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– Weekend Edition – VOLUME 175 • ISSUE 55 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2026
PATRIOTIC PARADES
Courtesy photo
Placerville golfers Susie Hendrix and her daughter Michelle Hendrix celebrate their bronze medal-winning victory in the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota last month.
Placerville golfers win Special Olympics bronze Lance Armstrong
Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene
Stars, stripes, red, white and blue — all were on display during Saturday morning’s 4th of July parades in Pollock Pines and Pleasant Valley. Residents and guests gathered to watch the floats go by, catch candy and wave Old Glory with patriotic enthusiasm. Above, Sabrina Thorp of Placerville carries a child on each hip while holding the American flag to lead the Sisterhood of the Synchronized Rolling Pins in the Pleasant Valley Parade. The group was founded by Thorp’s mother, Susan Wise, in response to the all-male Lawn Chair Brigade. This year’s participants joining Thorp and her mother were Karen Swineford, Sandra McGinnis, Susan Garcia, Chris Savage, Tracy Branstetter, Robin Reves May, Delores Moran-Colby and Thorp’s three children: Raylan, 5, (holding the banner), Hershel, 3, and Leonard, 5 months. See more photos on page A3.
Staff writer
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lacerville resident Michelle Hendrix and her mother Susie Hendrix proved to be a winning combination last month as they won bronze medals in the Special Olympics USA Games in Blaine, Minn. This year’s games, which also featured 15 other sports, took place June 20-27 with competition held June 22-25. Michelle, a 46-year-old woman with intellectual disabilities, and her mother are no strangers to the sport of golf. The duo has been playing together for the past 10 years. Susie has been an athlete in this sport for longer, having learned the game from her husband Bob, a Vietnam veteran who died in 2023. “My husband and I played golf on a regular basis,
At left, a 1936 Ford pickup, entered by South Fork 1848 Eatery & Bakeshop, was one of many vintage vehicles rolling through the Pollock Pines Independence Day Parade. The truck was decorated with large and small American flags and its spare tire cover was painted to resemble Old Glory
■ See MEDAL, page A9
Pedestrian dies after being struck by vehicle
Photo by Laurie Edwards
Shelly Thorene Staff writer
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
A man died after being struck by a vehicle on northbound Cameron Park Drive, north of Meder Road at around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday according to the California Highway Patrol – Placerville. A black Kia with a juvenile driver drifted on to the shoulder and struck the man from behind, CHP officials shared. The victim, who has not been identified, was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The driver stayed on scene and the crash remains under investigation.
Photo by Laurie Edwards
Pollock Pines parade Grand Marshal George Osborne, above, waves to spectators while riding in a red Corvette driven by Ray Read on July 4. Osborne was honored for his many years of dedicated service to the Pollock Pines community and El Dorado County. At left, American flags fly from each handlebar as Mike Ragusa, 63, of Pleasant Valley rides his Stingray bicycle Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene down Pleasant Valley Road.
Opioid settlement funds disbursed to priority programs Noel Stack Editor
With a focus on high-priority services and programs, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors recently approved a plan to utilize more than $3.6 million in Opioid Settlement Funds.
Grantees El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office — $606,000 for school-based youth substance use education, One Pill Can Kill presentations done in conjunction with the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. El Dorado County District Attorney & Public Defender — $972,627 for Proposition 36 collaborative courts, restorative justice, One Pill Can Kill presentations Marshall Medical Center — $750,000 for Breaking
Cycles: MAT, same-day access, Substance Use Navigators, Prop. 36 support Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids — $248,700 for youth substance use prevention education, presentations, campaigns, peer outreach El Dorado Community Health Center — $1,050,000 for STEPS in BH Urgent Care, buprenorphine via Mobile Medication Unit, youth peer outreach “We really worked hard to balance what the allowable uses of these funds are based on guidance from the Department of Healthcare Services versus our local values and needs and and what we want to focus on here in El Dorado County, you know, recognizing that sometimes our local priorities differ from that of the state of California,” El Dorado County Behavioral Health Director Justine Collinsworth shared during
“... we do not promote any type of needle exchange and we are not supporting any programming that does any invasive type program like that.” — El Dorado County Behavioral Health Director Justine Collinsworth a presentation at the June 23 board meeting. “So we were really mindful to ensure that we listen to our constituents. One thing I’d like to note is that we do not promote any type of needle exchange and we are not supporting any programming that does any invasive type program like that,” she added. The county’s Health and Human Services Agency also retains a portion of the funds. “Primarily, that has been used to ensure that folks … in need of urgent substance use disorder treatment, like inpatient recovery-type services, are able to find placements,” Collinsworth
explained. “It’s very limited what we have here in the county. So oftentimes we have to look outside of the county to place folks when they need this level of care. “We are also looking at how some of these funds will be used to support capital development of a future treatment-focused interim housing location that’s going to be at 300 Forni Road,” she continued. “And one of the things I’m actually most excited about is that we are working with an established children’s vendor here within the county to lift up building ■ See FUNDS, page A9