Armed Gunmen Rob Elk Grove RadioShack of Merchandise, Cash

UPDATED 3:15 p.m.

December 10, 2013 |

Two men armed with handguns robbed an Elk Grove RadioShack store just prior to closing last night.

According to Elk Grove Police, two unknown men entered the store located on Elk Grove-Florin and Calvine roads Elk grove Blvd. and confronted two store employees. The robbers proceeded to take merchandise from the stockroom and cash from the register.

Upon exiting the store, the robbers ordered the store employees to the floor, exited from the rear door and fled in a car in an unknown direction. Responding officers were unable to locate the car or robbers.

One suspect was described as a white male adult, 20 to 30 years of age, 5'9", 150 lbs, wearing a black hooded sweat jacket, with a white cloth covering his face and blue jeans. The other was described as a white male adult, 20 to 30 years of age, 5'9", 150 lbs, wearing a black hooded sweat jacket, with a black cloth covering his face and blue jeans.

A store video has not been released.

11:56 | 7 comments | Read More

Two Men Arrested After Skipping on Meal at Elk Grove Restaurant

December 9, 2013 |

Two men were arrested late Saturday night after they allegedly skipped on their tab at an Elk Grove steakhouse.

According to Elk Grove Police, 19-year old Marquise Rodriguez of Stockton and 20-year old Jacob Tanson of Sacramento dined at the Outback Steakhouse on Laguna Blvd. and left without paying their bill. Responding officers located the dine and dash suspects a short distance away.

A restaurant employee positively identified both suspects who were arrested and taken to the county jail for their next meal. Rodriguez is in custody on $10,000 bail while Tanson remains in custody on charges from Sacramento Police and is ineligible for bail.

12:40 | 2 comments | Read More

Proposed Whitelock Parkway Interchange to Affect Elk Grove Park; Strauss Island in Peril?

December 8, 2013 |

On the consent calender of this Wednesday's Elk Grove City Council meeting is an item that could affect the Elk Grove Regional Park and possibility the city's sole annual cultural events that attracts regional visitors.

According to item 8.16 the city will enter into a cooperative agreement with the Caltrans to begin planning on a proposed interchange located at Highway 99 and Whitelock Parkway. The report says the interchange is needed to help relieve traffic congestion on Elk Grove Blvd. and to accommodate planned development.

Along with new housing and the Southeast Policy Area, the new interchange has been frequently cited in discussions regarding the city's proposed aquatics center and waterpark. City Council members have expressed confidence that an aquatics center and waterpark will help transform Elk Grove into a tourist destination drawing tens-of-thousands annual out-of-town visitors.

A review of the map included in the report for item 8.16 shows the proposed interchange would affect the northwest corner of the Elk Grove Regional Park. It appears the proposed interchange area would encroach on a portion of the park used to stage the city's sole annual cultural event, the Strauss Festival.

Wednesday's meeting starts at 6 p.m.

View Larger Map

09:14 | 19 comments | Read More

Elk Grove Teen Arrested, Allegedly Beats Victim Unconscious

December 7, 2013 |

An Elk Grove teenager was arrested Wednesday evening after he allegedly beat another teen unconscious.

According to Elk Grove Police, the 16-year old male suspect was involved in a verbal argument with a 17-year old male on the 5800 block of Laguna Trail Way. As the argument escalated into a physical confrontation, the 16-year old reportedly punched the victim several times in the face to the point he was unconscious.

The victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment and the suspect was booked into juvenile hall on aggravated battery charges.

13:58 | 2 comments | Read More

December 19: A Dark Day For Science and The Ocean

By Dan Bacher  | December 7, 2013 |

December 19 will mark the first anniversary of the completion of the network of so-called "marine protected areas" off the California coast under the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. 

On that date last year, nineteen "marine protected areas" went into effect in the Northern California coastal region between the California/Oregon state line and Alder Creek, near Point Arena in Mendocino County, amidst great jubilation by state officials and corporate "environmental" NGO representatives. The implementation of these "marine protected areas" (MPAs) was preceded by those created on the South Coast, Central Coast and North Central Coast. 

“We have completed the nation’s first statewide coastal system of marine protected areas,” claimed Cat Kuhlman, deputy secretary for oceans and coastal matters at the California Natural Resources Agency. “What this means for the future of California’s oceans and the coming generations that will enjoy them, is thrilling.” 

