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El Dorado Hills teen wins crown, will compete in state pageant.
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EL DORADO COUN
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See page B8. BE COUNTED, BECAUSE WE ALL MATTER! Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Volume 169 • Issue 32 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Local bars, pubs stay open despite governor’s advice n Retail businesses and wineries move to pickup, mail-ordering Dylan Svoboda Staff writer
On Sunday Newsom urged all bars, breweries, wineries, pubs and nightclubs to shut their doors to stem the spread. Irish Pub owner Julio Medina, Despite recommendations from the state of who owns the building at the intersection of California, several El Dorado County bars and pubs Racquet Way and Pleasant Valley Road, said kept their doors open staying open is a Monday. matter of survival for “It’s kinda hard to just close our doors; The Liar’s Bench the pub and his other we’ll lose everything.” on Main Street in business on the block, Placerville, the Irish — Julio Medina, owner of the Irish Pub in Diamond Springs Medina’s Market. Pub in Diamond “It’s kinda hard Springs and the Pine Lodge Club in Pollock Pines to just close our doors; we’ll lose everything,” he nixed the suggestion from Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “No money would come through the bar. No Democrat photo by Dylan Svoboda to close down amid the nationwide coronavirus Bar stools were empty Monday morning but the Liar’s Bench in outbreak. n See pubs open, page A3 downtown Placerville remained open.
Local elderly weathering coronavirus emergency
Winter ‘March’es back in
Pat Lakey Staff writer Because with the rest of the world they are staying informed about the latest news regarding the coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak, those among the most vulnerable to its ravages — senior citizens — are handling the emergency better than might be expected. That’s the word from Todd Murch, president and CEO of Eskaton, which has 35 senior “The chaos living and assisted care throughout the facilities in nation is sad … in the North State, with the future, when two in there truly is a risk Placerville and one in that needs handling Cameron effectively, people Park. Murch told will point to this the Mountain coronavirus panic Democrat and not respond Monday Eskaton’s accordingly.” two licensed — David Napierskie, vice facilities, president of health facilities the one on for Gold Country Retirement Blairs Lane communities in Placerville and the other on Cameron Park Drive, as of last week were curtailing any visitors to include none but those considered “essential.” n
See Elderly, page A6
Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
About 6 inches of snow transforms downtown Camino into a winter wonderland Monday. Snowfall over the weekend and into Monday dumped on communities above the snowline with some Camino and Pollock Pines residents snowed in.
Snowpack gets boost from weekend storm Dawn Hodson Staff writer
The storms that hit continuously since Saturday have brought much-needed rain and snow to the area, adding to the reservoirs and delivering additional feet of snow to the foothills and Tahoe region with the National Weather Service in Sacramento calling the threeday storm one of the strongest this
season. Continuous snow at Lake Tahoe since Saturday morning added 13% to the snowpack, according to Jeff Anderson, water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada. The snowpack started the weekend at 43% at the Mount Rose Snotel site and was at 56% to end the weekend, not counting the several inches to up to a foot of snow that fell Monday.
Additional snowfall Monday was expected to add to the total. The snow water content from the latest storm was 3.3 inches through Sunday, about three times the average gain for the month, which is 1.2 inches. The typical gain for January and February is 6 inches. NWS reported the three-day storm added about 31 inches of new snow n
See snowpack, page A7
El Dorado County School closures lead to online lesson plans n Student athletes encouraged to practice at home
Thomas Frey Staff writer
school districts are currently exploring options to continue to provide educational services to students,” said El Dorado County Superintendent The El Dorado County Office of Education of Schools Ed Manansala. announced Districts are March 14 “The El Dorado County Office of Education and school in the process that all public of developing districts are currently exploring options to continue schools in plans to serve to provide educational services to students. Districts El Dorado school meals. County will are in the process of developing plans to serve school High schools be closed like Golden meals.” — Ed Manansala, El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools March 16-20 Sierra and in response to Ponderosa concerns statewide of the spread of COVID-19. are looking to teach classes online and are in In total, 15 schools were shut down this week the beginning stages of setting up web-based learning, while elementary and middle schools Democrat photo by Thomas Frey and the closures will be evaluated again March Union Mine High School, along with every other public school in El 21. “The El Dorado County Office of Education and Dorado County, will be closed through March 20. n See School closures, page A7
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