WEEICENDER:4-H Dinner and Cake Auction set MORE IN WEEKENDER:Library benefit starts with gala tonight in Twain Harte INSIDE:State, nation and world news,A5
THE MOTHER LODE'SLEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE 1854 • SO NORA, CALIFORNIA
THURSDA Y
JANUARY 14, 2016
ChuckHovey
TODAY 'S REABiRBOA RB
®
Regional winemaking legend recovers from stroke at home
hegha..
®o
•e
Winning ticket sold in lA area
By JASON COWAN The Union Democrat
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A winning ticket in Wednesday night' s record $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot was sold in suburban Los Angeles, a spokesman for the California lottery says. As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, it was unknown whether any winning tickets were sold elsewhere. The winning numbers were 4-8-19-27-34 and Powerball 10. One winning ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, said Alex Travesta, a spokesman for the state's lottery. The identity of the winner is not yet known.
l~
r .'
. c
;i
File photo /Union Democrat
Award-winning winemaker Chuck Hovey suffered a stroke last June. He has been recovering at his Murphys home since Nov. 2.
If this were any other year, Chuck Hovey would be evaluating his wines, looking at the aging qualities &om vintages ofprioryears,beforehewould begin the bottling process. This year, he normally be-
gins each day with a set of rigorous therapy sessions — speech, occupational and physical. Once finished, sometime in the early afternoon, he' ll relax toa series of songs from his Apple TV playlist of 3,300 tracks or watch his beloved 49ers.
The local winemaking icon suffered a stroke on June 18. Since then, he's been through various medical centers at University of California, Davis, to a nursing facility in Modesto to a t r ansitional care unit in Sonora. Hovey See HOVEY/ Back Page
Child dies iIIwreciI, •
mother
'
charged Lit,
By SEAN CARSON
•
The Union Democrat
BRIEFING The 6-year-old daughter of a former Tuolumne County social worker died Monday in a car accident. Her mo t h er, Angelica Castellanos-Davila, of Turlock, was c harged w i t h
Vital Stats — Alist of births, marriages and deaths recorded in Tuolumne County.A2
BodyfoundGirlfriend: Man found dead by creek had social anxiety.A3
gross vehicular manslaughter
Crime — Manbooked
By ALEX MacLEAN
on suspicion of throwing wood at neighbor over parking issue.A3
The Union Democrat
After five years in l egal limbo, Walmart is moving forward with plans to expand its store on Sanguinetti Road in Sonora. The mega-retailer issued a press release Wednesday announcing that construction on th e approximately 27,000-square-f ootexpansion isexpected to begin this summer, with a grand opening projected for summer 2017. 'Vile appreciate the community's patience as we' ve worked to get to this point and we look forward to the opportunity to better serve our Sonora
OplnlOn —Political earthquake looming. Being ambassador is a dangerous job.A4
HEALTH 5 MEDICINE • KEEP IT COVERED: Experts say harmful UV rays abound even in winter, especially at high elevations.B1 • MAMMOG RAM S: An option at 40, better
customers," said Walmart store man-
ager Marcus Rodriguez in Wednesday's press release. The press release stated the expansion is anticipated to create 80
at 50. e> • WORKSHOPS:Series aims to tackle stress, anger management.B1
new permanent
f,
SPORTS
'itr
I I -'
nia Environmental Quality Act requirements. The initiative, written by Walmart, required signatures from about 15 percentofabout 2,500 registered votersin the city. State election rules allow local public bodies like a city council to adopt a voter-driven initiative as an ordinance, which is what the Sonora City Council did in October 2010. Council members at the time said a special election would have cost thousands ofdollars. Opponents of the store's expansion claimed a small victory in November and economic impacts. 2012 when the Fifth District Court Though the city had started to work of Appealoverturned a ruling by Tuon such a report, Sonora resident Jim olumne County Superior Court that Grinnell — now a Tuolumne Utilities favoredWalmart. District board member — gathered sigHowever, the California Supreme natures in 2010 for a local initia- Court later unanimously overturned tivetoexempt the project the appellate court's ruling, affirnnng &om Califor- that the council acted within the law by waiving any requirement for Walmart or the city to conduct an environmental impactreport. In the Supreme Court's ruling, Justice Carol Ann Corrigan that California
while in t oxicated and child abuse or child endangerment with intent to do great bodily harm. The accident happened outside Modesto about 4:20 a.m. when the car veered &om a curved road, rolled several times and struck a power pole, said Officer Chuck Leon of the California Highway Patrol.
jobs and give additional room for a full line of groceries, including fresh produce,meat, dairy products and frozen foods. Work on the expansion was put on hold in January 2011 due to a lawsuit filed against Walmart and the City of Sonoraby the Tuolumne Jobs and Small Business Alliance, a group that has since remained mostly anonymous. The lawsuit claimed that the project should have required an environmental impact report, a costly and often timeconsuming process evaluating a project's potential environmental, cultural
LLgL>: ,'IIiijl tg
• JUMPERS GET 'RAMMED'. Fresno pulls away from CC in second half.C1 • PREPS ROUNDUP: Bears rolling early in MLL.C1
Ca stellartosD avi l a
SeeWRECK/Back Page
GCSD board votes to up rates
See STORE / Back Page
By GUY McCARTHY The Union Democrat
The Groveland Community Services District board voted 3-1 Wednesday night to increasewater rates for its
3,500 customers in mountain
CORRECTION
communities near Yosemite
The Twain Harte Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and showcase mixer will be held from Bto 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Twain Harte Golf Club. An article in Wednesday's Union Democrat gave an incorrect date.
•
•
•
Maggie Beck/Union Democrat
Walmart Wednesday announced construction on an approximately 27000-square-foot expansion expected to begin this summer, with a grand opening projected for summer 2017. The store currently sells grocery items (top), but the project will allow the store to expand its offerings.
•
•
QSjde
Calendar ........................ Comics........................... Crime ............................. Health at Medicine.......
......A2
O b i tuaries.......
......C5 O pinion........... ......A3 S p orts.............. ...... B1 TV.....................
Weather Page C6
Meet Dr. Singhal. An expert in cancer. And kindness. o QO
o
Ch Vl
National Park. More than 70 people filled Groveland Community Hall to hear about the increase. Voting for the measure were Scott Wemmer, Bruce Carter and Robert Swan. Steve Perreiracast the sole no vote.
h
~
See GCSD/Back Page
TodaY H gh 54 L 44 Friday:High 57, Low 44 saturday:High 55, Low 40
•
e
•
•
•
®
a
r
II IIIIIII S 1 15 3 0 0 103
ss
I
r