"Fish and Game is incredibly proud of the work that we did, along with the Fish and Game Commission and the stakeholders in each region to create these designated areas,” gushed Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham. 

Yet the mainstream media, state officials and corporate "environmentalists" refuse to discuss one of the biggest scandals regarding the creation of these marine protected areas - the terminally flawed and incomplete science that these MPAs were based upon and the alarming fact that Ron LeValley of Eureka, the co-chair of the MLPA Initiative Science Advisory Team that oversaw the crafting of these alleged "Yosemites of the Sea" on the North Coast, is now awaiting trial on federal conspiracy to embezzle charges. 

On October 11, the U.S. Attorney formally charged Ron LeValley of Eureka with "conspiracy to commit embezzlement and theft from an Indian Tribal Organization," the Yurok Tribe. 

LeValley, of Mad River Biologists, served in his leadership role on the Science Advisory Team during much of the time that the alleged embezzlement occurred, yet none of the mainstream media accounts, with the exception of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, have mentioned this key fact. 

Federal prosecutors charged LeValley with conspiring with Roland Raymond, former Yurok Tribe forestry director, to submit false invoices to the tribe for spotted owl surveys and other work that was never done. The invoices totaled nearly $1 million, according to federal documents. 

LeValley originally pleaded innocent in the case, but is now working on a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to court documents. (http://www.humboldtbeacon.com/news/ci_24668384/embezzlement-sentencing-pushed-back-forestry-directors-hearing-postponed) 

Raymond pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to embezzle from an Indian Tribe. He was scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, but the Yurok Tribe requested a postponement of the sentencing, since the Tribe wanted to file a victim impact statement in the case. 

On November 19, the sentencing of Raymond was postponed again to allow him a chance to respond to allegations that he lied to a federal judge. Raymond was then due back in court on December 9, but his sentencing has been rescheduled to December 23. 

In the scandal that has rocked the North Coast, Del Norte District Attorney Jon Alexander on February 23, 2012 arrested LeValley and fellow Mad River biologist Sean McAllister on $1 million warrants accusing them of burglary, embezzlement and conspiracy to commit a crime. 

Spotted owl surveys that were never done 

The Del Norte County District Attorney alleged that the two well-known biologists participated in an elaborate embezzlement scheme headed by Raymond that bilked the tribe out of over $900,000 that was supposed to fund spotted owl research. 

However, the District Attorney later dropped the charges to allow federal authorities to pursue the charges against Raymond and LeValley. Federal charges against McAllister haven't been filed yet - and it remains unclear if they will. 

The document recently filed by federal authorities details how the alleged conspiracy proceeded. The link to the indictment is available at: http://noyonews.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/U.S._v._Ron_LeValley_As_Filed.pdf 

According to the document, "Beginning on a date unknown, but no later than 2007," Raymond told LeValley he wanted to pay him, other Mad River Biologists employees, and some tribal forestry and fire crew employees a bonus. Raymond suggested LeValley submit an inflated invoice to the Yurok Tribe for an additional amount to cover the bonuses. 

"LeValley agreed to this arrangement, and caused such an invoice to be prepared and submitted to the Yurok Tribe, " the document states. 

At the end of October 2008, Raymond obtained tribal approval for $98,000 worth of Endangered Species Act (ESA) surveys to be conducted by Mad River Biologists (MRB). 

Raymond told LeValley that the tribe did not have money to pay for fire prevention and other forestry work - and asked him to begin regularly submitting false invoices for work his company hadn't performed, according to the document. 

LeValley allegedly funneled the money back to Raymond, less a percentage. This percentage was identified in other court documents as 20 percent, according to the Eureka Times-Standard. (http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_24368336/local-biologist-charged-embezzlement-federal-prosecutors-charge-ron) 

During 2009 and 2010, as a result of the economic downturn, the price of timber fell significantly and timber harvesting declined dramatically. "The Yurok Tribe did not harvest much timber during those years and had little need for biological assessments," the document states. 

Nonetheless, Mad River Biologists nonetheless billed the tribe for approximately $852,000 worth of surveys. LeValley funneled at least $540,000 of this money back to Raymond, keeping the balance to pay his company's operations. 

