Mountain Democrat: Friday, July 24, 2026

BRAVE BOY

Brindle boxer survives likely lion attack

Shelly Thorene Sta writer

A9-year-old, 75-pound brindle boxer from Placerville is recovering from an attack that left him with a broken right front leg and a deep laceration to the bone — likely the result of a mountain lion encounter.

Cole’s owner, Richard Phillips, returned to his Cool Water Court home from a late night trip to the airport in Sacramento on July 10 to find his pup limping to the door — a rare sight as he said the dog is rarely outside after dark. Phillip’s parents, Bill and Pat, share the household and are Cole’s caretakers while their son works.

Richard wrapped Cole’s leg and took him to Crossroads Veterinary Clinic in the morning. Bill said the bone on the dog’s right front leg was exposed and veterinarian Dr. Arman Gotra stretched the skin from both sides and stitched it back together. The vet told the dog’s owner that a mountain lion is the only animal

City receives clean audit

■ Leaders addressing financial reporting deficiencies

Andrew Vonderschmitt

Features editor

Finance Director Natalie Tornincasa presented the findings of a clean audit for the city’s 2024-25 fiscal year during Placerville’s July 14 City Council meeting. The report was presented on behalf of the city’s independent auditor, The PUN Group, after the firm’s partner was unable to attend the meeting.

Tornincasa explained that the city’s financial statements are audited annually by an independent certified public accountant to determine whether they “present fairly in all material respects the respective financial position of the city.”

The city underwent two separate audits: its annual financial statement audit and a federally required single audit because it spent more than $750,000 in federal funds during the fiscal year.

Tornincasa highlighted several positive findings.

“So, good news here, there were no corrected or

Grand jury activities, recommendations met with critcism

Noel Stack Editor

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and El Dorado County Grand Jury are at odds over the grand jury process itself, with the board on July 21 unanimously approving a report response that largely disagrees with findings made by the 2025-26 grand jury.

Case 26-03: “El Dorado County Civil Grand Jury Website – Bringing Clarity to the Public Process” maintains the grand jury’s website is difficult to navigate and provides incomplete information. Of the six findings in the report released in May, the Board of Supervisors “disagrees wholly” with five and partially disagrees with one.

“The grand jury, just generally speaking, not a speci c one, … has credibility problems.”

— District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin

“Regarding the content on the website, who’s responsible for that?” District 1 Supervisor Greg Ferrero asked.

“The grand jury itself is responsible for the actual content, and then the IT department works in collaboration with the grand jury to post the content,” replied Grant Webber with the Chief Administrative Office. “So if they create whatever material that they want to put on the website, IT will post it to the website for them.”

The county’s response notes IT staff will make time to meet with the incoming 2026-27 El Dorado County Grand Jury foreman to discuss changes to the website. “Throughout the term,

Diamond Springs Parkway almost wrapped up

Noel Stack Editor

The smell of fresh pavement lingers in the air as summer heats up and the Diamond Springs Parkway glistens under bright sunlight. The connector project decades in the making in now in its home stretch.

“We’re actually hoping to get most of the work done this year,” said El Dorado County Department of Transportation Project Manager Dustin Harrington. “We’re looking really good ... on schedule.”

The four-lane, divided roadway connects Missouri Flat Road to Highway 49, providing a parallel connection that DOT o cials note will relieve tra c congestion through the historical town of Diamond Springs as well as provide an alternative evacuation route during wildfires or other emergencies. The parkway is expected to open to drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians in late 2026 or early 2027.

Funding for the nearly $40 million project came almost exclusively from tra c impact fees, with a small grant received during this second phase of the two-part project.

Phase 1A — realignment and widening of Highway 49 from Pleasant Valley Road to just

Mountain Democrat photos by Shelly Thorene

Bill Phillips sits with his son Richard’s brindle boxer at the family home in north Placerville. Despite his injuries, the pup is in good spirits.

ESSENTIALS

OBITUARIES

Hal Ploghoft

Feb. 10, 1936 – July 2, 2026

With love and gratitude for a life well lived, we honor the memory of our beloved Hal Ploghoft. Hal peacefully passed away on July 2, 2026, in Placerville, CA. He was surrouwded by family who miss him dearly.

Hal was born on Feb. 10, 1936, in Omaha, NE, to Paul and Patricia Ploghoft. Raised in Elliott, IA, Hal spent his early years working the family farm before graduating from high school in 1955. Following his graduation, Hal proudly served in the United States Marine Corps in the 3rd Battalion, Platoon 320. His military service reflected the dedication, discipline, and sense of duty that remained with him throughout his life.

Hal is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Mary Ploghoft. He was a devoted and proud father to his three sons, Casey, Duffy, and Thomas Ploghoft. Hal cherished his three grandchildren, Chad, Zachary, and Sarah Ploghoft. Hal was also blessed with three great-grandchildren, Hazen, Aaliyah, and Hal II.

Hal lived a life defined by hard work, dedication, quiet strength, and an unwavering love for his family. While our hearts are heavy with his passing, we are forever grateful for all the years of memories, laughter, lessons, and the love he showed us. Hal leaves behind a legacy that will continue to live on through his children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and everyone fortunate enough to have known him. Hal will be deeply, deeply missed and forever loved.

David Andrew Bentley

Sept. 11, 1968 – June 2, 2026

David Andrew Bentley, age 57, passed away on June 2, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of quiet strength, steadfast loyalty, and deep love for his family.

Born in Folsom, California, David spent several years in the Placerville area, but most of his youth in Illinois and graduated from Colchester High School in 1986. He returned to El Dorado County in 2001 where he lived till his passing. He was a quiet man with a gentle spirit, a strong work ethic, and a heart that was always looking out for others. Though he was not one to seek attention, his kindness and steadfast presence left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him. David was thoughtful in the little things. He remembered birthdays, Mother’s Day, and important family occasions. He was proud of his family and loved them deeply. Nothing brought him more joy than his son, Cody. He also dearly loved his six nieces and one nephew, taking a genuine interest in their lives and celebrating their accomplishments. To them, he was a loving and dependable uncle whose presence brought comfort, laughter, and encouragement and was always willing to help. If someone needed a hand, he was there.

David Wesley Long

Aug. 4,1938 – June 28, 2026

David Wesley Long was born in Reno, Nevada on August 4, 1938, to Josephine Florence Long (née Menard) and Fred Wesley Long. He was the second child of three, born two years apart between his older sister Barbara and his younger sister Sharon. At the time of his birth, David’s father was working for a logging company. David joined his parents and 2-year-old Barbara in a tent cabin in a logging camp near Feather Falls, northeast of Oroville. Despite hardships, David had fond memories of the natural beauty of the Feather River area and the Plumas National Forest.

State College and switched his major to philosophy. He was awarded a Department of Defense education grant for a graduate program in philosophy at Florida State University. He graduated with honors and accepted an offer from Sacramento State University to join the Department of Philosophy in 1967. He didn’t want to leave California. David taught at Sacramento State for 38 years and retired in 2005. A gifted teacher, his students remember him as someone who helped them see things in new ways. The word “philosophy” is a Greek word that means “love of knowledge.” David shared that love of knowledge with the thousands of students he taught. A highlight of David’s career was two visits to India for Conferences for the Synthesis of Science and Religion, which he helped organize.

He spent more than 20 years working at Rucker Mill, where he earned the respect of coworkers through his loyalty, dedication, and willingness to do whatever needed to be done.

David loved westerns, usually wearing jeans, western shirts and sometimes a cowboy hat. He especially enjoyed listening to John Denver and traditional country music, songs that reflected his appreciation for simple pleasures and the values he held dear. His heroes were men like Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke and his own father—men who stood for courage, integrity, and doing what was right.

One of the greatest blessings of David’s life was his lifelong friendship with Chris Meyer. Friends since kindergarten, David and Chris remained close throughout the years. No matter how much time passed or how many miles separated them, their friendship endured. Chris often drove for hours just to visit David, a testament to the bond they shared. In David’s final days, Chris’s mother lovingly helped care for him, and when David knew he needed help, Chris Meyer and Katie Meyer were among the first people he called. Their friendship, loyalty, and compassion brought David comfort and support when he needed it most, and the Bentley family will always be grateful for their love and kindness.

Those who knew David will remember a man who was loyal, protective, caring, and deeply devoted to the people he loved. While he was a quiet man, his actions spoke volumes. He showed his love through service, dependability, and a willingness to help others without expecting anything in return.

David is survived by his son and daughter-inlaw, Cody and Ellen Bentley; his parents, Len and Jan Bentley; his sister and brother-in-law, Melissa (Bentley) Brady and Colin Brady. He is also survived by his 6 nieces and one nephew: Anna Livia, Grace, Julia, Ava, Georgia and Jack Brady, his niece, Lucy (Brady) Nguyen and her husband Hien Nguyen and their son, Maverick Nguyen, as well as other extended family members and friends who will miss him dearly.

Though our hearts are broken by his passing, we are grateful for the years we shared with him and for the countless ways he touched our lives. David will be greatly missed, lovingly remembered, and forever held in our hearts.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

A celebration of life with family and closest friends will be held on Sunday, August 2, at 6 pm at the Meyer family home in Diamond Springs. Please call 530-651-3254 for more information.

The family relocated to Portola when David was in elementary school. Portola was a crew change site on the Western Pacific Railroad Feather River Route over the Sierra Nevada, and David was fascinated with the trains and the railroad men. His father began a business in the emerging industry of propane sales and David helped with deliveries. He loved to go on wide-ranging explorations of the surrounding area on his bicycle with his friends and dog.

The next move was to Chester, where they spent several years enduring winters with record amounts of snowfall. David truly did experience the proverbial “I walked a mile to school in several feet of snow.”

Leaving the snow country, they moved to the valley town of Chico, where David started 7th grade. Life was much more stable for them from the 1950s onward. David’s father worked as an electrician and his mother worked at a nut processing factory.

During high school and college, David served in the National Guard and worked as a “pin boy” at the local bowling alley. His job was to reset bowling pins (this was before automation), while doing homework between frames. He enrolled at Chico State College (now CSU Chico) as an engineering major.

After two years of college, David enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was assigned to Kinross Air Force Base, as it was then named, in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. During his station there, the United States was engaged in the Cold War. Kinross was considered a vital Air Defense Command base. David reported for the base newspaper and spoke to community organizations about the importance of the base. While he didn’t enjoy the icy cold Michigan weather, David found he had a talent for figure skating and enjoyed competitive partner skating.

From Kinross, David was transferred to Iraklion Air Station on the island of Crete. There he helped build the first television station in Greece. He was also a station disc jockey and enjoyed selecting the music and entertaining his listeners on Radio Free Europe. He spent two years on Crete. Living in Europe was a big adventure for someone from rural northern California. David loved Greek culture and food and discovered a lifelong love for philosophy and spiritual life while visiting historical Greek temples.

David was released from active duty at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. He returned to Chico

In 1972, David’s sister Barbara introduced him to Roberta in Portland, OR. He was immediately smitten and regularly made the 10-hour drive to Portland to visit Roberta. David and Roberta married on October 28, 1973, at the West Linn Inn, near Portland. The newlyweds settled in Sacramento for a year before finding their mountain home in Georgetown near the Eldorado National Forest. They purchased a log cabin in 1975, where they raised two daughters, Alexis and Helen. David commuted to the campus to teach classes. He also served on the Black Oak Mine Board of Trustees and the El Dorado County Board of Trustees.

