C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Midweek Edition – VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 55 | $1.00
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Awesome Aurora Courtesy photos
Longtime Mountain Democrat Editor Michael Raffety died last month. He was hired at the Placerville newspaper by Ursula Smith in 1978.
Remembering Mike Raffety
Courtesy photo by Shelly Thorene
Former colleagues, friends say goodbye to a true renaissance man
The aurora borealis made a rare appearance in El Dorado County last weekend. This image was shot on May 10 at 11:34 p.m. in the Sierra Springs subdivision in Pollock Pines. The Latitude N38°43.190' and the longitude is W120°37.178'. The camera make and model is the Canon 5D Mark IV with a 24 - 70 mm IS lens set to 24 mm. The ISO was set to 2000, aperture f/2.8 and shutter speed was 13 seconds. The colors shifted from a dark violet to crimson and a warm red. The conditions were mostly calm and the camera was set on a tripod to avoid camera shake. The colors that you see are due to the long exposure.
Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
T
he Mountain Democrat mourns one of its own as longtime editor and El Dorado County resident Michael Raffety died April
Michael Raffety became a U.S. citizen at 8 years old.
Mine truck catches fire on Highway 50
28. Raffety, 77, was a man respected both professionally and personally, who wore many hats at the Mountain Democrat and within the community. A military man, a journalist and a family man, Raffety was considered by those who knew him a renaissance man who held many interests, including gardening, community service and a love for art — both admiring and creating it. Raffety was born in Berlin, Germany on Oct. 23, 1946, and later adopted by Charles and Lois Raffety when his real mom determined she could not care for him after World War II. Raffety would become a naturalized citizen when he was 8. He served in the Navy as a radar and radio aviation electronics technician, stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean and did tours in Antartica and New Zealand.
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
■ See RAFFETY, page A8
Odin Rasco Staff writer
A vehicle fire on Highway 50 led to traffic backups and a hasty cleanup effort in Placerville Monday afternoon. A dump truck returning to Chili Bar Slate Mine caught fire at the intersection of Highway 50 and Spring Street in Placerville at around 1 p.m. The driver, who did not give his name, safely escaped the vehicle before flames consumed the ■ See TRUCK FIRE, page A9
Cherie and Michael Raffety were married for nearly 44 years.
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