Ashton Torgerson speeds to first sprint car win

Gary Thomas Placerville Speedway

Glendale, Ariz., driver Ashton

Torgerson showed his mettle Saturday night at Placerville Speedway, making a move by Tanner Carrick with less than 10 laps remaining to secure his first career winged 360 sprint car triumph.

Sharing victory lane with the 16-yearold were Placerville’s Shane Hopkins with the wingless tour, Lincoln’s Dan Brown Jr. with the late models and Auburn veteran Thomas Arbogast with the pure stocks.

Torgerson has returned from the Chili Bowl incident to snag multiple wins in the micro ranks but Saturday’s score was his very first aboard a sprint car, which came in his 13th career start. The first couple circuits in the 25-lap winged 360 finale saw Luke Hayes and Stephen Ingraham battle it out before contact brought out a caution.

Lincoln’s Carrick inherited the lead and most people likely thought it would be game over in the feature however, when the green flag waved again Torgerson hounded the rear tail tank of Carrick’s machine, as the pair put on an entertaining show for fans.

Torgerson got the run he wanted up high off turn two with 17-laps complete. Torgerson went on to accept Ron Stahl’s checkered flag for victory at the helm of his No. 02 machine. Carrick came home second, followed by 15th-starting Shane Hopkins. Elk Grove’s Bubba Decaires and 13th-starter Michael Faccinto of Hanford rounded out the top five.

In the wingless sprint cars Petaluma’s Nick Robfogel occupied the pole in the 25-lap contest and led the first couple circuits before Mark Hanson was able to slip by on lap three and hold command until lap eight, when Placerville’s Hopkins jumped to the lead.

Early on the bottom side was the place to be but Hopkins and Stockton’s DJ Johnson moved up top and found immense speed. Johnson methodically picked off cars running the ragged edge of the bullring, slicing his way into second with 14 down. He then went to work on Hopkins and nipped him at the line to lead lap 15, only to have the No. 21 get back by shortly after.

The following lap saw Johnson’s thrilling run come to an end when he caught the turn four cushion just hard enough to send him around and bring out a caution. The final laps saw Oakley’s Jacob Tuttle hound the leader but Hopkins hit his marks and crossed the stripe for the big triumph. Tuttle, Hanson, Robfogel and 16th-starting Jarrett Soares rounded out the top five.

In the late models Lincoln’s Dan Brown Jr. picked up the victory.

Current point leader Ray Trimble held command on the opening lap until Brown took the lead on lap two.

Jinkerson moved into second at the halfway point and looked to find a way by the No. 15. Brown would not be denied on this night however, as he crossed under the checkered for his n See speedway, page A7

Speedway Continued from A6

14th career late model win at Placerville Speedway. Jinkerson, Trimble, Matt Micheli and Rod Oliver rounded out the top five.

After taking 10 years off behind the wheel of a race car Auburn’s Thomas Arbogast has returned to show some definite speed. On Saturday it all came together as he took the lead on lap 11 and never looked back. Camino racer Kenny Bernstein started from the pole and looked impressive early on, holding the rest of the field at bay.

Arbogast made the move by just after the halfway point and once up front pulled away to a sizeable lead at times

State Parks

and crossed under the checkered for the win over Kevin Jinkerson, Ryan Peter, point leader Nick Baldwin and Bernstein. Placerville Speedway goes dark for Memorial Day weekend but comes back with a double header June 2-3.

The 32nd Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial kicks off with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour headlining Friday and concludes with the Northern Auto Racing Club 410 Sprint Cars on Saturday. Both nights showcase the Nor-Cal Dwarf Car Association. Seating is reserved each night with tickets available at placervillespeedway.com

Continued from A5 sacrificing so much for your nation, for your families and for our freedom.”

Veterans, active duty and reserve military personnel must show a valid military ID or proof of discharge other than dishonorable or bad conduct to receive free admission.

