Mountain Democrat, Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Funds to rebuild Grizzly Flat school millions short

Tahoe digging out

Residents,

out after a multi-day blizzard that brought high winds and feet of snow to the region.

OpenSnow.com reports a storm total of 58 inches of snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort, 78 at Sierraat-Tahoe and 62 at Kirkwood Mountain Resort.

Throughout the storm ski resorts, highways and businesses shut

Friday, March 1, through Monday, March 4. While Highway 50 remained open for the most part, on Sunday a

freed vehicles from snow.

Some ski resorts remained closed Monday as operators caught up with the storm; other resort managers announced delayed openings or limited lifts running.

Sierra-at-Tahoe was one of the resorts closed to the public Monday while staff readied for a possible re-opening Tuesday.

A Monday morning update from Sierra-atTahoe’s snow reporter reads, “Alas, the sun is starting to shine across the feet of snow we’ve received in the last four days. We will update storm snow totals once patrol can access the

of the mountain but we are estimating almost

SHRC’s

by the California Department of Public Health, but it appears officials paid attention to El Dorado County’s wishes — the coalition would no longer be allowed to operate in unincorporated parts of the county. Instead, the new area of operation for SHRC in the county was limited to the city of Placerville, a decision that didn’t sit well with city leadership.

The Board of Supervisors and the City Council have both reached out to state officials regarding SHRC, requesting CDPH not renew the group’s license to operate within the county. Concerns with SHRC’s approach have been raised by El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, Placerville Chief of Police Joe Wren, El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson and others, who claim the coalition has done more harm than good.

During the Dec. 12, 2023, Board of Supervisors meeting, the board passed Ordinance 5189, an urgency ordinance that prohibits operation of syringe exchange programs in unincorporated areas of the county. Main talking points touched on increased syringe waste, overdose deaths and the impacts of crime and homelessness on the county.

“The unfettered use of fentanyl and other illicit drugs has already fueled an epidemic of crime, homelessness and overdose deaths in this state and a nonsensical needle exchange program would make that deadly situation even worse,” Pierson states in a press release issued following the urgency ordinance’s passing.

CDPH representatives previously responded to claims made regarding the impacts of needle exchange programs in the county.

“Studies have demonstrated there is no correlation between the presence of a syringe program in

Photo courtesy of CHP

A snowplow collided with a vehicle that was reportedly traveling on Pioneer Trail on the wrong side of the road Saturday in South Lake Tahoe.

Walt Tyler Elementary School served students in kindergarten through fifth grade, consisting of two classrooms, an office and bathrooms.

Jocelyn Rose Eastwood

Nov. 17, 1942 – Feb. 27, 2024

After an amazing, fulfilling and wonderful life Lyn has left this world and has gone to be with her parents, past loves and all of the beautiful pets she’s loved over the years. Service to others was so important to her. She helped so many people from opening the health depot and supporting those in need to her family of AA. Even during the last 2 years of illness she was able to help advocate for others.

She leaves behind her loving, constant companion and caregiver Patrick, her sister Gayle, brothers James (Rae Ann) and Paul (Bonnie), nieces and nephews and her wonderful support group of women she proudly called her ‘posse’.

Lyn loved life to the fullest!

Phil Michael Lorda

July 20, 1949 – Jan. 23, 2024

Phil Michael Lorda born July 20, 1949 passed January 23, 2024. Born in Auburn CA, Phil grew up there most of his life, he was hired on at Michigan Cal Lumber Co., he worked there for 26 years. Phil had 1 sister, Melissa and 1 brother, Marty. Phil was a fun loving guy, would do anything for anybody. Phil loved cars and anything mechanical. He lived with his partner Sue for 30 years. He loved to join Sue for her reunion parties, loved to talk and talk and talk! Sue bought him a shirt once that said “I started talking and I can’t shut up!” “That was my Phil, he was the love of my life”

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday March 30th at Sue & Phil’s, 2657 Cold Springs Road from 12 - 5pm.

Roger Germain

March 13, 1942 – Jan. 13, 2024

Roger Germain of Carson City aka “Shorty” passed away January 13th from pneumonia as a consequence of Covid 19, he was 82. Roger was born and raised in Derry, New Hampshire. He is proceeded in death by wife Jimmie, her son Danny, parents Henry and Marie, siblings Rita, Norm and Jerry. He is survived by fiancée Donna, step family: daughters Joanne, Peggy and her husband Vince, Danny’s wife Bunny, grandkids Cindy, Kacie, Kelly and Hannah, many great grandkids, nieces and nephews. In his younger days he won many awards for roller skate dancing. He and Donna would still go out dancing! He was in the Navy aboard the USS Kearsage when they retrieved the 1st space capsule with Commander Shirra. He recently went on the “Honor Flight” to Washington D.C. He and Jimmie owned The Rescue Tavern. He organized pool, shu eboard and horseshoe tournaments, he was even in a barstool race! They had bakeries in Apple Hill, he was baking for friends and family. He was president of “The Toastmasters Club” for 2 consecutive years and he won 1st place for best humorous speech! He was in 10 plays with The Gold Hill Theater Troop. He and Donna danced and did skits for The Senior Follies to raise money for “Meals on Wheels”. He had worked at The Knot Hole, Harvey’s and Sierra Pacific Hospital, he was still working at Lifeskills Unlimited and had just won an award for 16 years outstanding service! A celebration of life will be decided at a later date. In lieu of flowers you can make a donation to the charity of your choice.

Theresa Anne Markie

March 15, 1937 – Feb. 19, 2024

Theresa Anne Markie born March 15, 1937 passed away peacefully at her home February 19, 2024.

Kelly Colleen Hodgkins

Aug. 6, 1969 – Jan. 27, 2024

Kelly Colleen Hodgkins, 54, of Placervile passed away suddenly on January 27, 2024.

She was born on August 6, 1969 at the USAF’s Medical Center at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi to Bill Robinson and Jean Robinson (nee Stilke, now Boesl). She grew up in North Tonawanda, NY, and moved to Placerville, California, in 1986. She graduated from El Dorado High School in Placerville in 1987.

Kelly struggled with mental illness for many years and is now finally at peace. She only wanted to see the good in people and was a gentle soul.

She is survived by her dad and step-mother, Bill and Debbie Robinson of Placerville, her mom and stepfather Jean and Ron Boesl of Portland, OR, along with her Uncle Ski of Placerville and Aunt Janet of Bu alo, NY, along with several cousins.

There may be a celebration of life for friends and family during this coming summer. In lieu of flowers, the family would rather have donations in Kelly’s name to the local El Dorado County NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter (https:// namieldoradocounty.org) or a NAMI chapter near you.