These expenses included his salary, "not less than $47,000 in total 2009 compensation" and "not less than $9,800 in total 2010 compensation," the document claims. 

Alleged embezzlement scam casts shadow over Initiative "science" 

The Yurok Tribe, fishing groups and grassroots environmentalists were outraged by the alleged embezzlement scheme from the moment it was uncovered, particularly in regard to the dark shadow that it casts over the "science" used to kick fishermen and tribal gatherers off the water in the no-take "State Marine Reserves." 

Many North Coast residents believe the charges against LeValley call into question the legitimacy of the "science" used to close vast areas of the North Coast to fishing and tribal gathering under the MLPA Initiative - while doing nothing to stop pollution, fracking, oil drilling, wind and wave energy projects and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering in a classic example of corporate greenwashing. 

"I would like to know how the state of California is going to revise the science advice LeValley provided for the North Coast MLPA Initiative process, based on him allegedly filing false documents," said Jim Martin, West Coast Regional Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA). 

He suggested forming a "truth and reconciliation commission" to unravel "what really happened" in the MLPA Initiative. 

The validity of the science employed by the MLPA Initiative Science Advisory Team under LeValley's leadership becomes even more suspect when one considers that LeValley and the Team repeatedly and inexplicably refused to allow the Yurok Tribe to present their scientific studies regarding "marine protected areas." The Tribe exposed the questionable science of the MLPA Initiative in a statement on June 6, 2012. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/06/17/18715613.php) 

"Under the MLPA each marine species is assigned a certain level of protection," according to the Tribe. "Species like mussels are given a low level of protection, which in MLPA-speak, translates to more regulation. 

"To date, there has been no scientific data submitted suggesting that mussels on the North Coast are in any sort of danger or are overharvested. In fact, it's just the opposite. The readily available quantitative survey data collected over decades by North Coast experts shows there is quite an abundance of mussels in this sparsely populated study region," the Tribe continued. 

"Fish like Pacific eulachon, also known as candle fish, are given a high level of protection, or in other words, their harvest is not limited by the proposed regulations. Eulachon are near extinction and listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act," the Tribe stated. 

"Both of these marine species are essential and critical to the cultural survival of northern California tribes," said Thomas O'Rourke, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. "However, under the proposed regulations they would be summarily mismanaged. It's examples like these that compel our concerns." 

The Tribe said it attempted on numerous occasions to address the scientific inadequacies with the MLPA science developed under the Schwarzenegger administration by adding "more robust protocols" into the equation, but was denied every time. 

The Northern California Tribal Chairman's Association, including the Chairs of the Elk Valley Rancheria, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Smith River Rancheria, Trinidad Rancheria, and Yurok Tribe, documented in a letter how the science behind the MLPA Initiative developed by Schwarzenegger's Science Advisory Team is "incomplete and terminally flawed." (http://yubanet.com/california/Dan-Bacher-MLPA-Initiative-based-on-incomplete-and-terminally-flawed-science.php) 

On the day of the historic direct action protest by a coalition of over 50 Tribes and their allies in Fort Bragg in July 2010, Frankie Joe Myers, Yurok Tribal member and Coastal Justice Coalition activist, exposed the refusal to incorporate Tribal science that underlies the "science" of the MLPA process. 

“The whole process is inherently flawed by institutionalized racism," said Myers. "It doesn't recognize Tribes as political entities, or Tribal biologists as legitimate scientists." (http://klamathjustice.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-21st-2010.html) 

It is clear that the allegedly "open, transparent and inclusive" MLPA Initiative process was anything but. 

MLPA Initiative: A Parody of Marine Protection 

The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) is a law, signed by Governor Gray Davis in 1999, designed to create a network of marine protected areas off the California Coast. However, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 created the privately-funded MLPA "Initiative" to "implement" the law, effectively eviscerating the MLPA. 

The MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Forces that oversaw the implementation of "marine protected areas" included a big oil lobbyist, a marina corporation executive, coastal real estate developer and other individuals with numerous conflicts of interest. 

Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the president of the Western States Petroleum Association and a relentless advocate for offshore oil drilling, fracking, the Keystone XL Pipeline and the weakening of environmental laws, chaired the South Coast MLPA Blue Ribbon Task that developed the MPAs that went into effect in Southern California waters on January 1, 2012. She also served on the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Forces for the North Coast, North Central Coast and Central Coast. 

