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
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Volume 170 • Issue 3 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Cal Fire delivers
Mountain Democrat photos by Kevin Christensen
Debbie Furtado, owner of the Tree House and Mattywags in downtown Placerville, begins removing Christmas tree ornaments last week at the Tree House. Furtado’s home and garden decor store transforms into a Christmas wonderland each fall. Courtesy photo
A firefighter from El Dorado Station 43 Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit hefts a pile of presents out of the engine and into New Morning Shelter in Placerville Dec. 21.
Christmas cheer bests COVID-19
Shoppers didn’t go big,
they went local n Merchants reflect on holiday season,
Dawn Hodson Staff writer
hope for change in 2021
Firefighters from El Dorado Station 43 Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit made a special delivery Dec. 21 to children at New Morning Shelter in Placerville. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, firefighters were unable to host their holiday event and fundraiser at Station 43 as they have in years past. That event usually brings oodles of donations and toys that go to shelter youth. But firefighters still wanted to show their continuing support for the kids at New Morning as they have for more than 15 years and they did, arriving with armloads of wrapped gifts that they placed under the shelter’s Christmas tree. Community members and local businesses also helped, which the firefighters appreciated given the difficult times everyone is facing due to the COVID-19-related shutdown.
Kevin Christensen Staff writer Placerville small businesses began removing holiday decor and merchandise as 2020 came to a close and many expressed gratitude for a community that supported them amid COVID-19 shutdowns. “There is just nothing like this community,” said Debbie Furtado, owner of the Tree House and Mattywags in downtown Placerville. “We did well this holiday season and it was due to the community The Scarlet Halo owner Penny Chabot takes down coming out to support us.” the mistletoe in her Main Street shop. Furtado said she also thinks
Oath of office
people from Sacramento and other areas were looking for normalcy and Christmas spirit in a COVID-19-dampened gift-buying season. “While most of it was the local community, there were plenty of people from Sacramento who headed up the hill to support small businesses,” she said. The Tree House offered curbside pickup and “personal shopping” days for people to view products online. The home decor store, which converts a vast majority of its merchandise to holiday n
See shoppers, page A3
Virus positivity rate 13.7% in EDC Thomas Frey Staff writer
Courtesy photo
El Dorado County Superior Court Presiding Judge Suzanne Kingsbury, bottom right, swears in Wendy Thomas, top center, as El Dorado County’s District 3 supervisor Monday as new and re-elected supervisors took their oaths of office Monday via Zoom to allow social distancing amid the pandemic. Returning to the Board of Supervisors for another term, John Hidahl, top right, who represents District 1, was first to be sworn in, followed by Thomas and new District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo, top left. El Dorado County Chief Administrative Officer Don Ashton, bottom right, also tuned in for the swearing in ceremony.
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El Dorado County officials reported 376 new COVID-19 cases Monday out of 6,095 returned test results for Jan. 1-4. More than one-third, 130, were found in the greater Placerville region, 51 are from the Lake Tahoe, 38 are in El Dorado Hills, 38 are in Pollock Pines, Camino and Kyburz, 30 are in Diamond Springs and El Dorado, 14 are in North County, eight in South County and 67 are in the Cameron Park, Shingle Springs and Rescue area. There were also 355 assumed recoveries. Thirty-five residents require hospital treatment, 10 of which are in the intensive care unit. The positivity rate is 13.7% and no additional deaths have been reported; the county’s death toll stands at 24. Twenty-nine of the new cases are in individuals between 0-17 years old, 165 are between 18 and 49 years old, 88 are 50-64 and 94 are 65 or older, according to the county’s data.
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