Mountain Democrat, Friday, January 10, 2025 by mcnaughtonmedia

DA’s second look at ‘American Nightmare’ case uncovers new crimes

An El Dorado County District Attorney’s O ce reinvestigation into the 2015 home invasion and kidnapping made nationally known by the 2024 Netﬂix documentary “American Nightmare” has uncovered additional crimes committed by the now-convicted Matthew Muller.

In 2015, Muller drugged and tied up Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins (now Quinn) in their Bay Area home; Denise was transported to a cabin in South Lake Tahoe owned by Muller’s mother, where she was sexually assaulted and kept captive for two days. Though Aaron contacted the Vallejo Police Department when he came to, detectives did not believe his story, instead theorizing Aaron had killed his girlfriend.

“They use pseudoscience to train detectives with outdated interview techniques that use deception,” El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson told the Mountain Democrat Tuesday, Jan. 7. “When a detective believes the person they are talking to is lying to them, they go into a multi-step interrogation process which is inherently psychologically coercive. Well, that’s what they did in this case and it resulted in law enforcement not believing any scenario because they thought the victims didn’t

behave like they should have.”

Even after Denise’s return to her parents’ home two days after the kidnapping and subsequent report to law enforcement, police refused to listen. Vallejo Police Department o cials held a news conference claiming they had found no proof of kidnapping and stating the incident was a hoax.

An FBI agent is said to have told Aaron to watch the ﬁlm “Gone Girl,” a story about a woman who faked her own kidnapping, because he believed it was similar to Denise’s story. That quip has followed the case since, with some news outlets referring to the case as the “Gone Girl” story even after investigation into a home invasion in Dublin in 2015 led to evidence that proved Denise and Aaron had been telling the truth the whole time.

“Do not call it the ‘Gone Girl’ case,” Pierson told a group gathered at a press conference in Seaside on Tuesday. “That name is a derogatory term that should never have been used.”

Pierson, who has worked to ﬁght against the same outdated detective interview tactics that led police to fail to believe Denise and Aaron, met the couple at a law enforcement event where they had been invited to speak. The Quinns were insistent Muller had been involved in more crimes than the ones he had been convicted of.

Knowing they had

SUPES TAKE THE OATH

News release

The El Dorado County Fire Protection District and Diamond Springs-El Dorado Fire Protection District will host a series of open houses to welcome three new ﬁre engines and a ladder truck to the communities.

El Dorado County Fire Protection District recently accepted and equipped three new 2024 Pierce Enforcer Type-1 fire engines that will be serving at fire stations in Placerville, Diamond Springs and Shingle Springs. These new engines will contribute to an overall more reliable fleet of modern fire suppression vehicles. Some new features of these fire engines include improved Tak-4 independent front suspension for better handling and maneuvering, and HAAS Alert Responder-to-vehicle collision mitigation technology. HAAS Alert provides real-time digital alerts to drivers that an emergency vehicle is approaching. These fire engines are also the first cleancab fire engines in the

district, which will keep breathing apparatus that are potentially laden with carcinogenic or toxic byproducts due to their exposure to ﬁres.

The new ladder truck is a 2024 Pierce Enforcer 107-foot Ascent Heavy-Duty Aerial Truck. This vehicle replaced a 35-year-old ladder truck. The ladder truck was partially funded by a $600,000 contribution from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. The ladder truck will be stationed in Shingle Springs.

Sacramento St., Placerville, noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11.

The open houses will occur as follows:

• Station 25, 3034

• Station 49, 501 Pleasant Valley Road, Diamond Springs, noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18. • Station 28, 3860 Ponderosa Road, Shingle Springs, noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25.

Mountain Democrat photo by Odin Rasco

The El Dorado County Fire Protection District recently announced it has acquired new fire engines, including this one seen at Sacramento Street fire station in Placerville. The public is invited to check out the new equipment at upcoming events.

Odin Rasco Senior sta writer

Photo by Shelly Thorene

El Dorado Superior Court Judge Vicki Ashworth administered the Oath of Office to newly elected and re-elected El Dorado County supervisors at a swearing in ceremony at the Board of Supervisors chambers in Placerville on Jan. 7. Left to right, District 3 Supervisor Brian Veerkamp, District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo, Honorable Vicki Ashworth and District 1 Supervisor Greg Ferrero. Veerkamp returns to the board having previously served eight years as a supervisor with his last term ending in 2020. Turnboo was reelected to a second term by his constituents and Ferrero is a first-time supervisor, taking the seat previously held by John Hidahl.

VERN PIERSON

MAIL LABEL

ESSENTIALS

Harold (Hal) Pringle

Mar. 21, 1936 – Nov. 10, 2024

James Murray Vincent Macdonald

Mar. 7, 1935 – Dec. 23, 2024

Hal was 88. He lived and worked in El Dorodo County over 30 years. He moved to Dayton, NV, after he retired from the El Dorado Co. Sheri ’s Dept. where he was the Work Program Supervisor. He also worked as a Placerville Police Deputy and a Probation O cer. His wife of 60 years, Shirley Pringle, also worked for the El Dorado Co. Sheri ’s Dept. as a Matron Dispatcher Deputy. She passed away in July 2018. His son died in 1976 leaving his only daughter Tracey Gardner, 3 grandchildren Daniel Varozza, Dustin Pringle and Amber Proctor, and 11 great grandchildren. His only brother Robert Pringle and family in Concord. We will be honoring him at the Veterans Cemetery with full honors ceremony for his many years of service on January 21, 2025 at 1pm in Fernley, NV.

Lori Renee Lewin

Mar 21, 1959 – Dec 12, 2024

Lori Renee Lewin, born on March 21, 1959, passed away peacefully on December 12, 2024, at the age of 65. Lori was the beloved daughter of Dana Dean Lewin and Diane Joyce Ichord, both of whom preceded her in death. She was also predeceased by her brother, Johnny Dana Lewin. Lori is survived by her sister, Dani Ann Lewin, and her two children, Dana Zion Whitmore and Jerryme Pettegrew. Art was Lori’s true passion. Her creativity and dedication to her craft brought beauty and inspiration to those who knew her. She will be remembered for the joy she found in expressing herself through art and for the light she shared with others. May Lori’s memory bring comfort to all who loved her.

Robert (Bob) Henley

Sept. 8, 1926 – Dec. 23, 2024

Robert Henley passed away on December 23rd in Modesto, California, at the age of 98. Bob was born in Cherokee, OK. Following graduation from Cherokee High School, Bob joined the Navy and served as a radioman in WWII. He graduated from Colorado State University in 1950, with a degree in Forestry. Bob worked for the US Forest Service, until he retired in 1992. In 1953, Bob married Betty Jean Smith in Oakland, California; they lived in Placerville, California for the majority of their 59 year marriage. Bob was preceded in death by his wife, his brother James Henley and his sister Mary Haworth. He is survived by his daughter Mary Wolgamot, two grandsons Alan and Eric Wolgamot and six greatgrandchildren. A viewing will be held at Chapel of the Pines on January 6th, at 2:30. A private graveside service will be held at a later date.

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James Murray Vincent Macdonald, also known as: Grandpa Mac, Handsome Prince, Mac, Jimmy, Dad, and Pop, joined our many angels in heaven on December 23, 2024. He was the greatest man I’ve ever known. Devoted son, brother, father, grandfather, friend and most importantly, husband. He met the love of his life, Barbara Joyce in 1954 and made her his wife in 1955. The two soul mates remained married for 69 incredible, beautiful years and together raised an amazing family. Their children include Laurie, James, wife Teresa, Marjorie, husband Rudy, Julie, and Scott, wife Kristin. Their family continued to grow, 14 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren with two more great grandbabies on the way. Dad was an old soul with nothing but love and kindness in his heart. He will be missed and remembered by so many. He was our knight in shining armour. He follows his siblings Allen, Margret, Claudia and is survived by his sister Kathleen. We are all thankful for the many, many special memories. Rest in peace Daddy, your bride will join you when her chores are through. God Bless.

Fordyce “Ford” Lee Osborn

May 14, 1937 – Dec. 5, 2024

Fordyce Lee Osborn was born on May 14, 1937, in Santa Rosa, CA to Maxine Ione Tolley Osborn and Fordyce Cicero Osborn. He attended schools in Santa Rosa and Oakland, CA. Ford served in the Naval Air Reserve as a radioman on board the P2V aircraft. He received his Batchelor of Science degree from San Jose State. He was a part of the start-up of Silicon Valley, working for a number of the early companies. For many years he worked as a Senior Research Engineer for SRI (formerly Stanford Research) in Menlo Park, CA, followed by Lockheed Martin. He and his wife, Ellen, lived in Los Altos, CA. Ford had many hobbies, including: riding his Harley motorcycle, SCUBA diving, folk dancing, and above all, HAM radio. He was licensed by the FCC Amateur Radio League for 70 years. He held an Extra Class License, but kept his original call sign: K6ONE. He loved chess. At one point in his life, he was a nationally ranked player. He was a Master Mason of the Blue Lodge of California, serving as Master of Los Altos Lodge #712 in 1990. After moving to Pollock Pines upon retirement, he a liated with local lodges. He and his wife volunteered for the Eldorado National Forest and the Oregon California Trails Association to research the location of the emigrant trails, enjoying many days in the forest with fellow researchers. Ford was recognized for giving over 1000 hours of volunteer service to the Forest Service. He also volunteered with Eldorado National Forest Interpretive Association, where he put in over 500 hours of work. In retirement, Ford took up new interests and developed new skills and talents, such as oil painting, furniture making and welding. He leaves us many precious examples of his skill. Ford is survived by his wife, Ellen Osborn, of Pollock Pines, and children Nancy Berman of Saratoga, Florida, Michael Osborn of Turlock, California, and Ann Taylor of Patterson, California, and four grandchildren. Services are pending.

Vanessa Marie Gradall

Apr. 21, 1982 – Nov. 20, 2024

Janet Dawn Hodson

1947 – Dec. 2024

Janet Dawn Hodson died in December of 2024. She was born to Henrietta and James Hodson in Nebraska in 1947. She grew up in southern California and later graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. degree. She loved classical music and opera. She traveled across America and gave lectures on best business practices as well as writing for various publications. In later years she worked as a substitute teacher in Placerville and volunteered at the local bird sanctuary patiently feeding baby birds. She will be missed by her family and friends.

Melvin Eugene McLaury

Aug. 17, 1936 – Dec. 20, 2024

On Friday, December 20th, Melvin Eugene McLaury, Mel to most, died peacefully in his sleep at 88 years old. Mel is survived by his children, Susan Marshall and Dave McLaury, his grandchildren, David Marshall, Daniel Marshall, Angela Marshall, Tori McGuffin and Mason McLaury, and 5 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Maria and his youngest son, Mark. After graduating from Syracusedepartment of forestry with a bachelor’s degree in science in 1958, Mel enrolled in the United States Army where he served from 1959 until 1965. During his service, he was stationed in Italy where he met and married his beloved Maria in 1961. They moved back to the United States in 1963 where Mel began his 30 year career with the US Forest Service, settling in Placerville in 1969. The house on Lost Ln would begin a lifelong friendship with all the neighbors, Mel often the center of attention with his quirky jokes and infectious smile. On Friday, January 3rd, 2025 at 2:00pm, Graveside services were held for Mel at Westwood Hills Memorial Park, his celebration of life followed at 4:00pm at Cold Springs Golf and Country Club.