While Reheis-Boyd served on the task forces to "protect" the ocean, the same oil industry that the "marine guardian" represents was conducting environmentally destructive hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations off the Southern California coast. Documents recently obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and media investigations by Associated Press and truthout.org reveal that the ocean has been fracked at least 203 times in the past 20 years, including the period from 2004 to 2012 that Reheis-Boyd served as a "marine guardian." 

The "marine protected areas" created under the MLPA Initiative fail to protect the ocean from oil spills and drilling, water pollution, military testing, seismic testing, wave and wind energy projects, corporate aquaculture and all other uses of the ocean other than fishing and gathering. 

The MLPA Initiative operated through a controversial private/public partnership funded by the shadowy Resources Legacy Fund Foundation. The Schwarzenegger administration, under intense criticism by grassroots environmentalists, fishermen and Tribal members, authorized the implementation of marine protected areas under the initiative through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

13:37 | 0 comments | Read More

Opinion - Anti-Common Core Ruse

By Dan Schmitt | December 3, 2013 |

As a retired teacher, I’ve taken an interest in the debate over the new Common Core Standards adopted by California in 2010. I’ve been especially focused on the cloud of negative information about Common Core. During the past year, I’ve attended an anti-Common Core presentation hosted by the “Concerned Parents of Elk Grove” and sponsored by the Elk Grove Tea Party Patriots, attended the Common Core Community Forum sponsored by the Concerned Parents of Elk Grove, and read much of the literature disseminated by these folks. I’ve discovered that their information is riddled with inaccurate claims. Here are three.

Claim #1: The curriculum was mandated by President Obama and is a federal government take-over of education in our country.

Reality: There are people willing to attribute just about anything they perceive as negative, from hurricanes to hemorrhoids, to the Obama Administration. But Common Core did not originate with the federal government. These new standards were spearheaded by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA). In 2009 the NGA convened a group of educators to work on the standards. The Obama administration’s Race to the Top school grants competition gave points for having standards – any standards, not necessarily the Common Core – that showed high school graduates were prepared to do college work or enter the world of work. The Common Core wasn’t required.

Ironically, when the No Child Left Behind Act was passed by the Republican controlled Congress and signed by President Bush in 2001, I don’t remember any local backlash. No Child Left Behind, which required states to develop assessments in basic skills and tied the requirement to federal school funding, was an actual and direct expansion of our federal government’s role in public education. Hmmm, I wonder. . . . .

Claim #2: Another assertion by the anti-Common Core folks involves the “data mining” of student personal information. According to their presentations and literature, “The federal government now allows the following data to be collected on our students: “political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent; mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s parents; sex behavior or attitudes, religious practices, affiliations, or belief of the student or student’s parent.” To support this claim, the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Section 1061, Part F is cited.

Reality: Yes, those data are listed in the act, but what is not mentioned in claim #2 is that the list is embedded within the following paragraph, “No student shall be required, as part of any applicable program to submit to a survey, analysis, or evaluation that reveals information concerning (the list is embedded here) without the prior consent of the student (if the student is an adult or emancipated minor), or in the case of an unemancipated minor, without the prior written consent of the parent.”

Secondly, this issue has nothing to do with Common Core because the GEPA has been the law of the land for over forty years. I don’t recall any such local, false accusations about the federal government during the Bush years. Hmmm, I wonder. . . . .

Claim #3: Students learn about the Five Pillars of Islam but nothing about the U.S. Constitution in school (Note – this came in the form of a question posed by an audience member at the Common Core Forum).

Reality: This also has nothing to do with Common Core since those social science standards have yet to be written. The statement was a belief about the current California Social Science Standards. Students do learn about the Five Pillars of Islam in 7th grade social science. Students also learn about the Constitution as they progress through school. There are no fewer than twenty standards covering the U.S. Constitution (5th through 12th grades), and those standards are easily accessed on the EGUSD website. I can’t remember anyone making such ridiculous accusations about the curriculum during the Bush years. Hmmm, I wonder. . . . .

