INSIDE: Your guide to the 2015 Mother Lode Eair ~A~D™ i jj MORE INSIDE:CCWDboard considers cutting own pay, A2
Lightning fires under control, more thunderstorms in forecast, A3
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THE MOTHER LODE'SLEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE 1854 • SO NORA, CALIFORNIA
TUESDAY
JULY 7, 2015
TODAY'S RHLDiRBOARD BRIEFING
Fourth ofJuly
Woman: ervice a the 'un-American' By ALEX MacLEAN
Parque Road South, woke up about 6 a.m. Saturday morning to discover the flag was missing. She had hung it An American flag that once covered over her garage door the previous day the casket of a fallen World War II vet- about 3 p.m. in honor of Independence eran was stolen &om a Phoenix Lake Day. uI wanted the whole neighborhood Estates home in the early morning hours on July 4. to enjoy it," she said. Mary Morrissey, of Camino Del Morrissey said a neighbor saw the The Union Democrat
Pic of the WeekTo submit your original photos, email a highresolution jpg file to editor I uniondemocrat. 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
flag in its place about midnight. The flag is about 6-foot-wide and 10-foot-long, roughly the size of a pingpong table. It was used to cover the casket of her uncle, David Morrissey, at his funeral in 1972. "It's your typical service flag," Mary Morrissey said. "It's a beautiful flag though, gorgeous material."
Morrissey said she doesn't know much about her uncle's service during the war, other than that he was a private in the U.S. Army and didn't serve overseas. David Morrissey moved to the area from Chicago about the same time as
City ofSonora
Council
OHN MUIR TRAIL
aeensedof
I
BrownAel violations
Water dangersPossible drownings at Lake Don Pedro, Rainbow Pool cast shadow on holiday.A3
Doud: California public meeting law violated three times
-J> s '4 P
OplhlOh —South County needs own planning commission.A4 tt'*
By ALEX MacLEAN
+tNcr
Fourth of 3uly-
The Union Democrat
Photos from Independence Day celebrations in Columbia and Twain Harte.A7
I
The Sonora City Council is being accused of violating the state's public meetings law three times in recent months. Carol Doud, a Sonora resident, informed the council at Monday's meeting that she servedthe city with a letter outlining what she believes to be violations of provisions in the Ralph M. Brown Act. The law is intended to ensure gov-
t
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FOOD & DRINK • SUMMER SIDE: Onion marmalade is a savory addition to summer.B1 • VINE TO WINE:Uncorking secrets of Sutter wine.B1 • SNAPSHOTS:A roundup of Union Democrat photos from recent stories and events.BS
SPORTS • LITTLE JUMPERS: About 40 "little Jumpers" are participating in Columbia College's 13th annual Basketball Academy.C1 • MLB: Giants' slide reaches 7 games; Rookies Bryant, Pederson make All-Star team. C1-3
NEWS TIPS? PHONE: 770-7153,5094534 NEWS: editorouniondemocrat.a>m FEATUR ES: featuresIuniondemocrat.cor n SPORTS: sportsIuniondemocratcom EVENTS ANDWEEKENDER: weekenderluniondemocrat Jxrm lETTERS: letersOuniondemocratcom CAlAVERAS BUREAU:770-7197 NEWSR OOMFA70532-5451
CORRECTION An article in the July 4 Union Democrat incorrectly described the historic status of the Murphys Hotel. It is listed on the National Register but is not a National Historic Landmark.
See FLAG / Back Page
ernment bodies conduct their
Guy McCarthy/Union Democrat
Purchasephotos online at www.uniondemocrat.corn
Mike Noonan, former chief of the Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, with his daughter Laney, and sons Justin and Jake, approaches Sonora Peak above Sonora Pass Friday.
Today, the Noonans expect to be IJalking toward the summit of Mount Whitney, the southern start of the John Muir Trail.
business in public. Doud'sletter,addressed to Mayor Ron Steam, claims the council committed two violations at a May 4 meeting by refusing to allow a member of the public to comment on an item on the agenda and failedtoprovide copiesofdocSee COUNCIL / Back Page
a
SonoraHigh
Chabot swearing-in
on agenda
By GUY McCARTHY The Union Democrat
A potential electric thunderstorm began forming above Sonora Peak before 10 a.m. Friday, forcing four members of the Noonan family from the town of Tuolumne to turn back at about11,200 feetelevation before reaching the summit. Getting to the top of the 11,460foot peak was not the point of their walk with full backpack-loads about 30 pounds each. It was a final training exercise, with elevation, before they departed for a three-week trek along the spine of the High Sierra, on apath known as the John Muir Trail. They left this past weekend and by this morning, they expect to be
The Noonans (from left) Jake, 17, Mike, 53, Laney, 22, and Justin, 16, all natives of Tuolumne, pause for a break Friday above Sonora Pass. The family was preparing for the John Muir Trail. walking toward the 14,505-foot 'Experience of a lifetime' summit of Mount Whitney, the Mike Noonan, retired chief of Cal highest point in the Sierra Nevada F ire's Tuolumne-Calaveras Un i t and 48 contiguous states. The top and former interim chief of Sonora of Whitney is the southern start City Fire, said he wanted to do the for the trail, and the Noonans are John Muir Trail with the youngest doing it the hard way, from south of his nine children in part because to north. he enjoyed it so much years ago They expect to finish at Happy with his dad Isles in Yosemite National Park late this month. See TRAIL/Back Page
PUBLICMEETING: Sonora Union High School Board ofTrustees, 6 p.m. tonight, Cassina/Alternate Education Campus, 251 S. Barretta St., Sonora. By SEAN CARSON The Union Democrat
Pat Chabot once engineered
packaging for airplane parts and missiles. Tonight,
he
Chab o t
will be sworn in as superintendent for the Sonora Union High School District. See CHABOT / Back Page
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