Diane Mo tt

Dec. 30, 1941 – Jan. 12, 2024

Diane was born in Oakland, California on December 30, 1941. She grew up in Oakland with her parents, Otto and Cecilia Weber and her younger brother Paul. The day after her graduation from high school her parents sold their house in Oakland and moved to Kyburz, California, and that’s when her love for the mountains began. Diane returned to Oakland to attend Holy Names University. While attending college she joined the Women’s Army Corp. She rose to the rank of First Lieutenant and was to be promoted to Captain when her time in the Army ended. She was very proud of her time in the Army serving a total of 3 years, 3 months and 27 days.

She relocated to Virginia, where she was married and had 4 daughters, Jennifer, Diana, Alice, and Kristina. After the marriage ended Diane and her girls moved back to California. She continued to make her trips up Highway 50, back packing, hiking, camping with her girls and they too found the mountains to be home. Diane loved to travel! As her girls got older and started their own lives, she started her own traveling adventures, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Paris, the Holy Lands, Medjugorje, and a trip of a lifetime was 18 days of white water rafting down the Grand Canyon and visited many other places in the United States as well.

Diane was an avid reader and had collected books of her favorite authors, so she built a library in her house. While working as the parish secretary at St. Patrick Catholic Church she saw many beautiful stamps pass through her office. She began saving them and continued to collect them even after she retired. Diane loved music, everything from John Denver to John Williams. Her time at St. Patrick Church and later for the American Red Cross, both fed her soul, as well as her heart, to be of service to others.

It’s been said, if you knew Diane, you would know how proud she was of her girls. “I am very proud of my girls. They are all very different and successful in their own way and it’s has been a gift to see them grow up to be such beautiful, hardworking women”.

Theresa is survived by her husband of 68 years, Edward Markie, her 6 children, 12 Grandchildren and 26 Great Grandchildren and Theresa’s twin brother Joseph Bundas (Joan Bundas), brother-in- law Richard Markie (Gina Markie).

Theresa’s life was blessed with wondrous adventures and travels all over the world with her husband.

Donations may be made in Theresa’s memory to the Mother Teresa Maternity Home. (motherteresamaternityhome.com)

Vigil — March 6, 2024, 2:00 to 6:00 pm. at Chapel of the Pines Funeral Home, Placerville, CA 95667

Mass — March 7, 2024, 11:00 am at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Placerville, CA 95667.

Diane passed away peacefully on January 12, 2024 surrounded by her family. She is survived by her daughters Jennifer Moffitt, Alice Boerstra, and Diana Hillman and son-in-law Rick Hillman, her grandchildren Brittany Boerstra, Noah and wife Rhe annon Boerstra, Madeline Boerstra, Ashley and husband David Rojo, Richard and wife Menominee Hillman, Adam and wife Breanna Hillman. Great grandkids: Zachary, Jacob, Elizabeth and Samantha Rojo, Charlotte, Levi and Samuel Hillman. She is proceeded in death by her parents Otto and Cecilia Weber and her youngest daughter Kristina Moffitt.

Funeral Services will be at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Folsom on March 9, 2024 at 12:00.

Ronald Charles Mans eld

July 10, 1947 – Feb. 25, 2024

On February 25th, 2024

Ronald Charles Mansfield passed peacefully after years of bravely battling Parkinson’s Disease. Known as Ron to many, and ‘Manny’ to some, all knew him for his unmatched work ethic, impeccable integrity, and tireless advocacy for the agricultural industry and its laborers in El Dorado County.

Born to Tony and Barbara Mansfield in Bakersfield, California on July 10, 1947, Ron was raised with his brother Terry and two sisters Joan and Lynn. Exposed to agriculture at a young age, Ron pursued his budding passion by studying at UC Davis and graduating in 1974. Ron met his wife of 45 years, Carolyn, while at university. On August 5, 1978 they wed on campus.

Ron then took a position with the El Dorado Irrigation District, installing soil moisture probes in local fields and helping to develop EID’s Irrigation Management System, which provided growers data allowing for the judicious irrigation of crops. This e ciency program still runs today and serves as the industry’s gold standard in irrigation conservation.

Ron’s entrepreneurial spirit drove him to found Goldbud Farms with his wife in 1980 with the vision of diversifying El Dorado crops beyond the apples and pears that were widely planted at the time. Soon Ron’s cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums garnered a sterling reputation. On a visit to David Berkley’s grocery store in Fair Oaks in the early 1980’s, White House Chief Usher Gary J. Walters sampled Goldbud’s cherries and fell in love. Every president from Reagan to Obama then enjoyed the fruits of Ron’s labor.

Subtly dotted with dozens of Ron’s orchards and vineyards, the El Dorado County landscape will remain touched by Ron’s legacy. He spent decades furthering the post-prohibition re-birth of local viticulture and winemaking spurred by pioneers like Greg Boeger, John MacCready, and Dick Bush. Ron also served on the County Agricultural Commission from 2009 to 2020, deliberating land use policy and crafting ordinances related to farming for many compositions of the Board of Supervisors.

An avid life-long bowler, in 2022 Ron proudly competed in his 50th consecutive USBC National Open Championship in Las Vegas alongside his bowling partner John Pocekay who has also competed in every tournament with Ron since Long Beach 1972. Despite noticeably struggling with his symptoms, Ron finished his amateur career that day to a standing ovation and a respectable multi-strike game, a heartwarming and simultaneously tear-jerking moment for all in attendance.

Horse Racing was another passion of Ron’s. The first racehorse he owned; ‘Loyal Lad’ won him enough money to purchase the land where Goldbud Farms sits. Ron brought many others into the sport, owning ‘Alicia Guest’ and ‘Reno Rose’ in partnership with friends and family members. His greatest champion ‘Western Paradise’ was named ‘Stallion of the Decade’ in 2020 after he won many prestigious cups nationally. Western bloodline descendant ‘Shelter in Pace’ recently graced Ron with 7 consecutive victories to start her career in Ron’s last days. She will race on in his absence along with dozens of other horses in the vaunted bloodline dotting stables across the U.S. Ron carried his passion, dedication, patience, and integrity into the home each evening. Among all his achievements, accolades, and awards in his career and with his hobbies, Ron can now rest proudly assured his legacy as a wonderful husband and deeply dedicated father is cemented in the hearts and minds of his loving family members, business partners and employees. Ron is survived by his wife Carolyn, daughter Amanda, her husband Josh, son Charles, his wife Kristin, and five loving grandchildren; Jett, Max, John, Mira and Ben.

A celebration of life will be held 1:00 PM, April 13th, 2024 at David Girard Vineyards. In lieu of flowers or gifts, family requests that any remembrances or gestures come in the form of donations to Snowline Hospice.

Man run over by sliding truck

Mountain Democrat staff

A man helping push a Ford F350 uphill in South Lake Tahoe Sunday was run over as the truck slid backward.

The 60-year-old Berkeley resident was a passenger in the 2022 F350 driven by a 73-year-old Vacaville man when the vehicle couldn’t gain the traction needed to climb Mandan Street just north of Apache Avenue. A report from the South Lake Tahoe office of the California Highway Patrol notes at the time, 12:22 a.m., it was snowing and windy and the roadway was covered with snow and ice. Mandan Street has a steep hill leading up to the Apache Avenue intersection.