There are legitimate concerns about Common Core, and a heavy dose of skepticism is necessary. But, when skepticism morphs into paranoia, stoked by hatred for our President, truth becomes a casualty. Hmmm, I wonder if that’s partly what’s happening within the anti-Common Core movement.

22:37 | 0 comments | Read More

Dickinson, Pan in Joint Appearance at Elk Grove-South County Democratic Meeting

December 2, 2013 |

Two Democratic Assembly Members who are vying to replace Darrell Steinberg as the representative for California's Sixth Senate District will jointly appear in Elk Grove next week.

Assembly Members Roger Dickinson and Dr. Richard Pan, who will face-off in next June's primary, will appear at the monthly meeting of the Elk Grove-South County Democratic Club on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.  Steinberg, a longtime fixture at the Capitol, is being termed-out next year.

There will be a brief question and answer period following their presentations. The meeting will be held at the Elk Grove Library, Elk Grove Blvd. and Elk Grove-Florin Road and starts 6:30 p.m. All are welcome. 

For further information, please contact Scott Matsumoto, club president, at (916) 479-2244. 

21:32 | 0 comments | Read More

Gearing up Elk Grove City Council Campaign, Chaires Releases Intro Video

December 2, 2013 |

Although she has served for over six years as a city planning commissioner, Elk Grove City Council candidate Nancy Chaires has produced a video she hopes will help voters learn more of her and her candidacy.

Chaires, who is seeking the full-four year term for the district four seat that was vacated by Gary Davis last year and subsequently filled by Robert Trigg, is currently the only declared candidate. Trigg, who has one year left on his term committed at his time of appointment earlier this year that he will not seek election to the full term.

In the press release accompanying the video, Chaires outlined her motivations for running noting her deep commitment to the community.

"I'm running because I care about my community. This is where I live. This is is where my husband and I are raising our son, where our son goes to school," Chaires said. "This is where we mingle with our neighbors. This is our community."

See video below.

20:02 | 23 comments | Read More

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2013 |

Thank you to all the regular readers, reader-editors and contributors to Elk Grove News.

Happy Thanksgiving!

More funny Thanksgiving cartoons below.

00:00 | 0 comments | Read More

Elk Grove Coach Arrested on Suspicion of 'Sexting' Teenage Girl

November 27, 2013 |

Elk Grove Police Department arrested a 48-year old man yesterday who allegedly sent inappropriate sex text messages to a 16-year-old girl.

According to police reports investigators determined that 48-year old Anthony Mosley had engaged in sending inappropriate text messages, and in one case, a photo that was of a sexual nature to the 16-year-old victim.

Anthony Mosley.

Detective have also confirmed that Mosley was actively training and coaching youth at Bartholomew Sports Park. At this time, it is unknown if there are additional victims.

Mosley is in custody at the county jail and is being held on a bail of $150,000.00 for Penal Code Sections 288.2(a) Distribution or Exhibition of Lewd Material to Minor and 288.3, Communicating with a Minor with Intent to Commit Sex Offense.

The Elk Grove Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding this crime, or any knowledge of additional victims, to call the Elk Grove Police Department Detective Bureau at (916) 478-8060.

10:15 | 1 comments | Read More

Elk Grove Pot House Growers Found Guilty of Illegal Cultivation

November 27, 2013 |

Six people accused of cultivating marijuana in Elk Grove pot houses were recently convicted. 

Last Friday Lixia Ban, Sinh Van Pham, Yabao Lai, Guanmao Chen, Fa Yin Xian, and Shunyi Chen were convicted by jury for the cultivation and possession for sale of marijuana. The defendants cultivated 1,700 marijuana plants out of four houses in the Sacramento and Elk Grove.

At each house, two doctors’ notes we re posted recommending the cultivation of 198 plants (99 per note). At trial, the defendants claimed to be protected by both the Compassionate Use Act and the Medical Marijuana Protection Act. 

The jury rejected defense claims and determined that the marijuana was instead grown for commercial purposes. Trial testimony established that the plants and harvested marijuana found in the four houses was worth over one million dollars. 

Sentencing is set for January 10, 2014 in Department 17 of the Sacramento Superior Court.

09:45 | 1 comments | Read More

Outdoor Trash Cans are Hit and Miss at Elk Grove Fast Food Joints

UPDATED | November 27, 2013 |

With over 25 in its city limits, one of Elk Grove's biggest attractions are drive-thru fast food restaurants. While the city is fat with fast food joints there is one thing not all of them can offer visitors - outdoor trash cans.