Dr. Harriet Lynn Drummer, DO

Dec. 29, 1942 – Dec. 27, 2024

Dr. Harriet Lynn Drummer, DO, a beloved physician and cherished family member, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2024, just two days shy of her 82nd birthday in La Jolla, California. Born on December 29, 1942, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lynn dedicated over three decades of her life to the practice of medicine with an unwavering commitment to her patients and community.

A graduate of osteopathic medicine who specialized in Family Medicine, Dr. Drummer was known for her compassionate approach and gentle demeanor. Her career ﬂourished in Placerville, California where she touched countless lives through her dedication to health care. Patients often remarked that they felt seen and heard under her care—a testament to the kindness that deﬁned both her professional and personal life.

Lynn’s legacy extends beyond the walls of her practice; she was a devoted mother to Richard Wright; Shanon Kunkle; James Wright; as well as a loving grandmother whose warmth enveloped all those around her. She is also survived by many dear friends who were fortunate enough to experience ﬁrsthand the generosity of spirit that characterized every interaction with Lynn.

Her husband John Drummer predeceased her but remains forever etched in their family’s memories, together they shared a love story ﬁlled with laughter and adventure that inspired everyone around them.

In addition to being an exceptional healthcare provider and nurturing mother ﬁgure within her family circle, Lynn had an infectious zest for life that drew people toward her like moths to a ﬂame. Whether it was sharing stories over tea or lending support during di cult times, her presence brought comfort wherever she went.

As we mourn this profound loss together as family members—and indeed as part of a larger community—we remember not only what has been lost but also celebrate how much joy she brought into our lives while here among us.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date when loved ones can gather together—to honor Dr. Harriet Lynn Drummer’s remarkable journey through this world marked by compassion for others until its very end—and reﬂect upon how deeply missed she will be by all who knew and loved such an extraordinary woman, friend and Mom.

Chris Wright: (406) 350-2663 / the406cafe@ gmail.com

Vanessa Marie Gradall passed away on November 20, 2024, after a valiant 4.5 year battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Her will and determination helped her live longer than expected. She was compassionate, very thoughtful, and a courageous fighter to the end. Vanessa’s friends were many, diverse and very important in her life. She easily made and maintained friendships. She met her best friend, Sarah Strom at pre-school. Sarah passed in December 2023. Vanessa found solace and love from her church and church friends. She told them that cancer had made her grow much stronger in her beliefs and other ways. More than anything she cherished her 6 nieces and 2 nephews. Always a kid at heart, she became the favorite Aunt. She had a t-shirt that said “AUNT — Like a Mom only COOLER!” She loved her Sisters. Vanessa got such pleasure seeking treasures at antique and thrift shops. Vanessa was a devoted cat lover and mother to her various kitties. She was a firm believer that cats are smarter than dogs. Vanessa had a tremendous knowledge of family genealogy. She traced the line of her mother and dad. She was particularly proud that she traced her mothers side to Oliver Wolcott, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Vanessa had her own sense of fashion. “Bring on the Bling” Her trademark was sparkly. Vanessa loved reading and most times she was absorbed with her reading. She always kept a book in her purse. Vanessa is survived by parents, Doug and Sally Gradall, sisters Jennifer Allen and Sarah Hansard, and her 6 nieces and 2 nephews. Vanessa’s Celebration of Life will be held at Live 58 Church on January 25th at 11:00 A.M. The address is 1165 Investment Blvd., Suite 150, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762. Vanessa’s favorite color is Purple.

James Edward Zeek

July 29, 1934 – Dec. 22, 2024

Though born in Medford, Oregon, Jim grew up in Placerville, California, hunting and fishing with his father and playing tennis and baseball at El Dorado High School before entering Oregon State University, where he studied forestry before earning a degree in business, then entered San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California, during which time he married and started a family. Jim’s equal aptitude for both physical and intellectual pursuits, his love of nature and reverence for all of creation, and his dedication to serving others is reflected in his varied work history, many interests, philanthropy and community service. Jim’s optimism, abundant energy, loyalty, integrity and genuine interest in people won him many enduring friendships over the years. Jim was a life-long learner and natural mentor, who enthusiastically shared his knowledge and passions. Jim was widely read in theology, science, ecology and history, and loved jazz music. With special interests in the history of the lumber industry and model railroading, he was a popular clinician at model railroading conventions. Jim’s professional life began with his ordination as a USA Presbyterian pastor in the early 1960s.While serving as itinerant pastor for three churches in North Dakota, he was able to complete the building of a new facility to replace the old, hazardous one. Jim moved on to a position as admission counselor for a college affiliate with the Presbyterian Church. In this capacity, the college moved him to New Jersey to recruit students. He bought a house there for the family, however, the draft law for Vietnam changed everything and he found himself without a job. A fellow member of the Presbyterian Church Jim attended, who was head of Human Relations for the Piedmont Region YMCA, found Jim a position in the Perth Amboy, New Jersey YMCA. Jim’s profound impact on that organization is recognized in a book on its history written by its long-term CEO, stating that Jim had changed the YMCA to fully integrate all entities in the community. The same parishioner later became the head of Human Relations for the YMCA of Greater New York and brought Jim on board, as Youth Director then in other capacities serving 15,000 people annually for eight years. He served as Branch Manager in Brooklyn until leaving to become a carpen er with his own business. Jim continued as a carpenter when he moved back to California to be available to help his widowed mother until her death from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He became an active member of El Dorado County Federated Church (teaching Bible classes, singing in the choir, counseling and preaching occasionally and helping maintain the magnificent pipe organ), where as a teenager he had attended the youth group and directed the youth choir. In his 50s, Jim was employed in Camino as a sawmill laborer, working his way up to Quality Control Supervisor. During this time, he married again and began to developed his certified organic farm in Apple Hill while serving as a volunteer compliance officer for California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) for the Gold Rush counties before becoming Chairman of the Standards Committee and a member of the CCOF Board of Directors. Jim served as Treasurer for both of these for six years and of the CCOF Foundation for twelve years until the age of 80. Jim also served as a member of the Board of Directors of EDCHC, a federally qualified primary care facility in Placerville, California. He was a member of its Treasurer’s Standing Committee for the past seven years. Jim is survived by his wife of thirty-six years Michal Lawrence, his sister Ann Appel, his children Michael and Juliana Zeek, daughter-in-law Pauline Wesley, son-in-law Daniel Kish, stepsons Andy and Daniel Galloway, grandchildren Cristen Senter, James Przybylowski, Dominica Zeek and Rae Lynn Galloway, great-grandchildren, Ian Senter, and Joseph Przybylowski, nieces and nephews Christine Esparsa, and Tim, Amanda and Aimee Appel. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, January 26 at the El Dorado County Federated Church in Placerville. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the El Dorado Community Health Center (EDCHC).

LEGISLATORS’ ADDRESSES

Find sipping spirits, tasty treats on Main Street

Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer

Burning Barrel Brewing and Spirits brings unique fare to Main Street Placerville with distinctive, small batch spirits and inviting tidbits to satisfy the epicure in every guest that enters.

The Alexander family has been in the region for over two decades with strong ties to their community. Patriarch Jack Alexander has had a lifelong passion for spirits that grew into a fascination for the art of distillation. So much so that he spent over a decade learning all he could about the craft leading up to the 2018 opening of Burning Barrel Brewing Company in Rancho Cordova. Through the brewery the community learned what Burning Barrel had to offer which built a loyal following. With this success the team knew it was time to pursue that next goal.

Expansion to Placerville

Jack and son Duncan knew the process would take time and patience and they worked for over two years to bring their distillation dream to bear in the heart of El Dorado County.

They had a unique aesthetic that they were going for in the design.

Accommodating that vision would require a lot of changes be made to the building on Main Street, but they felt they were up for the challenge. It didn’t hurt that the process was made accessible by the city’s administration.

“So it took a while to get through the planning department for what we wanted to do,” said Duncan. “From the initial talks with planning through construction, we found working with the city was actually quite pleasant.”

Having a good team and a strong proposal was key to the process being successful.

“We hired a really good architect and one of the best

contractors around, Doering Construction,” remarked Duncan.

For some of the custom work inside the building they kept it in the family. Besides a passion for distillation, Jack, as it turns out, is an accomplished woodworker.

“My dad does all the woodworking,” said Duncan. “We pick really interesting slabs that we source from a variety of suppliers

around Northern from California and he hand makes everything start to finish.”

But, where’s the whiskey?

The Main Street location offers a rotating variety of Burning Barrel Brewing beers on tap and specialty cocktails made exclusively from Burning Barrel spirits.

As of opening they offer three distinct spirits featured in their various offerings — Ghost Pine Gin, Western Slope Sierra Vodka and Nocino. The Ghost Pine Gin is distilled with local botanicals foraged from the family ranch in El Dorado County. This gin with a “California twist” is featured in cocktails with colorful names like Gin Gin Mule, Blood of the Elders and the Never Nude.

The Western Slope Sierra Vodka is distilled with “the purest mountain water” which touts a taste as “pristine as the landscape from which it draws inspiration.” It can be found in such offerings as the Apple Palma, the Sidearm and the Limon Creme. The traditional Italian liqueur Nocino is a dark, rich, aromatic digestif made from handpicked, unripe walnuts. The walnuts undergo a slow aging process creating the traditional dark color and complex flavor. Alongside this list of offerings Duncan assured, those on the menu will soon

n See

Courtesy photo

The Alexander family inside the newly opened Burning Barrel on Main Street in Placerville. From left are Jack Alexander, Emily Alexander, Ford Alexander (Duncan and Emily’s 1-year-old son), Kirsten Alexander and Duncan Alexander.

Mountain Democrat photo by Andrew Vonderschmitt

Duncan Alexander said the community has embraced Burning Barrel Brewing and Spirits since its opening last year.

Local fire crews fighting Los Angeles County blazes

Noel Stack Editor

El Dorado County firefighters have joined the Southern California firefight.

“We’re saving as much as we can,” shared El Dorado Hills Fire Department Battalion Chief Chris Landry when talking to a local news station at a fire scene. “Everyone is doing the best we can with what we have and it’s just frustrating that … it’s just not enough.” Fire crews from El Dorado Hills were joined by firefighters from the Garden Valley and El Dorado County fire protection districts as well as two Amador County fire departments when they headed out earlier this week. The Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit also deployed a strike team and additional resources to the region.

The Cal Fire summary sent out Thursday afternoon notes, “More than 7,500 personnel, including firefighters, law enforcement and other emergency support personnel, are on the ground working with local and federal partners to respond to ongoing historic wildfires in Southern California. Yesterday, firefighters also responded to 37 new wildfires across the state. In the first nine days of the year, there have been 29,053 acres burned, from 92 fires.

“Validated damage inspection is underway, but initial assessments estimate that thousands of structures have been destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires,” the report continues.

The largest incident in Los Angeles County, the Palisades Fire, has scorched more than 17,200 acres. It’s followed by the Eaton Fire at 10,600 acres. Both are 0% contained. Two people have died and thousands of structures have been damaged or destroyed as of

What happens after a wildfire is put out? A Caldor Fire example

Katelyn Welsh Tahoe Daily Tribune

After burning for 60 days and dropping into the Tahoe Basin within that time, the Caldor Fire reached 100% containment on Oct. 21, 2021, yet work related to the over 220,000-acre fire was far from over.

