Calaveras County Approves Tenuous Budget

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer June 27, 2012 12:00 AM SAN ANDREAS – A bare-bones, $139 million Calaveras County budget for the coming fiscal year won the grudging approval Tuesday of the Board of Supervisors. After four straight years of cuts, county departments are for the most part a shadow of what they once were. Sheriff deputies no longer have time to respond to burglary reports. Health workers can’t keep up with sexually transmitted... Read More

Cal Fire Suspends Burning

Written by Union Democrat staff | June 14, 2012 01:31 pm Cal Fire has announced it will suspend all debris-burning permits in the Tuolumne-Calaveras county coverage area effective 8 a.m. Monday. Affected areas include all of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties as well as eastern Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. “The extended weather forecast shows that our region is entering the typical hot, dry summer weather pattern,” said Tuolumne-Calaveras... Read More

Visitors Bureau Chief to Exit

Posted: Wednesday, June 6, 2012 10:44 am Lisa Mayo, executive director of the Calaveras County Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, has resigned. She has held the post 11 years. Darrell Slocum, a member of the Visitors Bureau board of directors, confirmed Mayo’s departure. “She’s given her notice through July,” Slocum said Tuesday. “It’s a standing resignation and she’ll be here until then.” Mayo could not be reached for comment. Slocum... Read More

Deal reached for tracking Sierra Nevada wildlife

The Stockton Record June 04, 2012 3:26 PM SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service and conservation groups have reached an agreement to strengthen monitoring of Sierra Nevada wildlife. Under the settlement reached Friday, an independent panel of scientists will evaluate which plant and animal species the Forest Service uses to track the health of Sierra Nevada forests. The agreement settles a federal lawsuit filed in response to the Bush... Read More

Bank sells part of Trinitas to Fresno family with Linden ties

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer June 05, 2012 12:00 AM SAN ANDREAS – Community Bank of San Joaquin has sold a 160-acre chunk of the former Trinitas Golf Course to a Fresno couple with ties to the Linden area. According to property records, Lance and Renee Dami of Fresno purchased the parcel, which includes a large house, for $1.2 million. The deal closed last week. Community Bank of San Joaquin President Jane Butterfield said the sale... Read More

Sequoia smog damaging pines, redwood seedlings

May 29, 2012 9:36 AM SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — On a clear day, the view from Beetle Rock in Sequoia National Park extends west for 105 miles across the patchwork of crops in California’s agricultural heartland to the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean beyond. The problem is there are few clear days, even at 6,200 feet. The Sierra Nevada forest that is home to the biggest and among the oldest living things on earth —... Read More

Aerospace might test in Calaveras

Dana Nichols – Record Staff Writer May 28, 2012 12:00 AM SAN ANDREAS – Aerospace Corp. representatives are considering construction of a high-speed communications system in Calaveras County that could help during emergencies and boost economic development. The idea is to provide cheap broadband to remote areas. Clay Hawkins, the county’s chief assistant administrative officer, and Supervisor Steve Wilensky said they have had... Read More

Political veterans vie for District 4 seat in Calaveras

By Dana M. Nichols May 05, 2012 Record Staff Writer Editor’s note: 13th in a series SAN ANDREAS – Three seasoned elected leaders are facing off against each other in Calaveras County supervisorial District 4. The district was redrawn last year and now includes Copperopolis. That makes it possible for Russ Thomas, who represented District 5 for one term before losing a re-election bid in 2010, to challenge former board colleague... Read More

Trinitas owners now bank employees

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer May 10, 2012 12:00 AM MODESTO – The Trinitas golf course will cease operation by June 1, according to documents filed in federal court, and it appears the man who once owned and operated it will instead be caring for its lawns. Mike Nemee, who with his wife, Michelle, built the 280-acre golf course and sought to win legal status for it, will be working for Community Bank of San Joaquin, which now controls... Read More

State Assembly and District 2 Candidates Debate the Issues

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2012 1:53 pm Candidates for the 5th State Assembly District opined on issues such as the state budget, the death penalty and gay rights at a debate held in San Andreas Tuesday. Of the six candidates running, Mark Belden, Marc Boyd, Tim Fitzgerald and Thomas “Rico” Oller participated in the debate. Frank Bigelow and Kevin Lancaster were no-shows. The 5th District stretches from portions of El Dorado and Placer counties... Read More