S ERRA L V NG: Ceebrations wi mark Earth Day, B1 MORE IN SIERRA LIVING:Photos of spring blossoms;YourHome,Your Havenby Kimberly Teter-Cope; In the Garden, B1
THE MOTHER LODE'SLEADING INFORMATION SOURCESINCE 1854 • SONORA, CALIFORNIA
TuolumneCounty Board ofSupervisors TODAV'S RijLDiRBOAR D BRIEFING
Lamplight Dinner — Tuolumne County Historical Society's annual Lamplight Dinner will be held Friday at the Sonora Elks Lodge, and reservations are due today.A2
rmore ve ice urc aseona en a allowing the Sheriff's Office to use confiscated drug money toward the purchase of a $270,000 armored vehicle. At Tuesday's meeting, the board By ALEK MacLEAN is alsosetto vote on a 2 percent salThe Union Democrat ary increase for all county employees, which would add up to more than The Tuolumne County Board of $850,000. Supervisors on Tuesday will consider T uolumne County Sheriff J i m PUBLICMEETING:Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m. Tuesday, fourth floor, County Administration Center, 2 S. Green St., Sonora.
M ele is scheduled to ask theboard for $122,000out ofthe county'sassetforfeiture fund, comprised of illegal-drug profits seized by the Sheriff's Office, to help with the purchase of a custom Lenco MedCat Rescue Vehicle. "Those are moneys that have to be used within a four-year timeframe," Mele said Friday."If we don't, they will be takenback by the government."
A $27,500Homeland Securitygrant would also be used to purchase the vehicle, while the remaining money would come out of the Sheriff's Office's current budget savings, according to meeting documents. The Lenco MedCat, which looks similar to an armored truck like those See BOARD/Back Page
HOnOI' rOIIS — Summerville High School and Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy have announced honor rolls for the fall semester.A2
Watel
2015 MOTHER LODE ROUNDUP
Overturned car
rate uptick ontaiIle
— Eastbound traffic on Stockton Road in Sonora was temporarily backed up Friday following an accident in which an overturned vehicle blocked part of the road.A3
Roadwork — AIlst of roadwork planned in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, including times, dates, places and possible traffic delays. A3
ON PAGE A6: The Angels Camp City Council on Tuesday will discuss implementing drought restrictions required by the state. PUBLIC MEETING:Tuolumne Utilities District water committee meeting is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at 18885 Nugget Blvd. in Sonora.
OPlnlOn — Sayyes to childhood vaccination. A4
Poll questionThis week's poll question is: Should the state require schoolchildren to be vaccinated?A4
By GUY McCARTHY
Trisha Berg
Ivana Kursar
The Union Democrat
Evon Meckler
Discussion of a possible waPhotos byJesse Jones, The Union Democrat
SPORTS • KIRILUK:Sonora golfer to play for Chico State next year.C1 • BASEBALL:Wildcats bounce back with win over Bullfrogs.C1 • SOCCER:Redskins fall to first-place Amador.C2 • NBA:Warriors ready for battle versus Pelicans.C1 MLB:A's lose to Royals in rematch of AL wild-card.C1
NEWS ELSEWHERE • MOST WANTED: Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Saddam Hussein's top deputy, killed near Tikrit.A5 • GOOGLE:A revised search engine formula to be released Tuesday will favor websites Google defines as "mobile-friendly."A5
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ter rate increase, as well as
By ABBY DIVINE The Union Democrat
all water treatment produc-
tion was down 32 percent, due inlargepartto conservation efforts made by TUD customers, said district General Manager Tom Scesa. Also on the committee's agenda next week are discussion and action on an agreement with Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency
Fiveyoung women are vying for the 2015 Mother Lode Roundup Queen crown. Jan. 25, and the weeks ahead have a full schedule of activities in store leading up to the 58th annual Mother Lode I Roundup Parade and Rodeo on May 9 and 10 in Sonora. This year's contestants are Trisha Berg 19, of Sonora; Paige Ryan, 24,
IQIIIIIIIIP
for temporary water service
Paige Ryan
Mary Mackenzie Suess
See QUEEN/Back Page
Sonora, Ebbetts passes open early Union Democrat staff
weeks, Caltrans crews have plowed the roadsand removed debris,including a Sonora and Ebbetts passes, connect- huge boulder that rolled onto Highway ing the Mother Lode with the eastern 108. Sierra, opened Mday, one of the passes' The openings come in time for the earliest openings on record,according to opening oftrout fishing season, accorda Caltrans press release. ing to Caltrans. The passes were closed in December This marks one of the earliest openfor the winter. Over the past several ing dates for the passes.
QSjde
Calendar.......... ComIcs............. Crime ............... Obituaries........
The earliest opening on record for Sonora Pass,according to Caltrans data going back to 1940, was April 8, 1977, one of the state'sdriestyearson record. The pass was re-closed May 5 as a result of a spring storm. The second earliest opening was
......A2 O p inion............. ...... Cs Sierra Living.....
......Aa Sports................ ......A3 T V .......................
See PASSES/Back Page
Board-Certified Cardiologist
to residents with failing wells. The agency has formed a nonprofit called Amador-Tuolumne Community Resources toprovidepotablewater to residents with wells impacted by the ongoing drought, according to TUD staff. T uolumne County a n d Amador-Tuolumne Community off icials have agreed a more cost-effective alterna-
tive to installing temporary tanks and trucking water to individual properties would be to offer temporary connections, when possible, to TUD's existing water system. A drak temporary water serviceagreement has already been reviewed by disSeeWATER/Back Page
Today:High Ss, Low 4S
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Monday:High Ss, Low 49
Specializing in Cardiovascular Care Courtney Virgilio, MD
the method and timing of the potential increase,are on the agendaforam eetingTuesday of the Tuolumne Utilities District Water Committee. Revenues at TUD are suffering because of the drought, and the Board of Directors discussed the need for possiblefuture rate increases at a meeting last Tuesday. In 2014,the district's over-
The fiv eyoung women vyingfor2015 Mother Lode Roundup Queen are(from above left):Trisha Berg 19,ofSonora;Ivana Kursar,17,of Pioneer; Evon Meckler,18, of Jamestown; Paige Ryan,24, of Woodside, San MateoCounty;and Mary Mackenzie Suess, 17,of Sonora
• Cardiovascular Consultation and Diagnostic Testing • Cardiac Rehabilitation • Five Medical Board Certifications
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51 15 3 0 0 1 0 3
Dignity Health, Mark Twain Medical Center
Heart Center
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