Assembly Bill 150 (Olsen), signed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr. in 2013, authorized California State Parks to offer veterans, active duty and reserve military personnel from the U.S. Armed Forces and the National Guard of any state a reduced or free day use at participating state parks.

State Parks is reminding the public n SHOE by Jeff MacNelly that there are other free passes available including the California State Park Adventure Pass for California fourth-graders and their families. Since the three-year pilot program began in 2021, almost 37,000 fourth-graders have signed up for their free Adventure Pass that allows them and their families free access to 19 select state parks. There is still time to sign up. This year’s fourth-graders have until Aug. 31 to enjoy their Adventure Pass. Learn more at parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass and about other free passes available at parks.ca.gov/OutdoorsForAll.

Station 88 Continued from A1

includes a five-year service extension agreement with Cal Fire — July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2028 — during which time Cal Fire would operate out of Station 89 on Country Club Drive using a nineperson staffing model (one three-person engine company with a staffing factor of three — three crew members per seat working three-day/72 hour shifts) and keep ambulance service in the district. The board did vote 4-0 to approve the contract for ambulance service as a separate matter. Director Monique Scobey was absent.

The agreement also calls for the browning out of Station 88 on Alhambra Drive, though it’s noted in CPCSD General Manager André Pichly’s report that grant funding could temporarily reopen the station if applications in process are successful.

The three-person per engine staffing model has become the industry standard and ideal to adequately respond to emergencies, fire officials at the meeting agreed. Director Eric Aiston noted that each firefighter cost approximately $250,000 per year, covering salary, benefits, etc. The district doesn’t have enough money to add additional staff beyond what’s in the proposed contract as, even with the cost savings included by utilizing the nine-person staffing model, the CPCSD faces an anticipated budget gap of more than $275,000 between the fire services’ projected revenues and expenditures in fiscal year 2023-24. That deficit grows wider through the life of the five-year contract extension.

But residents demanded and pleaded — find the money.

“I want safety over recreation,” Tina Shaw said, sharing that she had a house fire a few years ago and was grateful for the three engines that showed up to douse the flames.

“We need to look at different ways to keep this fire station open,” District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo told the board. “If that means tightening your belt, tighten your belt. Public safety is your No. 1 priority.” n TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter

“Losing an engine company will cost lives,” stressed Paul Gilchrest, who serves on the El Dorado County Fire Protection District Board of Directors and launched in 2016 the Greater Cameron Park Area Fire Safe Council.

Speakers also noted the impacts Station 88’s closure would have on other fire districts.

EDC Auditor-Controller Joe Harn, a Cameron Park resident, admonished the board for not reaching out sooner to neighboring departments, saying, “They need time to plan.”

“Removing one engine will impact the entire fire system on the West Slope,” El Dorado Hills Fire Chief Maurice Johnson said. He stressed the departments will “step up” when called upon but it will be a challenge for everyone.

“We do not care about the boundaries; we’re there for our people,” El Dorado County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Tim Cordero said, adding the advice that the Cameron Park board needs to listen to its residents.

In a letter shared with the Mountain Democrat, president of the Rescue Professional Firefighters Association Brett Jones noted the Western Slope Cooperative Fire Services Mutual Aid Agreement was created to ensure a closest resource dispatching model for fire, rescue or medical calls but is “not a giveaway program.”

“By fire districts continuing to close stations and relying on smaller agencies like Rescue to handle emergencies for which they are not compensated, the larger agencies are in violation of the mutual aid agreement,” he wrote.

Rescue Fire Department board member Matt Koht, who spoke at the May 17 meeting, echoed those sentiments and added that Station 88’s closure “will break the rest of the departments around you.”

Several speakers also pointed out that browning out Station 88 would negatively impact residents’ ability to get and/or afford fire insurance on Cameron Park’s north side.

CPCSD directors and Cal Fire staff stressed browning out the fire station is not an action anyone wants to take but members of the public urged them to take a close look at the numbers and CSD budget before making a final decision. Pichly is expected to bring back hard numbers related to other CSD expenditures and revenue during the as-of-yet unscheduled special meeting.