David’s favorite place to be was outside in nature. In the 1970s, he was an avid backcountry backpacker, exploring the Sierra Nevada wilderness and fishing for rainbow trout with friends. Some of his favorite places include Loon Lake, Kings Canyon National Park, and Mount Whitney. He instilled a love of backpacking and hiking in his daughters, taking them on trips every summer. When not teaching summer school, David could be found on the family’s 4 acres in Georgetown with his beloved chainsaw, building up a supply of firewood for the winter.

David loved the arts, and he also loved having an audience. Outside of teaching, David sang with the Sacramento Choral Society and performed with the El Dorado Community Theater in Placerville.

David had an abiding curiosity about spiritual and religious traditions around the world. He studied under a diverse array of spiritual teachers and was a lifelong learner. David had a remarkably open heart and mind and deeply appreciated learning about wisdom traditions the world over.

David was one of kind; he could discuss methods for eradicating poison oak as easily as he could wax philosophic about the Tao Te Ching. He was equally comfortable stopping in a hardware store for a new chainsaw chain as he was meeting religious dignitaries in Calcutta, India. David will be fondly remembered for his big heart, big smile, and loving presence.

Memories of David live on through his wife Roberta Long, his daughters Helen Liatris and Alexis Long, his son-in-law Larrylee Pupello, his three granddaughters, Domini, Joan, and Roxana, and the many friends, colleagues, and former students who knew him.

A “Remembrance” event will be held for him on Sunday, August 9th from 2-5 p.m. at the IOOF Hall in Georgetown, corner of Highway 193 and Main Street.

EL DORADO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CRIME LOG

The following information was taken from El Dorado County sheriff’s reports:

April 19

4:06 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Pleasant Valley Road in El Dorado.

5:38 p.m. An assault with a deadly weapon was reported at a business on Front Street in Georgetown.

7:24 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Highway 193 in Placerville.

7:51 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Merchant Circle in Placerville.

7:55 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at a business on Bass Lake Road in El Dorado Hills.

11:10 p.m., A verbal disturbance was reported on Plamer Drive in Cameron Park.

11:44 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Spanish Dry Diggins Road in Greenwood.

11:50 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Big Oak Road in Placerville.

April 20

3:21 a.m. Trespassing was reported on Spanish Dry Diggins Road in Greenwood.

8:04 a.m. Grand theft was reported on Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines.

9:09 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

9:59 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Cave Valley Road in Cool.

12:33 p.m. Burglary was reported on Mosquito Road in Placerville.

12:34 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Bird Haven Loop in Cool.

2:46 p.m. Grand theft was reported on Loka Lane in Greenwood.

6:07 p.m. Battery was reported on Pony Express Trail in Camino.

6:49 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Sand Ridge Road in Placerville.

10:13 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Bar D Ranch Road in Rescue.

April 21

11 a.m. Battery was reported on Francisco Drive in El Dorado Hills.

1:48 p.m. Grand theft was reported at a business on Rossmore Lane in El Dorado Hills.

3:30 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Forni Road in Placerville.

4:50 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Mean Mule Way in Garden Valley.

4:58 p.m. A verbal disturbance was at a business on Mother Lode Drive and South Shingle Road in Shingle Springs.

10:43 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Town Center West Way in El Dorado Hills.

April 22

6:11 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Valley View Parkway in El Dorado Hills.

8:47 a.m. Grand theft was reported on Maple Avenue in Pollock Pines.

12:37 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

1:11 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Durock Road in Shingle Springs.

2:27 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Coarsegold Road in Placerville.

3:17 p.m. Burglary was reported on Pony Epress Trail in Pollock Pines.

7:54 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Brauer Road in Georgetown.

9:03 p.m. Battery was reported on Hot Springs Drive in El Dorado Hills.

10:34 p.m. A disturbance of a barking dog was reported on China Hill Road in El Dorado.

10:55 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Pleasant Valley Road in Diamond Springs.

11:42 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Wintercreek Road in Somerset.

April 23

2:41 a.m. Battery was reported on Market Court in Shingle Springs.

6:17 a.m. Battery was reported on Greenview Road in El Dorado Hills.

12:31 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Omo Ranch Road in Somerset.

12:34 p.m. Battery was reported on Chili Bar

Court in Placerville.

1:02 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Screech Owl Road in El Dorado Hills.

2:31 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Alexander Court in Placerville.

3:29 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Tanglewood Drive in Placerville.

5:31 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at Knollwood Drive and Kimberly Road in Cameron Park.

10:35 p.m. An intoxicated person in public was reported at Green Valley Road and Sophia Parkway in El Dorado Hills.

10:43 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported on Ritz Road in Pollock Pines.

April 24

12:03 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Diamond Village Way in Diamond Springs.

8:39 a.m. Battery was reported at a business on Post Court in El Dorado Hills.

11:17 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Golden Street in Pollock Pines.

3:44 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at Starlight Court and Sleepy Hollow Drive in Shingle Springs.

4:07 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported on Portsmouth Drive in El Dorado Hills.

6:15 p.m. Trespassing was reported at Conestoga Lane and Stagecoach Road in Placerville.

7:05 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Big Oak Court in Placerville.

7:31 p.m. Battery was reported on Oak Dell Road in Diamond Springs.

7:31 Battery was reported on Consolation Court in Shingle Springs.

April 25

2:42 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Bates Circle in El Dorado Hills.

3:05 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Bates Circle in El Dorado Hills.

10:02 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Mother Load Drive in Placerville.

Katelyn Welsh Tahoe Daily Tribune

STATE OF THE LAKE

TAHOE CITY — July 9 marked 50 years since Tahoe Environmental Research Center founder Charles R. Goldman launched the John Le Conte on Lake Tahoe, a vessel still used today, setting an important milestone in the voyage of research and monitoring of Lake Tahoe.

“I think sometimes we focus on the problems that we see in front of us,” TERC Director Dr. Stephanie Hampton said at the start of this year’s State of the Lake report on Thursday, July 16. “I also want to remember that we need to celebrate some of the successes of the past.”

And so, she began this year’s presentation, held at Granlibakken in Tahoe City, looking back at the rich legacy set by Dr. Goldman. In addition to founding a research dynasty, the pioneer worked with the founders of Keep Tahoe Blue, fought for stricter environmental protections, like diverting sewage out of the basin, and helped thwart a four-lane highway proposed over the mouth of Emerald Bay.

These actions have been instrumental in preserving the environmental destination Lake Tahoe is today, drawing many from far and wide.

Hampton noted that Tahoe now relies on a $10 billion-a-year tourism industry. Despite being half the size of Yosemite National Park, it receives three times the visitation, presenting the region with a new wave of challenges in managing these influx pressures.

“One of the things that I really love about working and living up here is that nobody needs to be convinced that the environment needs to be protected,” she said. “Most people

live or visit here because of the environment. So, the questions are mostly about how to protect it.”

To answer those questions, TERC and partners look to science.

Tahoe’s clarity

Although not used alone, Tahoe’s famed clarity is a good indicator scientists use to monitor its health.

After declining through the 1990s, annual average clarity continues to plateau at about 70 feet.

“So that’s good news, that these declines seem to have stopped,” Hampton explained, “but many people in this room aren’t aware that the management target for Tahoe is to reach historical levels. The Tahoe community wants more. They really want to protect and restore this lake.”

That means the aim for clarity is a depth of 97.4 feet by 2076 and an interim goal of 78 feet by 2031. Hamption explained that there are variations in clarity, with winter values holding steady while summer values worsen. The highest clarity values occur during deepmixing events, when the lake mixes vertically from the surface to the bottom.

Much of the focus on restoring Tahoe clarity has been on inorganic particles, such as sediment, after a 2006 study found that 58% of inorganic particles contribute to clarity impacts, while organic particles account for 25%.

However, Hampton pointed out, “When we don’t see that [clarity] curve bending in spite of all of our efforts to try to improve clarity, we have to ask whether this information is still true.”

A warming world

Since the time that study concluded, Hampton explained, air and water temperatures have been warming.

Those changes have brought increasingly more precipitation as rain and less snow, as well as more ash and smoke as fires grow more frequent and intense.

As these environmental factors change, ecosystem drivers may also be changing and impacting clarity.

Rain can often wash more sediment into the lake compared to snow. Ash and smoke can also contribute to sediment and affect clarity. Additionally, ash introduces nutrients to a class of organic particles, called phytoplankton, which are microscopic organisms that can impact clarity.

The concept has TERC researchers taking a closer look at phytoplankton. These small creatures, unlike inorganic sediment (which sinks), remain suspended in the water column, exerting a persistent impact on clarity.

One decline in clarity in June and July of 2025 correlated with

a large bloom of one phytoplankton called Cyclotella.

Phytoplankton also thrive in warm temperatures.

“So, it stands to reason,” Hampton said, “that phytoplankton may be a bigger driver of clarity as water warms.”

Understanding phytoplankton

Hampton outlined numerous methods to monitor these microscopic beings.

One method includes using the same laser technology used to

Photo by Mike Cane / UC Davis UC Davis has conducted research at Lake Tahoe

COMICS

Impact fees support Cameron Park fire engine purchase

Noel Stack Editor

The Cameron Park Fire Department’’s new Type III Wildland Fire Engine comes with a $393,828 price tag and on July 15, the Cameron Park Community Services District Board of Directors voted to split the bill — $89,399 from the Fire Impact Fee Fund and $304,429 from the fire department’s reserves.

This is the first time the district has designated impact fees to cover part of a fire apparatus purchase, using standard methodology confirmed by SCI Consulting Group.

“We took every resolution, every board action, everything that had been done. We put that in chronological order; we sent everything over to (Blair Aas with SCI) and said, ‘Give us an opinion on whether or not and how we can use fire impact fees … if it’s allowable,” explained Maurice Johnson, former CPCSD general manager now serving the district through SPSS Consulting.

“He looked back into what can be attributed to growth or the impact of growth … and came up with … roughly 22.7%, or $89,399.”

Saving that nearly $90,000 in reserves will come in handy, Johnson noted, as the fire department has another apparatus purchase coming up.

Former CPCSD Director Eric Aiston, who served on the board at the time it authorized the engine purchase, commended staff for double-checking as the previous board hadn’t considered the option of using impact fees to partially fund the purchase.

The motion to adopt a resolution authorizing the use of Fire Impact Fees was unanimously passed with Directors Tim Israel, Sidney Bazett, Katie Gilchrest, J.R. Hichborn and board President Dawn Wolfson present at Wednesday’s meeting.

Other board actions

Directors voted 5-0 to approve the format for the comprehensive CPCSD Five-Year Capital Improvement Program and Long-Range Capital Replacement Plan.

Directors voted 5-0 to approve the final engineer’s report for the continuation of 20 landscaping and lighting district assessments for fiscal year 2026-27.

Directors voted 5-0 to approve a permanent easement across a portion of CSD-owned property as part of PG&E’s Royal Drive infrastructure project. PG&E has offered the district compensation in the amount of $5,000 for the 375-square-foot easement.

Retroactive tax bills coming to EDH property owners

Noel Stack Editor

The El Dorado Hills Community Services District plans to get back landscaping and lighting district assessment revenue withheld from property tax bills a few years back.

Following the April conclusion of a years-long lawsuit filed against El Dorado County Auditor-Controller Joe Harn, the EDHCSD Board of Directors voted 3-1 on July 9 to reconfirm engineer reports for fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24 and authorize the board president to execute the annual certification of LLAD assessments as required by the auditor-controller for each fiscal year.

