The Union Democrat

Tuolumne County Special Olympics hosts nearly 600 athletes at 4 regionals

Alex MacLean Oct 22, 2026 Oct 22, 2026 Updated Oct 23, 2026 Nearly 600 Special Olympics athletes from throughout Northern and Central California competed in Tuolumne County this year at four regional ...
The Union Democrat

Willow Springs HOA considers legal action over Holland, Farkas rezoning

The Willow Springs Homeowners Association is considering legal action following the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors’ approval Tuesday of a rezoning involving property owned by companies linked to ...
The Union Democrat

PAWS marks milestones for bobcat Archer, emu Georgette

The Performing Animal Welfare Society is marking the first anniversary of a male bobcat named Archer’s arrival at its 2,300-acre sanctuary in San Andreas. Archer came to PAWS on Sept. 7, 2025, after ...
The Union Democrat

Mother Lode’s first precipitation of the new water year arrives with storm

Rain drops and thunderclaps began before 1 p.m. Wednesday in downtown Sonora, marking the area’s first measurable precipitation of the new water year that began Oct. 1. Forecasters expected the ...
The Union Democrat

Can you afford a full-body scan? Can you afford not to have one?

Paul “Cid” Ceresa of Boynton Beach says he would have had no idea he had prostate cancer had it not been for a preventive full-body scan that uncovered abnormalities. “The scan caught the cancer early ...
The Union Democrat

Area rodeo queens face loss of housing amid national title victory

A trailer fire in Copperopolis on Oct. 9 displaced 2026 Mother Lode Roundup Queen KaeLee Gates and newly-crowned 2027 Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen Taryl Townsend, while they were in the Bay Area ...
The Union Democrat

Former Columbia College president named YCCD chancellor

Lena Tran, the former Columbia College president who was named interim chancellor for the two-school Yosemite Community College District in May 2025, will lose the temporary title and become the ...
The Union Democrat

Your week out in the Mother Lode, Oct. 22-28

Here’s a look at arts and entertainment events happening this week in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. To submit an event for consideration in a future publication, email Weekender Editor Margie ...
The Union Democrat

Sunday fire prompts brief evacuations near Sonora

A fire broke out Sunday afternoon near Twin Pines Mobile Home Park between Sonora and Jamestown, prompting temporary evacuation orders and warnings and quickly burning about 2.5 acres of vegetation ...
The Union Democrat

Tuolumne County Planning Commission to weigh in on potential data center rules

Tuolumne County planning commissioners are scheduled Wednesday to give their first public input on regulations for data centers, as county officials begin developing an ordinance that could determine ...
The Union Democrat

Advocates sound alarm on fake service dogs. ‘The laws are vaguely written’

Connecticut resident Olivia Streaman first applied for a service dog four years ago for her father who has Parkinson’s disease, a decision she calls “life-changing” after it allowed her father to ...
The Union Democrat

‘It is disheartening’: How teachers say technology is destroying students’ academic ability

In a world where students are averaging seven and a half hours a day on screens and attention spans are waning, Connecticut teachers say that students’ reading stamina and comprehension are declining.