Aug. 24

Hank and Vip Hale are the sponsors of the “Dog Frog,” which is on display in Valley Springs at Central California Bank and will benefit Canine Companions.

 'Dog Frog' on display at Central California

3 Painted Frogs now in Valley Springs

Tickets available for Oct. 22 gala

   Valley Springs’ third and final Painted Frog of Calaveras County was unveiled Friday at Central California Bank.

   Called the “Dog Frog,” the 21^st of 28 Painted Frogs is sponsored by Hank and Vip Hale of Blackjack Enterprises and the Valley Springs News. The artist is Lori Kelley and sale of the frog will benefit Canine Companions.

   Valley Springs’ other two frogs are the “Wine Frog” on display at Countrywide Home Loans, 15 St. Andrews Road, and “Harry Frogger” at Valley Springs Home Center, 72 Highway 26.

   Maps outlining the location of all 28 frogs can be obtained at the Valley Springs News office, 101 Cedar St.

   The Holistic Health Center of the Sierra frog was also unveiled Friday at the Pickle Patch in San Andreas. The frog will benefit the Human Resources Council and the artist was Dustyn.

   Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Gray reports most of the frogs have been introduced to the public and tickets for the Oct. 22 Frog Gala and Auction.

   The final frogs are expected to be unveiled prior to the end of summer so locals and visitors can enjoy them as they tour around the county.

   Tickets for the gala at Mark Twain Hall at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds cost $65 per person and are going fast, Gray said. Tables can be reserved with the purchase of eight to 10 tickets.

   The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a preview of the Painted Frogs, music and a no-host bar.

   Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and the auction will start at 8.

   The opening bids start at $1,000 and all proceeds from the auction go toward the charity or non-profit organization selected by the frog’s sponsor.

   The chamber’s “Tourist Toad” will not be sold by auction, but will be a raffle prize. Tickets for a chance to win the chamber frog will be on sale for $5 each.

   The first-ever Frog Gala in 2004 was a success with the auction raising approximately $150,000 for area non-profits and charities.

   Tickets can be obtained by calling the chamber office at (209) 736-2580.  

Judy Allen, right, receives the VIP award from Valley Springs Area Business Association Immediate Past President Shirley Chantri.

Judy Allen receives award from area business group

   Judy Allen received the Valley Springs Area Business Association’s Very Important Person award earlier this month.

   Allen is president of Foothill Park and Recreation and is working to establish a park at Lake Hogan that will benefit the community. In addition, she is president of the Rotary Club of West Calaveras County and through the club she is an adviser for the Interact Club at Calaveras High and helps select CHS students who will participate in Rotary’s leadership program at Camp Royal.

   Allen cooks the spaghetti dinner for four nights at the annual melodrama supporting Friends of the Valley Springs Library, is a Kids Day in the Park volunteer and has participated in many other volunteer projects over the years, VSABA Immediate Past President Shirley Chantri told those in attendance at the organization’s monthly luncheon meeting.

   Allen is a real estate broker’s associate with Century 21 Tri-Dam Realty, the mother of three daughters and the grandmother of four.

Meetings set to discuss Toyon's future

   Several meetings have been scheduled to discuss the future structure for Calaveras Unified School District’s middle-school program.

   There has been a recent trend to restructure school-grade levels to a more traditional model of kindergarten through eighth-grade school structures.

   Superintendent Jim Frost said the district is exploring the K-8 option and the school board and administrative team are seeking input from the community and parents on the idea.

   “To get this input, several community meetings have been scheduled so we can have dialog regarding the pros and cons of this issue and gather specific feedback from parents and community,” he said.

   CUSD’s present structure operates the middle school program at Toyon.

   “Toyon is a very smooth running middle school, which is both well organized and well disciplined,” Frost said. “We are proud of the increasing achievement of Toyon students as reported by academic testing measures.”

   The first meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at West Point Elementary School.

   A meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Sept. 13 at Valley Springs Elementary and the same time Sept. 21 at Jenny Lind Elementary.

   “The results of this discussion will guide the board and administration, which could result in future change or maintenance of our present structure,” Frost said.

   He urged all to attend a meeting that is most convenient.

Aug. 19

Dennis McCord in his communications center.

Rancho man assists nation's communications safety net

By Nick Baptista

   One Rancho Calaveras man and his large assortment of radio and communications equipment figure prominently in the event of a disaster.

   Dennis McCord wears many hats for a series of systems set up to act as communications safety nets in the event of natural and man-made disasters.