Harn declined to put LLAD assessments on the 2022-23 and 2023-24 tax bills after he said he noticed discrepancies between what CSD consultants submitted and what the board of directors approved. He then asked CSD officials for a letter “indicating that the CSD board was responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of the assessments,” as it had done in previous years.

Then EDHCSD General Manager Kevin Loewen declined to sign the letters for those two fiscal

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Different interpretations begin to converge. Now people can coordinate their efforts and move forward together. Cooperation will get a little easier each day from here because everyone is working from the same understanding.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Many people enter new social situations trying to fit in. You’ll have more success letting people discover who you already are. Genuine connections form faster when there is less translation required.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Today, assess people based on their curiosity, not their knowledge. What they ask — or if they ask anything at all — will tell you much more about their interests and motivation than what you might learn in an answer.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Today brings themes of entitlement versus contribution. Judgments about who deserves what are often tangled up with people’s self-image and personal biases. Many who think they should get more have less claim to it. Merit and self-confidence don’t always go together. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Love doesn’t happen to you so much as through you. It moves you to act because you care. Decisions made from love rather than fear will lead somewhere worthwhile. Acts of love have long consequences.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The current situation calls for strategic thinking. Resist the urge to focus only on the immediate outcome. Sometimes the real victory is gaining experience you’ll be able to use long after this particular challenge is over. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You lived the past, you imagine

the future and now is the only moment in which you can really affect destiny. Three different times seem to exist simultaneously today. It’s how you know you are, at your core, timeless.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There are two paths: one bathed in sunlight, promising warmth and familiarity, the other shrouded in moonlight, fog and the allure of the unknown. You don’t have to decide; your feet already know.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When your brain is trying to hold too many open loops, you can feel overwhelmed. Write it out and the feeling of overload will decrease even before a single problem is solved just because you move the problem out of your head and onto paper.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Make a request. Use clear language and say the thing that lets everyone know where you’re coming from and what you want. You’ll be pleased by how quickly circumstances improve once people understand exactly what you need.

years. It was later revealed Loewen had an outside relationship with the consultant performing the assessment studies. The cost to the district was approximately $1.4 million in 202223 and $1.9 million in 2023-24.

Loewen resigned from his position in December 2023. He faces criminal charges of perjury and conflict of interest related to an investigation into his professional activities while serving as general manager. A trial setting conference is set for July 31.

During public comment, EDH resident Bob Williams told the directors because of the conflict of interest — Loewen doing side work for consultant DTA, a violation of his EDHCSD employment contract — the district should re-evaluate those assessments.

“You’re asking thousands ... of residents to pay for assessments that need to be vetted,” Williams said. “You’re creating additional legal issues that you don’t need to.”

Noting the district covered LLAD expenses during this twoyear period, EDH Resident Chris Nicholson acknowledged the CSD is in a tight spot and faces a difficult

County recognized for wildfire planning, preparedness

Carla Hass

El Dorado County Chief Administrative Office

El Dorado County has been recognized by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection as a Fire Risk Reduction Community, reaffirming the county’s long-term commitment to building wildfire resilient communities. El Dorado is one of only six counties to earn the designation for a second consecutive cycle.

“This recognition reflects El Dorado County’s continued commitment to reducing wildfire risk through strategic planning, collaboration, and action,” said Chief Administrative Officer Sue Phillips. “We are proud to be recognized again by the State for our work to make our communities more resilient.”

Planning and Building Department, local fire districts, Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit, and other key partners.

The application highlighted the county’s recent update and implementation of its Community Wildfire Protection Plan, wildfire mitigation, hazardous fuel reduction, defensible space efforts, support for home hardening, public education and outreach and the strong crossagency collaboration that are central to earning and maintaining the Fire Risk Reduction Community designation.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You don’t have all the information, and that’s OK. Focus on

care of yourself instead of

The 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community List recognizes public agencies that demonstrate proactive wildfire planning and risk reduction measures. Eligible communities must be located with a State Responsibility Area or a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and demonstrate best practices in wildfire preparedness, mitigation and community engagement.

The county’s Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience developed the application in partnership with the county’s

“Earning this designation for a second time reflects the significant progress we’ve made through the dedication of our County departments, fire agencies, community partners, and residents,” said Tanya Harlow, OWPR’s wildfire resilience officer. “While we’re pleased with the designation, we recognize the job is never done. By collaborating with our partners on planning, mitigation, preparedness and education, we will continue to reduce wildfire risk and help make our communities safer and stronger.”

In addition to recognizing El Dorado County’s leadership in wildfire preparedness, the designation may benefit residents directly as California Department of Insurance regulations

n SHOE by Jeff MacNelly

n TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter

n RUBES by Leigh Rubin

n SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly

“We can’t retroactively take back the

and

maintenance to the amenities of our community,” Nicholson said.

“I do agree that people getting those makeup assessments will frown upon the CSD and ... you’ll take some arrows, and people won’t understand it. They won’t understand that these are monies that they didn’t have to pay before and now they have to pay,” he continued. “But that money was raised and spent, and we enjoyed it.”

EDH resident Steve Gutierrez echoed concerns about the accuracy of DTA’s reports and also advised directors to prepare for a barrage of questions, especially from residents who purchased homes within the affected LLADs after the two-year gap.

“They’re gonna get all these assessments with no explanation other than, hey, you know what ... the board and the auditor were at odds for two years over a signature,” Gutierrez said. “I just caution you folks, go ahead and do it but there’s gonna be some ... repercussions for it.”

Board members made no comments on the issue though Director Stephen Ferry did ask that the agenda item be pulled from the meeting’s consent calendar for discussion. A motion had already been made and seconded to adopt the consent calendar as is with the item reconfirming engineer reports and authorizing board President Noelle Mattock to execute the annual certification of assessments. The motion passed 3-1 with Mattock and Directors Heidi Hannaman and Gary Kinghorn voting yes and Ferry voting no. Director Mike Martinelli was absent.

As a part of the court order issued at the lawsuit’s conclusion, the two years of LLAD assessments previously withheld are to be placed

Announcements

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HANGTOWN WOMEN’S TENNIS CLUB: Come play tennis for fitness, fun & friendship. Meet at El Dorado HS tennis courts on Acacia St., Placerville, Wednesdays 9-11 except June -August, hours 9-11. Social activities & monthly tennis clinics. Some tennis ability required. Call Trisha 530-651-8121.

Grief support: Green Valley Community Church provides caring support through: • Grief share classes • Suicide loss support group • Memorials year round, Visit our website: www.greenvalley.church/outreach or call 530-622-3231.

Come and enjoy a paid lunch with the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA), for the CalPERS retirees and spouses. The meetings are held at 11:30 AM on March 16, May 18, July 20, September 21, and November 16, 2026. The location is at the Denny’s Restaurant, 3446 Coach Lane in Cameron Park. Call 530 919 7515 for information and programs.

DEMOCRATS – Come meet with the United Democrats of El Dorado County at Round Table Pizza–Missouri Flat Rd. in Placerville at noon on the 3rd

retroactively on upcoming assessment rolls. Assessments for 2022-23 are to be collected in 2026-27 and 2023-24 assessments are to be collected in 2027-28.

“The county will comply with the order of the Superior Court judge and place the retroactive LLAD assessments on the tax bills,” Harn confirmed. “This action will cause a great deal of confusion when many EDH residents receive

their property tax bills. It will also be a hardship for some homeowners. This mess — the costly litigation and the retroactive assessments — all could have been avoided if the same EDHCSD board president, who was willing to sign the contractually required attestation letter last week, would have signed the same letter five years ago.” The court order also required the EDHCSD to pay $320,000 to cover the county’s attorney fees.

OPINION

California Commentary

Tax hikes just keep rolling in and people keep rolling

If anyone thought that the budget that the Legislature just passed reflected any degree of fiscal responsibility, let us disabuse you of that notion. While other states balance their budgets, California is spiraling down the financial commode.

The state’s structural deficit is a chronic, multiyear imbalance of $20 billion to $35 billion annually because of overspending that outstrips population and inflation. Florida, in contrast, avoids chronic long-term deficits by maintaining a leaner, low-tax government structure.

What is even more incomprehensible is that California taxpayers have done far more than their share to address the problem by generating higher revenues every year. Despite this, elected leadership in the Capitol continues to pursue even higher taxes, to the tune of $14 billion. The new “revenue enhancements” include a new tax on software and digital services that businesses use for payroll, accounting, scheduling, inventory management, and other day-to-day operations. As with all taxes on businesses, the costs will be passed on to consumers. Another tax that will hit most Californians is an $8.85 monthly tax per member on both MediCal managed care plans and commercial health insurance plans. The estimated hit for individuals and businesses is $1.5 billion, an increase of more than $400 per year for a family of four.

The drumbeat of negative news coming out of California has had a direct and measurable impact on the state’s demographics. A study of IRS data by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation found that California is losing a taxpayer roughly every minute …

Letter to the Editor

A di erent angle

EDITOR:

Thank you, Mr. O’Shea. It’s not often that your political opponent reinforces your case the way Mr. O’Shea did mine.

He brags, referring to Graham Platner how the Democrats are able to change when they make a mistake. As commendable as that sounds let’s take a look at what the Democrats call a mistake. The only issue the Democrats had with Platner was his sexual transgressions. It was the rape that the Democrats could not put up with, not the fact that their candidate was a Nazi-tattooed fascist who promoted socialism.

And as to Mr. O’Shea trying to smear President Donald Trump with Je rey Epstein, if there was

anything there you would have heard about it during the Joe Biden years courtesy of his top gun Attorney General Merrick Garland. You might want to try a di erent angle, Mr. O’Shea, as this one was obviously not thought through.

Although it is not a direct tax increase, the ■ See COUPAL, page A7

Guest Column

Gov. Huckabee Sanders shows education can be

Amid celebrations of our nation’s 250th birthday, Gallup serves up a sobering portrait of general dissatisfaction with our nation’s core institutions.

“Confidence in U.S. institutions Remains Near All-Time Low,” reports Gallup. Of 14 core institutions — banks, big business, labor, the presidency, Congress, schools, health care, etc. — only 27% say they have “a great deal/quite a lot of confidence,” one point above the all-time low for this average.

In 1979, the percent expressing “a great deal/quite a lot of confidence” in these 14 core institutions stood at 48%. One explanation is the double-edged sword of the growth of government. More government means more ine ciency. At the same time, the more government control grows, the harder it is to change and reform. More government, more interest groups, more lobbying to keep the status quo.

Let’s consider education.

Per Gallup, only 27% say they have

high confidence in our public schools. The highest it’s been since 1993 was 41%.

Any marketplace in which three-quarters of consumers are unhappy with the product they’re getting would see intense activity by suppliers to change what they are delivering. That’s when the marketplace is free.

But when the market is dominated by government and unions, the best interests of the consumer — in the case of education, parents and children — do not rule. Powerful interest groups that profit from the status quo use money and power to block change.

When only 27% are satisfied with our public schools, how can we possibly understand that only 28 states have opted in to the new Education Freedom $1,700 federal tax credit to contribute to scholarship funds to help parents privately educate their children?

The answer is 25 of the 28 states that have opted in are Republican states. Democrats are subservient to the hundreds of millions of political contributions from the

teachers unions and their agenda to indoctrinate our kids with progressive values.

The results — pathetic test scores — speak for themselves.

But now we can see what happens when governors really care about children and families, put learning as their priority, and let the marketplace work to give parents freedom to choose what they see as best for their kids.