The two men exited the truck and with the help of occupants in vehicles behind them, they were able to push the truck and get it moving again, according to the CHP.

“As they were pushing it, the rear tires started spinning and losing traction. The truck began sliding backward,” states CHP’s report.

The men pushing the truck all abruptly moved out of the way except the Berkeley man. He fell to the ground and the truck rolled over him. He sustained major injuries and was transported to Barton Memorial Hospital by Lake Valley Fire Department.

CRIME LOG

9:59

Feb.

9:06

12:33 p.m.

2:51

paraphernalia on Petri Lane in Placerville. She was released on $50,000 bail.

6:42 p.m. Grand theft was reported on Gold Spur Road in Shingle Springs.

9:12 p.m. Deputies booked into jail a 43-year-old man suspected of possession of a controlled substance on Highway 49 in Lotus. He was released on $22,000 bail.

Feb. 23

5:21 a.m. California Highway Patrol officers booked into jail a 60-year-old woman suspected of DUI on Highway 50 (town not specified). She was later released.

6:10 a.m. Vehicle burglary was reported on Country Club Drive in Cameron Park.

7:55 a.m. Burglary was reported on Bedford Avenue in

8:47 a.m. Grand theft was reported on

9:43 a.m. Vandalism was reported at a school on

10:45 a.m. Deputies booked into jail a 44-year-old man suspected of falsifying a driver’s license/ID card on Red Hawk Parkway in Placerville. He was released on $22,500

Mountain Democrat staff

The El Dorado County Department of Transportation’s scheduled delivery of 1,100 cubic yards of concrete for construction of the new bridge to Mosquito has been delayed due to weather.

Previously planned for March 8, the construction work will require full closure of Mosquito Road at the gates beginning Friday, March 15, at 10 p.m. through Saturday, March 16, at 5 p.m. A detour has been established via Rock Creek Road for which motorists should expect delays and allow extra time for travel.

The Mosquito Road closure is necessary to ensure motorist and worker safety while the county’s contractor places 120 concrete truckloads at the Pier 3 footing at the north side of the project. This equates to an estimated 10 truckloads leaving and 10 empties returning per hour at the project’s concrete batch plant near Mosquito’s Finnon Lake.

The concrete truck route will be from the Finnon Lake concrete plant, across Rock Creek Road to Mosquito Cutoff Road, and down Mosquito Road to the Pier 3 location at the third switchback on the north side of the South Fork of the American River.

Drivers are advised

that if they must be on the roads during the hours of the concrete placement, extra caution should be exercised at the intersections of Rock Creek and Mosquito Cutoff roads, as well as Mosquito Cutoff and Mosquito roads. Flaggers will be stationed above the gates at adequate turn around areas and to coordinate with emergency personnel if needed.

For questions regarding this construction, contact the county’s DOT main line at (530) 621-5900 (select option 3 for engineering).

Dr. Little’s Dental News

Presented by Jeffery Little, D.D.S.

Mouth sores—also called mouth ulcers and canker sores are painful red, yellow, or white spots that appear inside the mouth. They are not the same as cold sores, which appear on the outer lips and are caused by a virus. Mouth sores are common because they’re often caused by biting one’s cheek or tongue. But sometimes mouth sores can indicate something more serious, like the presence of cancer. Other causes include sharp teeth, improper tooth brushing, or ill-fitting dentures, all of which can be fixed by your dentist. If you frequently get mouth sores for no apparent reason, your

California Matters

Ruling could crack down on tactics to slow or block construction

California’s perpetual conflict over housing, pitting advocates of state-level prodevelopment policies against defenders of local government land use authority, has often involved friction between two state laws.

One, the Housing Accountability Act, or HAA, aims to remove barriers to construction, while the older California Environmental Quality Act has been employed to delay or block specific projects.

One tactic used by local authorities to overcome the accountability law’s pro-housing provisions has been indefinitely delaying decisions on whether projects are eligible for CEQA clearance by demanding ever-more data from developers.

Last year, the Legislature, which has been strengthening HAA provisions in recent years, cracked down on CEQA delays by passing Assembly Bill 1633, carried by Assemblyman Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco, where the tactic has often been employed. It decreed that excessive CEQA delays in highdensity urban projects violate state law and subject o cials to lawsuits.

SUMMARY

The California Environmental Quality Act has often been used, or misused, to block housing construction and other projects. A new state appellate court decision could reduce that practice.

While AB 1633 gives pro-housing advocates a new legal weapon, its applicability to only specific kinds of projects falls short of a wider overhaul of CEQA that some political figures have supported.

For instance, former Gov. Jerry Brown once described CEQA reform as “the Lord’s work,” but was unwilling to take on the heavy political burden such changes would require. If politicians are unwilling to take on CEQA reform — which would draw opposition from environmental groups and labor unions which invoke the law to demand agreements with developers — California’s courts may do the job.

Last month a state appellate court delivered a

■

Letters to the Editor

Georgetown Airport: A disaster waiting to happen

EDITOR:

Over the past several years the pine trees surrounding Georgetown Airport have seen significant overgrowth near the runways. They are now a hazard to navigation, a potentially catastrophic risk to pilots and a significant liability risk to El Dorado County.

The county has been aware of these unsafe airport conditions since at least 2013 when it received a service request to remove overgrown trees. There have also been frequent mentions at Airport Advisory Committee meetings in the past several years. Caltrans issued an order to close the airport to night operations due to the potential hazards in December.

At an airport committee meeting in November, one pilot stated, “I actually stopped flying my plane into Georgetown because I believe I clipped the trees on my last takeo … and it is forking terrifying.” The pilot continued, “I’ve flown warbirds, multi-engine, flown air races across three states, and I’ve never experienced anything like Georgetown. It has to be a priority because I’m not bringing my plane back to Georgetown until it’s fixed. I can’t risk my life for it.”

The El Dorado County Grand Jury has been working with the county to resolve the situation and has recently issued a detailed report with its findings and recommendations. The report can be found on the Grand Jury webpage at: edcgov.us/ Government/GrandJury/2023-2024-grand-jury.

Currently, the county is working on a shortterm plan to remove the highest priority trees across 3-4 acres to the south of the runway, with a longer-term plan to remove an additional 3-4 acres by the end of the year to the sides and northern end of the runway.

GARY KINGHORN

Foreperson, 2023-24

El Dorado County Civil Grand Jury Sellout

EDITOR:

The left’s quest for power to the exclusion of all else is both stunning and frightening. The recent border security bill that got defeated that could have put millions on a fiveyear pathway to voting was a case in point, but

the Democrats in California are even more brazen in their willingness to sell out the country in furtherance of their quest for political power.

San Francisco has just put an illegal alien who has only been in the country a few years on the election commission. In the Legislature a bill has been introduced that would make it a crime to ask for ID from voters.

