More than 100 employers will be in Auburn October 11 to particpate in a job fair at the Gold Country Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The job fair is hosted by the County of Placer and the Business Advantage Network. Co-sponsors include Placer County Office of Economic Development, Auburn Chamber of Commerce, Gold Country Media and the Workforce Investment Board. For more information, contact Cindy Burris at 530-889-4090.
Paul Kovacich, the pensioned Placer County sheriff’s sergeant accused of murdering his wife a quarter century ago, remained free on $1.5 million bail this week while preparation for his trial dragged on.
Despite dire predictions, the city and business community in Colfax have begun to turn around the economic outlook of an area that just in March was the subject of a meeting titled “Colfax: Ghost Town or Not?” With a chamber of commerce on the verge of bankruptcy, businesses reporting lackluster sales and a town looking at possible deficits, the community has rallied and things are beginning to look up. The town finally has a working budget, the chamber of commerce is in the black, and new projects, such as the wastewater treatment plant, mean more dollars for the cash-strapped hamlet. With this edition, the Sentinel takes an in-depth look at a community that is proving it’s anything but a ghost town. Stories and photos by Don Chaddock.
Downtown Colfax, the town’s historic business district, has been hard hit, but appears to be on the upswing with two new restaurants and a museum opening on Main Street. Sentinel file photo.
The Placer County Water Agency has given itself a well-earned, 50th
birthday pat on the back while saluting Auburn’s Bruce McCreary, the
civil engineer credited with selling county officials on the idea of
building what has become the PCWA’s crown jewel: the Middle Fork
American River hydroelectric project.
PCWA Honors Bruce McCreary — Lowell Jarvis, right, board chairman of the Placer County Water Agency, is shown with Bruce McCreary, the civil engineer whose vision more than a half-century ago resulted in the PCWA’s Middle Fork American River hydroelectric project, which was built at no cost to county taxpayers. McCreary, who turned 90 last month, was a special guest at the PCWA’s golden anniversary party.
Faced with declining enrollment and resultant budget woes, the board of trustees of the Auburn Union Elementary School District is looking at the possibility of closing one of the district’s five schools, either Rock Creek or Alta Vista.
The board has scheduled public input hearings on the situation for next Wednesday, September 26, at Rock Creek School and Wednesday, October 10 at Alta Vista School. Both meetings will start at 7 p.m.
The trustees anticipate making a decision at their October 24 meeting at E.V. Cain Middle School.
It costs oodles of money to operate the County of Placer’s government, and the budget adopted by the board of supervisors this week is testament to this fact.
The board approved an overall 2007-08 spending program of $792.2 million, an increase of about $103 million over last fiscal year’s budget. Much of the increase is due to ongoing building projects and obligatory road work.
Auburn police remained tight-lipped this week as their investigation of the August 27 gun scare at Placer High School continued.
“At this point we’re not releasing any information until our investigation is completed,” said Lt. Scott Burns.
Meantime, Francisco Evangelista, 19, a Placer HS grad, remained in the Placer County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. He’s charged with felony possession of a firearm on school grounds. His lawyer, Tim Woodall of Auburn, is expected to request a lower bail next week.
In a late-night Tuesday meeting, the Colfax City Council finally came to an agreement on the town's budget. Just before 10 p.m., Mayor Sharon Geiras and councilmembers Joshua Alpine, Sherrie Blackmun, Jim Albright and Suzanne Roberts voted to pass the budget after a 2.5 hour session and two months of meetings. For the full story, see the Sentinel on Sept. 21.
Democratic congressional candidate Charlie Brown isn’t taking chances these days.
Despite the fact that some Republican polls show him beating Rep. John T. Doolittle in the November 2008 general election, Brown is by no means letting up on the campaign he launched the day after he lost to nine-term incumbent Doolittle last November.