Under the leadership of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas set up its Education Freedom Accounts program, establishing a platform through which parents have available scholarship funding to use to choose where to send their children to school.

Data is now coming in for the program, now in its second year.

Per a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, students participating in the Education Freedom Account program “outperformed nearly 60% of students nationwide in math and English on

standardized assessments.”

Further, per the report, there are almost 50,000 students now using these accounts and 81% of K-12 parents support the program — up 20 points from 2023.

The Education Freedom Accounts provided $6,684-$7,627 to each student for educational expenses.

Blue New York state has not opted in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit.

Investor Je Yass noted in the Wall Street Journal that, despite New York City spending $42,000 per student in its public schools, scores in math and reading are dismal.

Yass suggests to New York City socialist mayor Mamdani that the $42,000 be split in half, giving a scholarship voucher worth $21,000 for each child and the other $21,000 into a savings account in the child’s name. After 13 years, when the child graduates high school, there would

GEORGE ALGER

Placerville

JON COUPAL STAR PARKER

detect blood cancers at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. Researchers have found a way to use the technology to detect one of the smallest phytoplankton, called picoplankton, which is too small to be measured by standard methods.

Although picoplankton are incredibly small, a study found that they account for around 50% of primary productivity in Tahoe, highlighting their significant role.

Studies are also being conducted on “lake snow,” seemingly snowlike large particles that fall to the bottom. These are made up of aggregations of phytoplankton and sediments that stick together.

Why are they important to clarity?

These aggregates sink faster than individual particles, thereby going out of the light zone and no longer impacting clarity. Understanding “lake snow” could be an important piece of the puzzle.

“We’re trying to understand how the environment shapes how particles actually get cleared from the upper waters and how fast it can occur,” Hampton explained. “So we think understanding these processes will be key to understanding why summer clarity is not improving.”

Nearshore

Hampton also provided an overview of an ecosystem where humans interact most with the lake and where the greatest pressure from aquatic invasive species occurs—the nearshore environment.

One of the greatest concerns the public and researchers have in this area of the lake is algae and whether it is increasing.

“So far, we cannot detect a change in the total amount of near shore algae, but here’s the big caveat,” Hampton said. “It is really difficult to monitor near shore algae because it is literally a moving target.” It can jump from one zone to another, so if it moves out of the monitoring area, that data no longer gets captured. To combat this,

Continued from A6

legislature broke a previous commitment to remove limits on certain long-standing business tax credits, including research and development credits that help California attract jobs and investment. Those limits will now remain in place, effectively increasing business taxes.

The drumbeat of negative news coming out of California has had a direct and measurable impact on the state’s demographics. A study of IRS data by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation found that California is losing a taxpayer roughly every minute, as states like Florida, Texas, and North Carolina attract new residents due to lower taxes and higher standards of living. The study notes the comparison with Florida, which gains a new taxpayer every 2 minutes and 9 seconds, and with Texas, which gains one every 2 minutes and 53 seconds. According to the study, “The result has been a bonanza for Florida, which is now collecting $4 billion more per year for its budget. The states losing taxpayers at the fastest rate are California, New York, and Illinois.”

Parker

The rate of loss was calculated as:

“California: every 1 minute and 44 seconds; New York: every 2 minutes and 23 seconds; Illinois: every 6 minutes and 4 seconds; Massachusetts: every 11 minutes and 38 seconds; New Jersey: every 14 minutes and 14 seconds.”

These one-party, socialist-leaning states are subject to unrelenting pressure from labor organizations for even higher tax increases to pay for their new spending demands.

While the study on the exodus from hightax states measured just the number of people moving, California has a unique problem that will cause exponentially more damage. Specifically, a ballot measure this November seeks to impose a firstin-the-nation “wealth tax,” initially targeting billionaires. The response from this elite group of taxpayers has been predictable: The mere threat of such a law has caused several to leave the state, which will deprive state coffers of billions in revenue these individuals, and their businesses, would otherwise contribute to the general fund. Clearly, it’s not just the number of people who are leaving California,

Continued from A6

be $300,000 accumulated — assuming a paltry 2% annual interest rate — for college.

We celebrate America’s 250th birthday with joy, even though a lot is not what it should or could be. Freedom is precious and magnificent because it leaves the door perpetually open for renewal. One party, Democrats, thinks that freedom is the problem. Republicans know that freedom is the answer. Young new Republican leaders such as Sanders are shining examples of the great potential ahead. Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and author of “Necessary Noise, How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why this is Good News for America” (Hachette 2019).

TERC researchers are developing new monitoring methods using drones and helicopters to capture data on the entire shoreline.

A grad student is also studying whether satellite remote sensing can effectively monitor shoreline algae.

Although TERC is cautiously optimistic, Hamptson said, “if it works, that would be very cost-effective and potentially semiautomated.”

Other shoreline studies are using genetic approaches to investigate how algal patches are associated with invasive species and testing the use of DNA in the environment to detect invasive species.

Hamption concluded the State of the Lake by addressing broader implications.

but who those individuals are that reveals the real threat to the state’s financial stability.

Professor Jonathan Turley, a frequent commentator on legal and political issues, had this to say about the NTUF study: “There is a common myth that the top five percent of this country do not ‘pay their fair share.’

However, putting that debate aside, the question is whether it will produce more revenue than it costs the state in the long run. As these politicians campaign on clipping the ‘fat cats’ who are not paying their fair share, many are likely to follow the exodus to lower tax states with greater fiscal discipline.”

Here in the Golden State, it is already happening.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

“This get-together in Tahoe tonight is focused on Lake Tahoe, but the lessons learned here go well beyond this place,” Hampton said. “Looking

forward we’re going to anticipate that the challenges will intensify as areas of North America become less hospitable through heat,

storms, sea level rise and wildfire.”

Populations are expected to shift northward and to higher elevations, something already seen at Tahoe, which receives an increase of visitors by the thousands when Central Valley temperatures go above 100 degrees.

“As the world changes,” Hampton said at the end of the report, “it’s likely that this is just the beginning, so we need to build resilience in our communities and our infrastructure, our ecosystems now.”

To read the entire State of the Lake Report visit tahoe.ucdavis.edu/ stateofthelake.

Photo by

Coupal

Poganski moves

Photo courtesy of EDCFPD

Deputy Chief Jacob Poganski, front left, takes his oath at an informal ceremony last week.

uncorrected misstatements reported … and they didn’t encounter any significant difficulties in dealing with the management at the city and there were no disagreements with city management,” she said.

The audit found the city’s overall net position increased by $2.5 million to $74 million during the fiscal year. Governmental activities increased by $3 million, while businesstype activities, including the city’s water and sewer operations, increased by $3.7 million.

The city’s general fund ended the fiscal year with a $4.2 million fund balance, including approximately $4.1 million in unassigned reserves, up from $1.4 million the previous year.

Response

“So, that basically is our rainy day fund,” she said.

“So, as of June 30 of 2025, we had a $4 million general fund balance.”

She did caution that some of that fund might be restricted while a portion would be utilized elsewhere.

“We will definitely be drawing down on that with the 681 Main St. purchase and renovations,” she added.

The general fund recorded $11.2 million in revenue and $10.6 million in expenditures, resulting in a $260,000 surplus for the fiscal year. Tornincasa noted the city posted a nearly $900,000 deficit the previous year and said staff would closely monitor the budget.

“At a minimum we owe you guys a midyear report

Continued from A1

the grand jury may request any updates to the website in accordance with the approved service level agreement and (memorandum of understanding),” the response states.

District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin asserted the disagreement between the board and the grand jury goes beyond a website update.

“The grand jury, just generally speaking, not a specific one, … has credibility problems,” she said. “Sometimes the grand jury reports are so spot on and factual, and actually informative, and then we get one that’s full of opinions and speculation … not factual.”

She questioned the report review process and asked if the county had a way to correct errors published in grand jury reports.

“There’s nothing more frustrating, in my mind, when you’re reading one of these, and they’re published as if they’re factual, and then you see something that’s actually very wrong and incorrect,” she continued. “I feel from what I’ve been hearing from folks that the grand jury, as a whole, not a specific one, has a trust problem.”

Parlin recalled an incident a few years ago in which a grand juror took home a county-owned laptop without permission and downloaded items from that laptop.

“To this day, we don’t know what was downloaded … even though I think many people have asked,” she said. “It could have been those video interviews that people do down there in the grand jury room. Nobody knows.”

Because of this incident, Parlin said she has

but we should probably move to quarterly reports to see how we’re doing,” she suggested.

Tornincasa also highlighted several financial indicators, including an operating cost ratio showing the city spent about 83 cents in operating costs for every $1 in tax revenue. She said the city’s unassigned fund balance equaled about 38% of annual expenditures, exceeding the Government Finance Officers Association’s recommended minimum reserve level and providing more than three months of operating reserves.

Although the audit found no material weaknesses, it identified three significant deficiencies involving bank reconciliations,

grant receivables and delayed financial reporting.

Tornincasa said staff has already implemented corrective measures, including completing bank reconciliations monthly instead of annually.

“We are committed to not having this be an issue moving forward and I’m confident it won’t be,” she said after noting the city has hired a new accountant and has begun closing the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The city’s separate federal compliance audit also received an unmodified opinion after auditors reviewed approximately $3 million, or 70%, of the city’s $4.4 million in federal expenditures. Tornincasa described the result as “another clean audit.”

advised some people scheduled for interviews with the grand jury to request the interaction not be video recorded “until we understand this better and what the security is.”

“This report says ‘bringing clarity to the public process.’ I really think the grand jury should put it out there, either a report or a web page, about what is the process now,” she added. “How secure is the data? What are the expectations when you’re issued a grand jury laptop? It does not belong to you.”

“It seems like there’s a bit of a divide, especially on this one with regards to the civil grand jury website,” District 5 Supervisor and board Chair Brooke Laine said. “I don’t know how to really go forward with that except to respond to the process, which is what we’re being asked to do, and we reserve the right to not agree or partially agree.

No one from the public or the 2025-26 grand jury spoke on the item.

In addition to unanimously approving the response to Case 26-03, the 5-0 vote approved responses to Case 26-02: “El Dorado County Owned Airports” and Case 26-01: “Placerville and South Lake Tahoe Jails and the South Lake Tahoe Youth Treatment Center Inspections.” The reports can be read online at eldoradocounty.ca.gov/ grandjury. Select the Reports and Responses tab. The responses are included in the July 21 Board of Supervisors’ agenda packet. Visit eldorado. legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and select 2026 Board of Supervisors to download the packet.

Councilmember John Clerici said he challenged Tornincasa to complete the delinquent audits.

“She met every challenge in getting this taken care of because it had gone on way too long,” Clerici said. “I have every confidence that going forward we will be having nice audits that’ll be very simple and straightforward.”

“Thank you very much for your very hard work in getting this done,” said Mayor Nicole Gotberg. “I know we are very happy to have it completed.”