Recently an Elk Grove News reader brought this to our attention when they noticed the city's newest addition to its stable of burgeoning fast food joints, the McDonald's on Bruceville Road and Whitelock Parkway, did not have outdoor trash receptacles. Curious, our reader inquired with the City of Elk Grove why this obvious design feature on the newest Golden Aches did not have what seemed to be a staple of every fast food joint.

An Elk Grove resident alleges trash from the Elk Grove Bruceville Road McDonald's is ending up in their neighborhood because this outlet does not have any outdoor trash receptacles. This city says the restaurant was not required to place outdoor trash cans for customer use. 

According to the response our reader got from a city code enforcement representative, the McDonald's is not in violation as the approved design for the outlet did not include an outdoor trash receptacle. Code enforcement specialist Cathy Lantsberger wrote: "I have looked into your concerns and found there is a business license on file. I have checked with the Planning Department and there were no garbage cans on the Design Review."

As a follow-up, EGN wrote to Elk Grove Planning Director Taro Echiburú  inquiring if trash receptacles were required for fast food restaurants. As of this posting, Echiburu has not responded.

An informal sampling of fast food joints showed mixed results. Among outlets found to have outdoor trash receptacles were the Inn n Out and Burger King on East Stockton Blvd. and the McDonald's and Jimboys Tacos on Elk Grove Blvd. east of Highway 99. Those lacking were the McDonald's on Laguna Blvd. and Laguna Springs Drive, the Carl's Jr. on Bruceville Road and the aforementioned Golden Arches near the city's newest Walmart.

As our reader pointed out in their inquiry to the city, this was a glaring design flaw that is negatively affecting a nearby neighborhood. "Needless to say, you can imagine that customer trash is consequently ending up in the neighborhood, and is readily identifiable as sourced from McDonald's" the inquiry read.

One can only hope when the new McDonald's, AM/PM and liquor store to be located on Sheldon Road and Highway 99 goes through the design review process, our city planning department isn't asleep at the wheel again. And lets hope the Bruceville Road McDonald's franchisee is a responsible stand-up sort of business person, does the right thing and voluntarily installs outdoor trash receptacles.

If Elk Grove is to become a tourist destination, the last thing we want greeting all those vacationers are fast food wrappers littering our city's attractions. 

UPDATE: EGN received the following correspondence from the planning department.

"Any establishment with an outdoor dining area is required to have at least one outdoor trash receptacle. The code is silent when there is no outdoor dining area but those establishments are still required to maintain their property free of trash, so, while not specifically required, it would be to the owner’s advantage to have outdoor trash receptacles. This is something that could be included in the design review process (when a design review is required) but if there is a trash problem at any given establishment, the provisions in the Municipal Cope relative to nuisance should be sufficient to address the issue."  

00:00 | 9 comments | Read More

Chaires Racks Up Endorsements in Run For Elk Grove City Council

November 26, 2013 |

With less than a year to go until general elections and no declared opponents, Elk Grove City Council candidate Nancy Chaires is leaving nothing to chance in her pursuit of the District Four seat. To that end, Chaires recently announced three more endorsements of her candidacy on top of the previous 30 she has received.

The newest endorsements are from three locally recognized women community leaders - Los Rios Community College District Trustee and longtime Elk Grove resident Kay Albiani,  Elk Grove Unified School District Trustee Bobbie Singh-Allen and local restauranteur Marie Mertz.

“As women from immigrant families, Nancy and I embrace the opportunities for success that this country offers," Singh-Allen said. "Nancy and I also share a desire to give back to our communities and to create more inclusive government."

Chaires, who currently serves on the Elk Grove Planning Commission as an appointee of Council Member Jim Cooper, hopes to be elected to a full-four year term next November. The seat is currently occupied by Bob Trigg who promised not to run when he was appointed last January to fill the remaining two years of the current term when it was vacated by Gary Davis upon his election as Mayor.  

14:29 | 0 comments | Read More

Elk Grove Soldier Working on Med Evac, Saving Lives in Afghanistan

November 26, 2013| FOB DELARAM, Afghanistan |

Helicopter 865 touched down outside the medical tent at Forward Operating Base Delaram II, Afghanistan, just shy of 8:50 a.m., Nov 14.

