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THE MOTHER LODE'SLEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE 1854 • SO NORA, CALIFORNIA
TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
Dollar General
RISING WATERS
A special thank you to Union Democrat subscriberAndrea Dolan of Twain Harte
Company has plans to keep building
TOD AY'S READER BOARD The first significant storm ofFebruaryis expected to bring precipitation to the Mother Lode beginning Wednesday
BRIEFING
By GUY MCCARTHY The Union Democrat
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A spokesman for Dollar General Corporation said Monday it's rare that a proposedstore for the retail giant is denied. The company opened 730 new stores across the United States in 2015. Last week in Columbia, three members of the Tuolumne CountyBoard of Su-
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Pic of the Week — To submit your original photos, email a high-resolution jpg file to editor/Nuniondemocrat.corn. Include a caption with information about the photo. Please, no more than one submission per month per photographer. This weekly feature typically runs Tuesdays.A2
pervisors shut the door on a
proposal to build a new Dollar General near Columbia State Historic Park. Dollar General had 12,396 storesin 43 states as ofOct. 30, said Dan MacDonald, seniordirector of corporate communications for Dollar General. 'Vile have been very successful at opening new stores
Courtesy photo /Michael Sharps
The old Parrotts Ferry Bridge, which only weeks ago stood high above the waters of New Melones Reservoir, is just inches from being submerged once again. Hikers took the opportunity on Sunday to walk the bridge one last time before it is once again covered by the reservoir's rising waters.
Tires slashedVandals go on a spree, deflating more than 20 tires on parked vehicles in Jamestown.A2
and serving new communi-
senora's leaders are expected to vote today on regulations for the cultivation of medical marijuana in the city limits.A3
The first significant storm of February is expected to bring rain and snow Wednesday to the Mother Lode, breaking a two-week heat wave that's still melting tons of snow in the Central Sierra Nevada. San Andreas, Angels Camp, Co-
ties," McDonald said Monday. Recent new Dollar Store openings in Tuolumne County include Jamestown in September 2014 and Soulsbyville in September 2015. There' s also a Dollar General opening soon in Arnold in Calaveras County. Another one opened last year in the face of organized,vocal opposi-
OPlnlOn — I-lar-
lumbia and Sonora can expect rain
tion in Pine Grove in Amador
rop: Democrats, don' t blow it. Parker: Young women seemingly out of touch.A4
Wednesday into Thursday, while higher elevations including Pinecrest can expectsnow,according toforecasters. A winter storm watch has been issued for Calaveras Big Trees, Pinecrest and other locations for Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon on the Highway 4 and Highway 108 corridors. Farther south in the Merced River watershed, snowmelt is evident on stream gauges in Yosemite National Park. At Happy Isles and Pohono Bridge, 4,000feetand 3,750 feetelevation respectively, gauges are showing runoff more than double the median fiow over the past 99 years. Monday atPohono Bridge in Yosemite Valley, more than 500 cubic feet per second were discharging, compared
County. Reached by phone Monday, a manager atthe Pine Grove Market on Highway 88, near the new Dollar General on Ridge Road, declined to com-
By GUY MCCARTHY The Union Democrat
City Council-
FOOD & DRINK
• SKILLET MEAL: Cast-iron steak recipe transforms beef and vegetables from basic to brilliant. B1 • FOOD BY JUDE: Recipe ingredients are healthy little "gifts" to eye sight.B1 • BETTER BREAD: Cherries add sweet bits to healthy Banana, Cherry and Oatmeal Breakfast Bread.B1
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with a Feb. 15 median of 200 cfs over Service in Sacramento. "We' re not getthe past century. ting a rapid melt at higher elevations, "Because of the warm weather we' re maybe below7,000 feet there' s some getting some snowmelt up there," said Jim Mathews of the National Weather See WATER / Back Page
Help for Trinity
By LACEY PETERSON The Union Democrat
To visit Trinity's GoFundMe page, go online to www.gofundme.coml hfgnxgkc. Donations can also be made directly to the Angels Camp Veterinary Hospital at (209) 7360488.
NEWS TIPS?
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More new Dollar Generals proposed
Guy Mccarthy / Union Democrat
El Capitan and Bridal Veil Fall stand sentry Sunday over the Merced River, which is swelling with snowmelt and flowing an more than double the median for this time of year, according to a century of USGS data in Yosemite National Park and the National Weather Service.
'Bait' dog found in Butte Fire burn area
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Maggie Beck /Union Democrat
Trinity, a female pit bull found off Jesus Maria Road with deep lacerations and scars on her body, is described by Angels Camp Veterinary staff as a loving dog.
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A severely abused dog found near death in the Butte Fire burn area is getting a chance at a new life. On Friday, the female pit bull, estimated tobe from 3 to 5 yearsold,wastaken into Calaveras County Animal Services by someone helping with the Butte Fire cleanup off Jesus Maria Road near Rail Road Flat. Her body was covered in scars and her face was mutilated. Because of the extent of her injuries, and her amiable demeanor, she was transferred to the Angels Camp Veterinary SeeTRINITY/Back Page
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See STORES/Back Page
Thursday: High 57, Low 36
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The same Texas-based developer behind the Jamestown andSoulsbyvill e stores, Cross Development, and the failed bid in Columbia, hopes to buildat least two more stores in Tuolumne County, in Don Pedro and Groveland or Big Oak Flat, according to county planners. Mila Aljamili, manager of Don Pedro Market at Highway 132 and Las Moras Street in Don Pedro, said she is worried a Dollar General store will kill her business. The Don Pedro area is rural and sparsely populated with few stores. Don Pedro Market sell s groceries,hardware, propane and gasoline. "It's going to be very close t o us," Aljamili said in a phone interview Monday. "It'sabout 500 feet.It'sreally close." Aljamili said she plans to publicly oppose having a Dollar General so close to her business. "We' re trying to file a petition with the county," Aljamili said. "There's no way
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