Amador

Angels Camp

Arnold

Bear Valley

Copperopolis

Murphys

San Andreas

Valley Springs

Moke Hill/West Point

Tuolumne

News

Business Directory

Weather - Roads

Sports

Real Estate

Photos & Video

Weekly Ads/Grocery Ads

Entertainment

Life & Style

Columns

About Us

Supervisors

Calendar

Polls

Law Enforcement

Letters to the Editor

Frogtown USA

Coming Soon...
Tuesday, Jun 18
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
10:00 AM	Tapas Cooking Class
10:00 AM	Tapas Cooking Class
12:00 PM	Senior Lunch Every Tuesday at Chapel in the Pines
04:30 PM	Wine Maker's Night at Alchemy, Murphys - 209-728-0700
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous
Wednesday, Jun 19
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
09:30 AM	Hatha Yoga Classes
10:00 AM	Weekend Steam-Powered Excursion Train Rides
04:30 PM	Beginning Guitar Lessons with Doug Quintal
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous
06:30 PM	Bingo-June 19th in Valley Springs
Thursday, Jun 20
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
09:00 AM	Mountain Ranch Food Commodities & Pantry
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
All Day	Hatha Yoga Classes
11:00 AM	Free Lunch With Us in Mountain Ranch
All Day	Beginning Guitar Lessons with Doug Quintal
06:00 PM	Murphys "Classic Car Cruise Nights"
06:00 PM	Debtors Anonymous
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous
Friday, Jun 21
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
All Day	Mountain Ranch Food Commodities & Pantry
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
All Day	Hatha Yoga Classes
All Day	Free Lunch With Us in Mountain Ranch
11:30 AM	Food and Wine Tours, Murphys
All Day	Beginning Guitar Lessons with Doug Quintal
05:00 PM	Lagorio's BBQ Fridays
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous
08:30 PM	Comedy Night at the Sports Pub
Saturday, Jun 22
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
All Day	Mountain Ranch Food Commodities & Pantry
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
All Day	Hatha Yoga Classes
10:00 AM	Weekend Steam-Powered Excursion Train Rides
All Day	Free Lunch With Us in Mountain Ranch
11:30 AM	Food and Wine Tours, Murphys
01:00 PM	Guided Hike, Big Trees State Park - 209-795-3840
All Day	Beginning Guitar Lessons with Doug Quintal
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous
Sunday, Jun 23
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
All Day	Mountain Ranch Food Commodities & Pantry
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
All Day	Hatha Yoga Classes
10:00 AM	Weekend Steam-Powered Excursion Train Rides
All Day	Free Lunch With Us in Mountain Ranch
All Day	Beginning Guitar Lessons with Doug Quintal
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous
Monday, Jun 24
All Day	Gallery Exhibit, San Andreas - 209-754-1774
All Day	Mountain Ranch Food Commodities & Pantry
All Day	Mountain Ranch Quilting Group
All Day	Hatha Yoga Classes
All Day	Free Lunch With Us in Mountain Ranch
All Day	Beginning Guitar Lessons with Doug Quintal
All Day	Overeaters Anonymous

Log In

Letters to the Editor

Announcements

Sometimes Bad Math Makes Everything Add Up! By John Hamilton

Posted by: thepinetree on 06/16/2013 01:14 PM

Arnold, CA...As many of you know who have stopped by ThePineTree.net over the last 8 years we try to resist the urge to write editorials. We feel our readers probably do not care or should care what our personal thoughts are on a given matter. Today on Father's Day though I couldn't resist as I thought I should pass along a personal reminder that all of us have more strength than we think. I hope my experiences last night and this morning might help you redouble your efforts as it has really helped me. Ok enough stalling and onto the story...as some of you know at the ripe old age of 47 ½ I made the decision to try and get back into shape and after losing 70lbs or so and keeping it off I felt fairly positive about the progress on many levels...

Letter to the Editor - Marti Crane

Posted by: thepinetree on 06/12/2013 04:37 PM

We need your help!
The Volunteer Center belongs to everyone!

Individually and collectively, we are the key to a sense of community that allows us to all feel safe, connected and valued....

Letter to the Editor From Al Duncan

Posted by: John_Hamilton on 05/23/2013 11:54 AM

Valley Springs, CA...1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day. 2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute! 3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year....

