GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXII, NO. XL
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
EDUCATION
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
MARATHON
GOVERNMENT
Spartan Race Comes to North County Three TUSD Trustees Face Recall
Paso Robles City Council Approves Senior Parking Program
Yamagata, Swan, and Dubost were handed letters of intent at the last school board meeting
Ad hoc committee created to discuss funding for ECHO and to further address homelessness in city
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
TEMPLETON — Three Templeton Unified School Board (TUSD) trustees were handed letters notifying them Racers compete in one of the obstacle courses of the Spartan Race held on March 12 and 13 in Santa Margarita. Contributed photo of the intent to file for their recall from the Board. The After being postponed tan Race in Santa Margar- to pull it because of COVID,” SUPER with 25 obstacles took board meeting was held on in 2020, the obstacle ita on March 12 and 13. The said Spartan’s Head of Media, place. There was also a 1-3k race originally was to take Christine De La Rosa-Stotz of kids race with smaller obstaThursday, Mar. 10, in the Eagle event took place in place in March of 2020 and the 2020 Spartan Race. cles on both days. Canyon board room. Local racers, racers from all finally made its North County “Every single time that we Leah Penner handed TUSD Santa Margarita appearance after being shut over the United States, and come to an event it’s amazing. President Nelson Yamagata, By CHRISTIANNA MARKS down due to initial COVID racers worldwide participate You get to see the community Clerk Mendi Swan, and in Spartan Races. March 12 here. You get to kind of see; it’s Trustee Ted Dubost letters of christianna@pasoroblespress.com lockdowns. intent for their recall. During “We set the course up, every- racers competed in the 12k just something that you can’t public comment, Penner read SANTA MARGARITA — one was ready to go, and pretty BEAST with 30 obstacles really explain about coming a letter to the Board: 8,000 racers from all over the much the day before the event or the 50K ULTRA with 60 to a Spartan Race until you CONTINUED ON PAGE A15 world showed up at the Spar- went off, we ended up having obstacles. March 13, the 10K CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
GEOLOGY
Paso Robles Man Finds Volcanic Rock The geode rock is estimated to be over a million years old with minerals unique to Paso Robles regions By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — Paso Robles man and treasure hunter Dale Hiner has unearthed what is estimated to be a million-year-old volcanic rock from a ranch in Northern Paso Robles. Twenty years ago, Hiner unearthed the geode rock from the North County property only to lay as yard art at his home. It wasn’t until two weeks ago that his wife decided to clean the rock to discover a variation of minerals and an almost perfect figure of a bird. “I asked her who painted it,” said Hiner, who thought the bird was painted onto the rock. Hiner, now in his 80s, enjoys
COMMUNITY
hunting for unique items with ties to history in one way or another. His favorite finds are connected to people or events that bring local history alive. Many of Hiner’s finds are displayed in local museums, including the Paso Robles Area Historical Society and Museum, Nacitone (Lockwood) Museum, Te m p l e t o n H i s t o r i c a l Museum, and more. However, his greatest collection remains at home as his personal treasure trove. Before Hiner was a treasure hunter, he worked as one of the first detectives for the Paso Robles Police Department. As a young police officer, Hiner took Dennis Cassidy on ride-alongs in his squad car. Cassidy ultimately followed the law enforcement career path and became PRPD Chief of Police from 1997 to 2007. After retiring from law enforcement, Hiner worked as a real estate agent for Century 21. Then, about 17 years ago, he got his first metal detector,
EDUCATION
launching his third career as a treasure hunter. Now intrigued by the rock, Hiner consulted with a friend at the Santa Lucia Rockhounds, a non-profit founded in 1992 and club dedicated to promoting the study of rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils as well as the natural sciences concerned with the Earth’s formation and geology. The club is also a member of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies and is affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. It was explained to Hiner the rock was formed from a volcanic eruption deep in the Earth. Paso Robles sits on its unique geologic formation, preserving fossils dating back to the Neogene period (approximately 23 million years ago). It is estimated that over one million years ago, hundreds of volcanic eruptions helped form the mountainous ridges of the CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
Dale Hiner is a well-known treasure hunter and collector in Paso Robles. Photo by Camille DeVaul/PRP
COUNTY
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — On Tuesday, March 15, Paso Robles City Council met for a regularly scheduled meeting. They received an update from Paso Robles Central Coast Community Energy, Paso Robles Police Department, and a Caltrans quarterly report and transportation update. The El Camino Homeless O rganiz ation (ECHO) presented a request for funding their Paso Robles housing location on Black Oak Drive. ECHO is requesting a one-time request of $444,000 from the City of Paso Robles to cover the staffing costs that are not paid for by other funders for 2022 to 2023 fiscal year. ECHO President and CEO Wendy Lewis explained the shelter had experienced many cost increases since its opening. One increase is staffing, as the shelter has had difficulties hiring enough staff to cover their services. Before opening the shelter, ECHO projected to serve over 200 people based on a 2019 report which stated there were 224 unhoused people in Paso Robles. During their first year of opening, ECHO served 600 unduplicated men, women, and children, 85 percent of those from Paso Robles. Approximately 40 percent of ECHO’s clients come from the Salinas Riverbed. District 1 SLO County Supervisor John Peschong spoke in support of ECHO. “I do support this effort,” he said. “As you know, the County of San Luis Obispo has been very supportive of ECHO CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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PIONEER MUSEUM EVENT PALOMA CREEK HIGH Bands, Brews and Gifts garden shed made Barbecue on April 23 | A2 by students | A3
ECHO’S EMPTY BOWLS SUPERVISORS MOVE Annual event coming Toward repealing housing back April 28 | A4 ordinance | A5
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