As a fire consumes a landscape, the

events that unfold are often nail-biting as those affected shuffle through news outlets for the latest updates on acres burned, containment numbers and evacuation zones. A larger breath and possibly a sigh of relief follow at the news of 100% containment, and even more when it is controlled. But what happens to

that landscape after the fire is put out?

Immediately following a fire

There are multiples layers, aspects and agencies involved in post fire efforts on both private and public lands. Some of the first actions are repairing the damage firefighting efforts do to the

land. One example of this is Cal Fire’s fire suppression repair work after the Caldor Fire. Suppression damage during Caldor included the fire lines that over 60 bulldozers and numerous hand crews placed.

“If you’re at all familiar with the Tahoe Basin that’s not a normal thing to just take heavy equipment and start mowing over vegetation,” Cal Fire’s Megan Scheeline

explained. “But it was for a good cause to try to protect those neighborhoods from something worse that could happen.” Scheeline is the Amador-El Dorado Unit forester for Cal Fire and led the agency’s portion of fire suppression repair in the Tahoe Basin after the Caldor Fire. She explained post fire suppression repair as part of a tour during the California Wildfire

& Forest Resilience Task Force’s Sierra Nevada regional meeting in October 2024.

“When a fire’s happening it’s definitely an emergency situation and, often, it’s at night,” Scheeline said. The Caldor Fire was no exception.

“If you can imagine being an equipment operator, trying to

Photos courtesy of Cal Fire

As the Caldor Fire approached the Tahoe Basin on Aug. 30, 2021, a fire control line was created across a shallow stream near Mewuk Drive.

The repaired crossing as it looked in June 2023.

Photo courtesy of EDH Fire

An El Dorado Hills fire engine is on scene at one of the devastating Southern California wildfires.

Photo courtesy of Cal Fire

A Cal Fire AEU engine sits near a luxury home engulfed in flames in Los Angeles County.

put in a fire line at night while the fire is approaching and you can’t see as well as you could during the day,” Scheeline said, painting a picture of the environment crews operate in. As a result of the nature of the emergency, sometimes streams are unavoidable and get disrupted by a dozer’s path. This occurred in Caldor Fire suppression efforts at a shallow stream near Mewuk Drive.

Repair efforts used an excavator to clear the sediment out of the stream and reshape the channel so the flow aligned with its original path. Crews also planted riparian vegetation cuttings to promote revegetation and keyed logs into the slope to slow runoff and capture sediment.

On the areas of dozer lines that didn’t involve streams, crews minimized the visual impact by topping those areas with pinecones and branches.

areas can jar minds to envision a once again green forest. Yet, that long term result of restoration and reforestation is something those alive today may never see.

“In our lifetime, we will have [an] infantile forest out there at best,” said USDA Forest Service’s Dana Walsh. “But the hope would be that by the end of our lifetime and really into our grandchildren’s lifetimes that we have established what is becoming a resilient forest.”

The program manager said reforestation efforts target establishing a forest that is resistant to being lost again in a fire.

“A resilient forest would be able to have fire go through it and be able to maintain that canopy cover, be able to maintain seed sources,” she explained.

processes.

The Forest Service is currently working through public comments on a draft environmental document for the project, while providing initial implementation in some areas. The Caldor Fire Restoration Project overview and details are available on the Forest Service’s website.

A new wave of restoration on private lands

The Caldor Fire along with the Tamarack and Dixie Fires brought in a new wave of recovery efforts.

new mill, Tahoe Forest Products, and chipped another two million on the mountain. A reforestation plan is also in the works there.

Although these projects can be a tremendous expense, Jim Davies, another forester explaining EFRTs to the task force tour group, said. “We owe it to the land, we owe it to the future, and so, this was one way to get that done.”

The innovative strategy has seen numerous successes and numerous other EFRTs have popped up around the state since the pilots.

work to prepare the site. “So you have much more success if you’re able to respond quickly.”

EFRTs were negotiated with the Forest Service’s state and private forestry disaster funding and the money moved within three months.

Kocher studied the EFRT model and co-authored a report on their findings, called Emergency Forest Restoration Teams: Lessons From the First Two Years.

A factor that may limit future EFRT responses is funding.

The three 2021 pilot EFRTs removed dead trees on over 2,500 acres and reforested about 1,400 acres in under three years.

But that’s not the only success.

They currently don’t have a dedicated and sustained funding source. However, certain block grants may show promise in the future, a future fire has made clear it will be a part of.

Repair efforts also distributed mulch in areas at risk of erosion. Further erosion mitigations involved installing roughly six inch deep berms, called waterbars, to intercept and slow runoff. These fire suppression repair efforts focused on protecting water quality, controlling erosion and protecting cultural resources.

These longer-term restoration efforts start by taking in the good with the bad and assessing areas where the fire had beneficial impacts and where it had negative impacts.

Resource conservation districts found many small private forestland owners were often uncertain how to manage their lands after wildfire, lacking expertise, contractors and funds to rehabilitate their lands.

These private, nonindustrial landowners own 7 million of 32 million acres, just over 20% of forestland in California. Further, 90% own 50 acres or less and 75,000 own 10 acres or more.

“The timeline is a huge victory,” said Susie Kocher, who is forestry advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension and applies research and outreach for private forest landowners.

“It’s not a mystery that it’s going to happen,” Kocher said.

“It’s been a nice couple of summers where we didn’t have huge fires in our area,” she expressed, “but we do need to continue to think that we have to be ready for future fires.”

While these objectives focus specifically on fixing human caused damage to the land as a result of firefighting efforts, another first step postfire is mitigating fire caused safety hazards to humans.

On federal lands, Burned Area Emergency Response teams do that initial life and safety check.

On the Caldor Fire, this began as early as Sept. 8, 2021, before the fire was fully contained. Teams started on the western portion of the fire that had low or no fire activity. Their assessment included determining areas at risk of erosion and flooding, implementing closures, placing warning signs, felling fire weakened trees, burning stump holes, taking care of damaged utilities and stabilizing recreation facilities, and mopping up hazmat concerns

Similar steps occur on private lands with the assistance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency removing hazard trees and other hazardous materials. Utility companies also address downed utilities, trees and work to re-establish utilities.

Restoration efforts then build on those efforts, but for the Caldor Fire, there were a couple highpriority focus areas immediately following the fire. Those included the Sierraat-Tahoe ski resort and the community of Grizzly Flat where the Forest Service conducted fuel reduction and hazard tree removal.

Long term restoration with a corrective vision

The charred damage in high severity

“So even a fire like Caldor, where there are some very large tens-of-thousands of acres of high severity patches where all of the trees have been killed, there’s also thousands of acres that the fire just creeped through the understory and recycled some nutrients and reduced some fuels,” Walsh said.

According to a rapid resource assessment, the fire burned at a high severity level on approximately 76,000 acres. The total acres burned according to the Forest Service is 221,835.

After making these assessments, the work then turns to determining which areas on these high severity acres align well with re-establishing a forest. Considerations for this include accessibility, whether the area provides important forest habitat and whether a forest can re-establish there.

“There’s also other places that we need to evaluate and potentially change our desired future conditions for,” Walsh explained, “because the fire may have created conditions where we’re just not able to re-establish a forest or that it just doesn’t make sense to, especially given the hotter, drier climate projections that we’re anticipating.”

Along with reforestation success assessments, the service also determines potential areas for watershed restoration.

Another part of the planning is assessing how to manage future fires, which they typically see returning every 10 years.

“And so this re-burn interval is something that we really need to set ourselves up for,” said Walsh.

For the Caldor Fire specifically, recovery efforts have been broken up into two decisions. The first involves reforestation and fuels reduction. The other decision surrounds watershed recovery actions and longer term recovery

So, in stepped a pilot program of Emergency Forest Restoration Teams to help address these landowners’ needs. Regional resource conservation districts initiate these teams after receiving funds and do the work on behalf of the private landowners.

The work involves rapidly assessing and implementing postwildfire restoration on these private lands similar to the post-fire work done on public lands.

“It entails removing all the hazardous trees,” Bennett Quidachay, El Dorado County RCD project manager-Forestry, explained to the task force’s tour group, “all the standing snags, hazards, processing those, piling and burning all the nonmerchantable material, processing all the trees and brush that may be coming up or that are left over and then doing the associated site prep on their parcels.”

This site prep paves the way for planting and includes subsoiling or soil ripping for optimal growing conditions for the seeds and doing vegetative competition control.

Once the seeds are planted, teams then monitor how the seeds are growing.

EFRT work can be seen at Sierra-atTahoe. Quidachay explained even though this isn’t technically non-industrial private forested land as it’s federal land under a special use permit, it has a lot of private land and communitylevel implications.

“I learned to ski there,” Quidachay said. “Many people I know learned to ski there. I’ve worked there. So, you can see it’s a big source for the community as an economic driver, as well as just a place for the community to go ski, go recreate.”

The EFRT there harvested 20 million board feet from the mountain, thanks to a

The EFRTs’ ability to move quickly added to the success. “Because after a fire, time is really of the essence,” Kocher said. The longer the wait, the more time competitive shrubs have to grow back and create more

One way the cooperative extension is helping landowners prepare for that future is by hosting regional workshops covering post-fire concepts and resources to restore their lands after wildfires.

Forest and community recovery go hand-in-hand

Often media attention stops after a fire is over, but the story doesn’t end there, something all these land managers, foresters and individuals impacted know.

“It’s still decades later that there’s still recovery going on,” Walsh said. “The forest recovery and community recovery following wildfires is not instant.”

One of the areas hit hardest by the Caldor Fire was Grizzly Flat, where a reported two-thirds of the community was destroyed.

“The community as they start to see trees planted and trees growing in their community, and they start to get to go out and recreate again, that’s when those communities start feeling connected and like communities again,” she said. Example Continued from A4

That’s where currently both forest recovery and community recovery are happening simultaneously. Walsh said the synchronous nature of these recovery efforts are key.

OPINION

California Matters

Promises to reduce state’s high living costs conflict with progressive policies

While postelection autopsies vary on why Democrats fared so poorly in November, there is general consensus that a major factor was voter resentment of high inﬂation in their costs of living.

Traditionally, voters who feel angst about their personal ﬁnances will take it out on the party in power. It helped Donald Trump win support among working-class voters who feel the ﬁnancial pinch most severely — a syndrome felt even in deep-blue California, where 10 counties whose voters had backed President Joe Biden in 2020 switched to Trump in 2024.

When the Democrat-dominated California Legislature reconvened this week, its members chanted a new mantra about trying to reduce living costs in a state where those costs — particularly for housing and utilities — are at or near the nation’s highest.

“We get it,” Democratic state Sen. Dave Cortese told the San Jose Mercury-News. “The Democratic Party, has, in e ect, just been called out by the voters on that issue.”

Talk is cheap, especially political talk. There’s a big di erence between saying that something should be done about high living costs and actually doing something.

Cortese, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic ﬁgures have passed a slew of bills in recent years they said would make it easier to build more housing in California, thereby reducing upward pressure on costs. However, we have yet to see those decrees generate a noticeable increase in construction.

