to do any meaningful upgrades on the water and sewer systems, like replacing outdated water storage tanks and consolidating the dozen-plus water treatment plants under fewer roofs, which would relieve staffing needs in the future.
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November 16, 2011 12:14 am
In the course of 10 days from May 11 to 20, 2012, our region will celebrate and host three major events — The Mother Lode Roundup, The Amgen Tour of California (Stage 4) and the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee.
If planned, coordinated and promoted smartly, we’re hopeful that all three events will benefit from this “crowded calendar.” This is a unique opportunity to maximize exposure, attendance, favorable publicity and revenues for all three events.
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November 08, 2011 10:15 pm
The California Water Resources Control Board recently issued a warning letter to the Groveland Community Services District saying it faces a $1.1 million fine for a pair of sewer spills in August 2010 and last March.
It will be handled as a civil matter, with the fine meant as a shot over the district’s bow, according to one board official.
It’s unfortunate on a number of levels.
It doesn’t, for instance, provide a nuts-and-bolts remedy. It will buy no new trucks or lift stations or training for staff.
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October 05, 2011 09:17 am
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Gov. Jerry Brown’s public safety realignment plan that shifts the responsibility for incarcerating and rehabilitating non-violent felons from the state prison system to local communities is now under way. Each of California’s 58 counties were responsible for developing their own corrections plans within the framework of Assembly Bill 109. “We didn’t ask for this from the state,” Tuolumne County Administrator Craig Pedro said. “Nor can we ignore it. Life will change as of Oct. 1.”
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October 05, 2011 09:15 am
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October is sportsmanship month and, while it may not be widely recognized, it couldn’t have come at a better time, as sportsmanship in some corners of the Mother Lode athletic scene hits new lows.
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September 12, 2011 06:06 am
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It took nearly a year, but Columbia Elementary School District has finally addressed after-school aide Brennan Pendley’s arrest for sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old student on campus.
In a letter sent home with students Tuesday, Columbia officials say: “Everyone is now very well aware of the horrific crime committed in our After School Program … and the travesty perpetrated on one of our students. (We) cannot tell you … how sorry we are that one of our student’s safety was so severely compromised.”
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