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Golden Lakes Charter School Petition


School board votes against approving charter
July 30 The Golden Lakes Charter School effort suffered a setback July 27 when their charter petition was denied by the Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District board of trustees. Read Story


CSD Board drops water rate hike proposal
July 30 A proposed water rate hike for owners of vacant lots will not go through after all. Read Story

CSD Board fails to pass motion to rescind Prop 218 process
July 6 Board members had another lengthy debate last week over whether they were on the right track by initiating a Proposition 218 process to raise rates on non-metered lots served by the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District. Read Story

LDP community speaks out for charter school
June 19 The Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District plans to further discuss and possibly take action in the next couple of weeks on a petition to create a charter school in the Lake Don Pedro area. Read Story

CSD takes issue of GM's resignation behind closed doors
June 19 The Lake Don Pedro Community Services District is losing its general manager, but trustees seemed reluctant last week even to acknowledge that fact, much less publicly state what they plan to do about the situation. Read Story

Golden Lakes Charter School presents charter petition
June 4 The Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School district held the first of two public hearings June 2 on a charter petition by Golden Lakes Charter School. Read Story

Audit brings more contention at BOFGUSD school board meeting
April 17 At a special meeting of the Big Oak Flat Groveland School District on April 7, the Board accepted the auditors report for the 2008/09 school year as presented by Bill Williams of the auditing firm of Varinek, Trine, Day and Associates … but not without controversy and lengthy dialogue. Read Story

BOFGUSD school board wrestles with financial woes
April 6 The embattled and divided Big Oak Flat Groveland School Board of Trustees continues to wrestle with an ever-increasing list of issues that, if left unresolved, threaten to engulf the district in chaos and financial ruin. Read Story

CSD changes water discharge procedures
March 24 In the wake of concerns expressed at meetings last month, the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District has revised its procedures for discharging water into local waterways. Read Story

CSD: Chlorine conspiracy allegations not true
March 9 Two local ranchers, including the wife of a board member, asked the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District last month to investigate reports of multiple incidents of large water releases, including one that smelled strongly of chlorine. Read Story

SOS launches plan for LDP charter school
March 9 Lake Don Pedro’s Save Our Schools committee had some bad news and some good news for local residents at a meeting last month. Read Story

King proposes closing DPHS
March 9 The Big Oak Flat–Groveland Unified School District board and the audience discussed and debated on several ways to reduce the district expenses for the 2010/2011 school year during a special meeting February 24. Read Story

What's your storm story?
February 1 Approximately 1,800 PG&E customers in the Lake Don Pedro, La Grange and Coulterville area were affected by a power outage caused by the onslaught of last week’s storm. Read Story

Golf course homes were without power longer than others
February 1 Lake Don Pedro resident Janet Wilmeth reported that the area near the golf course, which totaled 133 homes, was without power even longer than other parts of the community. Their homes lost power on Wednesday at 12:06 pm and didn’t get it back on until Saturday at 2:45 pm. Read Story

AARP offers free tax assistance
February 1 The American Association of Retired Persons Foundation continues to sponsor a free tax filing program though the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board. Read Story

CSD wants population figures a bit lower
February 1 Ever wonder just how many people live in the Don Pedro area? Official figures set it at about 3,300, more or less. But for purposes of the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District, “less” is better than “more.” Read Story

School trustees revise budget in face of severe financial problems
January 19 The beleaguered Big Oak Flat Groveland School Board of Trustees, already reeling from lawsuits, restraining orders, controversial hirings and firings and an irate Don Pedro community, now finds itself facing a ever graver problem ... money, or a lack thereof.
Read Story

COLUMNS

Clydesdale teams are an impressive sight

July 30 – One of my joys in life is to go to the tractor pulls at the Stanislaus County Fair. While standing in line to enter the arena for the tractor pulls this year, we noticed a sign that read, “Clydesdale Horses,” with an arrow.
Read Story

Being a great and godly dad ...
June 4 – Dads are important. Dads make a difference in their children’s lives, both for good or bad. Of course it doesn’t take a college education to know that everyone who is a dad is meant to be a good dad. Read Story

Maintaining county roads
July 30 – This year has been very unusual on scheduling our annual maintenance on our county roads. Read Story

GLCS: 'We need to stay on course ...'
April 6 Things can and do change rapidly, when starting something as complicated as a charter school that is dealing with two school districts and two counties. Read Story

Speakers encourage residents to dream big
March 24 Two local high school girls who are student representatives on the Golden Lakes Charter Committee urged the community to get behind the charter effort. Read Story

CSD wants population figures a bit lower
February 1 Ever wonder just how many people live in the Don Pedro area? Official figures set it at about 3,300, more or less. But for purposes of the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District, “less” is better than “more.” Read Story

Tuolumne Supes hold community input meetings
February 1 The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors wants input from residents on what they feel are the most important things the county should be doing over the next several years. Read Story

New board takes the helm at LDPOA
January 5 The Lake Don Pedro Owners Association has released official results from the December 18 election. Read Story

CSD board votes on water rate inrease
December 7 The Lake Don Pedro Community Services District Board of Directors voted November 16 on a modified plan to increase water rates in the community. Read Story

Vietnam Wall replica to visit Greeley Hill
November 13 For years, Jesse Salcedo helped bring the traveling Vietnam Wall memorial to other towns. Now he’s making plans to bring it to his part-time home town of Greeley Hill. Read Story

LDPCSD board approves pay raises
November 13 The Lake Don Pedro Community Services District Board found themselves between a rock and a hard place November 2 when faced with a decision of whether or not to grant employees raises. Read Story

Members vote to recall entire LDPOA board
November 2 In a historic vote tallied October 17, the entire Lake Don Pedro Owners Association Board was recalled. Read Story

CSD board hopes to raise wages
November 2 Directors approved pay raises for most employees at the October 19 meeting of the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District Board. Read Story

School district office moves back to Groveland
November 2 The Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District office has returned to Groveland after operating from the Don Pedro High School campus for the past year and a half, according to Interim District Superintendent Mike King. Read Story

'Save Our Schools' meeting Nov. 19
November 2 While organization efforts continue, we are working on three fronts in the hope of running our school in the fall of 2010. Read Story

CSD to seek new general manager
October 5 – Recruiting a new general manager for the water district will begin immediately. Board members made the decision in a 4-0 vote at the September 21 meeting of the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District. Read Story

LDPOA recall petition presented
July 31 – Members of “United for Recall Steering Committee” presented their petition for recall of the entire Lake Don Pedro Owners’ Association board of directors during the board’s regular meeting July 18. Read Story

Residents form committee to recall LDPOA board
June 5 – A steering committee of 12 local citizens chaired by Mitch Mattea plans to present a petition of recall to the LDPOA board at its June 20 regular meeting. Read Story

DPHS grads
June 15 – This year Don Pedro High School graduated its first senior class in the school’s new multi-purpose/gym. Read Story

Eighth-graders move on to high school
June 5 Area eighth graders graduate. Read Story

Coulterville hosts 24th annual Coyote Howl
May 15 – This year’s Coulterville Coyote Howl parade will be full of hot cars, floats and much more. The parade starts the day’s fun off promptly at 10 am, so don’t be late! Read Story

Residents hear updates on emergency services
May 15 – Local residents heard updates from the heads of several emergency services organizations at the annual North Side Ambulance Association dinner May 4. Read Story

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