According to Tornincasa the clean audit marks a significant milestone for the city as staff works to improve financial reporting practices and strengthen internal controls.

north of Lime Kiln Road plus new signals and upgraded curbs, gutters and sidewalks — completed construction in February 2022. Phase 1B includes the new four-lane arterial roadway with concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk on both sides from Missouri Flat Road south of Golden Center Drive to the new T-intersection with Highway 49 south of Bradley Drive. The project also includes realignments of both Bradley Drive and Missouri Flat Road, traffic signals at the Missouri Flat Road, Throwita Way and Highway 49 intersections as well as a new parking lot near the Old Depot Bike Park and El Dorado Trail, “which is much needed,” Harrington said. El Dorado County DOT Deputy Director – Engineering Matt Smeltzer said the county staff and contractor Teichert have enjoyed great cooperation with local land owners, business owners and public agencies like the El Dorado Irrigation District and PG&E during the parkway’s extensive planning process and construction. The project included property acquisition, moving structures and undergrounding utilities. And, because the roadway is built on a former lime processing site, a major remediation project took place, “about 20,000 yards of lime waste,” Harrington noted.

“We were probably able to use 85%-90% of this on site,” he said. “If it’s of the right dilution and blended properly it makes an excellent subgrade.”

DOT has temporarily closed segments of Bradley Drive and Throwita Way so the contractor can complete the Bradley realignment. El Dorado Disposal’s Material Recovery Facility is accessible via the new route between Highway 49 and Throwita Way. Access to Truck Street is only available from Highway 49 during the detour, which will last approximately two months.

For more information about the Diamond Springs Parkway project visit the DOT website: eldoradocounty. ca.gov/Land-Use/County-Projects/Road-TransportationProjects.

Mountain Democrat photo by Noel Stack

A crew member works on the sidewalk on the new Diamond Springs Parkway near Missouri Flat Road.

Attack Continued from A1

that could have caused this type of injury, opining the animals may have startled each other and the attack followed.

Bill and Pat said they didn’t hear the scuffle but their neighbor Barbara Dugger shared that something caught her ear noises late in the night. “I heard growling four times down by the creek around 1:30 a.m. but I didn’t wake my husband,” she recalled. “Our dog didn’t even bark.”

Recognition

Dugger has alerted the next door neighbor, who has goats. “She’ll be locking them up at night now.”

In spite of his injuries — he’s sporting a leg cast and a cone around his head — Cole still wags his tail and seems in good spirits, the family shared, adding his enthusiasm for going outside hasn’t dampened one bit and he’s still interested in chasing squirrels. The pup is expected to fully recover.

Continued from A4

require insurers to consider Fire Risk Reduction Community status in their rating plans. Homeowners should contact their insurance provider to determine whether the designation qualifies then for available discounts. It also strengthens the county’s competitiveness for wildfire

Crime log Continued from A2

10:35

Trespassing was reported at a business on El Dorado Hills Boulevard in El Dorado Hills.

3 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

3:21 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Loyal Lane in Pollock Pines.

5:13 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at a business on Park Drive in El Dorado Hills.

5:39 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Dollhouse Road in Placerville.

8:25 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Borders Drive in El Dorado Hills.

9:31 p.m. A party disturbance was reported on Cold Springs Road in Placerville.

9:32 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported on Milton Ranch Road in Shingle Springs.

10:01 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported on Oak Leaf Circle in Placerville.

11 p.m. A party disturbance was reported at Aristotle Drive and Allegro Place in El Dorado Hills.

11:53 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported at Highway 50 and Greenstone Road.

April 26

12:02 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Mt. Aukum Road in Somerset.

12:51 a.m. Battery was reported on Golden Center Drive in Placerville.

2:34 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Avanti Drive in El Dorado Hills.

4:09 a.m. Trespassing was reported on Mira Loma Drive in Cameron Park.

7:42 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Pony Express Trail in Pollok Pines.

11:23 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on La Crescenta Drive in Cameron Park.

2:47 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Consolation Court in Shingle Springs.

3:14 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Lariat Drive in Cameron Park.

4;29 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

5:49 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

6:10 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

6:11 p.m. Burglary was reported on Emerald Hills Court in El Dorado Hills.

6:27 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Town Center Boulevard in El Dorado Hills.

6:46 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at a business on Golden Center Drive in Placerville.

7:57 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Highway 49 in Lotus.

8:03 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Country Club Drive in Cameron Park.

8:18 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Oxford Road in Cameron Park.

April 27

1:08 a.m. Battery was reported on Forni Road in Placerville Road.

9:30 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Valley View Parkway in El Dorado Hills.

9:58 a.m. Grand theft was reported on Navion Court in Cameron Park.

1:20 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Dollhouse Road in Placerville.

1:28 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Golden Foothill Parkway in El Dorado Hills.

2:46 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Justine Avenue in Diamond Springs.

3:01 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at Cambridge Road and Highway 50 in Cameron Park.

3:11 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Sunset Lane in Shingle Springs.

3:41 p.m. Vandalism was reported was reported at Marshall and Garden Valley roads in Garden Valley.

4:26 p.m. Trespassing was reported at aa business on

mitigation funding opportunities. For more information about El Dorado County’s wildfire preparedness programs and resources visit eldoradocounty.ca.gov/PublicSafety-Justice/Wildfire-Disaster/ Office-of-Wildfire-Preparedness- andResilience.

Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

5 p.m. Battery was reported on Amber Lane in Placerville.

7:17 p.m. Trespassing Old Bass Lake Road in El Dorado Hills.

9:27 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines.

10:49 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported on Service Drive in Diamond Springs.

April 28

8:10 a.m. Grand theft was reported on Country Club Drive in Cameron Park.

9:47 a.m. An intoxicated person was reported at a business on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

11:04 a.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

12:38 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Post Street in El Dorado Hills.

1:39 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Faith Lane in Diamond Springs.

6:13 p.m. Trespassing was reported Bar D Ranch Court in Rescue.

6:26 p.m. Trespassing was reported on on Old Bass Lake Road in El Dorado Hills.

6:32 p.m. Battery was reported on Silva Valley Parkway in El Dorado Hills.

7:19 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

April 29

4:17 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

10:19 a.m. Grand theft was reported on Forest Road in Pollock Pines.

11:58 a.m. Trespassing was reported on Faith Lane in Diamond Springs.

12:49 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Mt. Shasta Lane in Placerville.

12:53 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Faith Lane in Diamond Springs.

2:04 p.m. Vandalism was reported on San Francisco Drive in El Dorado Hills.

2:05 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Post Street in El Dorado Hills.

2:47 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Faith Lane in Diamond Springs.

3:47 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines.

3:57 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Mt. Shasta Lane in Placerville.

5:22 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Penniman Drive in El Dorado Hills.

7:32 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Sly Park Road in Placerville.

7:34 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Pollock Avenue in Pollock Pines.

April 30

12:51 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at a business on Highway 49 in Lotus.

7:22 a.m. Trespassing was reported at a business on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

8:41 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Flying C Court in Cameron Park.

10:58 a.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Swansboro Road in Placerville.

11:44 a.m. Trespassing was reported on Reservoir Road in Georgetown.

2:01 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported at a business on Coach Lane in Cameron Park.

5:44 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Faith Lane in Diamond Springs.

5:55 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Georgia Slide Road in Georgetown.

6:30 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Flicker Way in Garden Valley.

7:59 p.m. A verbal disturbance was reported on Cedar Drive in Camino.

8:04 p.m. Trespassing was reported on Boeing Road in Cameron Park.

9:29 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported at Cambridge Road and Country Club Drive in Cameron Park.

9:43 p.m. A noise disturbance was reported on Pelkie Lane in Shingle Springs.

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We all want the best for our aging parents. When we start to notice changes in their daily routines, like di culty with household tasks, missing meals, or becoming increasingly isolated, it may be time to start talking about Assisted Living.

Tips for talking with your loved ones about Assisted Living: Choose the right moment | Be honest and empathetic | Listen actively Provide information | Reassure their independence

Most importantly, take it step-by-step. Frame the conversation as the beginning of an ongoing discussion, rather than a nal decision. is allows time for adjustment and further exploration together.

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IN THE KNOW

Stellar Students

Congratulations to Katelyn Vaught of Shingle Springs who was recently named to the Ohio University’s Spring Provost’s List.

July 24

Sherwood Demonstration Garden, 6699 Campus Drive, Placerville, is open 9 a.m. to noon, for Open Garden Day Friday and Saturday. Take a leisurely stroll through all 16 themed gardens. Docents are on-site to assist you with any questions regarding the Sherwood Demonstration Garden or your personal gardens. May be closed for inclement weather or poor air quality, check before visiting at tinyurl.com/pszsfdhf.

Join American River Conservancy for Sound Alchemy and Yoga Immersion at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit arconservancy.org.

Join Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Sierra for Picnic in the Park at the Placerville Aquatic Center, 3071 Benham St. in Placerville from 5-7 p.m. For more information visit bbbsns.org.

The Olde Coloma Theatre presents “The Watered Down Saloon” or “A Trip Out West” through Aug. 23. For tickets and more information go to oldecolomatheatre.com.

Red’s Blues Band will perform at 5 p.m. at HWY 50 Brewery in Camino. For more information visit hwy50brewery.com/livemusic.

Ed Wilson will perform at Renegade Winery & Bistro in Mokelumne Hill from 5-8 p.m.

The Sam Chase & The Untraditional + Red Dirt Ruckus will perform, 7-11 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

West Coast Performing Arts Concerts presents Elvis Live!, 7:30 p.m. at Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom. For tickets and more information call (916) 6086888 or visit harriscenter.net.

July 25

Join American River Conservancy for an Alpine Hike from Carson Pass to Lake Winnemucca at 8 a.m. Registration required. For more information visit arconservancy.org.

Marshall Pediatrics invites the community to attend its Kid’s Summer Health Fair, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4341 Golden Center Drive, Suite A, Placerville. The health fair will be a family-friendly event, featuring health screenings, sports and annual physicals, wellness resources, community partners and activities for kids. For more information call (530) 6262940.

Toogood Winery Tasting Room in Fairplay will host its Wine and Cheese Celebration with no reservations required on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information visit toogoodwinery.com.

Holly’s Hill Vineyards and Brewery in Placerville will host A Watermelon A air from 11 a.m. to 4

p.m. Saturday and Sunday featuring watermelon gazpacho, shrimp tacos with

J Woody a new musical chapter

Shelly Thorene Sta writer

Fans of popular local singersongwriter James Woodward (J Woody) will be pleased to hear about the release of his second self-produced album titled "Mission of Me" by J Woody and the Knotholes, which includes a mix of fresh sounds and personal storytelling. Five years in the making, this collection of 15 songs introduces new themes and musical styles building on the success of Woodward's previous work, "A Long Way to Heaven."

Woodward said the title track, "Mission of Me" was written a couple of years ago and his producer, Danny Sha er really liked it.

"We had been sifting through previously recorded songs that weren't included on my first album and he felt the song should be the first track on the new one," he said.

Woodward's partnership with the Chicago-based sound man Sha er goes back more than 20 years.

"He sifted through my catalog and gave me an honest thumb’s up or down on what he heard,” Woodward said. “I knew right away that his instincts were good, and that he was focused on the song, what it had, or didn’t have. When he hears potential, the wheels of artistic collaboration start spinning. There would be no J Woody without Danny’s amazing guitar playing and production skills."

Woodward's talent is supported on this album by many musicians from his first album and he said they had a lot of fun making it. Dave Wren "makes magic" he said, on his pedal steel guitar, Brandy Lane, Dennis Parrish and Fred Kent provided "superb bass lines." Woodward praised Gerald Dowd for "solid drums," Angela Scha er for "pitch-perfect” harmonies and Ann Harris for awesome strings on "I'm Sorry." Some of the album's recording was done by local musician and sound man Jamie Faw at Ravenwood Studio and local artists Martha and Warren Dayton created the eye-catching cover art.