   Nestled in the corner of the basement of McCord’s home is a communications hub in touch with pilots worldwide, the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and the Office of Emergency Services.

   McCord typically spends 2 ½ hours in the afternoon and another 1 ½ hours in the evening on the air.

   McCord’s passion for amateur radio dates back to 1953 when he received his operator’s license and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake renewed his interest in emergency communications.

   McCord was the superintendent of operations and maintenance for the East Bay Municipal Utility District at Camanche and Pardee reservoirs when the quake hits the San Francisco Bay Area. The Camanche and Pardee operations were unable to communicate with EBMUD’s administrative offices in Oakland for four days during the natural disaster and that motivated McCord to recommend the district establish an alternate communications system.

   Following the quake, the region’s telephone systems were overloaded and cell phone usage was in its early stages.

   By the time McCord left EBMUD, the district had 140 qualified amateur radio operators.

   At about the same time, McCord became involved with the Military Affiliate Radio System, or MARS, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense.

   Today, he is the California state MARS director for a region covering Arizona, California, New Mexico and Nevada.

   Much of the equipment in McCord’s basement is government issued and he has custody of it. However, a great portion of the equipment is his and all his time is donated freely.

   Emergency response is the primary function, but McCord has the ability to handle welfare and moral traffic for the services.

   Moral and welfare traffic has decreased with the advent of satellite telephones and email, he added.

   In addition, the communications network monitors all shuttle and satellite launches and recoveries.

   McCord, who retired as a Commander from the U.S. Navy after 22 years in the service, was a member of the team that fired the first Polaris missile in the last 1950s.

   He summarized his elaborate communications operation as a safety net for the nation if all else fails.  

Aug. 10

Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Sturm tells the media how he and the department seized 40 pounds of processed marijuana displayed on the table behind him.

Sheriff's department seizes $500,000 worth of marijuana

By Nick Baptista

   Calaveras County Sheriff’s deputies hit a jackpot Sunday morning, seizing what one veteran officer said is the largest amount of processed marijuana confiscated in the nearly two decades he has been with the department.

   The estimated $500,000 marijuana find happened after Sheriff’s personnel, with assistance from the Angels Camp Police Department, apprehended two men in Vallecito following an auto chase and crash.

   Two Mexican nationals, Christoval Valencia Chavez, 30, and Antonio Valencia Chavez, 28, were arrested on suspicion of several offenses and are being held in the Calaveras County Jail.

   The chase began at approximately 7 a.m. Sunday when Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Sturm attempted to conduct an enforcement stop on a 1992 Nissan Pathfinder leaving the Camp Nine Road area near Parrott’s Ferry Road at a high rate of speed. The Pathfinder nearly hit Sturm’s patrol vehicle and fled the area continuing at a high rate of speed.

   Sheriff’s patrol units converged into the area and shortly afterward a report was received that a vehicle crashed through a fence and into a residential front yard on Main Street in Vallecito.

   Witnesses told deputies that two men fled into a nearby heavily wooded creek bed. Deputies and officers from the Angels Camp Police Department entered the creek bed on foot in pursuit of the suspects.

   Within 10 minutes, an Angels Camp police officer spotted the two men and Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Crabtree quickly apprehended them.

   During the subsequent investigation at the accident scene, deputies and CHP officers discovered several large trash bags in the back seat and rear hatch area of the Pathfinder containing the marijuana.

   The 40 pounds of marijuana had been packaged into 40 one-pound bags and “could have been on the street that night,” according to sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Seawell.

   He added that it was the largest seizure of processed marijuana during his 18 years with the department.

   Sheriff’s department personnel believe the marijuana came from a nearby growth area. The Camp Nine Road area has had marijuana plantations and meth labs in the past.

   The two suspects, who are brothers and listed as residents of Merced, were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer.

   In addition, Christoval was arrested on suspicion of being an unlicensed driver and hit and run. Bail for him Christoval was set at $50,000, while bail for his brother was $40,000.

   The case remains under investigation.

Bob Bucy of the Valley Springs Boosters presented a plaque of appreciation to Virginia Belmont, center, and Gail Brower of the Loose Threads Quilt Guild for the organization’s work to raise funds for the annual fireworks display. A cash donation of $783 from the Boosters to the guild is being used for the guild’s Quilts of Valor efforts. One of the quilts going to a visually impaired serviceman can be seen in the background.

Boosters appreciate quilt guild's help to community, veterans

By Nick Baptista

   The good works of the Loose Threads Quilt Guild were recognized Tuesday by the Valley Springs Boosters.

