calaveras county

Vali Dees, beloved wife and daughter, passed away at her home in South Lake Tahoe this July 7th, 2019 at 6:45 PM. She was attended by her husband, Jeff Davies, and her mother, Helen Valborg, when she finally succumbed to the cancer she had been so determined to overcome. Her death deprives the world and all who knew her of a bright and healing light.

The body of a man missing after a day of skiing at the Bear Valley Resort in March has been recovered by search and rescue dogs.

Jane Drummond-Mullarkey had notified the Alpine County Sheriff's Office at 11:30 p.m. on March 14 when her husband, Thomas Mullarkey, 65, had failed to return to their Arnold cabin.

The family was from Richmond, Calif., and staying at their Sierra cabin.

Overnight fire conditions were very active on several fronts forcing additional
evacuations across Northern California. Firefighters are battling 22 large
wildfires that have burned nearly 170,000 acres. Firefighters are bracing for
the winds to shift this evening and increase in speed. 17 people are confirmed
to have died in the wildfires this week. 11 people alone died in the Tubbs Fire,
making it the 6th deadliest fire in our state’s history.
While damage assessment continues on all the fires, it is estimated that at

Overnight significant winds fanned over a dozen fires across Northern California. 15 new wind whipped wildfires in nine counties have already burned over 73,000 acres in the past 12 hours. Firefighters have been challenged with winds gusting in excess of 50 mph causing extreme rates of spread and volatile burning conditions.

El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel and her fellow supervisors have taken the first steps to create a Traction Control Ordinance for Lake Tahoe. During their meeting on March 21, approval was given for the concept of an ordinance that, once created, will be back before the Supervisors in April for final adoption.

In coordination with the Community Development Agency, Transportation Division (DOT) and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDSO), Novasel presented the item for vote to create safer roads during heavy snowstorms in the Lake Tahoe area.

A woman driving on a country road on the rims of her car is suspected of starting multiple fires which make up the Willow Fire, a 450-acre fire currently burning in Calaveras County.

An investigation by peace officers with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Tuolumne – Calaveras Unit determined that Renee Hogan drove on a flat tire along Mountain Ranch Road, east of the town of San Andreas, when sparks created from the dragging metal rim started several fires in the surrounding vegetation.

6:47 p.m. - Cal Fire says containment on the Butte Fire has grown to 47 percent, with acreage burned holding at 71,780 acres.

Damage assessment shows 233 residences, 175 outbuildings and 15 other structures burned in the fire, with 6,000 additional structures still threatened.

Officials ask that area residents remain vigilant, as the fire is still active in many areas. They also ask for people to assist by calling the appropriate authorities for specific situations:

If you see trees on a highway, please call Cal-Trans at 209-948-7543.

Started in the late 1970s, the Amador County Wine Competition is the oldest in the foothills. It’s different from its bordering El Dorado and Calaveras county competitions in that Amador only allows wines to be entered if they’re made exclusively from grapes grown in the seven-county Sierra foothill appellation. This year saw a record high of 445 wines entered in the Amador judging from more than 70 wineries. The contest was judges by 22 people from a wide range of wine-related backgrounds.

A 14-year-old Angels Camp boy found dead in a remote mountain area last week apparently succumbed to exposure, the Calaveras County Coroner said Monday.
Taylor Dustin froze to death after he and his uncle, Devin Smith of Douglas Flat, got lost during a hunting trip in Alpine County, officials said.
Smith, 40, survived, but suffered from hypothermia.
Go here for the full story.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association announced Thursday that it is suing to end a $150 annual state fire fee imposed on California's rural residents and obtain refunds for those who have already paid.
The group alleges in Sacramento Superior Court that the fee, which the state began collecting in August, amounts to a tax that was illegally approved without the necessary two-thirds majority of lawmakers.