INSIDE: Mother Lode pets barking to be adopted, A5 MORE INSIDE:Could 'Godzilla El Nino' forecasts meanmegasnowpack? A2
Me etings to focus on 'resiliency' projects, A3
1HE MOl HERLODE'S LEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE1854 • SONORA, CALIFORNIA
FRIDAY
AUGUST 14, 2015
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Murder trial jury selection continues
BRIEFING
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Collncll —Extending downtown parking limits up for consideration.A3
Seen andHeard
By TORI THOMAS The Union Democrat
— This week's photo opinion asks, "What is/ was your favorite part of going back to school?" A3
About 50 prospective jurors were questioned Thursday in the trial of a Twain Harte woman accused of killing a well-known demolition derby driver and Sonora Police Department volunteer, but no final selections were made after a six-hour
News NotesUpcoming events in the Mother Lode.A2-3
OPlnlOn —Exposing cruelty to animals; Mistakes evidence of incompetence or spirit? A4
session.
Jury selection will resume on M onday. T u olumne County
Sonora —water
Superior Court
main breaks, pools in nearby laundry room. Back page
Judge James A. Boscoesaid heintends to seat six alternates in addition to the 12 jurors. Cheryl Lynn Lucero, 46, of Twain Harte, was arrested June 18, 2014, and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Rick Roberts in February 2014. About 100 people filed into the Department 1 courtroom Thursday at the Tuolumne County Superior Courthouse for the questioning phase of the jury selection process. By day's end some prospective jurors were complaining about the slow pace. B oscoe, along with T u olumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg and public defense attorney Clay Bedford,asked prospectivejurors multiple questions, including if they knew someone who had been a victim of a crime or knew any of the people involved with the case. One woman was dismissed after she said she believed if someone confessed that meant they were guilty. Shortly after she was ar-
COMMUNITY • NEW FELLOWSHIP: Well known Harts start church near Crystal Falls.B1 • MENTORING:The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program named Murphys resident Angela Hanson as the program's Mentor of the Month for August.B1 • CHAPEL IN THE PINES:The youth group at Chapel in the Pines church in Arnold took a trip this summer to help a family in need in Mexico.B1
SPORTS • SONORASOCCER: Wildcats look for playoff return.C1 • NFL: Bowman nearing return to 49ers.C1 • MLB: Giants beat Nationals.C1 • ACKERMAN: Sac River salmon season off to slow start.C2
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CORRECTION A story in Wednesday's Union Democrat incompletely identified work done by High Point Design Group. The firm worked on a preliminary design for the interior of UV Skinz in 2013 and does not take credit for its current design.
Guy McCarthy/Union Democrat
A Cal Fire helicopter pilot Thursday works above a fire outside Angels Camp.
Law enforcement agencies investigating cause of blaze By GUY McCARTHY The Union Democrat
A fire broke out Thursday afternoon in hills southwest of Angels Camp, prompting pilots and ground crews to scramble in heat greater than 90 degreestobattlethe fast-moving blaze. By 8:30p.m.,the fi rehad scorched a little over 100 acres and more than 100 personnel remained assigned, a supervisor at Cal Fire's command center in San Andreas said in a phone interview. One firefighter was injured during the blaze, a Cal Fire captain treating the victim said at a temporary command post near Finnegan Lane, before an ambulance crew arrived to tend to the firefighter. The extent of his injuries remained unclear
Calaveras County and City of Angels Camp firefighters set up a See FIRE/Back Page te mporary command post Thursday for a fire near Angels Camp.
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Bear drawn to food waste Hogan asphalt plant in for attacks man outside home the long haul Mariposa Sheriff's Office has issued an
fense wounds to his hands and feet. He was also treated with antibiot ics for tetanus and rabies. He was said to be in stable condition. was knocked to the ground by a Stoots said Thursday afternoon bear, Lt. Chris Stoots of the Califor- that if the bear is located, wardens nia Department of Fish and Wild- intend to euthanize it because of life said in phone interviews. the persistent, prolonged nature of "He began fighting the bear with the bear's attack on the man, the his hands and feet, and fought the serious injuries sustained by the bear off enough to get back inside man, and to gather forensic evihis house and drove himself to a dence such as DNA, hair, blood and hospital fortreatment,"Stootssaid. tissue from the bear's claws. The man sustained scrapes and There's never been a verified fascratchesover 70 percent of his tal black bear attack on a human body,Stootssaid.Hewastreatedfor in California, Fish and Wildlife lacerations and puncture wounds to historso,legsand arms, and deSeeBEAR/Back Page
aggressive animal public safetywarning
By JASON COWAN
By GUY McCARTHY
Despite what nearby neighbors say, the Hogan Quarry in Valley Springs just might be the best location in the county for a hot asphalt plant. At least that's what Shawn Simmons, the western division manager for CB Asphalt, thinks. "There is no other location that's any different than this one, or that's better suited or permit-friendly," Simmons said. 'This is the best option in this county right now." Although the Calaveras County Board of
The Union Democrat
A bear drawn to trash on a porch
attacked a 67-year-old man outside his home early Thursday in Midpines, 60 miles southeast of Sonora, and wardens were hunting for the bear while the man recovered at a Mariposa hospital. The man told authorities he walked onto his porch about 4 a.m. in the 5000 block of Colorado Road and as he was standing there he
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Today:High 94, Low 57 Saturday:High 101, Low 62 Sun d ay: High 104, Low 61
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