   The Boosters donated $783 to the guild to go toward the organization’s Quilts of Valor efforts.

   The presentation of a plaque of appreciation and the money also recognized the guild for donating its popular Fireworks Quilt to the Boosters. The Boosters sold more than $3,000 in tickets for a chance to win the Fireworks Quilt. The winning ticket was selected at the June 25 Fireworks Over Hogan Lake Gala and went to Diane Wheaton.

   Bob Bucy, chairman of the Boosters raffle committee, made the presentation.

   “Every time I was out with the quilt, the response was incredible,” he told the Loose Quilt Guild members at their monthly meeting.

   “We made good money on the quilt and that made the fireworks happen,” he said. The donation from the Boosters to the guild represents 25 percent of the ticket sales.

   According to Gail Brower, the Loose Threads Quilt Guild’s president, the money will go toward the group’s Quilts of Valor program.

   At a pace of about four quilts a week, the guild is supplying the patriotic quilts to service men and women who have been wounded during military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

   On Tuesday, four quilts were ready for a trip to the Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto. They were going to four veterans who were visually impaired.

   The guild, 70 members strong, does the squares and the binding for the quilts, while Gail Belmont of All Together Family Quilts does the batting and the quilting on her equipment.

   Bucy said he was online reading one of the notes posted by a veteran who received a Quilt of Valor. The serviceman said he could feel the warmth of America coming from the quilt and he didn’t know Americans care that much for him and his fellow servicemen.

Aug. 5

Ambulance service to push ticket program

   American Legion Post 108 Ambulance is going to begin getting the word out about the potential savings of its ambulance subscription program, according to Alan Lennox, American Legion Ambulance general manager.

   Lennox was the guest speaker at Thursday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of West Calaveras. He talked about the steps American Legion Ambulance has taken since it received the contract from Calaveras County to provide sole ambulance service in most of the county.

   The service began July 1 and American Legion has spent nearly $400,000 to be prepared to provide services in Calaveras County and eventually will spend $500,000 along those lines.

   American Legion began providing ambulance service in Amador County in 1929, Lennox said. For many years, it was a service project manned by volunteers, but today it is a professionally staffed operation with a total of 16 ambulances and 12 are in operation each day – six in Amador and six in Calaveras County.

   The ambulance subscription program generates $130,000 in Amador County and Lennox is making the same offer in Calaveras County.

   The ambulance ticket costs $50 a year and covers spouses and legal dependants. Active members of the American Legion pay $30 a year.

   The ticket covers all ambulance charges not covered by insurance and the one-time purchase provides multiple trips for qualified patients.

   Lennox said the typical cost of ambulance service from Valley Springs to Mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital in San Andreas is $2,000.

   He added that the true cost of ambulance service is not just the trip from the scene to the hospital, but the fee includes the necessity of the ambulance service to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

   Mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital has agreed to sell the tickets, Lennox said, and it has bought ambulance subscriptions for all of the hospital’s employees.

   Lennox added that he would like to have the ambulance tickets available at all area pharmacies and you can obtain them by sending a check to American Legion Ambulance at P.O. Box 100, Sutter Creek, CA 95685.

   In a question and answer session after his presentation, Lennox said the ambulance service has received “a significant amount” of training in response to terrorist activities. They have received training in response to Weapons of Mass Destruction and bio-chemical terrorism, he said.

Explosive devices found in car

   A Redwood City man was arrested last week on suspicion of possessing explosive devices following a traffic stop at the intersection of Messing and Pettinger roads.

   According to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department, Kevin Patric Reimer, 23, was driving a vehicle stopped for speeding at 11:31 p.m. July 24. A search of the vehicle was conducted due to the smell of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

   Two homemade explosive devices and a small amount of marijuana were found, according to the department. The county’s Haz Mat unit was dispatched to the scene to collect the explosives.

   Bail for Reimer was set at $30,000.

Property issue limits public access to Hogan

By Nick Baptista

   Walking along the shores of New Hogan Lake can be a crime, at least along one section of the 50-mile shoreline.

   The Simons family of Valley Springs earlier this year discovered they would be violating private property laws if they continued a walk along the North Fork of the Calaveras River where it feeds into the reservoir.

   At about the time spring flowers were blossoming in the area, no trespassing signs began popping up along the only access route several hundred yards from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ North Fork Fishing Access off Highway 12 between San Andreas and Valley Springs.

   Signs posted by the Sierra Gun Club say “Warning – You Are Trespassing on Private Property And Are Subject to ARREST.”