Woodward describes his song writing process as "highly intuitive" and said he usually starts by composing the lyrics.

"We've all heard about how great songs just 'happened' very quickly to famous artists,” he said. “The best lyrics come in with a rhythm to them. The words must 'move' before a rhyming pattern or a melody is present."

Woodward said he studied poetry at an early age and gained an appreciation for how great poets make the words "dance with a rhythmic flow."

"Sometimes the first draft of a song doesn't flow well and I go back and try to get it moving,” He explained. “Of course, the music, which usually comes later, must harmonize with the lyrical content; together they convey the emotion."

As a youth, Woodward was influenced by ‘60s rock including the Beatles and Bob Dylan. He said the first songs he ever wrote were influenced by John Denver, Neil Young, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Kris Kristo erson and other singer-songwriters of that era.

"Their songs were primarily built around an acoustic guitar and some personal lyrics,” said Woodward. “That's what I had and their music shaped my early e orts."

On the rock ‘n’ roll side, Woodward said he was a big fan of The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Led Zeppelin and "any band with Eric Clapton." He enjoys country music, as well and his favorites include Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams for songs with "heart and universal appeal." Woodward said he has a favorite musician, Bruce Cockburn, who he said, "is not as well-known as he deserves to be."

Woodward said sometimes he has an artist in mind when he writes a song but never tries to copy any of his idols.

"Maybe I can write a song that honors a performer,” he remarked. “I can evoke a trace of someone who has enthralled millions of listeners and the vocal style I apply to a certain song might be a tribute in some way.”

“Mission of Me” is available on all major streaming services and JWoodyMusic.com.

While Woodward may have been influenced by some great musicians, his all-original songs are uniquely his own.

Woodward often performs solo. However, at other times, he teams up with local musicians. He also has a way of performing virtually with the Knotholes, which had all the musicians in El Dorado County and in Chicago that were included in the recordings on both CD's.

"I can play with the Knotholes as they were recorded on my albums,” he said. “It’s called using backing tracks; the Knotholes are playing my songs just as they did in the studio. My producer stripped out my guitar and vocals so I perform live with the recorded band “backing” me. Sounds just like the recording … cuz it is, only with J Woody singing and playing in real time."

The title track "Mission of Me" opens with Wren's soulful sounds on the pedal steel guitar leading to Woodward's soulsearching lyrics:

Divin' into the shadow, on a mission of me

Can't avoid the confusion if you wanna be free

Swimmin' in my delusions, always fightin' the tide

Found that breathin' was better, with nothin' to hide

With nothin' left to hide

Got nothin' left to hide

The Daytons created the graphics and artwork for the CD illustrating the album's title on the cover perfectly with a drawing of Woodward holding a guitar and looking into his shadow and his heart surrounded by a compass.

Both albums can be streamed on all streaming platforms and fans can listen to his music for free on JWoodyMusic. com. Live gig schedules can be found on facebook.com/JWoodyMusic.

Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene

J Woody plays multiple venues in the El Dorado County region, often with friends, sometimes with the Knotholes and other times with a recorded backing track. Either way, his shows are not to be missed.

Country stars take the stage

Mountain Democrat staff

Country music fans can enjoy a two-act lineup when El Dorado Hills Town Center's popular Live on the Boulevard summer concert series returns Thursday, July 30, with performances by Cynthia Renee and Cripple Creek.

The free concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Town Center Amphitheater and is part of the weekly outdoor series presented by the El Dorado Hills Arts and Entertainment Foundation and Town Center. The evening's Country Night theme will feature back-to-back performances from two Northern California country favorites.

Opening the evening is Sacramentobased singer-songwriter Cynthia Renee, whose blend of contemporary country and heartfelt storytelling has earned national attention. Her singles "Working on a Hangover" and "Good on Me" both reached the Top 100 on country radio charts, while her latest release, "The Way God Made Me," has received award nominations and continues to build momentum. Renee is known for pairing powerful vocals with songs inspired by faith, resilience and everyday life.

Headlining the concert is Cripple Creek, a country band that has

become a familiar name throughout the West Coast since forming in 2012. The group has released multiple albums and earned recognition in national songwriting competitions in 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2025. Known for energetic live performances, Cripple Creek has appeared at major events including Sacramento's GoldenSky Festival and the Santa Rosa Summer Country Music Festival. The band has also shared stages with country stars including Toby Keith, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Dustin Lynch. Live on the Boulevard has become a summertime tradition in El Dorado Hills, drawing families and music lovers to Town Center for free weekly concerts featuring a variety of musical styles. The July 30 concert offers one of the series' few double-bill performances, giving audiences a full evening of live country music. Admission is free. Guests are encouraged to arrive early for seating and to enjoy dining and shopping at Town Center before the show. Event organizers note that outside alcohol and beverages are not permitted, and all bags are subject to search under the venue's event guidelines. Learn more at edhtowncenter.com.

Trustee receives national leadership award

News release

ACRAMENTO — Laurie Nelson

SRandlett, a longtime board member and past president of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, has been recognized with Opera America’s 2026 National Opera Trustee Recognition Award, honoring her leadership and service to the regional arts organization.

The annual awards recognize trustees of North American opera companies whose leadership has strengthened their organizations through board effectiveness, community impact, financial sustainability and long-term success.

Randlett is among five recipients honored this year, joining trustees from Heartbeat Opera, Amelia Island Opera, Opera San José and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

“Laurie Nelson is an exceptional leader and an irreplaceable champion of this organization,” CEO Giuliano Kornberg

The recognition highlights more than a decade of service to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, where Randlett helped guide the organization through one of the most challenging periods in its history.

“This recognition from Opera America speaks to what those of us at the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera have known for years — that Laurie Nelson is an exceptional leader and an irreplaceable champion of this organization,” CEO Giuliano Kornberg said. “Her commitment to our longterm sustainability, her impact in the community and her tireless dedication to the art form make her exactly the kind of trustee this award was created to honor.”

Randlett joined the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera board in 2013 during a period of uncertainty for the organization. Following the abrupt departure of the executive director, she assumed the role of

board president and helped lead the organization through a difficult rebuilding process.

Her leadership continued through the COVID-19 pandemic as the organization worked to restore financial stability, strengthen its board and staff leadership and expand its role in Sacramento’s cultural community. Her efforts, along with those of fellow board members and supporters, helped transform the organization into what leaders describe as a rare turnaround story.

Before dedicating much of her time to the arts, Randlett spent more than 30 years as a legislative advocate at the California Legislature. She represented consumer product companies and performed significant pro bono advocacy on behalf of California’s Poison Control Centers. She earned a psychology degree from the University of Alaska, Anchorage and has remained active in supporting theater, music and other cultural organizations. Along with her husband, Jim, she enjoys spending time with their four daughters and nine grandchildren.

Randlett said her lifelong passion for opera has made her work with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera especially meaningful, describing the opportunity to help bring music to the Sacramento community as a dream come true.

Courtesy photos

Cynthia Renee, left will open the show with Cripple Creek, right, rounding out the evening on July 30 at El Dorado Hills Town Center.

Laurie Nelson Randlett

Experience the glitz and glam of Broadway

El Dorado Musical Theatre

Audiences are invited to experience the excitement, glamour and unforgettable music of El Dorado Musical Theatre’s production of the beloved Broadway classic "42nd Street" opening July 31 at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom.

Presented as EDMT's annual summer theater production, "42nd Street" features a talented cast of incoming high school sophomores and older. Participation is by audition only, with casting based on artistic excellence. The production is rated PG. Set during the height of the Great Depression, "42nd Street" follows Peggy Sawyer, a talented young dancer from Allentown, Pennsylvania, who arrives in New York City hoping to make it on Broadway. After earning a place in the chorus of a spectacular new musical, an unexpected turn of events gives Sawyer the opportunity of a lifetime. Filled with dazzling tap dancing, unforgettable songs and timeless storytelling, "42nd Street" is a joyous tribute to resilience, ambition and the enduring spirit of Broadway.

The musical is packed with lavish production numbers, colorful costumes and timeless songs, including "Lullaby of Broadway," "We're in the Money," "Shu e O to Bu alo," "Dames," "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" and the legendary title song, "42nd Street."

Whether you're a lifelong fan of classic Broadway musicals, looking for an enjoyable evening with friends, planning a memorable date night or searching for a fun outing, "42nd Street" delivers an uplifting experience filled with laughter, energy, nostalgia and showstopping performances. It's the perfect opportunity to enjoy live theater while supporting EDMT's talented performers.

The production runs July 31 through Aug. 8 at the Harris Center for the Arts. To learn more about El Dorado Musical Theatre visit edmt.info. For tickets visit harriscenter.net/42ndstreet.

Maggie Jones (Teresa Eggers), Ann Reilly (Madelyn Rummel), Julian Marsh (Jared Sing), as Peggy Sawyer (Mackenzie Haar), Dorothy Brock (Tracey Freeman-Shaw), Billy Lawlor (Jason Harmon) and Bert Barry (Lonnie Smith), from left, are ready for their big moment in EDMT’s production of “42nd Street opening July 31 at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom.

Midtown Association launches the latest Explore Midtown Pass

Traci Rockefeller Cusack News release

SACRAMENTO — The Midtown Association is pleased to announce the return of the popular and fun Explore Midtown Pass that is available now through October 11, 2026. Of special appeal to adventure seekers and those hungry for great deals, the pass o ers a chance to earn points, unlock exclusive discounts, and win amazing prizes while discovering Midtown’s best eats, drinks, and experiences. The Explore Midtown Pass is a gamified adventure that features more than 30 participating businesses along with new and exciting rewards.

The Explore Midtown Pass is a digital passport that allows users to explore local businesses, check into business to earn points, and redeem specials and discounts. To participate, simply download the Explore Midtown Pass to a smartphone, visit participating locations, and scan the QR code on the Explore Midtown Pass poster to check in and start earning points. As an added bonus, some businesses will o er additional special deals and promotions that can be redeemed in-store.

A list of businesses participating in the new Explore Midtown Pass includes Acheson Wine Company, Alchemy Salon and Spa, Azul, Barwest, Blue Cue, Cafe Bernardo – Midtown, Cantina Alley, Centro Cocina Mexicana, Der Biergarten, The Flamingo House, Gami Burger, The Golden Bear, Harlow’s, Historic Star Lounge, Kin Thai Street Eatery, The Lock & Key - Tapas + Bar, LowBrau, Mango’s Sacramento, Meza California, Midtown Bliss Home & Gifts, Octopus Baja, Omakase Por Favor – Midtown, Paragary’s, Paws and the Palette, Pizzasaurus Rex, Refill Madness, LLC, Roscoe’s Bar & Burgers, Sacramento Comedy Spot, Sacramento Massage Studio, Style For It, Sugar Shack Boutique, Tea Bar & Fusion Café and Time Tested Books.

The Explore Midtown Pass is available for download now at exploremidtown.org/pass.This exciting o ering is made possible by the support of participating Midtown businesses, along with

generous sponsors. Premier sponsors include Paws and the Palette, Meza California, and Midtown Bliss Home & Gifts. Presenting sponsors include Harlow’s, Roscoe’s Bar & Burgers, Mango’s, LowBrau and Kin Thai Street Eatery. In addition to o ering numerous public transportation options, Midtown Sacramento

is walkable and bike/scooter/car-share friendly with plenty of parking available in nearby garages plus various lots throughout Midtown. For more information about Midtown Sacramento in general, special events and activities, and the Midtown Association, visit exploremidtown.org or follow facebook.com/exploremidtown.