Rattlesnake

Avoidance For Dogs

Each dog is individually trained with live rattlesnakes and is personally trained by staff from HIGH ON KENNELS. Sponsored By Hangtown Kennel Club Of Placerville, CA, Inc. with assistance from Dalmatian Club of No. CA

June 24–25, 2023

You’ll be at the clinic site approximately 40 minutes

Cost $90 Per Dog n RUBES by Leigh Rubin n SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly

HOROSCOPE by Holiday Mathis n TODAy

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Marketers impose pressures, deadlines and unnecessary signals of alarm to get people to “act fast and buy now while supplies last.” Don’t worry, the opportunity at hand is more available than they’d have you believe.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There are a variety of reasons people insist on making simple things more complicated: boredom, procrastination, a need for attention and more. Try to address people’s underlying needs and surface problems will magically dissolve.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll employ many mystical senses to pick up on what’s going on in a relationship. You’ll use your sixth sense, third eye and a listening and feeling ability that picks up not only sound but soul resonance.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Remember that fear is a response happening inside you, not a dictate or definition of how things really are. Fear is only what you think, not what is. Write or talk your fear out and you’ll diffuse it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Relationships get better because you make efforts to make them better. Forget about life’s pesky details and focus on creating a bubble of “together time” that shuts out the rest of the world.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your best idea will be off the cuff, a side note or a joke. As you let playfulness and creativity run rampant in your mind, you’ll bring joy and levity to many.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your work is an extension of you. It can serve as a mirror to help you see parts of yourself that would be invisible were they to stay tucked inside your psyche without a means of expression. What you make will help you grow.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Frustration, untended, could turn to anger. One way to defuse it is to take away the time frame. Without the limitations and urgency that time imposes, a sense of relief and ease will settle in.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Be the first person to arrive on the scene if you can because there will be many advantages for the early birds. Your options will be better and you’ll wind up in a position of leadership too. If you don’t know what your advantage over the competition is yet, now is a good time to figure it out.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Even though you don’t think you know more than anyone else about what it means to be human, there are those who seek your council and will follow every bit of advice you offer.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When you feel yourself taking things in too serious a direction, you can lighten up the whole mental screen with music, entertainment, a treat, a walk or a stretch. Being good to yourself isn’t always fun, but some of the time it should be!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The way you approach the day’s tasks will defy conventional wisdom. You have no problem capturing and holding people’s attention. Success depends on knowing what to do with it after that.

The names of the four countries where these postcards came from are hidden in the letters that form the border at left and right. To find out the names, circle every third letter–starting with the starred one in each row of letters.

Look through the newspaper for names of 10 different cities. Arrange these words in alphabetical order.

Standards Link:

Spelling: Arrange letters in alphabetical order.

Activities on today’s page were adapted from the National Geographic Society’s educational materials.

The Olympics encourage people around the world to be friends. And there is always something special about getting a postcard from a friend who lives in another place.

Kid Scoop just got some postcards, but the senders forgot to say which country they were writing from. Can you use the geography clues to find out which country each card is from?

Follow the maze to find out how to say hello in each country.

“Marhaba” ( hat do dogs “say”? In English we imitate them by saying, “Bow wow!” People in other countries have their own ways to copy the sound a dog makes. Can you find each of the dog sounds in the word puzzle? is spelled around a corner.

Sports Stars of the World

Would you like a pen pal from another part of the world? Visit kidscoop.com/ this-week-in-kidscoop/friendsaround-the-world/ to discover links to web sites that set up international penpal friendships for kids!

This week’s word:

International

The adjective international means relating to two or more nations.

An international group of students came on an exchange program during the summer.

Try to use the word international in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

Postcards from Home

Look closely. Only two of these suns are exactly alike. How quickly can you find them? Have a friend try. Write an imaginary postcard telling about the town where you live. Or write a real postcard and send it to a friend or family member.