The goal of all this is obvious. More and more, like our university system, are paving the way to hire illegals. It’s amazing that people still go through the process to become legal citizens with the left constantly degrading what that means and making it less and less relevant.

Great societies are rarely conquered from the outside; they rot from within and today’s left is a grim reminder of that truism.

GEORGE ALGER Placerville

Trump can x this

EDITOR:

This letter is to Tamara Janies. I just finished reading your letter and you were right about only one thing; we do need our border closed — which President Joe Biden could do with one swipe of his pen.

So now it’s Donald Trump’s fault because the bill did not go through? Fortunately it didn’t because every time a bill is brought up to close our border there are so many other things added to it, like more funding for Ukraine and more money for other things. All we want is a bill to close the border.

You say poor Trump complains that he is being picked on. Really? First of all, there are double standards when it comes to our judicial system. It’s not fair. Trump gets indicted for keeping files at his Mar-a-Lago home and Biden gets away with his files in several o ces and his garage.

There are decent people who have been put behind bars because they were at the Capital Jan. 6. All that would have been prevented if Nancy Pelosi had sent in the National Guard when Trump asked for it.

Oh, and Trump has told us what his plans are for the country; you must not ever watch his rallies or interviews. Hopefully he can fix what Biden has broken. We have inflation crime, taxes, wars and

■

California is a mess of crime and warning to the nation

As California

Gov. Gavin Newsom not so subtly presents himself as a presidential candidatein-waiting, he has taken to calling our state a “a model for the nation.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

A striking example is the breakdown of law and order in California during Newsom’s governorship.

The situation is so dire that Newsom himself recently announced a “law enforcement surge operation” in Oakland to try to restore some semblance of order. Yet the rampant crime in that city is nothing new. It can be traced back to 2014, when Newsom and other California political leaders supported a new law called Proposition 47, the so-called “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.”

Prop. 47 took a hatchet to the state criminal code. It reclassified a number of o enses from felonies

to misdemeanors, including shoplifting and related theft o enses, along with the use of drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. The result, over the last decade, has been chaos in California’s streets — with soaring homelessness, rampant theft and an overdose epidemic.

At the moment, roughly half the unsheltered homeless in the entire country are in California. Prop. 47 is largely to blame. By reclassifying o enses from felonies to misdemeanors, Prop. 47 thrusts many individuals into a never-ending cycle

The darkest consequence of Prop. 47 has been the surge in overdose deaths throughout the state. In 2021 alone, there were 10,898 drug related overdoses in California …

of homelessness. With limited housing availability, treatment options and communitybased support systems, many prisoners who were released early became homeless and struggled to reintegrate into society.

In the decade before Prop. 47’s enactment, the state homeless population decreased by 38.5%; in the decade since, it has steadily increased while the national average has remained constant or gone done. Last year’s homeless count represented a 40% increase in just the last five years, despite the state record spending on homelessness and declaring a state of emergency on homelessness.

Prop. 47 has also led to a rampant increase in theft throughout the state. Reclassifying many of California’s theft-related felonies to misdemeanors, and doing away

with increased consequences for habitual shoplifters, has predictably emboldened thieves.

Stealing merchandise less than $950 is now a low-level misdemeanor that usually does not even result in an arrest. Individuals are cited and released, with no increased consequences for “frequent fliers.”

Perversely, many of these repeat o enders are stealing in order to buy hard drugs. It has become common to see thieves enter large box retailers, steal items, turn around and sell those items on either Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or O er Up, and then use the proceeds to buy heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.

This has made many items prime targets for theft due to their accessible re-sale markets, like tools, Legos, vacuums, appliances and basic

■

DAN WALTERS

KEVIN KILEY

VERN PIERSON

Walters Continued from A4

ruling that, if not overturned by the state Supreme Court, would make it much more difficult to use CEQA to stop projects that conform to local zoning laws.

The case involved a corporation, Hilltop Group Inc., that wanted to construct a facility to recycle construction debris on a site adjacent to Interstate 15 in northern San Diego County that had been designated for industrial uses in the county’s general plan.

The county’s staff declared that the North County Environmental Resources Project was entitled to a CEQA exemption because it met the criteria of the general plan, which had been certified as compatible with CEQA. However, when residents of the area and the city of Escondido opposed the facility, citing noise, traffic and aesthetic impacts, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared that it needed more environmental mitigation under CEQA.

Hilltop sued and the county prevailed in the trial court, but a three-judge panel on the 4th District Court of Appeal unanimously declared the county could not impose additional conditions because the project was compatible with the industrial zone the county created in its general plan.

Chris Elmendorf, a UC Davis law professor who is the state’s foremost authority on development laws, says the appellate court ruling is a major blow to the tactic of using CEQA to delay projects of any kind — not just housing — that conform to the standards of pre-existing general plans.

It could be a “judicial transformation of CEQA

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

(that) won’t be rendered ineffectual by projectlabor, community-benefit or other everything bagel conditions,” Elmendorf remarked on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Elmendorf likens the appellate court decision to the Washington Legislature’s sweeping overhaul of its environmental quality act last year, also meant to minimize delays in housing development. It exempts zoning-compliant housing from further environmental review.

If the decision has the effect Elmendorf anticipates, one wonders whether those who have for years invoked CEQA on specific projects, particularly environmentalists and labor unions, will accept a changed legal climate or try to overturn the ruling through the Legislature.

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

Letters

Continued from A4

the border. We need a leader and Trump has shown he can lead. He has promised to clean up the swamp and I hope he does, starting with Pelosi, Schiff, Brennon, all of Biden’s crew of idiots and more. Hopefully we the people will get it right and vote Republican on this next election because God knows what you Democrats have done. Hopefully Trump can fix it. TERRI ELDERD Placerville

Wednesday, March 6,

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0131 Crossword

household items. To combat this trend, we now see stores locking up these goods, with large cages and pick-proof locks for razors, baby formula, soap, shampoo, clothes and Stanley cups.

Many businesses, especially big-box stores, have simply stopped reporting the thefts. In fact, theft related crimes reclassified under Proposition 47 are so underreported that experts have labeled the data unreliable.

To add insult to injury, politicians in Sacramento shamelessly point to the official theft numbers as an excuse for not taking action, while citizens deal with locked containers and cages for basic grocery store items.

The darkest consequence of Prop. 47 has been the surge in overdose deaths throughout the state. In 2021 alone, there were 10,898 drug related overdoses in California, 7,175 of which were opioid related. In Sacramento, California’s capital city, deaths among the homeless have nearly tripled in the last decade, with nearly half attributable to drug use.

Prop. 47 made hard drugs cheap and accessible, without any incentive or requirement for treatment. Individuals found in possession of hard drugs are misdemeanor offenders who, when convicted, receive one year of informal probation without any form of drug treatment. Before Prop. 47, California had drug courts for crimes of simple possession; these programs no longer exist.