Courtesy photo

watermelon salsa and vanilla ice cream with salted watermelon syrup and live music with ShirlJam. For more information visit hollyshill.com.

Shadow Ranch in Somerset will host Last Chance for “Sam”Gria Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5p.m. For more information visit shadowranch. com.

The Vintage Tees will perform at 4 p.m. at HWY 50 Brewery in Camino. For more information visit hwy50brewery.com/livemusic.

Art on Center, the Center for Native, Latino and Indigenous Art at 3182 Center St. in Placerville will host a Community Viewing of Reservation Dogs at 6 p.m. To learn more email

artoncenteredc@gmail.com.

Apple Hill Growers invites the community to Farm to Fork at 6 p.m. at Delfino Farms in Camino. For tickets and more information visit applehill.com.

Atrium Gallery at El Dorado Hills Town Center will host an Artist Reception for Hot August Days from 5-8 p.m. For more information visit edhtowncenter. com.

Live Sound Bath hosted by Misty Scholz and Matt Phillips will take place, 10:30 a.m. to noon and Hangtown Thrash Presents Monthly Metal — Thrash + Math + Hardcore Metal will take place 7-11 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento will host Playhouse and Playdough from 10:3011:30 a.m. Inspired by the playful worlds of television and film, families are invited to get creative with clay. After viewing a selection of imaginative clips, children and caregivers will sculpt their own small characters, props or settings. For tickets and more information visit crockerart. org.

Fellowship for Performing Arts presents C.S.Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters” July 25 & 26 at Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom. For tickets and more information call (916) 608-6888 or visit harriscenter.net.

July 26

Shadow Ranch in Somerset will host Live Music and WoodFired Pizzas with Patrick Walsh at 1 p.m. For more information visit shadowranch. com.

Ed Wilson will perform at Iron Hub Winery in Plymouth from 1-4 p.m.

FBI will perform at 2 p.m. at HWY 50 Brewery in Camino. For more information visit hwy50brewery.com/live-music.

Crystal Basin Cellars 2.0 in Placerville will host a California Wine History talk complete with historical wines at 2 p.m. For more information visit crystalbasin.com.

Poor Red’s in El Dorado will host Shakedown, a high energy party band from 4-7 p.m. For more information visit poorreds. com.

The Allman Brothers Greatest Hits presented by former members of Second Time Around will take place 6-8 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

Valhalla Tahoe presents live music with OSITO from 7:30-10 p.m. on the Valhalla Grand Lawn. For tickets and more information visit valhallatahoe.com.

July 27

Youth Action Council at the El Dorado Office of Education presents Driven to Thrive, a free youth event for El Dorado County high school students from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 6767 Green Valley Road, Placerville, Building L, Park at Folsom Lake College. The event will include a classic car display, post-high school opportunities, a wellness fair, teen programs and more. Lunch will be provided. For more information visit eldoradoyac. com.

Mason’s Children — 1960s and ‘70s Grateful Dead Experience will take place 7-10 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

July 28

Marshall Gold Discovery Park Association will host its Coloma Community Market from 5-8 p.m. at the North Beach at Marshall Gold. A celebration of local food, art and community in historical Coloma, featuring more than 25 vendors selling fresh produce and handmade goods. Attendees can enjoy food trucks, local beer and wine, and free live music, parking and park admission. For more information visit golddiscoveryparkassociation. org.

July 29

Join American River Conservancy for Wednesday Workdays at Wakamatsu at 8 a.m. For more information visit arconservancy. org.

Main Street Menagerie — The Hottest Little Drag Show Downtown will take place 7-10 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

Valhalla Tahoe presents Life in the Fast Lane, an Eagles Tribute from 7:30-10 p.m. at the Boathouse Theatre. For tickets and more information visit valhallatahoe.com.

Broadway at Music Circus presents “Hell’s Kitchen” through Aug. 9 at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento. For tickets and more information call (916) 557-1999 or visit broadwaysacramento. com.

Now

Tickets are now available for Images of Hope’s annual Picnic in the Orchard featuring cuisine from John Sanders of Old Town Grill, musical entertainment from Hither & Yon and silent and live auction opportunities taking place on Aug. 15, 4-8 p.m. at Rainbow Orchards, 2569 Larsen Drive in Camino. For tickets and more information visit imagesofhopeeldorado.com.

Tickets are available for Ag in the Classroom’s 20 Mile Taste which takes place Aug. 29 from 4-7 p.m. at Rainbow Orchards, 2569 Larsen Drive in Camino. For more information visit agintheclass-edc.org.

CASA El Dorado in collaboration with Lazy Dog Restaurant is hosting a Dining Fundraiser at its Folsom location. When ordering online use code 02FOLSOM to donate 15% of the bill to CASA. For more information visit casaeldorado. org.

Arts and Culture El Dorado is holding an Open Call to Artists for Working Landscape, Working People, to be displayed at the Switchboard Gallery, 525 Main St. in Placerville. Submit artwork to loren@ artsandcultureeldorado.org by July 31. For more information visit artsandcultureeldorado.org. Placerville Arts Association is holding an Open Call to Artists for its 60th National Mother Lode Art Exhibition to take place Nov. 5-21 at Mills Station Arts & Culture Center, 10191 Mills Station Road, Rancho Cordova. Call open through Sept. 16. For more information visit placervillearts.com.

Arts and Culture El Dorado will host Rubicon Rising through Aug. 16. at the Switchboard Gallery, 525 Main St. in Placerville. For more information visit artsandcultureeldorado.org.

The El Dorado Hills Arts Association will host its Membership Show, Perspectives, at The Gallery at 48 Natoma in Folsom through Aug. 20. For more information visit eldoradohillsarts.com.

Atrium Gallery at El Dorado Hills Town Center will host Hot August Days through Sept. 20. For more information visit edhtowncenter.com.

Cantiga Wineworks, 5980 Meyers Land in Somerset, is having Happy Hour with Fritz on Fridays from 3-6 p.m. Come for the wine, stay for the games, conversation and community. For more information call (530) 621-1696.

Miraflores Winery, 2120 Four Springs Trail in Placerville, is having Sparkling Sundays, the one day of the week where two fabulous sparklers are poured. Try a complimentary tasting of Blanc de Noirs and Brut. Both are crafted with organically grown grapes from Sonoma County and created in the traditional Methode Champenoise style. For more information call (530) 647-8505 or email info@ mirafloreswinery.com.

California State Fair is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Aug. 2 at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento. Learn more at

Katelyn Welsh Tahoe Daily Tribune

AKE TAHOE

L— In a world of cartoons and extensive screen time, creators of a Tahoethemed children’s coloring book are hoping the nature-filled pages spark connections to the outdoors.

"The Animals Teach Lake Tahoe" coloring book features real scenes around the Tahoe Basin, including Baldwin Beach, Zephyr Cove and Emerald Bay, along with wildlife such as bears, coyotes, osprey and many other regional characters.

“We hope that this book influences kids to be a bit more curious about nature, wildlife, and the world around them,” Raul Martinez said, who created the book with his partner Emily Olivet Bender.

Their passion comes from years of working with children at their dance studio in Miami and their own fondness for growing up in nature, Martinez from Cuba and Olivet Bender from the United Kingdom.

The Tahoe edition is the first in their new Animals Teach travel series of coloring books. The original Animals Teach coloring book series includes a first words, ABCs and numbers edition.

The duo’s first visit to Tahoe three summers ago inspired these coloring books after seeing children outdoors and active. It also influenced their decision to move to South Lake Tahoe in the summers to be closer to nature, themselves.

Seeing children so active outdoors contrasted with some of their own firsthand experiences with youth and general trends of children experiencing increasingly more screen time and less time in nature, resulting in a lack of fundamental awareness of things around them.

“They really don’t necessarily have an intellectual awareness of what things are [or] where things

come from,” Martinez explained.

After doing research, the pair have come across data pointing to sensory starvation and found that a majority of kids’ neurological stress comes from a lack of interaction with nature.

“We really, truly feel that that is happening on a mass scale,” Martinez said. “Kids’ sensory development is being starved little by little, more and more every single day, and without the proper development of these senses, we’re just going to continue the pattern.”

The research the couple conducted massively shaped the vision for the coloring books, from the design, based on real locations and wildlife, to the concepts within.

“The primary intent of the book was to match the reality of everything around us, because the formula is that if the environment matches what the kid is learning, then the kid is actually having a behavioral and a visceral association to the external world,” Martinez said. Not only do they hope these books begin to restore connections with nature, but they also hope it does so in a fun and inspiring way.

According to testimonies they’ve received so far, the Tahoe edition has enhanced children’s experience of the region, becoming a fun activity for kids to do in addition to visiting locations.

“Whether the activity is done previous to them

visiting the location, or after the location, there’s a connection happening,” Olivet Bender said, explaining it becomes an activity that creates an emotional response.

Beyond coloring, the books teach numbers, letters, and first words through tracing, while also making associations to animals in natural scenery and environments.

“The animals will have a role to play to teach something about their environment,” Martinez explains. For example, in the Tahoe edition, an osprey dives, a salmon jumps, and coyotes run.

All the scenes and inspiration come from real locations they’ve visited and wildlife they’ve encountered.

The next planned coloring book in the Animals Teach travel series is a Morocco edition.

“What we hope is that animals can teach a lot more than just what we’re putting in these books,” Olivet Bender said. “Like how to live in harmony with nature.”

“The Animals Teach Lake Tahoe” is available at locations around the lake, including: Fallen Leaf Campground — General Store, Camp Richardson Store, Cuppa Tahoe, Edgewood Resort — Adventure Shop, Tahoe City Kayak and Paddleboard and Lake Tahoe Gifting Co. The book is also available at laketahoe. animalsteachbooks.com.

“The Animals Teach Lake Tahoe” is available at locations around the lake and online at laketahoe.animalsteachbooks.com.

Courtesy photo

Authors Raul Martinez, Emily Olivet Bender and their dog Coco celebrate the book’s release.

First-ever retrospective of the bold, boundarybending painter of unruly women News release

The Crocker Art Museum is pleased to present Gleefully Askew: A Gladys Nilsson Retrospective, on view through Nov. 29. This landmark retrospective — the first devoted to Nilsson’s work — celebrates more than six decades of her raucously off-beat paintings, which are at once mischievous, exacting and profoundly observant. Women tower, teeter, zigzag and dance across Nilsson’s paintings. Limbs stretch, bodies bulge and everyday life tips slightly off kilter. In Nilsson’s hands, the ordinary transforms into the delightfully absurd.

“It’s Nilsson’s rare combination of

familiarity and surprise — serious craftsmanship paired with riotous play — that defines her extraordinary career,” said exhibition curator Francesca Wilmott, Ph.D. “Just when we think we know Nilsson, she does the unexpected. With gleeful defiance, her work continually tests her limits, as well as ours.”

Gleefully Askew brings together approximately 115 watercolors, paintings, drawings and prints drawn from major public and private collections across the United States, representing critical moments from Nilsson’s 60-year career.

Unbound by a region, medium, or social decorum dictating how women can and should behave, the exhibition foregrounds Nilsson’s fiercely independent and experimental approach — one she first fully embraced while living in

Sacramento.

Born in 1940 to a working-class family in Chicago, Nilsson began her career shortly after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1962. While pregnant with her son, she adopted watercolor as her primary medium, a practical choice that allowed her to avoid the toxicity of turpentine used with oil painting. Critics, however, linked watercolor’s delicacy to her gender, labeling Nilsson the most “feminine” member of the Hairy Who — the nonconformist group of Chicago-based artists known for their bawdy humor, unexpected source material and formally rigorous yet unorthodox approach to painting.