The median price for a single-family house in the nation was $404,500 in October, according to ﬁnancial website Bankrate, while in California it was $869,000 — second only to Hawaii.

The nation’s average rental for a housing unit is $1,595 a month, according to Redﬁn, but those in California’s major urban areas are at least twice as high, including $3,417 in San Francisco and $3,285 in Los Angeles.

■ See WALTERS, page A7

Letters to the Editor

Fair elections

EDITOR:

On Jan. 21, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Citizens United vs. FEC decision, ruled corporations and other groups had a right to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. This gave the wealthy, including corporations and other entities, even more inﬂuence on our government.

The court built on years of precedent, stating that political donations were protected speech and that corporations had constitutional rights by combining the two concepts to allow corporate donations in any amount as long as there was no direct coordination with political campaigns. The court stated that absent coordination, and because disclosure laws allow the public to see who is donating, the risk of corruption was minimal.

The reality was that this ruling greatly expanded the influence of the wealthy and corporations while allowing them to avoid disclosure by donating to nonprofits not required to disclose their donors. It even potentially allowed for influence from foreign countries to be hidden from American voters and enforcement agencies.

Fortunately, even absent a Supreme Court

willing to overturn itself, there are still ways to address this problem.

The most permanent way to overturn this decision is to amend the U.S. Constitution to clearly state that political contributions are not protected speech and the corporations do not have constitutional rights. Not an easy task, to be sure. This would require a two-thirds vote in Congress followed by ratiﬁcation by three-fourths of the states (or for two-thirds of the state legislatures to propose an amendment followed by ratiﬁcation by three-fourths of the states). This is a longterm, uphill battle since it requires the support of legislators who have become dependent on their donors to get elected.

Shorter-term measures can help even things out while a constitutional amendment is being pushed through. Publicly funded elections would help increase the inﬂuence of small donors, especially if we can match their donations with public funds. Disclosure laws that don’t allow secret donations would help voters know who is supporting candidates and ballot measures. Reforming the FEC to allow stronger enforcement of the existing

The Balancing Act

Jimmy Carter and the unraveling of American culture

An essay appeared recently in The Wall Street Journal under the headline “What Happens When a Whole Generation Never Grows Up?” Behavior that has always been understood to define what it means to be an adult is disappearing among America’s younger generations. Institutions always seen as the sinews that define and hold together a society — home ownership, marriage, children — no longer can be taken for granted. Per the essay, median age for first-time homebuyers is at an all-time high: 38. In 1981, it was 29. Around half of Americans between 30 and 40 are married, compared to two-thirds in 1990.

Fertility rates — the average number of children that each woman of

childbearing age can be expected to bring forth — is at a level that guarantees an aging, shrinking society. A fertility rate of an average of 2.1 children per woman will keep a population at steady state. Below this, the population shrinks. The fertility rate stood at 1.62 in 2023. It only reached 2.1 once since 1971 — in 2007. Per the Pew Research Center, as noted in the essay, “The share of childless adults under 50 who say they are unlikely to ever have kids” rose from 37% in 2018 to 47% in 2023. If all of this doesn’t o end your moral sensibilities, it should for sure o end your practical sensibilities. Absence of births means an aging population. Median age of the U.S. was 29.5 in 1960. In 2023, it was 39.2. The aging population is one major reason for Social Security’s ﬁscal

In a culture that has purged religious truth, egotism and secular humanism take its place. Why let a spouse or children impinge on your personal space?

problems. Retiree beneﬁts are paid by those working and paying payroll tax. The system breaks down when the number of retirees per worker grows.

An aging population means higher national healthcare costs. In 2021, the percent of the population 55 and above was 31%. But those 55 and above accounted for 56% of national health care expenditures.

If the disappearance of marriage, children, families and home ownership is a problem, is there a solution?

The Wall Street Journal essay has little to o er. To suggest this reﬂects that the ﬁnancial pressure that our youth feel is no answer.

For the full decade of the Great Depression, from 1930 to 1940, fertility rates never dropped below the 2.1 replacement rate.

It is closer to the truth that our young people act this way because they have grown up in a culture that teaches them to act this way.

Marriage and monogamy are not natural. They are religious values that are taught. In a culture that has purged religious truth, egotism and secular humanism take its place. Why let a spouse or children impinge on your personal space?

A legacy of the now late President Jimmy Carter was the creation of two new federal Cabinet-level departments. He signed into law the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. Apparently, Carter, who was very public about his Christian faith, did not see a conﬂict in growing

DAN WALTERS

STAR PARKER ■

Walters Continued from A6

Californians also face budget-busting costs for such necessities as gasoline and electric utilities, and the trend is sharply upward.

The Center for Jobs and the Economy, an offshoot of the California Business Roundtable, reports that California’s average gasoline price is the nation’s highest at $4.46 a gallon, which is about 75 cents higher than neighboring Nevada and more than twice Oklahoma’s $2.55.

One reason, but not the only one, for California’s high gas prices is the nearly $1.50 in federal, state and local taxes and fees.

The organization also pegs California’s rates for electric power as the nation’s highest, averaging 31.62 cents a kilowatt hour of residential service — just over twice as high as the average for states outside of California. Although average power bills are just eighth-highest due to the state’s generally

Letters Continued from A6

laws would also help.

A majority of Americans of all political persuasions support reforms that would rein in corruption. How can you help? Contact your member of Congress to express support for reform legislation such as House Joint Resolution 54, We the People Act or House Resolution 1118, The Disclose Act. Make your voice heard.

DAWN E. WOLFSON Cameron Park

NEW YORK TIMES

Talk is cheap, especially political talk. There’s a big difference between saying that something should be done about high living costs and actually doing something.

mild climate. On Tuesday, the Legislative Analyst Office, the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal advisor, parsed power rates, putting them at the nation’s second-highest behind those in Hawaii. The LAO concluded that the state’s propensity for wildfires and its efforts to eliminate oil and natural gas as energy sources are major factors driving high power costs.

The data suggest that if Newsom and the Legislature are serious about cutting Californians’ living costs, they would have to throttle back on climate policies and those that subsidize lowerincome consumers.

Paid-for politicians

EDITOR:

I’m not a big fan of Indian casinos or casinos, but I learned that the people who own the big, fancy casinos did not build them because they were fair or generous. However, I do enjoy a game of cards at my house with friends and family.

I’ve been all over Nevada last year, at least 10 times, and I’ve stayed at their casino hotels and ate

That might include a newly enacted program to base some electric power prices on income and the California Air Resources Board’s new mandate to reduce the carbon content of automotive fuel, which could add a half-dollar or more a gallon to the cost of gasoline. California’s progressive policies are clearly in conflict with its living costs, thus creating a political conundrum. We’ll see whether the promises to improve affordability are a change of direction or just cheap talk.

Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

in their restaurants but didn’t gamble once. I’ve also been to Red Hawk a couple of times to eat at Henry’s and didn’t gamble then, either.

My views on casino gambling appear to coincide with the vast majority of Californians, who voted no on Propositions 26 and 27 by a margin of 70% to 80%.

I also don’t understand why our state has relinquished control of all gaming to Native Americans. Why does one race of people control an entire industry that is frowned upon in our state?

Senate Bill 549, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, paved the way last week for the Indian casino industry to sue non-Native American card rooms out of existence. One has to ask the question, was 549 put into law as a payback to Indian control of the gambling industry? If you look at both the Democrat and Republican state conventions, Indian casinos are the largest donors to those events. And on many occasions, the only donors listed at those events. Is this fair or wise?

I believe Californians don’t want casino-style gambling in our state. I don’t think that if it weren’t for the marketing of sacred tribal lands and heritage, Californians would have never allowed the casinos in the first place. We need to separate our belief in individual freedoms from giving a race or people some form of reparation payment that happened hundreds of years ago and look at the havoc that is happening to our community and our political system because we created a special class of people to control a vice.

The precedent has been set. Our local and statewide politicians are bought and paid for. What’s next?

KEN STEERS Cameron Park

Announcements

AL-ANON is here for you if you are bothered by someone else’s drinking. Call for meeting times. (916) 3342970. https://sacal-anon.blogspot.com

AMERICAN ASSOC. OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN Foothills of EDC Branch. Our mission is to advance gender equity for women & girls. Science and Math Camp Scholarships, programs & interest groups. Leave voicemail for Laurel (530) 417-7737 or Sara (530) 4177138 eldorado-ca.aauw.net

AMERICAN LEGION POST 119 welcomes Veterans and guests to attend our monthly membership dinner and meeting the first Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM. Legionpost119.org

CAMERON PARK NEWCOMERS

CLUB meets the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 at the Light of the Hills Lutheran Church, 3100 Rodeo Rd., CP, 95682. New and current local community members are welcome for fun and games throughout the month. For further information contact Jill Butler at 530-295-7448.

El DORADO COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB Dedicated to all aspects of ham radio. Meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month at the El Dorado Sheriff’s office, 200 Industrial Drive, Placerville, 6:30 pm. Visitors and non-hams welcome. Info at www.edcarc.net

PLAY CRIBBAGE Join the Gold Country Cribbers 916-212-2465 or 916-768-4452. We Play - We Teach - We Have Fun. Wednesdays 4:00 PM. Gilmore Senior Center 990 Lassen Lane, El Dorado Hills, CA Struggling with life? CELEBRATE RECOVERY is for any Hurt, Habit or Hang-up. We are a faith-based recovery program for life’s issues and struggles. Join us Thursday nights at 6:30pm at Green Valley Church, 3500 Green Valley Rd, Placerville. Doors open at 6:15pm. Children’s programs are available for ages 3 months to 18 years old. Email: celebrate@greenvalley.church. Find us on Facebook: https://m.facebook. com/crgvcc/ DEMOCRATS – Come meet with the United Democrats of El Dorado County at Round Table Pizza–Missouri Flat Rd. in Placerville at noon on the 3rd Thursday of the

month. Call (530)391-6414 or see edcdems.org for more information.

GOLD RUSH CHORUS now welcomes both men and women to share the joy of singing four-part harmony in the barbershop style. To learn more or to book a performance, call Howard at (530) 647-6513 or Kent (530) 651-3575

HANGTOWN WOMEN’S TENNIS CLUB. Come play tennis for fun and friendship. Meet at El Dorado High School, Acacia Street, Placerville, Wed 9 AM – 11 AM. (June - Aug 8 AM –10 AM). Social activities, lessons. Minimal cost. Not a beginners group. Some tennis experience/ability required. Call Cindy 805-540-8654.

MONDAY CLUB BRIDGE seeks more players. The club is a very informal, friendly group and invites interested men and women party bridge players to join. The club meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at Denny’s Restaurant on Fair Lane in Placerville at 10:00 am.

Addiction or Relationship problem? Call 530 231-7728 our free counseling can help you. Positive Realism, 3430 Robin Ln., Cameron Park. Meet first and third Wednesday of every month, 7pm. Come and have a paid lunch with the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA) for CalPERS retirees and spouses. The meetings are held at 11:30AM on May 20, July 15, September 16, November 18,2024 at Denny’s (3446 Coach Lane) Cameron Park. Call 530 919 7515 for programs and information.

SENIOR PEER COUNSELING Seniors 55 and over who are grieving, depressed or having issues related to aging can meet one-on-one with a caring senior, professionally supervised and trained to listen and encourage. Call (530)621-6304 to leave a message and get started.

TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION OF EL DORADO COUNTY Our mission is to educate the public on tax issues that affect them. Our meetings are held every Monday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 at Denny’s Restaurant, Fair Lane Drive, Placerville. Meetings are open to the public. For more information call Louis (530) 622-6763. We are a non-partisan organization.

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Brenda Mallory: In the Absence of Instruction @ 12pm In the solo exhibition, Brenda Mal‐lory includes prints, multi-media and installation artworks to con‐sider the complex relationships and structures of power and iden‐tity. Gorman Museum of Native American Art, 181 Old Davis Road, Davis. cngorman@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-6567

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Funklectic Music Televi‐sion with DJ Maculate @ 9:30pm / Free-$6.15 Neck of the Woods, San Francisco

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Lakeside Laughs @ 9:30pm / $27.06

Harveys Cabaret at Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline

Rotary Club of Davis Weekly Lunch & Program @ 12pm See website for details. ro‐taryclubofdavis.com Davis Com‐munity Church, 421 D Street, Davis. teainsworth@gmail.com

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Carte Blanche

New crimes

Continued from A1

jurisdiction, as the sexual assault and kidnapping occurred in South Lake Tahoe, Pierson and the county DA’s Office, alongside Alameda Sheriff’s Lt. Misty Carausu and Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges, worked to reopen the Muller case. After more than 10 months of efforts, that investigation has borne fruit, with Pierson and Borges holding a press event Tuesday to announce new breaks in the case.

“A reinvestigation of the American Nightmare case has uncovered additional serious crimes, including a kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1993, two home invasions in 2009 and a 2015 home invasion/ kidnapping for ransom case that had not been previously reported to police,” states a press release shared by the EDC DA’s Office.

Muller, who is already serving a 40-year sentence in a federal prison in Tucson for the kidnapping and rape of Denise, responded to a letter written by Borges and admitted to

Parker

Continued from A6

government and his Christian values. But as is well-known, the Department of Education initiative was, at least in part, the result of his effort to ingratiate and get support from the nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association.

A short visit to the websites of the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers — the major teachers unions — will show that the values being advanced there are the wokeism and secular humanism that drive the collapse of marriage, family and children. It is these values that are

Burning Barrel

further crimes he’d perpetrated. The county DA’s Office investigation, conducted with aid from the FBI, also led to an interview with Muller where he admitted to further crimes. The crimes include home invasions in 2019, numerous instances of prowling and peeping, secretly recording people, three home invasions in 2015 and sexual assaults, which began when Muller was 16 years old.

“We are hoping these new developments can serve as an example of how investigations can change in a positive direction,” Denise and Aaron state in the DA press release. “It demonstrates the power of listening to and working with victims, following facts and evidence, conducting science-based interviews and what can be accomplished when multiple agencies within law enforcement work together. Most importantly, we are hoping these new developments can bring some measure of peace and closure for the victims of his crimes.”

conveyed in America’s public schools.

Step one in our battle against this social and cultural destruction is to support President-elect Donald Trump’s effort to disband the Department of Education.

Step two should be a nationwide effort to change our education paradigm and create a new regime that gives parents control over where to educate and how to educate their children.

Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now.

Continued from A3

be accompanied by a finely aged whiskey.

“A lot of people have been asking about whiskey,” he admitted. “We have been putting the whiskey away for over two years.”

Right now the plan is to introduce a whiskey with some creations behind the bar in March this year.

“We’re not going to bring in just any bourbon to do like an old fashioned,” he said.

“There are not that many distilleries in California and we want to highlight what we are doing, because it is really unique,” he said, adding that Burning Barrel only offers its own brands of spirits so when the whiskey is ready for the consumer, it will be featured at Burning Barrel.

A great team equals a great experience

With the aesthetic in place and construction in full force, Duncan knew he had to bring on a top notch team to create and maintain that vibe he was curating. The whole process was simpler than placing an ad in the paper.

“And so all the team was really organic, you know, just a really solid group of people.”

Duncan said he had become friends with Mixology Manager Giacchino Breen at a high-end lounge in Sacramento.

“He ended up coming to work for Burning Barrel Brewing for around a year,” he said.

General Manager Heather Vickers came to Burning Barrel with over a decade of high level restaurant management experience before

COMICS

n SHOE by Jeff MacNelly

working at the Rancho Cordova facility for more than a year, according to Duncan.

“So that was always the plan, to bring over some of our really talented team from Rancho that understand our company culture,” Duncan shared.

Head Chef Kody Merril came highly recommended from high-end chef friends of Duncan’s in Folsom. Merril was put in charge of creating a topnotch menu and hiring staff to match.

“Like with anything, like our spirits or our beer, we always try to be world class in our approach,” he said. “So we went out and assembled a really good team of kitchen staff that can deliver a culinary aspect to the business that’s on par with our beer and cocktails.”

With the management team in place and menus selected the, community was welcomed into the mix last year.

“The reception has been amazing,” Duncan admitted. “You know, everyone that comes in seems to be really pleased with what we’re doing.” He added that the traffic has been a culmination of people who already knew the brand and people in the community that want to try something new.

“And so far, it’s just been really, really great to see the response from everybody.”

Burning Barrel Brewing and Spirits is located at 640 Main St. and opens daily at 11 a.m. with doors closing at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. on Sundays and 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information visit burningbarrelspirits.com or call (530) 748-3673.

n SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll be around talented people. This variety pack of skill sets could create something truly remarkable together with the right leadership. You’re a visionary. That leader could be you, if you dare take on the challenge.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It’s natural to be bothered by what you don’t understand, but you don’t stop at that. You let discomfort compel you to learn more. You’ll have your bafflement to thank for the interesting people and knowledge you gain.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The pace will pick up and you’ll match it without missing a beat. You would think that with this much going on, life would turn into a blur. The opposite happens. Experience becomes more vivid and memorable at this exhilarated pace.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). A stressy situation has your attention. All it takes to relieve the pressure is one adjustment. You can either adjust the circumstances to better fit your preferences, or you can adjust your expectations to better fit the circumstances.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Though you dream of the day you’re living the dream, you’re well aware that these are the moments you’ll cherish -- the climb. You’re feeling your moments to their fullness, taking notes and packing in the experiences.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your genuine curiosity makes learning feel effortless. You’ll dive into a subject or get to know someone intriguing. With curiosity as your guide,

conversations naturally flow to places that spark connection and inspiration.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ll extract the part of the plan that is not working. Don’t replace it right away. It’s better to have nothing in the space than a sub-par alternative. Your willingness to wait will give you power and choice.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There are choices and patterns that once worked for you but no longer fit the person you’re becoming. Leave judgment behind. Embrace the change and savor the excitement of moving forward.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ll get the most out of a situation with some higher-level thinking. Welcome a perspective that lets you see the deep history and the future as well as the adjacent situations affected by your own. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Socializing outside your usual circle opens your life most auspiciously. Conversations with new people will spark ideas, perspectives and opportunities you hadn’t considered. The connections you form now will prove pivotal down the line.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). People who are

n TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter

n RUBES by Leigh Rubin

Courtesy photo

El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson speaks at a press conference held outside the Seaside City Hall on Jan. 7. A reinvestigation into the Matthew Muller case, started off by the county’s DA Office, has resulted in the discovery of multiple crimes Muller is also believed to have committed since 1993.

PROSPECTING

Section B ■ mtdemocrat.com

IN THE KNOW

Jan. 10

Musician Ed Wilson will perform 6-8 p.m. at The Vine in El Dorado Hills.

El Dorado County Community Concert Association’s third concert of its 2024-25 season will feature Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi at 7 p.m. at Union Mine High School in El Dorado. For tickets and more information visit ElDoradoCommunityConcerts. com.

SPMA Rock Orchestra presents live renditions of the hit soundtracks from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vols. 1 & 2” on Jan. 10 & 11 at Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom. For tickets and more information visit harriscenter. net or call (916) 608-6888. Connect with professionals from the Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Rancho Cordova and El Dorado County Chambers of Commerce at this month’s Highway 50 Corridor Power Lunch hosted by Folsom at Curry Pizza House in Folsom. For more information visit eldoradohillschamber.org.

Join the Cameron Park Community Services District for a Bully-Proof Workshop. Learn the various ways that children may encounter bullying and strategies for adults and children to respond to this behavior. The workshop starts at 7 p.m. and registration is $40. For more information or to register visit cameronpark. org.

Rockify will perform at the Red Hawk Casino Stage Bar 8 p.m. to midnight For more information visit redhawkcasino.com.

Sourdough Slim & Robert Armstrong – Last of the Vaudeville Cowboys will perform at Sutter Creek Theatre in Sutter Creek. Hold on to your seat and get ready for a rollicking evening of outrageous humor and song. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show begins at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information call (916) 425-0077 or visit suttercreektheater.com.

Jan. 11

Check out Placerville Cars and Co ee every Saturday, 7-9 a.m. at Lions Park. Hang out with other car enthusiasts.

EDH Cars and Co ee invites car people to meet up and hang out Saturdays, 7-9:30 a.m., rain or shine, in the right-side parking lot of the Regal movie theater in El Dorado Hills Town Center. Everyone and every type of vehicle is welcome. The motto is “If it rolls, it goes.” Gold Bug Park & Mine in Placerville is open Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit goldbugpark.org.

The Coloma Community Market takes place 1-4 p.m., drizzle or shine, the second and fourth Saturdays at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Find great local products while enjoying live music, food, beverages and more. Parking is free during the market hours.

Mystery author James L’Etoile returns to Face in a Book at El Dorado Hills Town Center 3-5 p.m. for a launch party for his new thriller, “River of Lies.” It’s the second in the Detective Emily Hunter series, which takes place in Sacramento.

Steppin Out will perform at

SOMETHING MUCH M O R E

Art & Wine event brings the community together

Reneé Hargrove

Special to the Mountain Democrat

Poet Jonathan Swift once said, “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”

When you enter the stateof-the-art Mother Lode Rehabilitation Enterprises Inc. facility, there’s an immediate sense of purpose and creativity. At the front entrance you’ll ﬁnd an open-beamed space that sets the tone —the Something MORE Artist’s Gallery.

This space showcases the work of MORE’s artisan group and serves as a visual testament to their talent. The artwork displayed here speaks to the heart, inviting visitors to engage with both its beauty and the stories it tells.

For 55 years, MORE has been building pathways to support its Vision Statement: “Full Inclusion for All People.”

In 2005, MORE artisans made their debut at the ﬁrst Art & Wine with Something MORE event, and 21 years later their work is not only recognized but celebrated.

At MORE’s Creative Arts Lab, qualified instructors collaborate closely with clients, helping them unlock their potential. These clients, who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, awaken their creativity and intellect through customized approaches. As they gain selfesteem and confidence, their artistic abilities flourish.

The process nurtures skills and talents, giving them the recognition they deserve. The desire to share their creations with others empowers them further, revealing the value of

something MORE. MORE’s CEO, Susie Davies, reﬂected on what inspired her in 1969: “I saw that a population of people was being devalued. As positive laws began to be enacted, it became clear that a gentle, kind and appreciative group — people who live in the moment — deserved recognition and integration into communities. I can’t imagine not working with such generous souls.”