To this day, Newsom stands by Prop 47. But Californians have taken matters into their own hands. We are closing in on the signatures needed to qualify an initiative for the November ballot that will give voters the chance to end the Prop 47 era.

The measure is called The Homeless, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act. It increases consequences for habitual shoplifters, mandates treatment for hard drug users, allows those who enter treatment to have their charges dismissed and implements greater consequences for hard drug dealers.

If this measure passes, it will go a long way toward improving the quality of life in California. It will also send an important message to the rest of the country about the reckless agenda that has degraded our state. When it comes to public safety, Gavin Newsom’s California is far from a model for the nation. It is a warning to the nation.

Vern Pierson is the district attorney of El Dorado County and past president of the California District Attorneys Association. Congressman Kevin Kiley represents California’s 3rd District in the House of Representatives.

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.

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

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

LEARN & PLAY CRIBBAGE

Cribbage is a fun, fast paced game that will surely keep you on your toes! **All skill levels **Learn to play by ACC Rules (American Cribbage Congress) **Beginner instruction available **Compete in weekly Cribbage tournaments. Call 916-7684452 for more information. Gold Country Cribbers play Wednesday afternoon 4:30 pm at Moni Gilmore Senior Center, 990 Lassen Lane, El Dorado Hills, CA. 95762

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–

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. For more information, call (530) 622-1180.

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.

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.

South 1 celebrates its fastest

Mountain Democrat sta

Ski and snowboard teams from El Dorado, Oak Ridge, Ponderosa, Union Mine, Amador and Argonaut celebrated the end of the California Nevada Interscholastic Ski and Snowboard Federation’s South 1 Division season March 1 with team and individual awards.

El Dorado is now the three-time, backto-back-to-back South 1 combined team champion (that includes combined points from all ski and board races this season).

Individual championships went to South 1 snowboarders the undefeated Faith Spitzer of El Dorado and on the men’s side Ponderosa’s Reed Vogan.

In ski it was Markus Hirsbrunner-Reist and Carlie Chandler, both of El Dorado, whose

runs proved the fastest across South 1’s seven races of the season. This is Hirsbrunner-Reist’s second South 1 ski championship.

Team point totals

Men’s snowboard

1. El Dorado - 2670

2. Oak Ridge - 2640

3. Ponderosa - 2428

Women’s snowboard

1. Ponderosa - 2638

2. Oak Ridge - 2623

3. El Dorado - 2618

Men’s ski

1. Oak Ridge - 2676

2. El Dorado - 2673

3. Ponderosa - 2495

Women’s ski

1. El Dorado - 2700

2. Oak Ridge - 2645

3. Ponderosa - 2093

Individual point totals

Men’s snowboard

1. Reed Vogan, Ponderosa - 400

School Continued from A1

The district started an online fundraiser on givebutter.com to help, which can be found at givebutter. com/xh4sHJ.

Additionally, the school district is collaborating with District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo and Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil to apply for state grants, including a state facilities grant that would give the district an additional $2.5 million. Howard said applying for grants has had its own set of challenges.

“(Legislators) recognize this challenge now, since we’re not the only district in the state of California that is not receiving a full insurance payout in the amounts required to put back what they’ve lost,” Howard said. “They are recognizing that and are working on trying to develop a new program that may assist schools, but that’s not a guarantee.”

The district was approved to receive $350,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As the district looks to fund construction of the school, its leaders, including Superintendent and Principal Pat Paturel, insist they are doing what they can to best serve the people of Grizzly Flat.

“They don’t teach you how to rebuild a school at superintendent school, so to speak,” Paturel said. “We’ve been able to navigate (these challenges) because we have Pioneer Elementary School here for the students to go to. If we didn’t have a fallback, it would be really challenging. Some districts and counties that have gone through fire loss, like us, have had excruciating challenges around that because they didn’t have a place to have the students go.”

Pautrel told the Mountain Democrat Monday a challenge they face is whether to close Pioneer during snowy conditions where students who live in the higherelevation Grizzly Flat are more a ected. Right now this challenge e ects around 24 students with Grizzly Flat addresses, the district’s leaders confirmed.

The two-year superintendent also said the community misses the “bonds” and “community feel” of their own elementary school.

2. Ethan Bain, Oak Ridge - 392

3. Trevor Varain, Oak Ridge - 390

Women’s snowboard

1. Faith Spitzer, El Dorado - 400

2. Abi Cobabe, Oak Ridge - 394

3. Shayla Dalton, Ponderosa - 392 Men’s ski

1. Markus Hirsbrunner-Reist, El Dorado - 399

2. Charlie Beckerley, Oak Ridge - 397

3. Frank Stonebarger, Oak Ridge - 393

Women’s ski

1. Carlie Chandler, El Dorado - 399

2. Greta Aronowitz, Oak Ridge - 394

3. Marley Garner, Amador/Argonaut - 392 Racers are next headed for the slopes at Mt. Shasta Ski Park March 4-7 for the 2024 CNISSF Championships.

“Although the landscape up there has changed, the resolve of the people up there has not, and our resolve to have Walt Tyler up there has not either,” Paturel said. “We want to have that school for that community for the students the same way and for the same reasons we had it before the fire.”

The kindergarten-through-fifthgrade campus was built in 1997, consisted of a two-classroom schoolhouse, o ce, bathrooms and a half court for recreation.

Meeting the latest state building codes, new designs for the school consist of one classroom around 1,300-1,500 square feet, another at 960 square feet, student and sta bathrooms, two di erent types of play structures, a full basketball court and transportation and parking infrastructure.

The amount of funds needed is currently being disputed by insurance, according to Howard.

“We are trying to figure out where the delta is, because they are coming in at somewhere around $4 million,” Howard said. “Originally they wanted to be at more than one-anda-half million, then they went up to three-and-a-half. Part of that delta is the dispute of whether or not the upgrades include Title 5.”

Title 5 in California Code provides provisions relating to school facilities construction.

The district faces another challenge — it had received funding from the state due to Walt Tyler being designated a “necessary small school,” according to Howard. Since there is no school on the site, and with the students having to travel to Pioneer, the district is no longer in compliance with the law “that allows us to operate.”

“(That) will cost us about $150,000 in our annual revenues we typically receive,” Howard said.

Paturel, who has served as an educator throughout El Dorado County since 1998, said “the pride of (the Walt Tyler) community is real,” something he and the district wish to restore fully.

“We want to move forward for the families and what we had and get back to serving kids in their

Stand Up For MORE Comedy Night

Stand Up For MORE Comedy Night

Friday April 26, 2024

Friday April 1, 2022

El Dorado County Fair & Event Center

100 Placerville Dr., Placerville

El Dorado County Fair & 5:00 – 9:00 pm

The 8th Annual Stand Up For MORE Comedy Night will be in partnership with the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce to o er wonderful entertainment along with a delicious meal catered by John Sanders. Shake o the stress of the week with this hilarious, fundraising showcase.

