Spring Festival blossoms in downtown SonoraI~( MORE IN WEEKENDER:'HonkyTonk Angels' opens at Sierra Rep; ICESChildren and Babies Fair is Saturday
1HE MOTHER LODE'SLEADING INFORMATION SODRCE SINCE1854 • SONORA,CALIFORNIA
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Robot program boosted by grant
BRIEFING
Me-WukcultureThe seventh annual Sierra Footsteps Passport in Time event is scheduled in July. The event is free and volunteers must register by May 3.A2
By SEAN CARSON
Poetry OutLoud-
The Union Democrat
Levi Lowe, county and state Poetry Out Loud champion, will compete next week in the national championship in Washington D.C.A2
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ARTS CamP -The Tuolumne County Arts Alliance will hold its annual Summer ARTS Camp in June.A2 I'
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Grant money will go toward the purchase of additional kits used to construct the robots. The club gives students the opportunity to learn computer programming or engineering at Bret Harte High School. There have been no engineeringclasses offered at the school since 2013. Club organizer Ken Baldwin has headed up Bret Harte's Engineering and Architecture program for the past 12 years. During that time, the number of courses offered in that program has dropped from seven to one. Baldwin now teaches a single architecture and d r afting
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OPIIIIOh — Whooping cough another reason to vaccinate.A4
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Jesse Jones Un / ion Democrat
HEALTH • HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH: Tuolumne, Calaveras counties top list in 'excessive' drinking survey.B1 • SCREENING:Film showings will benefit Alzheimer's Association.B1
SPORTS • LETTER OF INTENT: Multi-sport star Henington signs with Azuza Pacific for volleyball.C1 • MLL BASEBALL: Wildcats, Bears play for first place today.C1 • BARRY BONDS: Obstruction conviction thrown out.C1
NOTICES
PassesclosedCaltrans Wednesday reclosed Ebbetts and Sonora passes over the Sierra, just a week after opening them. According to Caltrans officials, the closure is weather related. The mountain passes on Highway 4 and 108, respectively, have seen some snowfall with a weak storm systemthathas moved over the mountains the past few days.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff's SWAT Team exits a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter on Wednesday during a multi-agency disaster training scenario in Mocassin. r
Tuolumne County' s best prepares for the worst By ALEX MacLEAN The Union Democrat
Tuolumne County public safety officials received high praise from a federal disaster-responseteam during a countywide disaster training exercise Wednesday morning. About 100 federal,state and local officials participated in Wednesday's "Operation Urgent Thirst," a simulated scenario involving a "threat" at Hetch Hetchy's Moccasin Powerhouse, which is part of the city and county of San Francisco's water and power system.
The California Army ¹ tional Guard 95th Civil Support Team sponsored and organized the drill, in coordination with county officials. 'Tuolumne County is on it!" said Sgt. Justin Flood, ex-
ercisedirector with the 95th Civil Support Team. 'They're some ofthe bestprofessionals I've worked with, and they're all concerned with public safety." The drill started about 7:30 a.m. at Kennedy Meadows after the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office received information about a "suspect" believed to be making explosive devices in one of the cabins, according to Sheriff Jim Mele. Mele said that Sheriff's officials contacted the FBI to relay the information and were told the mock suspect was a person of interest with known "anti-government and antilaw enforcement" views. The Sheriff's SWAT team searched the Kennedy Meadows residence and found evi-
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Purchase photos online at www.uniondemocrat.com
Tuolumne County Paramedic Matthew Lora (above) speaks with "contaminated" patient Peter Dean during a disaster training scenario. Tuolumne County emergency medical technicians tend to a patient during a training at Moccasin Power House (below). !
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"It is important kids have an idea of what engineering really is — critical thinking," said Baldwin. "Engineering has immediate feedback," he said. "When kids are building something and find it doesn't work, they then haveto go back and fi x it." The club is also part of the school's push to increase science, technology, engineering and math curriculum. The grouping of these subjects and a move to increase stu-
dent exposure to them first gained momentum nationwide in 2006. The grant was applied for by school board member Gail ern ell llr uLn ura
See ROBOTS /Back Page
Sierra Views:Opie preSerVeS the paSt, ShapeS the future By GUY McCARTHY The Union Democrat
Guy Mccarthy/UnionDemocrat
Jim Opie, of Sonora, stands with his horse, Ricochet. Opie, captain of the Tuolumne County Sheriff 's Posse, has ancestors who came to the Mother Lode 150 years ago.
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Courtney Virgilio, MD
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See DRILL / Back Page
CORRECTION A proposed Wal-Mart expansion would add 30,000 square-feet to the Sonora store. A story in Wednesday's Union Democrat incorrectly listed the size of the addition.
High School campus thanks to a nearly $10,000 grant awardedtothe school'srobotics club. The grant was awarded by the Calaveras Community Foundation. The dub members — called the "CybuIlfrogsn — build computer-operatedrobots that
LucerotrialDefense attorney for the woman accused of killing Rick Roberts awaits requested evidence, reports.A3
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Calendar........................ Comics........................... Crime ............................. Health ar Medicine.......
Mother Lode Roundup Rodeo and Parade events are approaching, and one of the organizers behind the scenes is Sonora native and paradechairman Jim Opie, descendantoflocal ancestors going back five generations. "Family, tradition, community, beinga partofyourpastand your future, these things are important," Opie, 55, said Wednesday. "From yourpast springs your future. The Roundup is something I
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hope my grandkids go to." The Roundup and its celebration of Western heritage is entering its 58th year. His father was Roundup parade chairman for most of Opie's childhood. "Under his and Chris Robinson's tenure is when it became known as the second largest parade in California," Opie said. "It peaked during the 1970s at 300 entries, more than 30 bands. The paradelasted up tofourhours.W e still run about 170 entries with eight or nine bands." Opiewas born in Sonora in 1959
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and he graduated from Sonora High in 1977. Like his ancestors, Opie has been riding horses nearly all his life. He's close to his 17-year-old quarterhorse, Ricochet. He started
ridinghorses and steers in rodeo events at a young age. "I found out I fell off well," he salcl.
Family history One side of Opie's family came See VIEWS/Back Page
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