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• CAMERON PARK 3321 Durock Rd Bldg A (530) 676-2446 • EL DORADO HILLS 4640 Post Street (916) 293-5665 • PLACERVILLE 85 Placerville Dr. (530) 622-6956
C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
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– Weekend Edition – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025
VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 90 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
Kinghorn wins EDHCSD seat Noel Stack Editor
Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene
Veterans Day ceremonies will once again take place at the El Dorado County Veterans Monument in Placerville. The event begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Gary Kinghorn will join the El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors. Kinghorn earned 9,438 votes (61.53%). Candidate Wayne Lowery received 5,900 votes (38.47%), according to Election GARY KINGHORN Night unofficial results. “I’m very humbled by all the support and encouragement I’ve received since being virtually unknown about six months ago,” Kinghorn shared the day after the election. “I knew it would be very challenging to get past an opponent who has been a pillar of the community for decades with so much direct CSD experience and deep ties through Rotary, charities and the cityhood effort. ■ See KINGHORN, page A9
not guilty of Ceremony of gratitude Andrus all felony charges coming to EDC Veterans Monument
Joseph Thuesen
and Commandant of Marine Corps League – SSgt. Sky Mote Special to the Mountain Democrat Detachment 697 of Placerville. n Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 11 The Eugene L. Carnahan, Civil a.m. the annual Veterans Air Patrol – Cadet Squadron Day ceremonies to honor 85 will present the colors, and to appreciate veterans, both while the National Anthem, present and passed, will be held along with performances of at the El Dorado County Veterans service anthems and special Monument, 360 Fair Lane in patriotic music, will be sung Placerville. by the Ponderosa High School This special event continues Chamber Choir under the the tradition and custom at the direction of Craig Mason. The monument envisioned by Marine invocation and benediction will Veteran of the Year Jim Wassner be led by Chaplain, Lt. Col. Tim Cpl. Richard W. Buchanan to honor and show gratitude for veterans Thompson, USA (Ret.). as well as for those who made the Other elements of the ultimate sacrifice. ceremony will include a Pledge of Allegiance led The ceremony will include a call to order by representatives from the county’s veterans’ by the Officer in Charge Capt. Jack Babbit, organizations, including the American Legion, USMC (Ret.); the Sergeant-at-Arms will be the Marine Corps League and the Veterans of led by Marine Corps Sgt. Tyler Dennis of the Foreign Wars, with a parade of flags led by local 12th Marine Corps Detachment, Placerville scouting and youth groups. Recruiting office. The Ceremonial Host will be led by Joseph Thuesen, USMC veteran ■ See CEREMONY, page A5
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EID plan gets a refresh Chris Woodard Staff writer
The El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors discussed on Oct. 27 the district’s long-term roadmap — the 2026–30 Capital Improvement Plan. “This is the capital improvement plan ... serves to identify and prioritize and schedule capital projects … over the upcoming fiveyear period,” Director of Engineering Jon Money said. “This workshop today is part of the annual budget development cycle.” The session was for discussion only. The board will decide whether to adopt/modify the plan in its next meeting on Nov. 10
Completed projects Money began by highlighting completed projects from the 2025–29 CIP. The district recently replaced Flume 47, a 230-foot wooden structure rebuilt in concrete to improve safety and wildfire resistance.
Chris Woodard Staff writer
A jury found Alan Andrus not guilty of all felony charges on Nov. 5 in the sexual assault case brought against him by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, but convicted him on a lesser charge: misdemeanor simple battery. The verdict concludes a lengthy trial in which Andrus, a former bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, faced three charges: sexual penetration with a foreign object or substance when the victim is intoxicated, attempted sexual penetration under the same circumstances and sexual battery. Jurors acquitted him of all three charges but determined he was guilty of the lesser offense tied to the third count. Prosecutors alleged that on June 4, 2019, Andrus supplied Ambien to a woman identified by the court as Jane Doe and sexually touched her while she was drifting in and out of consciousness inside her El Dorado Hills home. The prosecution ■ See VERDICT, page A9
RAIN RETURNS
“The completion of this brings us right up to about 45% of concrete canal,” Money said. “We’re expecting about 4% change orders on this project, so we are well within our project budget.” He also noted completion of the Silver Lake East Campground Water System, the final project under the district’s FERC relicense requirements. “We’re happy to have those projects all marked off at this time,” he said. The district installed 15 emergency generators at lift and pump stations through a $4.7 million FEMA grant, ensuring reliable service during PG&E power shutoffs.
Projects near completion The district continues work on the Sly Park Intertie, which connects Reservoir A and Reservoir 1 with a 22-inch pipeline and a new pump station. Supported by a $10 million Department of Water Resources grant, the project improves ■ See PLAN, page A9
Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene
Wet weather made a comeback in the foothills this week with wind knocking fall color off the trees and sending leaves down the drain in historical downtown Placerville. Communities on the west slope of El Dorado County reported a half-inch to nearly an inch of rain came down in the recent storm. More precipitation could dampen the region late next week.