Economic booms don’t just happen

By Buzz Eggleston | Posted: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 8:45 am Larry Cope is an optimist, but his views on how to improve Calaveras County’s economy aren’t real comforting. “The thing that Calaveras runs into is that now you have two  established retail shopping regions on either side of you,” he said. Those retail hubs in Sonora and in Amador County, along with major  stores, auto dealers, and other businesses in the valley, bleed money ... Read More

High-speed Internet key for foothill businesses

By Joel Metzger | Posted: Friday, March 15, 2013 11:55 am Access to high-speed Internet is hard to come by in many  foothill communities, but with fiber lines now running through  Calaveras  County and innovative entrepreneurs  expanding their businesses, both large and small businesses are sure to get a  boost. One such business, which upgraded to high-speed Internet  about 10 months ago, has already seen a huge increase in  sales. Charlie... Read More

General plan takes a big step forward

By Kristine Williams | Posted: Friday, March 22, 2013 8:29 am http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_8400561e-9303-11e2-a6af-001a4bcf887a.html  As promised,  Calaveras  County’s emerging general plan  envisions more open space on the outskirts of larger, core  communities.  It continues to be a work in progress,  however. A special joint meeting between the Board of Supervisors  and the county’s Planning Commission Tuesday drew... Read More

Calaveras Broadens Homeowners’ Rights to Build On Property

SAN ANDREAS – Building a second home or in-law cottage behind an existing house just got easier in Calaveras County. In particular, an ordinance that the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors approved unanimously Tuesday makes it possible to build second units in many more places. Previously, county code limited second units to lots of an acre or larger. The new code, in contrast, sets no minimum lot size and allows a second unit on any lot... Read More

Shooting rules are up for renewal

Written by Sean Janssen, The Union Democrat March 01, 2013 07:03 am A temporary set of restrictions on target shooting at the Candy Rock Quarry in the Calaveras Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest is set to expire next month. In an open letter distributed Wednesday, Calaveras District Ranger Teresa McClung writes that the two-year provisional rules that limit the hours weapons can be fired at the quarry — infamously within earshot... Read More

Climate change threatens wolverines; protections proposed

A new proposal to list wolverines as threatened under the Endangered Species Act could lead to reintroduction of the species in alpine regions where it is not currently found. LA Times  Read More

Jarvis Taxpayers Association files suit aginst Fire Protection Fee

On Tuesday, March 12, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association served the California State Board of Equalization, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Department of Justice with a lawsuit on behalf of all those charged with the allegedly illegal Fire Prevention Fee. The class action lawsuit has been in the works for some time, with a large number of people affected by the “fee” backing the lawsuit. Recently, Governor Jerry Brown has... Read More

Still mining gold in the golden state

Gold Mining has more regulations than mining for decorative rock does – so Carson Hill Rock Products is mining it only from rich pockets as a byproduct to side-step the regulations. KQED Quest, March 7  Read More

General plan’s land use map to debut Tuesday

The long-awaited second draft of Calaveras County’s land use map will be unveiled Tuesday, March 19, at a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission. The meeting is open to the public for discussion and comment. In addition to the introduction of the new draft of the land use map, comments received regarding the first draft – released Feb. 2012 – will be reviewed and discussed and new data associated with... Read More

Historic Lode road straightening inches along

By Dana M. Nichols February 22, 2013 Record Staff Writer February 22, 2013 12:00 AM SAN ANDREAS – Ranchers whose refusal to allow biologists onto their properties threatened to delay a $60 million highway project by a year and add millions to the cost have relented, Calaveras County officials said. Biological studies and other field work required to prepare plans for the straightening of a 6-mile-long section of Highway 4 between Copperopolis... Read More