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1HE MOl HERLODE'S LEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE1854 • SONORA, CALIFORNIA
WEDNESD AY
NOVEMBER 25, 2015
Oiestel FamilyTurkeyRanch
Iir e arm: eiviSS' I e aiOnSare aSe Foods' turkeys were &om another farm owned by Diestel Family Turkey Ranch, one of the county's largest commercial agricultural proAn animal-rights group has accused the na- ducers, which operates farms in Jamestown tional grocery chain Whole Foods Market of and Sonora. falsely advertising that its turkeys were from The Jamestown farm includes 26 barns that a free-range Tuolumne County farm, but the house 7,000 to 17,000 birds per shed, the reowners of the farm, Diestel Family Turkey port stated. Ranch, say theallegations arebaseless. Whole Foods and Diestel Family Turkey Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, released Ranch representatives said DxE's underlying a 12-page report detailing a nine-month undercover investigation that alleges Whole See TUIIKIS YS/Back Page By ALEX MacLEAN The Union Democrat
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Presson charged with wife' s
murder Union Democrat staff
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Maggie Beck /union Democrat
draisers, said Jamestown from California DepartSchool District Superin- ment of Education. tendent Brenda ChapSince 2009, categorical man. funding allowed districts B etween 1994 a n d more flexibility with li2009, the state annually brary funding,furthered awarded block grants des- by the implementation of ignated for school librar- the Local Control Fundies. The amounts ranged ing Formula in 2018. &om $266,000 to $158.5 million, according to data See LIBRARY/ Back Page
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SeeMURDER/Back Page
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so many others, lost everything
else and took care of the animals."
in the fury of the Butte Fire. The He estimates the value of all the only thing that stood when he vis- houses at $2 million. .y had it all. ited the location weeks later was a Pebley did not have insurance a house on 900 acres storage unit that used to be a two- and was not able to qualify for a ria Road — along with story house. FederalEmergency Management "I saw the same thing I saw Agency grant because the house brother and nephew, ed in separate houses when I was out there sifting he lived in was not in his name. Twenty head of cattle through my stufK A whole bunch He did receive assistance for his astures. of nothing," Pebley said. "My Sept. 10, Pebley, like brother went out without anybody See FIRE / Back Page ocrat
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ntendent Brenda Chapman (left) stands in the e Shively, president of the Mother Lode division of hers Association.
Mattress 8t Design Center Hibernation Home
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The husbandofa Columbia woman whose decomposed body was found in an isolated area not far &om Columbia Airport was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder in her death. Jeane Presson, 58, was reported nnssmg by her husband, Robert Presson, on July 25. She Pr esson was last seen on July 19, walking out of the Columbia Mobile Home Park where she lived with her husband. Her 88-year-old mother also lived in the park. Bail for Robert Pres son was set at $1 million. He was being held in the Tuolumne County Jail Tuesday night. Jeane Presson's body was found Aug. 7. "Presson gave s everal statements implicating his involvement in the death and disappearance of his wife, Jeane Presson. Evidence was collectedand analyzed determining his involvement," a pressrelease from the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office said.
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