SNAPSHOTS: Phoenix Festival in photos, B6 MORE INSIDE:Teengirl missing in Angels Camp, A3
Passersby help rescuemanfrom burning vehicle, A5
1HE MOl HERLODE'S LEADING INFORMATION SODRCE SINCE1854 • SONORA, CALIFORNIA
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2015
Sierra Nevada foothills
A special thank you to Union Democrat subscriber William Broekema, of Jamestown.
Hetch Hetchy
Lawsuit to
be heard in Tuolumne Coun
TOD AY'S REAQE RBOARQ BRIEFING
By GUY McCARTHY The Union Democrat
A group that wants Hetch Hetchy Valley restored to what it looked like before O'Shaughnessy Dam was built between 1919 and 1923 is touting a Superior Court ruling that legal proceedings will take place in Tuolumne County. The group filed a lawsuit in April against the City and County of San Francisco claiming Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosem-
Pic of the WeekTo submit your original photos, email a highresolution jpg file to editoriluniondemocrat. 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
ite National Park violates water diversion
Maggie Beck / Union Democrat
Purchase photos online at www.uniondemocrat.corn
CalaverasCourt-
Shylo Wilson, of Sonora (above left), and her son Ethan Wedina, 3, of Sonora, build a snowman Monday afternoon at the base of Dodge Ridge Ski Resort.
A 72-year-old West Point woman accused ofkilling a man, whose body was found off a rural road in August, pleaded not guilty Monday.A3
Despite drought, businesses optimistic after first snowfall of year By ALEX MacLEAN The Union Democrat
Elder abuse -TuAfter weathering four years of drought, optimism is high among businesses in the Sierra Nevada foothills that rely on snow.
olumne County woman gets 8 years for elder financial abuse.A3
K-9 death — Angels
The first major snowstorm of the
season brought about 4 inches to the baseof Dodge Ridge Ski Area near Pinecrest by Monday aRer,. II noon. Many are hopeful that it's an t Ls early harbinger of a bountiful seau o4 son ahead. "It's been a struggle, but we' ve e" managed to persevere and keep moving forward," said Lance Vetesy, owner of Leland High Sierra Snow Maggie Beck /Union Democrat Iabove);Courtesy photo (below) Play, about five miles northeast of Snow accumulates on chair lift three Monday afternoon at Dodge Strawberry on Highway 108 in Tu- Ridge (above). Leland High Sierra Snow Play is in the process of olumne County. installing a $400,000-plus snowmaking system (below). One difficulty — especially for s now-dependent Highway 1 0 8 businesses— isthe area's lack of snow-making capabilities. However, that's all about to change. Vetesy is in the process of installing a $400,000-plus snowmaking system at the snow-play area he has owned and operated for the past 23 years. The plan is to have the system in place by Thanksgiving so that Vetesy can open for the season no matter what the weather brings
Camp Police Dept. K-9, Kain, died Friday from an internal infection.A5
FOOD 5 DRINK
7.
• SAY HELLO TO SOUP SEASON: Sausage and tortellini dish features complex flavors.B1 • FOOD BY JUDE: Global flavors can be had in one-pot meals. B1
SPORTS
See SNOW/Back Page
SenoraCityCouncil
Leaders support affordable housing
NEWS TIPS?
Incentives unlikely
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to solve problem
The incentives would reduce the required amount of parking spaces needed for commercialdevelopments that incorporate housing for
By ALEX MacLEAN
low-income tenants. However, the
The Union Democrat
overall impact on the availability of aff ordable housing appears to be
Sonora leaders expressed sup- insignificant. "You' re talking about a narrow port Monday for proposed incentivestoencourage the development pool of people who are willing to tie of affordable housing in the city. up their property for 55 yearsjust
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Hours New location:
Mon.- Fri., 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sat., 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. 9 0 0 Greenley Road, Suite 920 (atiove CommunityPharmacy)
Questions? 536-3600
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to get a reduced parking requirement," Community Development Director Rachelle Kellogg told the Sonora City Council at Monday's meeting. The new policies would apply only to those developments or existing commercial buildings that include residential units and enter
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See LAWSU1T/Back Page
Donor registry needs more participants By LACEY PETERSON
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Shorter wait times for the lab Dedicated registration staff for the lab Larger waiting roomfor the lab
It'Snot Only a draW, it'S a Win!
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There are 35 people in Tuolumne County and 23 people in Calaveras County waiting for lifesaving organ donations. Organ procurers say more people need to regis ter to become donors,because less than 1 percent of people who die have the potential tobe donors. About half of adults in the U.S. are registered donors, said Noel Sanchez, spokesman for Donor Network West, the third largest federallydesignated organ procurement organization and one of the largest tissue recovery organizations in the U.S. It serves 40 counties in California and Nevada, including Tuolumne County. Calaveras County falls under Sierra Donor Services, which serves the region around Sacramento. Despite the fact that many people are registeredto donate, the pool doctors can
See COUNCIL/Back Page
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ter and power needs of all communities that depend ontheTuolumne River. The Restore Hetch Hetchy website says the water should be stored outside Yosemite National Park. According to the Bay Area Water Supply
See DONORS/Back Page
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ural splendor, while continuing to meet wa-
The Union Democrat
over the next few weeks. • JUMPERS READY: Columbia College makes run at CVC title. C1 • PREPS PLAYOFFS: 'Cat polo hosts today; Soccer Bears receive home tilt.C1
mandates of the state constitution. The City and County of San Francisco want to move the venue to San Francisco. "Tuolumne County is where the damage has been done, and it's normal for court processesto take place where the damage takes place," Spreck Rosekrans, Restore Hetch Hetchy's executive director, said Monday morning. "We don't think it's right to move it to the place where the people are &om, the people who did the damage." Hetch Hetchy System o%cials referred questions to the Office of San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera. A public informationcoordinator for Herrera released the following statement: 'We look forward to the court's next ruling, which we expect to affirm San Francisco's longstanding and clearly established right to use the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir." Restore Hetch Hetchy supporters have said their mission is to return Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its nat-
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Sonora Regional Medical Center ~a dventist Health
Today:High 60, Low 34 Wednesday:High 61, Low 32 Thursday:I-ligh 63, Low Sa
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