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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2024
mtdemocrat.com
VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 17 | $1.00
WWII vets honored Odin Rasco
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PATIENT 195 NEW SPECIAL
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Staff writer
Mountain Democrat photo by Odin Rasco
World War II veterans Manuel Garcia, William Jones and Salvatore Gigante, from left, hold Certificates of Honor, Recognition and Great Appreciation given to them Wednesday evening at American Legion Post 119. Though only three were able to attend the legion dinner, all 13 World War II veterans who live in the area and belong to the legion post were recognized.
Members of the American Legion Post 119 made time to recognize the WWII veterans among them during their February meeting and dinner. Veterans William Jones, Manuel Garcia and Salvatore Gigante were seated at the head table with their wives, and treated to the first dinner plates of the evening, as Legionnaires thanked them for their service. The three were presented with Certificates of Honor, Recognition and Great Appreciation from the American Legion, as well as a new set of dog tags ■ See VETS, page A2
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Native Directions responds to concerns ■ Rescue facility would serve young
mothers facing homelessness Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
El Dorado County residents and county leaders have publicly expressed concerns opposing a proposed “substance use disorder treatment center” planned for the Rescue area. In conjunction with housing nonprofit HomeCA, Manteca-based tribal nonprofit Native Directions is looking to construct a facility on Deer Valley Court geared toward serving tribal pregnant women; Native Directions representatives say it would be the first of its kind in California. The facility is meant to fill a “significant gap” in services for tribal communities. It would house 16 women and includes additional accommodations for residents’ children. However, despite it being referenced as “New Tribal Youth Perinatal Residential SUD” in a Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program funding application filed Sept. 29, 2022, there is more to the facility than a “treatment center” function, according to Beth Miller, who provides outreach services for both HomeCA and Native Directions. In an email to the Mountain Democrat, Miller explained the nonmedical, residential facility would act as California’s “first residential initiative dedicated to young pregnant tribal mothers who are facing homelessness or the risk thereof. “The goal is to create a residential facility that feels like a home that offers person-centered, culturally■ See NATIVE DIRECTIONS, page A6
Mountain Democrat photos by Eric Jaramishian
A Tow Pro flatbed tow truck is pulled off the cliff and back onto Highway 193 by A.C. Towing and Transport crews Thursday afternoon. The Tow Pro driver veered off the highway for unknown reasons, causing a four-hour closure while other tow truck crews went to work.
Tow truck needs a tow Eric Jaramishian
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Staff writer
Towing crews spent Thursday afternoon extracting another tow truck that drove 200 feet down the canyon off Highway 193, closing the road from Highway 49 to Rock Creek Road for four hours. Circumstances surrounding the incident aren’t clear, but the driver of a Tow Pro towing truck found himself driving off the cliff of 193 about a mile past Rock Creek Road around 1 a.m. early Thursday morning. Tow Pro was towing a Ford F350 truck at the time. The driver, whose first name only was identified as Batraz by Tow Pro part-owner Yury, was taken to Marshall Hospital to be treated for injuries. Yury, who did not give his last name, was at
Highway 193 was closed for hours as the flatbed tow truck towing a truck was recovered. the scene at the same time as the Mountain Democrat. The tow truck remained in the canyon until morning. California Highway Patrol officers who responded to the call said the nature and complexity of the incident required extraction to be completed with more sunlight, minimizing
risk of a worker getting hurt. The segment of the highway was closed from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A.C. Towing and Transport had two trucks on the job, with Caltrans and CHP shutting down the road as the trucks were pulled from the canyon. CHP officials said DUI is not suspected as a cause of the crash.
EPA tightens PM 2.5 air quality standard Mountain Democrat staff SACRAMENTO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has targeted a more stringent national air quality standard for annual particulate matter. Previously set at 12 µg/m3, meaning 12 micrograms of pollutant per cubic meter, the standard has been lowered to 9 µg/m3. EPA officials expect 2032 to be the earliest year states would need to meet the revised standard. Exposure to PM2.5, which describes inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers and smaller, is linked with premature death, cancer and other respiratory and cardiovascular effects, according to the the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. “EPA’s decision as the new standard aligns with the most current scientific evidence and technical information on the adverse health impacts of PM2.5 pollution,” states a Sac Metro Air District news release. The Sacramento region today meets 12 µg/m3 but in order to comply with EPA’s new regulation, Sac Metro Air District officials expect state and local air pollution control agencies will need to “develop a new set of air quality management plans for meeting the new limit and implementing several new additional technical requirements.” Using 2020-22 EPA data, 29 of California’s 58 counties have particle concentrations above 9 µg/ m3. El Dorado County is not among those monitored by regulatory PM2.5 particle air quality monitors. Because of this, El Dorado County Interim Air Pollution Control Officer Rania Serieh said the county would likely be designated as an unclassifiable area as it cannot be classified based on available information as meeting or not meeting the new annual standard of 9 µg/m3; however, Serieh added that in determining boundaries of ■ See EPA, page A3