Afghan National Army medics had rushed an injured soldier into the base nearly twenty minutes earlier. They staunched the blood flow from the gunshot wound in the soldier’s lower abdomen and noted the exit wound perilously close his spinal column.

The nature of the wound posed a significant threat to the soldier’s life, so the medics requested to airlift him to a surgical facility.

Within minutes, officials cleared the casualty for the nearly 25-minute flight to Camp Bastion, where trauma care specialists awaited his arrival. The medevac was already on standby, rotors spinning and ready for flight.

Sgt. Jeffrey Jacobs, an Elk Grove, Calif., native and flight medic with Charlie Company, 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion, tears off a strip of medical tape inside a UH-60 Black Hawk while flying a wounded Afghan soldier to Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 14, 2013. The soldier suffered an abdominal gunshot wound during a firefight and received emergency care from Afghan National Army medics and Navy Corpsmen prior to being flown to Camp Bastion.

Wind swelled beneath the blades of the UH-60 Black Hawk and washed over the litter crew as they dashed toward the open door on the left side of the bird. A final, powerful gust quivered the blue medical blanket over the patient as the team slid the wounded solder into the helicopter and closed the doors for takeoff.

“We have an hour to get that patient from the time they incurred their injury to a major hospital,” said Sgt. Jeffrey Jacobs, a flight medic with Charlie Company, 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion. “A large amount of that time is transportation … A lot can happen in 20 to 25 minutes.”

Spc. Ryan Waller, the lead medic for the flight to Camp Bastion, secured the patient and prepped an intravenous line as the sudden, gut-sucking motion of liftoff filled the small cabin.

“That ‘Golden Hour’ takes into account the time of injury to surgery,” said Waller, an Aromas, Calif., native. “We have to assume the worst. We don’t know if we get there a minute too late if the patient is going to die.”

The hour mark already loomed over the injured soldier by the time Waller and Jacobs got their hands on him. Goosebumps bristled along his skin as the chill from blood loss and strain set into his body.

The two medics wrapped the ANA soldier in a green wool blanket and strapped an oxygen mask around his face.

“The fact that we are taking them up to altitude means they’re automatically going to be hypoxic,” said Waller. “The oxygen levels in the blood are not going to be as high as on the ground. The patient is already injured, so that’s one of the things we can always count on.”

Waller and Jacobs moved feverishly about the helicopter with an unspoken sense of purpose. Waller prepped a syringe, holding the needle out for his partner to see, as Jacobs tied off the patient’s right arm and coaxed a vein to the surface.

“We’ve gotten used to each other’s body language and the flow of events,” said Jacobs, a native of Elk Grove, Calif. “I can look at him, see what he’s doing, and prep for what’s next.”

Jacobs slid his needle into the soldiers arm near the bend in the right elbow. Waller was already doing the same on the other side.

“The trust factor is huge,” said Waller. “I know if he is off doing something it’s important for the patient. He knows the same for me.”

The two have handled roughly 30 trauma cases during their six months in Afghanistan. Since medevac, or DUSTOFF, flights are reserved for urgent patients only, they honed their skills on the razors edge of life and death for the patients in their care.

“Just the two medics in the back are performing the jobs of almost eight people in the hospital,” said Jacobs. “It’s humbling. At that point you know it’s just you. There’s no real reason to worry about it … it’s just you.”

The nature of the helicopter itself is a constant challenge for the team, admitted Waller.

The medics crawl around the fuselage on their knees, hooked to the helicopter frame by a safety strap. The weight of their gear and the cramped conditions make it difficult to conduct traditional assessments on patients. The sheering sound of the engines drowns out their ability to shout back and forth.

Unable to feel for a pulse or listen to the patient’s lungs, they rely on an array of sensors, medical equipment, and pure instinct to monitor the patient’s vital signs.

“The back [of the helicopter] really is where we shine,” said Waller.

By 9:11 a.m., Helicopter 865 touched down at Camp Bastion, where Waller and Jacobs turned the patient over to critical care personnel waiting by the flight line.

Compliments of Defense Video & Imagery Distribution Service.

13:25 | 0 comments | Read More