   The signs appear on the gravel bed of the former railroad line between Valley Springs and San Andreas. Since it is too steep for walking below or above the former railroad route, it effectively cuts off public access along the shoreline, said Jason Simons.

   Hiking along public trails is a popular form of recreation for Jason, his wife Peggy and their two daughters, Sarah and Serena.

   Duane Johnson, resource manager at New Hogan for the Corps of Engineers, said continuous access to public lands around the lake is cut off at that point.

   The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department confirms the property owner has lodge complaints about trespassers and violators risk being cited.

   Several years ago when the railroad company was selling its right-of-way to adjacent property owners, the Corps of Engineers did not pursue the opportunity to purchase this section of the former railway, Johnson said.

   “It’s a difficult situation,” Johnson said. “It goes back many years ago and no one anticipated it would be a problem.”

   The Corps now realizes it is a problem and “we’re trying to address this and resolve it to the benefit of the property owner and the public,” he said.

   “I’m not happy about this,” Simons said. “It seems wrong. Someone needs to be held accountable for this.”

   He hopes the matter is resolved quickly.

   “Why can’t the feds say ‘we made a mistake’ and gain access through eminent domain?”

Aug. 3 briefs

Wallace couple's horse wins world title

   A horse owned by Joanne and Gordon Talaska of Wallace took top honors at the 2005 World Championship Painted Horse Show last month in Fort Worth, Texas.

   Baryshnikov, a 4-year-old stallion, captured the world championship title in Breeding Stock Hunter Under Saddle and was shown by Ryan Painter. In the class, horses are evaluated by a panel of judges on their smoothness of gait and response to the rider under traditional English tack similar to what one might find in the hunt field. Baryshnikov bested a field of 11 for the win.

   The World Championship Paint Horse Show is the richest Paint Horse event in the world, offering more than $250,000 in prize money, along with valuable awards and coveted trophies. Approximately 2,000 horses competed at this year’s show, with more than 4,500 entries including about 1,300 youth entries, 1,500 amateur/novice entries and 1,700 open entries.

   It is the premier event of the American Paint Horse Association.

   Open competitors may be youth, amateurs, or professional trainers, and they can compete on their own horses or horses owned by another individual.

   The show attracts competitors from the United States, Canada, and several other nations. Exhibitors demonstrate their skills in 175 classes including halter, Western, English, cattle, driving and speed events.

   In addition to exciting competition, the World Show offers seminars, horse sales and a trade show featuring more than 100 commercial exhibitors.

Caltrans plans work on Highway 26

   Caltrans is working on a proposal to improve a stretch of Highway 26 from Wimer/Ospital Road in San Joaquin County to Savage Way in Calaveras County.

   Caltrans wants to widen the existing lanes and shoulders, correct several non-standard horizontal and vertical curves and rehabilitate pavement along the stretch of highway.

   The department has set a deadline of Aug. 10 for comments or requests to conduct a public hearing on the proposal.

    The initial study, proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration, and supporting documentation are available for review at the Calaveras County Library-Valley Springs Branch, 240 Pine St., Valley Springs; Caltrans District 10 Office, 1976 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Stockton, or on the Internet at www.dot.ca.gov/dist10.

   Comments or requests for a public hearing can be submitted in writing to Caltrans, Attn: Charles Walbridge, 2015 E. Shields Ave., Suite 100, Fresno, CA 93726. Comments can also be e-mailed to charles_walbridge@dot.ca.gov.

   Based on comments received and evaluated during the public review period, Caltrans may proceed with adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration; hold a public hearing, and/or request further studies.

   More information on the Caltrans proposal can be obtained by calling Walbridge at (559) 243-8167 or Project Manager Iorzua Akuva at (209) 941-1958.

Oakland man drowns at Camanche

   A 20-year-old Oakland man spending the weekend camping with his family at Lake Camanche drowned Friday evening.

   The victim was identified as Brandon Blackshire. According to witnesses, Blackshire and relatives were in the water near the Lakeside campground on the south shore of Camanche. Relatives noticed Blackshire was struggling in the water. They lost sight of him as he went under the surface of the water. They dove under the water where he was last seen and found him and pulled him to shore. They believe he was under the water for about three to four minutes.

   According to a Lake Camanche ranger, the depth of the water in the area is approximately 15 to 20 feet.

   Family members said Blackshire was a non-swimmer.

   CPR was in progress when a deputy arrived at the scene and emergency personnel from the Foothill Fire Protection District arrived a few minutes later. However, Blackshire never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:36 p.m.  

Mail: P.O. Box 1297, Valley Springs, CA 95252 
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