Our Headliner, the hilarious Dennis Blair, who has been described as a Renaissance man. He is an accomplished screenwriter, award-winning songwriter, and comedic actor. Yet he is probably best known for the caustic observations and musical satires of his live comedy performances. Also featured is the amazingly talented Derrick Leonard, whose laser-sharp humor will have you in stitches!

Admission: $60 per person; $100 per couple

Tickets available at: MORE, 399 Placerville Drive Online at: www.morerehab.org

Courtesy photos

El Dorado’s ski and snowboard teams won the CNISSF South 1 Combined Team Championship for the third year in a row.

Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian

Rubble remains at the site Walt Tyler Elementary School in Grizzly Flat, which was destroyed in the 2021 Caldor Fire along with hundreds of other buildings.

The South 1 Women’s Snowboard Championship went to Ponderosa.

Oak Ridge claimed the South 1 Men’s Ski Championship.

Diamondbacks punch ticket to regional final

Malachi Parker Staff writer

The Union Mine Diamondbacks were moments away from their season ending when their big three combined to score the last 9 points to get them past the Palo Alto Vikings 68-66 and on to the CIF Northern California regional basketball final.

With just over two minutes left in the state quarterfinal, the Diamondbacks found themselves trailing. In order, sophomore Isaac Zmerzlikar scored 3, then senior Nate Sweet scored 5 straight of his own and lastly senior Ethan Gines capped it off with a free throw. The situation went from a season almost over to sealing a 2-point win.

“It wasn’t desperation mode,” Sweet said. “We just kept fighting and it went our way.”

The game came down to the very last possession, where senior Hayden Otte came up with the biggest defensive stop of the night, forcing a missed shot as the buzzer sounded.

Down by 15 at the half, the Diamondbacks seemed to flip a switch after the break. From 23 points as a team in a first half to 22 points in the third quarter alone.

The offensive output put them in striking distance going into the fourth.

The Vikings become the D’backs’ latest victim as Union Mine is now one win away from punching its ticket to the Golden 1 Center for

Digging out

a chance at a state title.

“Prove them wrong” has been the mantra for the Diamondbacks all season and they were set to prove to everyone

Continued from A1

latest on where chain control is in effect go to quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

On El Dorado County’s West Slope, residents of Pollock Pines at about the 4,000 foot elevation were measuring 1-2 feet of snow; just down the hill at about 2,800 feet Camino Heights residents saw a dusting.

El Dorado County Department of Transportation and Caltrans snowplow crews have been making their rounds to clear roads throughout the weekend. That work is at times is slowed by vehicles stuck in roadways or downed trees but on Saturday came to a halt for a plow operator who came upon a motorist driving above the speed limit and on the wrong side of the road on Pioneer

Ban Continued from A1

an area and crime rates; rather, systemic factors such as poverty, trauma and a lack of educational and employment opportunities persist in driving most crime,” a CDPH representative states in an email. “Efforts in El Dorado County to open a navigation center as well as other social services are examples of a public health approach to social inequities that may have lasting positive effects in the community.”

“I’ve always had a philosophical issue with it anyways, in terms of needle exchanges,” Council Member Michael Saragosa said during the Feb. 27 council meeting. “I understand the micro- v. macroeffects, and I know there are success stories. But, like with homelessness, the macros story tells a much different tale of woefully poor results. I do have and issue with this and a bigger issue with the state saying ‘only Placerville’ without having a conversation with us.”

The council voted to pass the urgency ordinance, barring operation of syringe exchanges in the city for 45 days. The ordinance can later be extended to last for close to two years, though in that time frame it is expected the city will pursue placing a longer-term ban in place using a non-urgency ordinance. The council pursued the use of an urgency ordinance in this case, according to City Manager Cleve Morris,

COMICS

n SHOE by Jeff MacNelly

they are one of the best teams in Northern California as they were scheduled to host No.

14 Monterey Tuesday, March 5.

Trail in South Lake Tahoe. The motorist’s vehicle crashed into the snowplow, according to California Highway Patrol officers in South Tahoe, who noted no injuries were reported.

Not the rarity one might think, CHP officers in South Tahoe actually responded to at least three incidents of vehicles crashing into plows or snow blowers over the weekend.

All schools in the Pollock Pines Elementary School District and Lake Tahoe Unified School District were closed Monday; the Black Oak Mine Unified School District had a twohour delayed start.

Mountain Democrat Editor Krysten Kellum contributed to this report.

because the ban would go into effect immediately rather than be subject to the public review process a typical ordinance would require.

Needle exchange programs operated by Marshall Hospital and by the county’s public health program are identified as exceptions to the ban, and will be allowed to continue operating in the city as normal.

Council Member Nicole Gotberg was the sole dissenting vote, arguing the city lacked data to support action.

“Essentially, I agree with the CDC and the state in terms of the research studies that have been done in regards to harm reduction programs,” Gotberg said. Gotberg highlighted how data indicated such programs reduced needle litter and saw a lower rates of overdose deaths and transmission of blood borne diseases without increasing rates of drug use or crime in communities.

“Generally, I think needle exchange programs are more beneficial than they are harmful,” Gotberg continued. “Until I have more specific data for the city of Placerville that demonstrates SHR causes more harm than good, that would change my mind. But otherwise I do not believe that we are in an emergency situation and I don’t support this ordinance or the rationale behind it.”

n TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter

n RUBES by Leigh Rubin

n SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your secret is only safe if you don’t tell it. This is a good time to determine whether information ought to be secret or if it’s better to air it. There are pros and cons to weigh here on the scale inside your heart.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Like everyone, you have need of peace, privacy, fun, sunshine, exercise, autonomy, friendship, adventure, intellectual stimulation, social time and so much more. Why you would ever feel guilty for meeting those needs is a mystery to get to the bottom of.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Paradoxically, people will think well of you precisely because you do not bend to the opinion of others. You live to your own code. If you are open to it, someone will confide in you. It’s a sacred position.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Giving quality attention to others is easy for those strong in social skills such as empathy, curiosity and emotional awareness. Those who have such skills may take them for granted because they don’t realize that not everyone is so gifted.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Like a kitten, sometimes your playfulness can come out in swipes. Knowing how far to go with the kidding is the essence of intimacy. It implies a special understanding of the other person’s style and tolerances.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s your genuine and driving thirst for knowledge that makes you an excellent student in the classroom of life. You’re not interested in memorizing what you need to know for life’s various tests. Your quest is for true wisdom.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There’s an ongoing battle

between different facets of you, and if it were any other way, how boring life would be. And anyway, on days like today, it’s not so much a battle as a comic tete-a-tete.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Some days, you’re on top of the world. Other days, the world is on top of you. When the weight of it all is on your shoulders, just remember the world is also very round. Straighten and shake; it will roll off.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The obstacles may frustrate you, but don’t be disheartened. Truly, these blocks will help you. You’ll even be grateful you had to do the work to get around and over them. Thanks to the roadblocks, you’ll get to a more fruitful path.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Infatuation is ripe with expectation. Love is more reality-based. Someone is dreaming of you. Of course, the “dream you” bears a resemblance to who you are in reality, but the operative question is, how close is the match?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Try and see relationships as whole and perfect, and suddenly, they are. Even the ones that don’t work in a conventional way, that hobble along or jerk around with annoying stops and starts -- what if they are all serving their purpose flawlessly?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll have a stream of ideas, but which ones are good enough to warrant action? Give it time. Don’t act until you know. And don’t worry, you’ll know. The right idea seduces you, and you can’t help but follow it to completion.

