adding her imprint
C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
Annie O’Connell joins Gold Country Artists News, etc. B1 Wednesday, june 10, 2020
Volume 169 • Issue 67 | 75¢
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More businesses get green light to reopen Friday Officer Dr. Nancy Williams said El Dorado County can begin to reopen once the state released parameters for Stage 3 businesses. The state’s guidance includes rules for schools, day camps, gyms, bars, hotels, campgrounds, professional sports, casinos, museums, zoos and aquariums and music, film and television production. “I am pleased that the businesses in these sectors which have been closed since March can reopen and people can begin to rebuild their livelihoods, yet I would be remiss if I didn’t
n Campgrounds, gyms,
bars and others issued health safety guidelines Dylan Svoboda Staff writer El Dorado County will move into Stage 3 of California’s economic reopening plan this Friday. The state issued guidelines Friday for 12 sectors to open come June 12. Last week county Public Health
caution owners, employees, patrons and residents in general that now is the time to be even more disciplined about maintaining physical distancing and personal hygiene practices,” Williams said. Businesses must develop and implement safety plans around the state’s guidelines before reopening. The Stage 3 checklist serves as a how-to guide for sectors deemed ready to reopen by state health authorities. Counties will be able to move into Stage 3 at the approval of their respective top health officer.
“… It’s imperative that businesses carefully read the guidelines as they contain specific caveats to opening, such as playgrounds and meeting rooms remaining closed at campgrounds and outdoor recreation areas,” Williams said. Full state guidelines can be found at oesnews.com/california-public-healthofficials-provide-covid-19-update. Williams cautioned against any complacency that may accompany further relaxations of the coronavirusSee businesses, page A5
n
Photo courtesy of El Dorado County Fire Protection District
An SUV rests on its roof below a Degalia Street home in Placerville Thursday after its driver, who later died, accelerated through the rear wall of an elevated garage.
Woman suffers fatal injuries in Placerville crash n Police: Driver mistakes
gas pedal for brake, vehicle plunges through raised garage
Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
The welcome sign along Highway 50 just west of downtown Placerville includes the city’s Gold Rush moniker, Old Hangtown.
Pat Lakey Staff writer A 78-year-old mortally injured Placerville woman managed to explain before she died that she accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake on the car she was driving Thursday, causing the vehicle to crash through the wall of an elevated garage on Degolia Street and plunge to the ground some 20 feet below, according to Placerville police. Carol Dirske would later succumb to her injuries at UC Davis Medical Center, where she had been transferred after initially being taken to Marshall Hospital following the 3:11 p.m., June 4 incident, police reported Monday. It was unknown at press time when death was pronounced. It was at Marshall Hospital that Dirske reportedly told emergency personnel and officers she had been pulling into her garage when she pressed what she n
See fatal crash, page A2
Petitions circulate to keep or remove ‘Old Hangtown’ on Placerville’s welcome sign Dylan Svoboda Staff writer
“Due to the recent murder of George Floyd, leading to peaceful protesting and explosive riots, Placerville needs to be progressive in making our community safe and comfortable for POC. Let’s not pretend to be tonedeaf.” The petition went viral on the platform, receiving more than 1,500 signatures by Friday afternoon.
circulated on social media Thursday afternoon. Organizer Camille Lloyd posted the petition to the El Dorado Progressives Facebook page, deploring the name that “celebrates and glorifies a terribly racist and violent history,” she writes. “Placerville is a predominantly white community, however, due to globalization and gentrification more and more POC are moving into the community,” Lloyd writes.
The recent death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis has re-sparked a debate over Placerville’s longtime nickname. A Change.org petition aimed at removing “Old Hangtown” from the bottom of the city’s welcome sign on Highway 50 on lower Main Street
n
See Hangtown, page A3
Art display and vigil encourages expression, healing Kevin Christensen Staff writer
Democrat photo by Kevin Christensen
A portrait of George Floyd by local artist Oran Miller is one of the artworks set out along Main Street in Placerville for Friday night’s vigil.
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People gathered on Main Street next to the Placerville Police Department Friday evening to hold vigil and keep the memory of George Floyd alive. Forty-six-year-old Floyd, a father of five, died May 25 after being restrained by police in Minneapolis, Minn. Workers at a grocery store had reported to police that Floyd allegedly passed a counterfeit $20 bill. People nationwide continue to react — including El Dorado County residents. Friday’s event in Placerville, organized by the El Dorado Progressives, brought out dozens of folks, including nuns from the Aloka Vihora Forest Monastry in Placerville and local artists like Oran Miller, who
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painted a larger-than-life portrait of Floyd that was set out on display with other artists’ works. “More and more members of the community feel able to come out and express their feelings and point of view on the George Floyd murder, police brutality and racism despite the pushback and pressure against it that is being shared,” said Michael Saunders, a member of El Dorado Progressives who helped organize Friday’s gathering. “The art and vigil aspect allowed for healing. It was an emotional, spiritual and patriotic event.” Local resident Isabella Ryder, a retired teacher who served in the Mother Lode School District for 31 years, said she witnessed the civil n
See vigil, page A6
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