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Placerville Speedway drivers tally championship points as season gets under way.
Master Gardeners of El Dorado County have potted their finest for the upcoming plant sale.
Sports, A6
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– E s t. 18 51
Volume 171 • Issue 41 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Cannabis cultivation pending Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
A county commercial cannabis use permit applicant is proposing a 10,000-square-foot cultivation operation in Pilot Hill. Behind this application is Chamy Lee, owner of Green Valley Farm and retired Caltrans employee, who applied to cultivate cannabis at 3029 Freshwater Lane on a 178-acre parcel located south of Rattlesnake Bar Road and about 1.5 miles west of the Highway 49 intersection. The public has until April 11 to review the project’s California Environmental Quality
Placerville police officer Amber Robinson is training her new partner on the beat, Ares, a two-and a-half-year-old German shepard, who was acquired by the police department in January.
Ares the K9 training up for Placerville Thomas Frey Staff writer
A
s his ball is being thrown through the air in the parking lot of the Placerville Police Department, Ares the German shepherd gallops with speed, turns with precision and can stop instantly on command. Ares vom Haus Schonrock is the new Placerville police K9. The two-and-a-half-year-old pooch has been assigned to Officer Amber Robinson, who has worked for PPD since 2013. They will be attending a six-week handler program in the near future. Each time Robinson tosses him the ball, he returns as fast as possible before eagerly anticipating another throw.
“His favorite thing to do is play fetch and he loves belly rubs,” said Robinson, who said she has owned dogs her entire life. “He’s still a normal dog but he has that switch between playtime and work mode.” In preparation for the handler program Robinson is already working with Ares on different techniques. “One of the things I work on is that if I throw the ball, I make sure he stays for an extended period of time,” Robinson explained. “I send him and stop him midway. It’s good practice if we are in a situation where, let’s say we’ve got a guy with a knife and I send (Ares) off to the guy and the guy throws the knife (away) and says ‘I give up.’ If I can stop (Ares), that’s great and it prevents the bite before it happens.” n
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See Cannabis, page A8
Neighborhood watch using technology Jana Rossi Staff writer Cameron Park is about to get a little safer. On April 30 not only is a new El Dorado County sheriff ’s substation opening in the Safeway shopping center off Coach Lane but, in partnership with the grassroots group Concerned Citizens of Cameron Park, a Digital Neighborhood Watch program will be rolled out. This new technology-driven program will utilize Cameron park residents’ home security cameras to assist not only their neighbors, but law enforcement in helping to
See k9, page A3
n
See Tech, page A6
Snowpack drops to 38% following dry months News release The Department of Water Resources conducted the fourth snow survey of the season at Phillips PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
Station April 1. Following three straight months of record dry conditions, the manual survey recorded just 2.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 1 inch, which is 4% of average for this location for April 1. Statewide, the snowpack is 38% of average for this date. The snowpack at Phillips Station has plummeted since the beginning of the year. On Dec. 30 the snowpack stood at 202% of normal for that date. In a normal season the snowpack depth would be about 5 feet deep this time of year. The snow water equivalent measured at the snow survey shows the amount of water contained in
the snowpack and is a key component of the Department of Water Resources’ water supply forecast, including anticipated runoff into the state’s reservoirs. April 1 is typically when the snowpack is at its highest, however the statewide snowpack likely peaked in early March this year and the northern Sierra snowpack peaked in mid-January. “The conditions we are seeing today speak to how severe our drought remains. DWR has been planning for the reality of a third dry year since the start of the water year Oct. 1,” said Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. “While DWR has made significant investments
1 Dentist!
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California Department of Water Resources photo by Florence Low
Department of Water Resources staff reads snowpack measurements in the fourth media snow survey of the 2022 season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit. in forecasting technology and other tools to ensure we make the most out of the snowmelt we do receive,
Jeff Little, DDS
“Look For My Column On Page 3 Today!”
a warming climate. All Californians must focus on conserving water n
See snowpack, page A7
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