Photo courtesy of Nick Garcia Union Mine senior Nate Sweet fires a jumper in the state quarterfinals against Palo Alto Saturday, March 2. Sweet finished with 26 points as the Diamondbacks advance.

March

A deadly adventure awaits in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’

Outlaw

Sel Richard Mountain Democrat correspondent

An international cast of personalities is trapped on a speeding train while suspicions and accusations fly in Oak Ridge High School Theater’s spring production. “Murder on the Orient Express,” adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig, will have you sitting on the edge of your seats wondering how the inimitable Hercule Poirot will uncover the culprit this time.

The classic Agatha Christie mystery is near and dear to Visual and Performing Arts Director Kate Rolls’ heart. “I have to choose a play that my mom wants to see,” admitted Rolls, who grew up watching David Suchet’s portrayal of Poirot. “My family is British and my parents really love Agatha Christie and British murder mysteries.”

With the intercontinental nature of the cast, Rolls brought in her former drama teacher and dialect coach

Mammoth Bar

When I worked for California State Parks in the Auburn State Recreation Area, I found Mammoth Bar.

Most know this as the OHV Park with noisy and smelly motorcycles. But have you ever been on a day that wasn’t open to dirt bikes? It happens every week — no one around except the insiders who know what is down there.

For one, its’ easy access to the river.

Improvements have been made with a larger, paved parking area, more toilets and trash cans. A fee is still collected but your Poppy Pass works here.

Janet Henke, who retired from teaching ORHS theater in 2014. Accents from across the globe range from Hungarian, Russian, Swedish, French, New York, American South to Poirot’s very specific French Belgian inflection. “It’s helping them develop their characters on stage,” explained Rolls. “Seeing them all make the characters their own has been really fun to watch.”

The set, once again, plays its own major part. The 35-member tech crew has built a sleeping compartment car and a dining car with pieces up to 20 feet wide and 7 feet deep. “These are big pieces that have to get moved around on a really small stage,” said Rolls. “A lot of math was involved.”

The play sports a double cast, with senior Michael Borkoski as Poirot in the Finney cast. “I’m a big fan of murder mysteries,” enthused Borkoski, who has enjoyed playing Poirot. “He’s definitely n See MURDER, page B5

Drive to the back of the parking lot to park, then watch your step over the river rocks and take in the view of the North Fork of the American River rushing by. If you find this area already taken, head back out past the kiosk. The first signed parking area on the left offers a short scramble down to the river next to the Murderer’s Bar rapids. Several semi-isolated sand and river-rock

Photos by Sel Richard Constantine Bouc (Drew Wilson); Hercule Poirot (Michael Borkoski); Helen Hubbard (Natalee Burvant); and James Arbuthnot (Will Hurtt) are all part of a fast-moving Agatha Christie mystery. These Finney Cast members join the Suchet Cast in presenting “Murder on the Orient Express” at Oak Ridge High School.

Hercule Poirot (Dylan Woodley), Greta Ohlsson (Melia Porter) and Princess Dragomiroff (Julia Joukov, all Suchet Cast) have a deadly mystery on their hands.

PROSPECTING

It’s CASA Box Lunch time

Natalie Moore

CASA of El Dorado County

Child Advocates of El Dorado County’s 28th annual Box Lunch fundraiser takes place April 18. This long-standing community event helps support CASA’s advocacy services for the abused, neglected and at-risk youth in El Dorado County.

Established in 1992, Child Advocates have provided support, empowerment and a voice for our youth consistently for 32 years. The Box Lunch fundraiser is a way to get a delicious lunch while helping a worthy cause.

CASA and community volunteers will make and deliver more than 3,000 lunches to schools, businesses and individuals throughout El Dorado County. Lunch orders must be submitted by March 29. Visit casaeldorado.org/events/ to place an order. Each $14 lunch includes your choice of a sandwich or veggie wrap, chips, cookie and delicious Barsotti apple juice.

This year’s sandwich options are: 1. Roasted turkey, bacon and cheddar cheese with ranch on sliced sourdough bread; 2. Ham, bacon and swiss cheese with honey mustard on sliced sourdough bread; 3. Veggie wrap with spring mix, artichoke bruschetta, eggplant, zucchini, tomato and feta cheese; 4. Peanut butter and jelly.

In addition to purchasing a lunch

for themselves, the website allows community members to purchase lunch for a first responder or for Placerville’s Upper Room Dining Hall, which serves those with food insecurities. Volunteers will deliver lunch orders of five or more to the purchaser’s location. Individuals may pick up their orders at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, Hills Church in El Dorado Hills and the South Lake Tahoe Library. For more information visit the website above or call (530) 622-9882, ext. 5.

About CASA of El Dorado County

Established in 1992, Child Advocates of El Dorado County celebrates more than 30 years of service advocating for and empowering the abused, neglected and at-risk youth in our community by providing court appointed volunteers who speak up for the needs of children and make a positive impact in their lives. The heart of the program is the Court Appointed Special Advocate, a specially trained and supervised community volunteer, appointed by a Juvenile Court judge. CASA advocates make a di erence in the lives of abused and neglected children by researching and monitoring cases involving children in foster care. Find out more about the CASA program online at CASAElDorado.org.

Grants open for student tech

Chris Ringnes

El Dorado Community Foundation

The El Dorado Community Foundation announces the Hearts & Minds Education Technology Fund grant opportunity for student technology programs on the Western Slope of El Dorado County. The mission of the fund is “to provide students in El Dorado County with technology and tools necessary for success in the 21st century with an emphasis on vocational education and hands on experiences for youth on the Western Slope.”

Since its inception, this fund has provided grant awards totaling more than $140,000 to more than 85

programs. The variety of those awards have included such items as woodshop tools, technological equipment, electric kilns, electronic balances, high-density document cameras and iPads.

Grant proposals of up to $2,500 from schools and nonprofits that provide “student-used” technology education are now being accepted through an online application at app. smarterselect.com/programs/89808El-Dorado-Community-Foundation. The deadline for submission is midnight on April 3.

More detailed information is available on the website or contact EDCF Program O cer Kathy Haven at kathy@eldoradocf.org.

Courtesy photo Order your CASA Box Lunch by March 29. You also have the option to

lunch for a first responder during this annual fundraiser.