Here’s a glimpse into some MORE artisans’ stories:

Jennifer G. is a talented watercolor artist, specializing in landscapes and ﬂoral designs. She brings whimsy and elegance to her canvases and has even sculpted a “Yellow Submarine” sculpture featuring the Beatles. Jennifer also creates plywood sculptures adorned with clay, paint and other materials.

When asked what she sees in her work, she simply replied, “I see excellence.”

Jessica M., who recently celebrated her 43rd birthday, has been with MORE for 22 years. She’s known for her enchanting paintings of unicorns and castles, often with shimmering elements that seem to dance in the light. Currently, she’s working on a captivating cat-in-the-window sculpture that’s sure to spark the viewer’s imagination.

Lauren H. loves painting but is also collaborating on a multiartisan textured sculpture. The background features a stunning relief of joint compound and moldable clay, ready for tinting with special inks. This piece has architectural qualities and would make a striking wall treatment. Lauren has

expressed deep appreciation for her art instructor, Wendy, who she said is “like her MORE mom,” creating a nurturing environment that fosters creativity.

Michael W., who has been a client at MORE for 21 years, specializes in dragon and castle-themed artwork.

He meticulously designs his creations on paper before building wire-framed, paper mâché-covered sculptures, which can take months to complete.

“Dragons come from dinosaurs and can have a

Courtesy photos

MORE client Tony S. proudly holds up one of his art pieces. See more of his work and the creativity of others at Art & Wine with Something MORE on Jan. 18. MORE artists create all kinds of beautiful works in many mediums, like “Koi,” top photo.

Jennifer G. poses with her painting “Plein Air Cottage” in front of the home that

piece.

CALIFORNIA MUSEUM

Women’s achievements, African American contributions celebrated

Danielle Wood California Museum

SACRAMENTO — California Museum begins 2025 with expanding and new exhibits that offer a glimpse into the exceptional people who have called this state home.

Kamala Harris” The First But Not The Last opens in Women Inspire, Jan. 21 — Explore the life and career of Vice President Kamala Harris up to her election as the United States’ first woman, first African American and first Indian American vice president. For more information visit californiamuseum. org/exhibitions/ signature/womeninspire.

Time of Remembrance field trips, Jan. 27 through March 21 — Exploring citizenship, constitutionality and redress, the annual Time of Remembrance field trip program brings a pivotal chapter of history to life for students through the first-hand accounts of Japanese American docents who experienced life behind barbed wire during World War II. The program includes a guided tour of Uprooted: An American Story, an interactive classroom program, plus lesson plans, digital artifact kit and follow-up activities related to current issues. For more information visit californiamuseum. org/TOR.

Our War Too: Women in Service, Feb. 4

FOOD

through May 4 — This groundbreaking, special exhibit honors the nearly 350,000 American women who answered the call to serve their country during World War II. Made up of unique and colorful artifacts from The National World War II Museum’s collection, the exhibit explores these servicewomen’s efforts, struggles and accomplishments, the impacts of which extend into the present day. Learn more details or plan a visit at californiamuseum.org/ our-war-too. Northern California Time of Remembrance Ceremony, Feb. 8 — Presented by the Northern California

Time of Remembrance Committee in partnership with the California Museum, this annual ceremony supports the Time of Remembrance field trip program. This year’s event, Black Reparations/Reparative Justice, features Dr. Cheryl Grills and Don Tamaki. Learn more or purchase tickets at californiamuseum.org/ NCTOR25.

Black History Month self-guided tour, Feb. 1-28 — Throughout February, the California Museum presents a selfguided Black History Month tour — refreshed with new tour stops — highlighting African American contributions

to California’s rich history. Focusing on themes of resilience, activism, democracy and community, this exploration of our signature and temporary exhibits highlights notable Black individuals, movements and organizations.

The tour is designed for visitors of all ages to explore the museum at their own pace. Digital and print maps with markers highlighting focal points are available with paid Museum admission. A digital copy of the map will be available starting Feb. 1 at californiamuseum. org/blackhistory. Women’s History Month admission special, March 1-31 —

Get two admissions for the price of one when you bring a guest to explore women’s history at the California Museum in March. Start by visiting the Women Inspire exhibit, then explore the rest of the museum together (Hint: Inspiring women can be found in every exhibit). Enter code WOMEN25 when you book advance tickets or mention Women’s History Month Special at admission. Additional details will be posted by March 1 at californiamuseum. org/visit/events-publicprograms. “Voices: ChineseWomen of the Delta” screening, March 22 — Join the

Locke Foundation Oral History Project and the Locke Prior Residents & Descendants Association at the California Museum for the premiere of this new documentary from 1-4:30 p.m. The film tells the stories of the women of the Delta who helped shape California’s rich Chinese American history. Advance registration is recommended. Learn more or purchase tickets at voicesfilmscreening. eventbrite.com.

Continuing exhibitions

California Indians: The First People — Initially developed under the direction of a Native Advisory Council in 2011, this exhibit is the only one of its kind in the state to present the unique contributions of California’s Native Peoples in their own voice. Through artifacts, original art, oral histories and an interactive language kiosk, the exhibit chronicles the histories and cultural legacies of over 100 tribes. Highlights include the Chipped Stone Bear, California’s official prehistoric artifact; baskets woven by Native artists; and a fur cape owned by Ishi. For details visit californiamuseum.org/ exhibitions/signature/ california-indians.

California Missions: A Journey Along the El Camino Real — Designed to correspond with state standards for

n See MUSEUM, page B7

Master the Art of Italian Comfort Cuisine

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta Chicken

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 28 minutes

Servings: 6

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, plus additional, for garnish

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 jar (24.7 ounces) Bertolli d’Italia Marinara Sauce

2 cups multi-colored grape tomatoes, halved

2 stems cherry tomatoes on the vine

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In small bowl, whisk olive oil, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano until combined. Combine 2 tablespoons oil mixture and chicken in resealable plastic bag. Let stand 5-10 minutes at room temperature to marinate.

In medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil mixture over medium heat. Add onions; cook 3-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Stir in marinara sauce. Pour mixture into lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

Arrange chicken breasts in dish, overlapping if necessary. Top with grape tomatoes and cherry tomato stems. Spoon remaining oil mixture over tomatoes.

Bake, covered, 25 minutes, or until chicken is done (165 F) and tomatoes start to burst. Sprinkle with Parmesan, drizzle with balsamic glaze and garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.

Courtesy photo

Women Inspire: California Women Changing Our World at California Museum features the stories of Golden State women from the 1700s to present who inspire change. The exhibit will soon include a feature on Kamala Harris.

Sylvia Coleman Placerville Arts Association

lacerville Arts Association

Pstarts the year off with a bang — or another way of saying it: with a Planteen — 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 13, at the Placerville Senior Center, 937 Spring St. Oil painter Kellyn Elspeth Planteen will delve into her artistic process as an oil painter. From the spark of inspiration to the final creation, she will outline her guiding principles and “rules” that shape her work. She will share many different tips and tricks that she picked up during her 20-plus years of painting. Additionally, Planteen will discuss her strategies for building an engaged audience — offering inspiration for artists at any stage of their journey.

Planteen is originally from San Francisco. She rediscovered her passion for painting after moving to Loomis. She attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received a degree in fiber and material studies.

As an oil painter, Planteen aims to preserve and immortalize cherished memories and significant landmarks amidst rapid development. It’s important to her to capture, not only the physical beauty of these places but also the essence of life, community and the people within them. Her use of loose brushstrokes allow her to

capture not just a scene but a feeling of movement and life. To learn more about Planteen visit placerarts.org/ listings/kellyn-planteen.

There will be a break at 3:30 p.m. for refreshments and a time for artists to mingle and share their fresh ideas and inspirations. A brief member meeting will follow with announcements of upcoming available art events and more.

January’s

challenge

Let the Blanks do the Talking — Participants will be utilizing various “pristine objects” donated to PAA by Wendy Braun from the estate of her mother (local artist Patricia Wehr). Wehr was a folk artist and the donation includes many objects that she collected over the years that inspired her but were left unfinished. Let’s let the blanks that Wehr left for us inspire us in this challenge.

PAA is a nonprofit group whose passion is that they and the surrounding communities be closely interwoven — communities that come to view “art” as essential to life. Whether you are a beginning artist, a seasoned artist or just an art-lover, come and partake in the wonders of fine art. New members are welcomed all year. To learn more about PAA and upcoming 2025 events, check out placervillearts.com. The group is also on Facebook.

BUTTERED AND SALTY

‘Nosferatu’

HHH

R, 2 hours 12 minutes Dark Fantasy, Horror Now playing in theaters everywhere

Robert Eggers is one of the most intriguing filmmakers working today. His horror films are steeped in folklore with fully absorbing moods and tones. All are historically based, from the puritanical 1630s of “The Witch,” to an 1890s New England coastal nightmare in “The Lighthouse” (* * * 1/2) and finally to the Vikingera in 2022’s “The Northman.” In “Nosferatu” Eggers takes us to 1838 Germany (then referred to as Germania) in a story all of us should be familiar with if you know the story of “Dracula.” In 1922 German filmmaker F. W. Murnau made a silent film adaptation of essentially Bram Stoker’s novel. Even though names and places were changed (Count Dracula became Count Orlok, London became Germany) Stoker’s widow still sued and a court ordered all copies of the film destroyed. Luckily some prints of the film survived and this influential film has had many wonderful physical releases that have been remastered over the years, including a two-disc Blu-Ray that KINO put out a few years back. For those intrigued by the making of the original film and the spooky stories of what went on behind-thescenes, a fictionalized account of the making of that first “Nosferatu” movie was made into a wonderful 2000 film starring William Dafoe (who’s also in the new “Nosferatu”)

Democrat correspondent

and John Malkovich. It’s been out of print for some time but if you can find a copy I highly recommend giving it a watch.

In this new version of “Nosferatu,” Eggers has crafted an atmospheric horror film that takes its time when the story demands it. It’s going to slowly creep you out in the dark corners of Orlok’s castle or in the fully lit reactions of the stellar cast’s faces. It doesn’t need jump scares to be effective, though there are one or two. The film fully relies on the tension Eggers and his cinematographer Jarin Blaschke (who has brilliantly shot all of Eggers’ film) sets up along with the wonderful and fully bought-in performances from Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny’s daughter), Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård (who was brilliant as Pannywise the Clown in the two “It” movies) and the always excellent Willem Dafoe as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz, this story’s version of Van Helsing. All performances are topnotch.

I guess my one main gripe — brilliant design, photography, and performances aside — is that this version of “Nosferatu” lines up a bit too much with what has come before (with multitudes of “Dracula” and “Nosferatu” versions out there). Of course it is Eggers style to keep this a period piece but the writer/director had an opportunity to expand the mythos a bit and go in some different directions. Besides the look of Count Orlok (which I won’t spoil here) and an interesting denouement, this is

“A Cow at Jacquelyn’s” by Kellyn Planteen

Verge Center for the Arts hosts Indigenous exhibit

Traci Rockefeller Cusack News release

SACRAMENTO — Verge Center for the Arts presents DECOLONIZATION, a solo show by artist Spencer Keeton Cunningham, Jan. 11 through March 23 with an opening reception 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11.

