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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
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Volume 170 • Issue 109 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Friday, September 17, 2021
Caldor containment at 71% Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer
Constitution
The Caldor Fire may not surpass the 219,267 acres it has burned as firefighters reported 71% containment Wednesday evening. “(The Caldor Fire) is still the 15th largest fire in California history,” said U.S. Forest Service National Incident Management Organization
Team 2 spokesperson Kerry Greene, who led Wednesday evening’s community briefing. Firefighters on the front lines report containment seems to be holding near Kirkwood along Highway 88 to Silver Lake. However, the southeast line near Tragedy Springs has been a challenge to contain, according to
Beale Monday, U.S. Forest Service operations section chief. “It has some mixed conifer, subalpine fir fuel type … real heavy fuel loading,” he said. “It’s just a slow process for us to get this taken care of … as those logs continue to burn they’ll rekindle and torch (other) trees n
See Caldor fire, page A11
234 years strong Mountain Democrat staff
O
n Sept. 17, 1787, America’s founding fathers signed a revolutionary document that — 234 years later — endures as the bedrock of our democracy and a beacon of freedom around the world. Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by its framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states, the U.S. Constitution is the source of all government power, and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of citizens.
Preamble
The first lines of Constitution famously state: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Constitution Day
Sept. 17 is recognized as Constitution Day, a federal observance which celebrates the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. Students and educators in Iowa schools may have been among the first to mark the holiday in 1911, but the law establishing the present holiday was created with the passage of an amendment by West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd to the omnibus spending bill of 2004. Here are some fun facts to help you celebrate the U.S. Constitution: • Creating the U.S. Constitution took almost four months. The Constitutional Convention began May 25, 1787, and lasted until the day the finished document was signed Sept. 17, 1787. • The U.S. Constitution is the n
Mountain Democrat photos by Eric Jaramishian
Holiday Market employee Leslie Gary bags up groceries for customers at the Pleasant Valley grocery store after evacuations prompted by the Caldor Fire were lifted. When evacuations came for the area and the store had to shut down, some Holiday Market employees helped get the store’s perishables to evacuation shelters and the Red Cross.
Evacuation zone businesses keep community in mind
Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
El Dorado County businesses impacted by the Caldor Fire found ways to give back. Burger Barn in Pollock Pines remained open to feed first responders and law enforcement — with special permission. “We fed them all for free. Employees were working off the clock to help,” Burger Barn manager Anna Blackwell said. “I guess we took a hit (financially), not that we’re worried about it. As long as they were fed, we were happy.” Burger Barn reopened operations to the public as evacuation orders lifted. Law enforcement and first responders can go to Burger Barn for a 10% discount on their meals. “We’re grateful they were keeping our town safe …
See Constitution, page A11
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
n
See Businesses, page A11
Burger Barn assistant manager Breanne Aho serves meals to Sacramento police officers assigned to security detail on the Caldor Fire. Burger Barn stayed open during evacuations to feed first responders and law enforcement for free.
Costco/EDH 52 proposal still sparks ire Sel Richard Staff writer Some El Dorado Hills residents continued to express revulsion at the prospect of shoppers seeking 42-pound boxes of cat litter mere hundreds of feet from Oak Meadow Elementary School during last week’s scoping meeting when county planners presented the proposed 43.26acre EDH 52 project. Located north of Highway 50 and bisected by Silva Valley
Parkway, a 156,000-square-foot Costco warehouse would sit on the south site, along with a tire center and 761 parking stalls on two at-grade lots and one subterranean lot. The north site comprises a 31,000-square-foot retail component housing five casual eateries and other uses — a gas station, self-storage and RV storage. Two new signalized intersections would be installed, one at the middle of the project and another at the intersection with the Country
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Club Drive extension. School safety, traffic, pollution, noise and light impacts dominated the public discussion. Oak Meadow parent Amy Frith referenced a letter submitted with more than 300 signatures from parents who are concerned with traffic. “It’s just very concerning to see that a commercial property is being placed right next to a school when we have existing issues that need to be addressed,” she said. “They’re just going to be
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compounded if this proposal passes.” Area Planning Advisory Committee Vice Chair John Raslear said he was disappointed the meeting was conducted via Zoom, calling the virtual meeting inappropriate. Focusing on the environmental impact report, Village Green Drive resident Marty Abell encouraged the inclusion of discussions on n
See Costco, page A2
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