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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024
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Atmospheric river storm hits San Luis Obispo County
Month of love returns with 19th annual Father and Daughter Sweetheart Dance Dads and daughters dressed up in their best country duds and headed out for a night of Boots and Beauties
Continued showers through Friday, hopeful for relief as weather patterns shift By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The City of Atascadero kicked off the month of love with its 19th annual Father and Daughter Sweetheart Dance on Friday, Feb. 9, featuring daughters 12 and under dancing with their fathers or father figures. Saturday, Feb. 3, was for the older crowd. Both nights sold out, with a total of 750 attendees. “This is my second year,” said father and resident Brian Weise. “My daughter is four. I think it’s great for the community to offer this.” This year’s theme was Boots and Beauties, and everyone showed up dressed to the country-themed nines for both nights of the dance. The dance, which the City of Atascadero put on, was led by Recreation Coordinator Ashley Zamora, who assists the city with events, and she was so excited to pick this year’s theme. “It felt like this last couple of years the whole Dolly Disco thing has been really popular. CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — A relentless atmospheric river storm battered the Central Coast over the weekend, wreaking havoc with heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding in coastal areas. The storm’s impact prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in response to the severe weather conditions that ravaged San Luis Obispo County and neighboring areas. The storm system, which hit its peak on Sunday, unleashed downpours and gusts of wind reaching up to 80 mph, toppling trees and power lines throughout the region. At its height, over 20,000 PG&E customers were left without electricity, with approximately 10,000 customers enduring power outages well into Monday morning. Road closures due to flooding, fallen trees, and mudslides were reported across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, causing significant disruptions to transportation
Fathers and father figures took their sweetheart daughters to the 19th Annual Father and Daughter Sweetheart Dance in Atascadero. Photos by Rick Evans/ATN
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Atascadero welcomes new police chief Daniel B. Suttles brings 20 years of law enforcement experience to the city
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
(From left) Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno, forum moderator and SLO Chamber President and CEO Jim Dantona, and Atascadero Mayor Pro Tem Susan Funk are shown at the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce County Candidate Forum. Photo by Christianna Marks
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce hosts District 5 forum
Heather Moreno and Susan Funk are both running for supervisor’s seat and serve together on the Atascadero City Council
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO — On Wednesday, Jan. 31, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce hosted a County Candidate Forum for those running for District 5 Supervisor in the upcoming election on Tuesday, March 5. Atascadero’s current
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mayor, Heather Moreno, and Atascadero Mayor Pro Tem Susan Funk, are both running for the District 5 spot. “We’re here today obviously to provide an opportunity for you to hear directly from these candidates so you can make informed decisions when you vote as to where they stand on matters that are important to you,” said moderator and SLO Chamber President and CEO Jim Dantona. “The Chamber does not endorse candidates, but we do want to provide all
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CRIME
ATASCADERO — For the last month, Atascadero’s newest Police Chief Daniel B. Suttles has been serving the community. With 20 years of law enforcement under his belt and eight years of service in the Marine Corps, Suttles has brought a plethora of knowledge to the city since he officially took over on Monday, Jan. 8, of this year. Suttles was born in Ohio but grew up in Oregon, near Portland, until the end of high school, when life led him to California and steered him towards a life in law enforcement. “When I was in high school, I was that kid who wanted to find a career job. I was like, whatever it is I do after high school is going to be my career, but I didn’t know what it was,” Suttles said. “I did know I really liked police work, and that was one of the things I was like, you know, hopefully I
NORTH COUNTY LIFE
Daniel B. Suttles started his new position as Atascadero police chief on Monday, Jan. 8. Photo by Camille DeVaul/ATN
can be a cop.” Right before graduation, at the ripe age of 17, Suttles headed down to the Beaverton Police Department and asked for an application. He was told that he was too young to apply, but the department suggested that he join the military before coming back to apply four years later. “So I did that. I went, and I joined the Marine Corps. I joined for four years, but then
after four years, I ended up staying for another four. So, I did eight years in the Marine Corps,” he said. “That was really important for me, especially in hindsight, looking back, because of all the branches of the military and maybe I am a little biased because I was in the Marine Corps, but in the Marine Corps, they push leadership and leadership traits and leadership principles, and they really want you to
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understand these things and be able to step in and be a leader.” During his military career, which started at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Suttles volunteered for everything he could, including an indoctrination for an STA (Surveillance and Target Acquisition) platoon, which ended up being a sniper platoon. He then went into reconnaissance, which is where CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
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