Cunningham is a contemporary artist exhibiting in museums and galleries for the past 23 years. This will be his second exhibition at Verge after his work was first featured in Champagne, a group exhibition curated by Yarrow Slaps in 2014. Cunningham’s work also adorns Verge’s bathroom hall. This will be the artist’s first solo exhibition in Sacramento.

Cunningham is an enrolled member of the Colville Tribe. His painting work is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Berkeley Art Museum, and The Crocker Art Museum. He has also exhibited at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles, The Wenying Highland Museum in China, as well as institutions in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, British Columbia, Amsterdam, Seattle, New York City, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, New Orleans, Miami and elsewhere. Cunningham works in painting, sculpture, public art, film, photography and writing, and has worked on various music albums with cult hip-hop art icon Buck 65. His work was included in the World Congress of Art History

in Beijing China by Art Historian Elaine O’Brien from California State University, Sacramento.

Cunningham uses his art to address Indigenous issues, environmental

conditions, and gentrification. His work for DECOLONIZATION will include monumental paintings standing up to 20 feet tall. It will be an immersive art exhibit, exploring

themes of an autobiographical nature, history, past and present cultural archetypes, reservation life and a contemporary view of the modern world through a lens of decolonization and humor.

“This will be my most personal exhibition to date. I’m hoping the viewer can enjoy these paintings and get something from them,” Cunningham shared.

The exhibit will be an autobiographical journey blended with the usual themes of my work — Indigenous rights, environmental issues, themes of animal mythology, history, archetypes, war, the future decolonization of North America and the rest of the planet, as well as some new ideas I have yet to explore in an exhibition thus far,” he continued.

“These paintings are a snapshot of my life and the world I’ve created up to this point with my art practice. I welcome people into that world and hopefull it’s an enjoyable experience.”

The goal of the show, according to the artist, is to help decolonize the minds of the viewers.

“Art should educate and bring up important dialogues. I choose to use humor at times in art to playfully talk about serious subject matter. It’s all about just starting a dialogue,” he explained. “This show might even inspire people to become artists themselves — because it’s not about me, or my ego, or alienating the working class person from the art world. I’d rather welcome them in and make art to help other people who are struggling.”

Vaudeville Cowboys to deliver comedic musical performance

News release

SUTTER CREEK — Hold on to your seat and get ready for a rollicking evening of outrageous humor and song when Sourdough Slim & Robert Armstrong – Last of the Vaudeville Cowboys take the Sutter Creek Theatre Stage on Jan. 10. A marvel of musical ingenuity, yodeling cowboy songster Sourdough Slim and string instrument wizard Armstrong joyously rekindle the country blues, vintage jazz, cowboy

classics and string band repertoire of pre-World War II America. Whether capturing the haunting refrain of a Jimmie Rodgers blue yodel or swinging out a hot novelty number, everyone gets caught up in the fun these two cut-ups have on stage. A fast-paced performance of music and comedy showcases this duo’s seasoned gift for connecting with their audiences — all dished up with a hearty dose of vaudevillian stagecraft making for a delightfully entertaining experience.

Long time fans will remember them as founding members of two of California’s favorite acoustic combo’s, 8th Avenue String Band and R. Crumb’s Cheap Suit Serenaders. Between them they share a provocative array of period instruments including: flat-top guitar, national steel, baritone and soprano ukulele, musical saw, accordion, sixstring banjo and harmonica. They are well-traveled veterans of stages ranging from Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center to The National

Cowboy Gathering, Strawberry Music Festival and Prairie Home Companion. These modern day vaudevillians capture a sound and moment in time that consistently delights fun loving music fans everywhere they perform. Sourdough Slim & Robert Armstrong – Last of the Vaudeville Cowboys will play the Sutter Creek Theater, 44 Main St. in Sutter Creek, at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. For tickets and more information call (916) 4250077 or visit suttercreektheater.com.

just a more effective — and gorgeously shot — version of the story we’ve seen before. There is a time in the middle of the story where the film dives into a bit of a possession aspect of one of the character’s (which made me wish this was what last years new “Exorcist” sequel was instead of the awful film we got) but it moves away from that intriguing plot-point a bit too early for my liking. I will always maintain that a really good movie is a really good movie and this elegant and spooky version of “Nosferatu” — 102 years after the original was released — is one of the best horror films of the year. Eggers is one of the most interesting filmmakers working right now. Recommended to watch on the big screen.

Courtesy photo

DECOLONIZATION includes enormous pieces that explore themes like Indigenous rights, environmental issues, animal mythology and more.

Photo by Kevin Martini-Fuller

Sourdough Slim and Robert Armstrong will entertain at Sutter Creek Theatre tonight.

The Sofia in Sacramento presents multi instrumentalist John McCutcheon. Doors open at 6 p.m. show starts at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information call (916) 443-5300 or visit bstreettheatre.org.

Jan. 12

El Dorado Hills Town Center hosts a year-round farmers market Sundays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. behind Nibblers.

ALT NEON PROM featuring Love and Honey takes place from 5-7 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento presents a Classical Concert: Sacramento Baroque Soloists; violin, violin, cello, harpsichord. Show sarts at 3 p.m. For tickets and more information visit crockerart. org.

The Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom presents the Folsom Concert Association’s presentation of the Highland Divas. Enjoy a musical journey that spans the folk music of Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand, culminating in the soaring heights of Rock Opera. Show starts at 2 p.m. For tickets and more information visit harriscenter.net or call (916) 608-6888.

The Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom presents the Folsom Lake Symphony’s Young Artist Recital at 2 p.m. For tickets and more information visit harriscenter.net or call (916) 608-6888.

Jan. 13

The Shingle Springs-Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce and Wally’s Pizza Bar celebrate the restaurant’s 10th anniversary with a special event 5-7 p.m. Meet Wally, win raffle prizes and more at 4079 Cameron Park Drive, Cameron Park.

Jan. 14

Vitalant will host an El Dorado Hills community blood drive noon to 2:45 p.m. The Bloodmobile bus will be parked near the baseball fields at the El Dorado Hills Community Services District, 1021 Harvard Way. Make an appointment at donors.vitalant.org and use blood drive code SMFM019 or call (877) 258-4825 and mention the same code. Walk-ins will be accommodated if space allows.

The El Dorado Hills Genealogical Society will meet on Zoom at 6 p.m. for a presentation by Cindy Brennan titled “Should I Stay, or Should I Go” showing how to use Emigrant Guides in Research, followed by an in-person workshop on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. at the El Dorado Hills Library on Silva Valley Parkway. Interested genealogists are welcome to join. Contact Pat Kriz at patkriz@earthlink.net in advance of the Zoom meeting or by attending the workshop. All are welcome. The group seeks to promote access to helpful and friendly resources for research, problem solving and discussion. Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom presents San Francisco Falun Buddha Study Association’s Shen Yun 2025, China Before Communism Jan. 14 & 15. For tickets and more information visit harriscenter.net or call (916) 608-6888.

Jan. 15

B Street Theatre in Sacramento presents “The White Chip” by Sean Daniels at The Sofia in Sacramento at 6:30 p.m. Critically acclaimed for its wicked sense of humor and honest look at addiction. Multiple showings through February 9. For tickets and more information call (916) 443-5300 or visit bstreettheatre.org.

Jan. 16

Join the El Dorado County Chamber Chamber of Commerce for its monthly business luncheon. This month hear from District 5 Assemblymember Joe Patterson at the Koto Buffet at Red Hawk Casino from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. $18 for chamber members and $23 for non members. Register at eldoradocounty.org.

Now

Switchboard Gallery hosts Scattered Water Droplets:

Yatapk’oyihнm Mom, an exhibit demonstrating the intimate relationship between native artists and their tribal waters, through Jan. 12. Switchboard Gallery is located at 525 Main St. in Placerville. For more information visit artsandcultureeldorado.org/scatteredwater-droplets.

The Sacred Arts of Tibet Tour of Gaden Shartse Norling Monastery returns to Placerville and Folsom, through Jan. 18. The tour begins in Placerville with a Wheel of Life Mandala through Jan. 12

at the historical Federated Church, 1031 Thompson Way in Placerville. The tour moves to Folsom with Medicine Buddha Mandala, supported by Mercy Folsom and Dignity Health, Jan. 14-18 at 1580 Creekside Drive, Community Education Room 1, Folsom. Check out the full schedule of events at placervillefriendsoftibet.org.

The California Museum presents Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues through Jan. 19. For more information visit californiamuseum.org.

The Folsom Lake Symphony’s

popular family concert, which in past years was scheduled in March, has now been moved to January. This year’s theme, Connections@TheSymphony, invites families to explore fascinating connections between symphonic hits and literature, geography, arts and sports. The program also features the grand-prize winner of the symphony’s Young Artist Competition and the ever-popular Instrument Petting Zoo — fun for the whole family.

As part of the Community Outreach Concert Series, this specially priced family concert has been moved to an earlier date: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Harris Center for the Arts on the Folsom Lake College campus. Open to everyone, but geared toward families and students who may not be familiar with classical performances, this family concert

is offered as part of the symphony’s commitment to extend music education and appreciation more broadly in the community.

The program consists of an hour-long concert performed by the orchestra with Maestro Peter Jaffe introducing each piece with a lively interactive discussion that incorporates education and music appreciation. It is followed by the Instrument Petting Zoo, which will return bigger than ever with instrument stations in the lobby, Stage 2 and Stage 3. Children will have hands-on experience trying out various instruments of the orchestra guided by symphony members. Tickets for this family concert are available on the symphony’s website, folsomlakesymphony.com, by phone at (916) 608-6888 or at the ticket office on the Folsom Lake College campus, 10 College Parkway, Folsom. The Folsom Lake Symphony is the resident orchestra at the Harris Center for the Arts.

fourth-grade students, this exhibit includes rare artifacts from Missions across the state, such as iron tools handmade at Mission Santa Barbara, a marriage registry document written by Father Junípero Serra, an 1893 painting of Mission San Luis Rey on an original tile from that mission and more. In addition, oral history brings this pivotal chapter of history into the present through the modern perspective of Andrew A. Galvan, the first Native curator of Mission Dolores in San Francisco.

For details visit californiamuseum.org/ exhibitions/signature/ california-missions.

Gold Mountain:

Chinese California Stories — Discover the overlooked but significant history and contributions of Chinese Californians from the Gold Rush to the present. This ongoing exhibit explores the history of Chinese immigrants who came to California in search of a better life and helped build the modern state while triumphing over racism and other obstacles with ingenuity and perseverance. In their stories, visitors will see the contributions Chinese Americans have made to our state’s economy, governance and culture.

For more information go to californiamuseum. org/exhibitions/ signature/goldmountain.

Health Happens Here — Learn how and why your ZIP code determines how long and how well you live in the multimedia exhibit. Discover what Californians are doing to build health in communities across the state in this interactive journey

through all the places and all the ways health happens in California. Through a series of high-tech games and interactive stations, visitors explore key factors that affect health beyond traditional diet and exercise while earning points that can be donated to one of 10 charities to make health happen for all Californians.

Winner of the American Alliance of Museum’s Excellence In Exhibition award, visit californiamuseum.org/ exhibitions/signature/ health-happens-here for more information.