Long celebrated and just as often too narrowly identified as both a “feminine” watercolorist and a “Chicago artist,” Nilsson established herself as an internationally recognized artistic force while living in Sacramento. After relocating with her family in August 1968, she entered a period of significant transformation, experimenting with new media — including acrylic paintings encircled by embroidery-hoop frames — and pushing her figuration in bold new directions. Nilsson has reflected that Sacramento offered her and her husband, fellow Hairy Who artist Jim Nutt, the chance “to step back and

reevaluate ourselves ... focusing on ourselves as individual artists rather than artists in the group.”

Over more than seven years in California, Nilsson produced innovative drawings and paintings that traveled from Sacramento to exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., São Paulo, Mexico City and beyond. She also began her longstanding relationship with the Crocker Art Museum, participating in solo exhibitions in 1969 and 1996, as well as numerous group exhibitions between 1972 and 2022. Today, with 30 works in its holdings, the Crocker boasts one of the largest public collections of

Nilsson’s art in the world. The artist’s work is held in major museum collections — including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago — all of which are lending to the retrospective.

“Nearly 60 years after the Crocker first exhibited Nilsson’s work, the museum is honored to present her long-overdue career retrospective,” said Agustín Arteaga, Ph.D, the Crocker Art Museum’s Mort and Marcy Friedman Director & CEO. “It is our hope that Gleefully

Collection of Gladys Nilsson with photo by PD Young

collage on paper by Gladys Nilsson.

Retrospective at the Crocker spans career of beloved local artist

he Crocker Art Museum

Tinvites visitors this summer to immerse themselves in the personal universe of Sacramento artist Suzanne Adan through “Suzanne Adan: I’m No Spring Chicken,” the artist’s first major retrospective.

Combining fantasy, popular culture and autobiography, the exhibition was assembled during Adan’s 80th year and titled by the artist. It features more than 100 paintings, drawings, prints and ceramic sculptures that showcase her sardonic wit, nostalgia and mischievous spirit. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 11.

“Adan’s richly narrative paintings employ a personal and visual vocabulary that is most certainly American but informed by sources internationally,” said Scott A. Shields, the Crocker’s Ted and Melza Barr Chief Curator and associate director.

“She developed her practice within a rich context of eclectically irreverent Northern California artists, whose everyday subject matter, tongue-incheek humor and penchant for the subversive or naughty led to her own absurd and satirical edge.”

Born in Woodland in 1946, Adan grew up in nearby Yolo, about 24 miles northwest of Sacramento. Her small-town upbringing has long influenced her work, which pairs childhood memories with adult themes and explores the loss of innocence. By the time she graduated from high school, Adan had grown restless in the sheltered environment of her youth. In college, her worldview changed dramatically as the realities of the 1960s collided with the life she had known.

While earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Sacramento State, Adan developed her signature iconography and tongue-in-cheek style. Beginning in graduate school, she created mature works that combined imagery familiar to women with satire, sexual overtones, puns and pointed wit. Her work in clay and two-dimensional media reflected her upbringing, sense of humor and observations about the world. She exhibited these early works at the Candy Store Gallery in Folsom alongside pieces by Northern California Funk and Nut artists and

members of Chicago’s Hairy Who.

In Adan’s later work, the picture plane becomes a stage for joyful disorder, where toylike humanoids mingle with wide-eyed animals, geometric forms and cascades of oval polka dots. Letters and numbers, which appear throughout her work, sometimes function as decorative elements while also creating cryptic word puzzles that offer clues about a work’s subject or the person it honors or memorializes.

Her signature brushstrokes, applied in small, deliberate swatches that

resemble sewing stitches, unify each composition. Over time, she refined this tactile language, translating its rhythmic energy into her drawings, prints and scratchboards.

“This exhibition not only celebrates an important artist — it honors a community and an aesthetic approach that has helped define the Sacramento region,” said Agustín Arteaga, the Crocker Art Museum’s Mort and Marcy Friedman Director and CEO. “We’re thrilled to present such distinctly local creations with influence well beyond Northern

California.”

“Suzanne Adan: I’m No Spring Chicken” offers visitors an opportunity to rediscover an artist whose work continues to surprise, challenge and delight.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 180-page illustrated catalog published by Hirmer. It was written by exhibition curator Scott A. Shields, with essays by Diana L. Daniels and Elaine O’Brien and a foreword by Gladys Nilsson.

For tickets and more information visit crockerart.org.

From the collection of Marcy Friedman

“Cabin Number Seven” by Suzanne Adan, 2013. Oil on canvas.

‘The Two Kids That Blow Sh*t Up’ at Capital Stage

ACRAMENTO —

STheatergoers have one final weekend to catch the Sacramento premiere of Carla Ching’s “The Two Kids That Blow Sh*t Up” before the production closes Sunday, July 26, at Capital Stage.

Directed by Jeffrey Lo, the play follows Diana and Max, who first meet at age 9 on the day their

parents begin an affair. Over the following decades, the two friends navigate life’s triumphs and setbacks while struggling to avoid repeating the mistakes of the generation before them.

Blending humor, heartbreak and the complexities of lifelong friendship, the production explores the challenge of keeping love and friendship from becoming intertwined — and what happens when they do.

“The Two Kids That Blow Sh*t Up” opened June 24 and concludes its Sacramento premiere this weekend. For tickets and more information, visit Capital Stage’s website at capstage.org.

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‘Twelfth

Night’ at Sac Shakespeare Festival

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival celebrates

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its 60th season this weekend with the final performances of William Shakespeare's beloved comedy "Twelfth Night" at Sacramento City College.

The production continues with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. July 24 and 25, followed by a 2 p.m. matinee July 26 in the Art Court Theatre inside the Performing Arts Center at Sacramento City College.

One of Shakespeare's most enduring comedies, "Twelfth Night" features romance, mistaken identities and practical jokes woven into a fastpaced story of love and deception.

The play follows Viola, who is separated from her twin brother, Sebastian, after a

disguises herself as a young man named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino. When Orsino sends Cesario to court the Countess Olivia on his behalf, Olivia instead falls in love with Cesario, setting off a series of comedic misunderstandings and unexpected romantic entanglements.

The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival returns for its milestone 60th anniversary season with the production, continuing a decadeslong tradition of bringing Shakespeare's works to local audiences. Tickets are available at sacramentoshakespeare. net.

Courtesy photo

Diana (Rinabeth Apostol) and Max (Jomar Tagatac) meet as children thus beginning a lifelong friendship in Capital Stage’s production of “The Two Kids That Blow Sh*t Up” closing this weekend.

Photo by DeLappe-Grondin

Sir Toby (Jake Brooks) and Maria (Kayla Carrero), from left, are engaged in serious hijinks in

Sacramento Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Twelfth Night” closing this weekend at Sacramento City College.

Blues star releases album, hits Sacramento stage next month

News release

World-class blues star, harmonica, vocal and songwriting master Chris O’Leary will celebrate the July 10 release of his second Alligator Records album, “Blue Collar,” with a live performance at The Press Club in Sacramento on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

“Blue Collar” finds the Marine combat veteran, ex-federal police officer and former lead singer of Levon Helm’s legendary Barn Burners turning his myriad life experiences into timeless blues tales. On record and on stage, O’Leary commands attention, singing with pure, unadulterated soul and playing harmonica with full-throttle, locomotive power.

“I’ve lived the craziest life,” O’Leary said. “Going to war, performing and touring with (The Band’s) Levon Helm, befriending and learning from blues legend James Cotton, now recording for Alligator. It’s something

I’ll never take for granted.”

Sacramento Blues Society presents O’Leary at The Press Club, 1119 21st St. in Sacramento.

The show begins at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information visit sacblues.org/events.

The self-produced “Blue Collar” delivers 11 original, emotionally complex songs featuring O’Leary’s powerful harp work and soultestifying vocals. His all-original songs are musically irresistible, often funny and filled with honest truths and sage advice. They are an intoxicatingly refreshing, one-of-akind, high-energy, deepdish gumbo of Chicago blues, Memphis soul and New Orleans funk. The music is fueled by his dynamic band, exuding swaggering confidence at every turn. The songs, said O’Leary, are “all personal, all real-life.”

On the late-night warning “After 2 A.M .,” O’Leary sings of all the trouble one person can get into after making a few ill-advised choices

Askew affirms Nilsson’s critical importance far beyond Chicago, underscoring the enduring relevance of her incisive, witty and joyous work.” Nilsson, who turns 86 ahead of her Crocker retrospective, continues to work actively in her studio, creating surprising new artworks that revisit familiar themes with even greater aplomb and mischievousness. As Nilsson notes, “I’m continually thinking about what I’m doing. I have mental notes, a mental file cabinet that’s just filled with things that are yet to be explored.”

Gleefully Askew: A Gladys Nilsson Retrospective

once the sun goes down. The funny-becauseit’s-true “How’d I Ever Get Along?” and the barn-burning, swampy “Live Baby Gators” (featuring accordionist Wayne Toups) turn the heat up. Adding to the proceedings, O’Leary’s friend and mentor Bob Margolin brings his Muddy Waters-infused guitar work to the slow and soulful “Nothing But A Memory.” And O’Leary’s legendary Alligator labelmate, Lil’ Ed Williams, brings his slide guitar firepower to the autobiographical “One More Cup Of Coffee.”

From his Virginia home to stages all over the world, O’Leary has become one of the blues world’s pre-eminent harmonica players, superlative original songwriters, deepdown soulful singers and most in-demand live performers. The award-winning O’Leary has been playing professionally since the 1990s, with five preAlligator solo albums to his credit. His 2024 Alligator debut “The

Hard Line” steamrolled blues fans around the world with its deeply personal, potent original songs, crackerjack musicianship, devastatingly soulful, hair-raising vocals and a wry, spot-on sense of the absurd.

O’Leary has always

debuts one of Nilsson’s most recent paintings, “Loded” (2025), a diptych made in response to Charles Christian Nahl’s painting “Sunday Morning in the Mines” (1872), which is in the Crocker’s collection. A new artist’s video, produced and directed by the Sacramento creative studio Direct Message, will be presented in the exhibition’s Reading Room, with furniture generously lent by Scout Living. Organized by the Crocker Art Museum, the retrospective will travel to the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art from May 6 through Sept. 26, 2027.

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been a monster road warrior, performing hundreds of shows a year all over the world.

Outside of the U.S., he’s played in Canada, Ireland, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Portugal. According to Blues Music Magazine, O’Leary delivers “excellent, high-energy performances … he finds the groove on every song … powerful, first-rate virtuosity.” Learn more at alligator.com/artists/ Chris-OLeary.

A lushly illustrated, 256-page catalogue accompanies the retrospective, featuring new essays by Jo Applin, Kendall DeBoer, Robert Storr, Cécile Whitingand exhibition curator Francesca Wilmott, along with artist responses by Suzanne Adan, Mike Henderson, KAWS, Robert Lostutter, Catalina Schliebener Muñoz, Jim Nutt, Howardena Pindell and Christina Quarles.

The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O St. in Sacramento. For more information call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerart.org.

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Courtesy photo

Chris O’Leary has been playing professionally since the 1990s. His latest album delivers original, emotionally complex songs featuring powerful harp work and soul-testifying vocals.