C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Weekend Edition – mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2025
VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 22 | $1.00
Snow stalls spring Making Herstory
EDH resident Gay Willyard honored as Woman of the Year
Jo Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent
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Photo by Larry Graydon
Pearl, a 1 1/2-year-old Doberman mix, stands in around 6 inches of new snow next to a retired 1950 Ford 8N in the Sierra Springs development in Pollock Pines on Thursday morning. The low snow was even, briefly, flying around Placerville but didn’t stick around. Highway 50 was closed for several hours while Caltrans conducted avalanche control operations over the summit.
Supes OK road project revisions Jo Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent Two roadwork projects could be done sooner and one could be deleted following the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors’ unanimous approval of the Department of Transportation’s proposed 2025 Capital Improvement Program ■ See CIP, page A8
atha “Gay” Willyard of El Dorado Hills accepted the State Senate District 4 El Dorado County Woman of the Year award Tuesday at the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting with a “thank you” and a smile. She was aptly awarded as a woman who has devoted much of her life to the betterment of El Dorado County, according to Todd White, representative for Sen. Marie AlvaradoGil, who presented Willyard with a large framed resolution from the state Senate. “She’s dedicated her life to the community, most notably on the County Fair Board of Directors, and she’s also very active in the El Dorado Rose Program,” White said, noting Willyard has lived in the community over 40 years.. Willyard, originally from Little Rock, Ark., relocated to the Bay Area and found her way to Northern California ■ See WILLYARD, page A8
Photo by Todd White
El Dorado County Women of the Year Gay Willyard, center, was celebrated at the March 11 Board of Supervisors meeting. She’s all smiles here with, from left, daughter Wednesday McCarthy, Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, son Ed Willyard and daughter-in-law Jennifer Willyard.
Crackdown targets violent felons, sex offenders, drug traffickers El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office News release
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — On March 11, the Sacramentobased Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and FBI, along with the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office’s assistance, executed a federal law enforcement operation in South Lake Tahoe. This operation resulted in the arrest of eight subjects at seven different residential locations. All individuals were either contacted as part of a federal narcotics investigation, were registered sex offenders or already had outstanding warrants for arrest. Those apprehended had extensive criminal histories, including convictions for child molestation, rape, possession of child sexual abuse material, narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms sales near schools, domestic violence and other violent offenses. Additionally, four
Courtesy photo
Law enforcement officials take a person into custody during a multi-agency crackdown in South Lake Tahoe. of these subjects had previously been deported one or more times.
District Attorney Pierson noted, “The partnership between our local and federal
law enforcement is vitally important to public safety. As your district attorney, I
remain dedicated to safeguarding our communities. We will continue to utilize every lawful tool available to ensure El Dorado County citizens can live safely and securely.” Deportation proceedings have been initiated by DHS against these individuals based on their threat to the community. In accordance with state law, and restrictions imposed by Senate Bill 54, local law enforcement agencies did not participate in this operation. This law enforcement operation was focused solely on criminal subjects or identified threats to the community. Innocent members of the public, regardless of citizenship, were not the focus of this operation nor were schools, hospitals, places of employment or government buildings. Lic # 559305
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