Unite Center — Initiated in 1999 in response to a series of Northern California hate crimes and launched in 2017, the Unity Center at the California Museum celebrates the state’s diverse people, customs and cultures. Featuring multimedia exhibits exploring significant chapters of California’s civil rights history and a stateof-the-art classroom, the interactive 4,000-square-foot gallery encourages visitors to find common ground while embracing their own individuality. Through advocacy tools and engaging educational programs,

Solution to Puzzle 1

visitors are empowered to be Unity Activists, exercising their rights and standing up for the rights of others — regardless of belief, background, identity or gender.

For details visit californiamuseum.org/ exhibitions/signature/ unity-center.

Uprooted: An American Story — Reopened in 2023, this fully rebuilt, technologyenhanced signature exhibit focuses on the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and explores how they responded to their forced removal and incarceration, ranging from quiet endurance to heroic valor to conscientious resistance. The exhibit also highlights Japanese Americans’ ongoing efforts to ensure no other groups experience similar civil rights violations. All-new interactive displays and never-before-exhibited artifacts from survivors supplement visitor favorites from the previous installation including a video introduction by George Takei and a replica barracks and guard tower. New features include a theater experience and an

AI-based component allowing visitors to hold virtual conversations with three incarceration survivors.

For details visit californiamuseum.org/ exhibitions/signature/ uprooted.

Women Inspire: California Women Changing Our World — Developed in collaboration with California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and a statewide advisory council of historians, this all-new longterm signature exhibit features the stories of Golden State women from the 1700s to present who inspire change and reflection on the ongoing struggle for equality.

For more information, visit californiamuseum. org/exhibitions/ signature/womeninspire.

About California Museum

Established in 1998, the California Museum located at 1020 O St. in Sacramento is home to the official California Hall of Fame and many more exhibitions inspiring visitors to make a mark on history. Learn more or plan a visit at californiamuseum.org.

Solution to Puzzle 2

Public Notices 

us/j/86149060597. Meeting ID: 861 4906 0597/ (669)900-6833 (San Jose), (253)215-8782 US (Tacoma), (346)248-7799 US (Houston). LOCATION/DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK: The security camera systems will be installed for the following Departments at the locations specified below. Airports Division Georgetown Airport – 6245 Aerodrome Way, Georgetown, California 95634 (3 cameras estimated) Placerville Airport –3501 Airport Road, Placerville, California 95667 (3 cameras estimated) County Library Cameron Park Library – 2500 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park, California 95682 (4 cameras estimated) Pollock Pines Library – 6210 Pony Express Trail, Pollock Pines, California 95726 (6 cameras estimated) South Lake Tahoe Library – 1000 Rufus Allen Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, California 96150 (5 cameras estimated) Treasurer – Tax Collector’s Office 360 Fair Lane, Placerville, California 95667 (14 cameras estimated) Health and Human Services Agency 130 Placerville Drive, Placerville, California 95667 (1 - 4 cameras estimated)

site visits.

B. The contract time for each individual location shall be ninety (90) Calendar days C. For bonding purposes, the estimated project cost for each individual location is approximately $50,000, for a total of $500,000 for all ten (10) locations. D. Mandatory Pre-Bid

temper. I hope my sculptures inspire others to create them,” Michael said. Tony S., a country music enthusiast, is also a skilled artist known for his stylized, graphic bulls. His pieces, often adorned with bold colors like red, yellow and black, are striking. Tony’s talent doesn’t end there; he also excels in Bob Ross Painting Class, where his cabin in the woods painting captures the beauty of nature in rich blues and greens.

Tony is also a graduate of the Gentlemen’s Class, where he’s learned the importance of manners, relationship-building and kindness. His team regularly creates greeting cards for holidays and assembles gift baskets for the community.

“The 21st annual Art & Wine with Something MORE event is a unique and meaningful opportunity for our clients to

proudly showcase their art,” said Kelli Nuttall, director of finance and fund development. “It also provides a powerful platform to raise awareness for MORE’s vision of full inclusion. Bringing the community together in support of this shared cause is truly inspiring.”

Art & Wine with Something MORE will be held 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. This event combines the art of wine, spirits and culinary bites with a curated art show and sale, making it the perfect way to kick off the new year. Attendees are encouraged to dress in Roaring ’20s style and enjoy the excitement of live and silent auctions, as well as raffle prizes. For more information, contact Jamie Pitts Garcia at (530) 622-4848 or jamiepittsgarcia@morerehab.org, or visit morerehab.org.

• E-mail your public notice to legals@mtdemocrat.net

• Be sure to include your name and phone number

Site Visit shall constitute the sole and exclusive record and statement of the results of the PreBid Visit. H. This project is being formally bid in accordance with Public Contract Code 22032 and County of El Dorado Ordinance Code section 3.14.040. PRE-BID COMMUNICATIONS & REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION (RFI): Questions will be accepted in writing only, through submission to the Quest website under the Quest Project #9169472 “Project Q&A”, by email, or in hard copy, until 5:00 P.M. on January 30, 2025. Prebid communications and RFI are to be submitted to the email shown on the Quest website under the Quest #9169472 “Project Q&A”, emailed to: tyler.prince@edcgov. us with BID #24-0062 – RFI as the subject, or in hard copy delivered to: County of El Dorado, Procurement & Contracts, 330 Fair Lane, Placerville, California 95667, BID #24-0062 –RFI. If a response does not require an addenda, answers to questions deemed relevant and appropriate will be uploaded to Quest on or about February 6, 2025. Oral responses concerning the content of the Contract Documents shall not be relied upon and will not be binding or legally effective. Addenda will be uploaded in PDF format to Quest’s website. To receive notification of addenda, interested bidders must be included on the Planholders List. OBTAINING OR INSPECTING CONTRACT DOCUMENTS: The contract documents may be viewed and/or downloaded from the Quest Construction Data Network (Quest) website at http://www.questcdn. com. Interested parties may also access the Quest website by clicking on the link located on the Chief Administrative Office, Procurement and Contract’s website at County of El Dorado - Projects (questcdn. com) and entering the Quest project #9169472. Interested parties may view the Contract Documents on the Quest website at no charge. The digital Contract Documents may be downloaded for $42.00 by inputting the Quest project #9169472 on the websites’ Project Search page. Please contact Quest CDN. com at 952-233-1632 or info@ questcdn.com for assistance with free membership, registration, downloading, and working with this digital project information. To access the electronic bid form, download the project/request documents and click the online bidding button at the top of the advertisement screen. Physical paper copies of the Contract Documents may be examined by appointment at the County of El Dorado, Chief Administrative Office, Procurement and Contracts Division located at 330 Fair Lane, Placerville, California 95667; however, the Chief Administrative Office will no longer issue paper copies of the Contract Documents to bidders. To view the Contract Documents in person, contact Tyler Prince by phone at 530-621-6438 or by email at tyler. prince@edcgov.us By paying for and downloading the digital Contract Documents, interested bidders are automatically included on the Planholders List. The list of planholders will be available on Quest’s website under “View Planholders.”

The rates at the time of the bid advertisement date of a project will remain in effect for the life of the project in accordance with the California Code of Regulations, as modified and effective January 27, 1997. Copies of the general prevailing rate of wages in the county in which the Work is to be done are also on file at the Chief Administrative Office, Procurement and Contracts Division, and are available upon request. In accordance with the provisions of Labor Code section 1810, eight (8) hours of labor shall constitute a legal day’s work upon all work done hereunder, and Contractor and any subcontractor employed under this Contract shall conform to and be bound by the provisions of Labor Code sections 1810 through 1815. BID SECURITY: A bid security shall be provided with each bid. Bid security shall be in

ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (see section 14411 ET SEQ., Business and Professions Code) 12/20, 12/27/24, 1/3, 1/10/25 14037

AMENDED SUMMONS

DEAN S. ATYIA, Bar No. 298615 Dean.Atyia@bbklaw.com LUTFI KHARUF, Bar No. 268432 Lutfi.Kharuf@bbklaw.com KYLER RAYDEN, Bar No. 330597 Kyler.Rayden@bbklaw.com CHLOE GRAHAM, Bar No. 347225 Chloe.Graham@bbklaw.com BEST BEST & KRIEGER LLP 655 West Broadway 15th Floor San Diego, California 92101 Telephone: (619) 525-1300

Facsimile: (619) 233-6118

Attorneys for Plaintiff GEORGETOWN DIVIDE PUBLIC UTILITY EXEMPT FROM FILING FEES PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 6103

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF EL DORADO Case No. 24CV2788

AMENDED SUMMONS

Action Filed: December 13, 2024

GEORGETOWN DIVIDE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT, Plaintiffs, v. ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE MATTER OF RESOLUTION NO. 2024-50, A RESOLUTION OF THE GEORGETOWN DIVIDE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT ADOPTING RATES AND CHARGES FOR WATER

Mountain Democrat file photo by Krysten Kellum

Art and Wine with Something MORE 2024 attendees line up for tasty offerings from local restaurants, bakers, wineries and breweries. Many will be back serving and pouring their best at the upcoming event.

he average American eats about 22 teaspoons of added sugar every day. This adds up to over 70 pounds of sugar a year!

Eating more sugar leads to weight gain and obesity. This can cause serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

Eating too much sugar makes it harder for your white blood cells to kill germs. That means that eating too much

PARENTS: New government guidelines say that no more than 10 % of our daily calories should come from added sugar. For kids that is less than about 10 teaspoons per day.

The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 3 teaspoons (12 grams) of added sugar per day for kids.

Use Nutrition Facts labels to track the amount of sugar your kids are consuming.

Note: food labels do not distinguish between natural and added sugar.

Did you know that some brands of canned tomato soup have 20 grams of sugar? That’s as much as two doughnuts!

Always read the Nutrition Facts labels before taking a bite or sip.

Look at these examples. Which food has the most sugar per serving?

Which had more sugar than you thought?

Did you know that there are more than 50 names for sugar that can be found on food labels? Use the Secret Sugar Code at right to reveal some of the most common.

Have a parent or friend read this story aloud. Each time one of the fruits below is mentioned, do that motion for 30 seconds. Then, trade places as you read the story aloud.

= hopping in place

= stand on one foot

= jumping jacks

= run in place

= sit ups = somersault

= touch your toes

Mr. Citrus’ food truck was very popular. The truck was designed to look like a giant orange and each day he’d drive to business parks at lunch time. People would buy fresh watermelon slices, bunches of grapes, apples and more.

One day, Mr. Citrus parked on a steep hill. When he opened the truck’s customer window, fruit began rolling off the counter and down the hill.

Look through the newspaper for 10 words that describe sugar. Write them here:

Strawberry after strawberry rolled alongside oranges and apples. Luckily, Mr. Citrus was able to catch a large box of grapes before it also tumbled away.

The rolling fruit picked up incredible speed. At the bottom of the hill sat Officer Stan, enjoying a slice of watermelon at the park.

Suddenly, poor Stan was pelted with strawberries, lemons, apples and oranges, knocking him off the park bench.

As he wiped smashed apple bits off his uniform, he called his sergeant on his radio.

“You’re not going to believe this, Sgt. Pear, but I was just attacked by an escaped fruit salad!”

The verb consume means to eat, drink or buy something. This week’s word: CONSUME

Try to use the word consume in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

Kids should not consume more than three teaspoons of added sugar daily. Write a sentence in which all or nearly all of the words start with the same letter. Example: Sarah’s six sisters sucked sugary sweets.