Tragedy in Calaveras County. Letter to the Editor from Jean Fox

Posted by: thepinetree on 03/01/2013 06:25 PM

San Andreas, CA....The miracle didn’t come. Sadly, I watched the patients leave the Mountain Oaks Health Center yesterday, with tears streaming down their faces, knowing this was the last medical care they would receive for the foreseeable future. They were friends and neighbors, mostly in their late 50’s and early 60’s, without medical insurance. I watched the dedicated staff, wipe their eyes, quickly, so they could take care of the next patient, only to break down again, as the next patient thanked them for their selfless sacrifices and hugged them good bye, for the last time. Approximately 2000 patients, friends, neighbors, hardworking locals are now without basic medical care that helped all of us be healthier. My 62 year old friend in choir, that could no longer pay nearly $600.00 per month for insurance, has no place to turn. The people at the local fast food place, the grocery clerk, the pizza maker, the local plumber, handyman, school aide, and cafeteria service person, sometimes working 2 jobs, to pay rent and feed their children, have no place to go, for that bad cold, or flu, or diabetes. Without treatment, they will work, as long as they can, spreading the contagious illnesses, or become another tax payer “burden”, when their treatable conditions, become life threatening...

The History of Conquering People in 4 Easy Steps ~Letter to the Editor By Cameron Bur

Posted by: John_Hamilton on 01/16/2013 05:47 PM

Mountain Ranch, CA... 1) Show them fear. 2) Let fear divide them. 3) Breed hope that you and only you can protect them. 4) Disarm them...

Lodging Community Screwed Inn their Own Beds! Letter to the Editor by Arline Taborek

Posted by: thepinetree on 10/29/2012 06:05 PM

Murphys, CA...On April 3, 2012, Calaveras Visitors Bureau (CVB) invited lodging members to a Tourism Marketing District (TMD) meeting with Civitas, a company that specializes in forming and developing tourism improvement districts. I was really taken aback once I learned that the CVB had already negotiated a contract with Civitas to facilitate and manage a TMD, at a cost of upwards from $40,000.00! Prior to that meeting, CVB did not initiate any meetings with lodging members to ask for input, feedback, or if lodging would even support CVB’s decision. CVB’s decision to take a major portion of TOT advertising money and sink it into Civitas without benefit of a vote or guaranteed lodging support was irresponsible, and a mismanagement of TOT monies. Lodging contributes to an overwhelming majority of CVB’s funding, but it is my sense that CVB’s attitude toward the lodging community is, you are either going to be burdened with a TOT increase or a TMD tax, whether you like it or not, so suck it up!...

Letter to the Editor~by Mark Campbell Superintendent Calaveras Unified

Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 10/22/2012 08:48 AM

Jenny Lind, CA...This is to address allegations of purported health/safety issues at Jenny Lind Elementary specific to portable classrooms. There were formal complaints filed with CAL-OSHA regarding alleged issues and concerns with HVAC maintenance, indoor air quality, mold in the classrooms and the impact of bird droppings (from nested Cliff Swallows) ---all relative to potential health and safety concerns....

How Government "Helps" People Who Wish To Be Producers ~By Dennis B. Dooley

Posted by: thepinetree on 09/08/2012 10:24 AM

Angels Camp, CA...For those who know me, know that I have very little patience for governmental programs that are designed around a never-ending process that seldom, if ever, produces any results. So much of government programs are set up on process as a priority, and results are secondary. I have dealt with numerous programs designed to help small public water systems. These water systems are told that they might get funding that will reimburse them for their initial engineering reports and application costs, but only if they are successful in persevering until the end. If they don’t persevere until the end, or if they fail to make the cut, then none of their costs and efforts are covered. This is almost always a cripping financial disaster for these small systems, and therefore, they do everything they can to avoid beomg sucked into this destructive plan...

Calaveras County Tax Payers Association Urges Action on "Fire Tax" ~By Al Segalla

Posted by: thepinetree on 08/30/2012 03:26 PM

Copperopolis, CA...The Calaveras County Taxpayers Association urges taxpayers to take action on the "Fire Tax"by using the protest procedure developed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association which is also suing the state to overturn this tax. Action suggested is challenging the tax and requesting a refund. The Fire Tax Protest site (FireTaxProtest.org) is a one-stop resource for taxpayers who wish to protest the new fire tax, learn more information about their rights, or join a class action lawsuit to overturn what HJTA believes to be an unlawful tax...