Got milkweed?

he genus

TAsclepias, commonly known as milkweed, comprises more than 90 species in North America; 15 of these are native to California. With their milky, latex sap, feathered windborne seeds and one of the most complex flowers in the plant world (probably second only to orchids), milkweeds are fascinating plants. Although they support a wide range of pollinators, they are best known as the plant on which monarch butterflies lay their eggs and as the only food monarch caterpillars eat, thus providing a lifeline for that endangered species.

Milkweed flowers have small, curiously shaped blooms that grow in clusters and are irresistible to butterflies and other pollinators. The flowers contain high-quality nectar that makes them excellent honeybee plants. Milkweed is unusual in that its pollen does not form into free grains but accumulates in sacs called pollinia located in vertical slits. When an insect visits a flower, one of its legs may slip into one of the slits, where pollinium attaches to the leg like a clothespin.

Day Hiker Continued from B1

on this narrow path through brush and oak woodland. Once in the direct sun in summer, the heat will zap your energy. Take lots of water and protect yourself with sunblock, a hat and sunglasses.

If you intend to swim with the fish,

Milkweed has ... been vanishing from the wild. But concern for the monarch butterfly population, which is also in decline, has inspired an interest in milkweed restoration.

When the insect takes flight, it pulls the pollinium free, although some insects are unable to pull free and get trapped.

The milky sap in stems and leaves contains complex chemicals called cardenolides, which deter most insects and mammals from feeding on the foliage. Monarch caterpillars, which can eat the leaves, concentrate the toxins in their bodies, giving them a bitter taste and rendering them toxic to predators. They and other insects that feed on milkweeds, such as milkweed bugs and milkweed longhorn beetles, have distinctive, bright (aposematic) colorings that advertise their toxicity and warn off predators. Unlike the leaves, the flowers and the nectar do not contain cardenolides, so nectarseeking bees, butterflies and flies can pollinate without being affected.

Milkweed produces long, spongy seed pods in late summer. The pods are filled with fluffy hairs or floss, which expands when the seeds mature, causing the pods to burst. Floss is attached to the seeds, thus enabling the seeds to drift on the wind the way

know that there are many hazards under the surface, not to mention the current can be fast and incredibly cold even into summer. The rapids are their own hazard. I stay upriver of the rapids when I visit.

Mary West is author of the book

dandelion seeds do.

Milkweed has been used throughout history as a treatment for cuts, coughs and a range of other ailments, thus the name Asclepias, the Greek god of medicine. In the United States, milkweed has long been used for honey production. A beekeeper quoted in the American Agriculturalist magazine in 1887 opined that he would rather have one acre of milkweed than three of sweet clover. During World War II, the buoyant milkweed floss was used as a substitute for kapok tree fiber to fill thousands of naval life vests. Today it is used as a hypo-allergenic filling for pillows and comforters.

Milkweed has, for a number of reasons, been vanishing from the wild. But concern for the monarch butterfly population, which is also in decline, has inspired an interest in milkweed restoration. Two California native milkweeds do well in our area, Narrow-leaved milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, and Showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. Planting native milkweed species has been a major goal of conservation efforts. Milkweed isn’t only for monarchs; you will be amazed at the number of other beautiful visitors you will host.

Plant sales are coming soon. Save the

series Day Hiker – Gold Country Trail Guide I, II and III (second edition available on Amazon). The books are a collection of the Day Hiker columns where West shares her longtime love of the outdoors, favorite hikes in Northern California’s Gold

date for edible sale on April 13 where

Master Gardeners will have spring and summer vegetables, fruit and herbs for sale. All other plants, including succulents, shrubs, trees, ornamental and native plants, will be for sale on April 27. Check the website for more information coming soon.

The Sherwood Demonstration Garden is be open 9 a.m. to noon Fridays and Saturdays. Check the website for further information at ucanr. edu/sites/EDC_Master_Gardeners/ Demonstration_Garden.

Master Gardener classes are offered monthly throughout the county. Find the class schedule at mgeldorado.ucanr. edu/Public_Education_Classes/?calen dar=yes&g=56698 and recorded classes on many gardening topics at mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/Public_ Education/Classes.

Have a gardening question? Master Gardeners are working hard to answer your questions. Use the “Ask a Master Gardener” option on the website, mgeldorado.ucanr.edu, or leave a message on the office telephone at (530) 621-5512. To sign up for notices and newsletters visit ucanr.edu/master_ gardener_e-news. Master Gardeners are also on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Country and beyond. West was the recipient of the 2017 and 2019 Craft Award for Best Outdoor Column and the 2020 Craft Award for her second book in the Day Hiker series by the Outdoor Writers of California. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Murder Continued from B1

a character with layers. With him, every scene, every person I talk to, every situation I’m in, there’s always something a little different. He shifts his tone when he’s talking to people and I like that.”

Having studied French for four years, mastering Poirot’s accent came relatively easy to Borkoski. But bringing the accent to his character’s complexity was a struggle. “It can be challenging especially in the moments when he gets angry or sad. You have to be able to take that accent and make it sound believable.”

Though this is Borkoski’s first role in an ORHS production, he has been dancing and acting since he was 9 years old and was previously involved in El Dorado Musical Theatre. “That was a lot of fun. It just sucked because I couldn’t sing very well,” he shared with a laugh. He also served as assistant dDirector in last season’s ORHS “Mean Girls” production and hopes to study film directing or film producing in college, although video game design and aerospace engineering are also interests.

Senior Dylan Woodley plays Poirot in the Suchet cast. “It’s been kind of a difficult role. It’s requiring learning a lot of lines and an entirely new accent,” he confessed. Woodley said he was inspired by David Suchet and modeled some of his own physical mannerisms after Suchet’s portrayal of Poirot.

“Poirot is not like your typical leading man. He’s such a particular character in how he’s played,” said Woodley, whose favorite part is the big reveal at the end. “It’s also a mystery so you have to make sure you say everything exactly the way it is or else everything starts to unravel.”

Woodley has acted in ORHS theater for three years and earned an award for Best Leading Performance for his turn as Wadsworth in last year’s production of “Clue.” He also recently performed in two musicals with Sutter Street Theatre. Woodley plans on double majoring in theater and economics or business. “There’s something about just going up on stage and feeling the audience’s energy,” he confided. “Just performing and losing yourself in the character, there’s something unique about that.”

Woodley and Borkoski offer their own individual spins on Poirot and Rolls is delighted that each cast has a distinct personality in this season’s performances. Rolls was surprised when last year’s play sold out, a sign of the elevation in Oak Ridge productions since she has joined the faculty. She credits the theater’s parent booster group for working hard to publicize the show. “I remember when I first got here and we had 20 people in the audience. It’s really nice that outreach is happening.”

See “Murder on the Orient Express” at the Oak Ridge High School Theater, 1120 Harvard Way in El Dorado Hills. Showtimes are 7 p.m. March 7-9 and March 14-16 with matinees at 2 p.m. on March 9 & 16. Tickets for $15-$20 are available now at gofan.co/app/school/ CA22583_2.