Rest in Peace, Hero. May your honor and sacrifice never be forgotten.
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XVIII
GOVERNMENT
Atascadero City Council Discusses Downtown Tree Renewal Program Council holds a moment of silence in honor of fallen Detective Luca Benedetti By MELISSA MATTSON melissa@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 11 at 5 p.m. for closed session, and open session began at 6 p.m. The meeting began with recognition of Detective Luca Benedetti of the San Luis Obispo Police Department, who lost his life in the line of duty on Monday, May 10. Prior to working with SLO, Det. Benedetti worked for Atascadero for four years. The council held a moment of silence in his honor before moving into the agendized items. The first presentation was from Catalina Hubbard, the program coordinator at the San Luis Obispo Count of Governments (SLOCOG) for Bike There. From Thursday, May 20 to Sunday, May 23, there will be 120 participating locations in the county to check in at. SLOCOG encourages participants to share the experience by posting with #bikethere. Additionally, SLOCOG performs a regional transportation plan update every four years and currently is inviting the public to provide feedback on everything from bike lanes to internet impeding their ability to work from home through their surveys on slocog.org/engage from now until the beginning of July. Next, the consent calendar was presented, and Council Member Susan Funk requested item 2 to be pulled for a short discussion. All other items were passed 5-0 before discussion began. Funk inquired about the landscaping needs and how residents could become involved in those discussions. City Manager Rachelle Rickard clarified that the item tonight was to just express the intent and that a hearing would be held on Jun. 8. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SPORTS
MULTIPLE SEASONS underway as the North County temperatures heat up | A3
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
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HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
Disneyland Welcomes Back California Residents Disneyland reopened its gates after 412 days of closure
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
ANAHEIM — Wishes came true for many on Apr. 30 when California’s Disneyland reopened its gates after 412 days of closure. On Mar. 14, 2020, Disney Parks closed its West Coast doors after California went into its first COVID-19 lockdown. After the longest closure in the park’s history, cast members and guests were more than thrilled to return to the “Happiest Place on Earth.” The Disneyland Resort has closed only two previous times since its opening on Jul. 17, 1955. The park closed for one day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and then on Sept. 11 after the terrorist attacks. The unexpected and prolonged closure led to the Disney
Company laying off over 30,000 employees. A closed crown-jeweled attraction like Disneyland affected more than just the Disney Company. The City of Anaheim suffered tremendously from an economic standpoint. Hotels, businesses, and services were boarded up and shut completely down. Even after the park has reopened, some businesses are still playing catch up and have yet open. Anaheim officials said in September 2020 that the COVID-19 closures of Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center had led to a $100 million shortfall in city offers. Meanwhile, in Orlando, Florida, Disney World reopened on Jul. 11, 2020, operating above the Floridian requirements for safety protocols. Disneyland Resort was ready to reopen in California on Jul. 17, CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
Disneyland and California Adventures re-opened to California residents after over a year of being closed due to the pandemic on Apr. 30. Photos by Camille DeVaul
RISING STAR
PREP SPORTS
Local Songwriter Callie Twisselman Releases First Music Video After moving to Nashville Twissleman found new inspiration and has signed her first publishing deal
The 2021 undefeated Ocean League Champions. Pictured above is Aziz Basil, Ryan Maclean, Alex Orosco, Maddox Subia, Angel Navarrete, Caleb Newby, Julio Lopez, Julio Lopez, Alex Collins, Jimmie Claudio, Martin Anguiano, Issac Estrada, Keaden Knight, Declan Rice, Declan Rice, Roy Numan, Zachary Herrera, Max Sosa, Kaleb Kolacyzk, Max Brewster, Christian Plasecia, Jr., Jackson Bedell. Photo by Connor Allen
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
L
ocal singer and songwriter Callie Twisselman recently released her debut single, “Two Hands,” and this week, on May 12, Twisselman released her first music video featuring her debut single. Twisselman said, “Two Hands is a song that is about a girl who can be a handful at times, but her man loves her and accepts her anyway, and that was the message that I hoped people took from it. That you can be who you are, and the right person will love you for it.” Growing up on her family’s ranch in Cholame, Twisselman was surrounded by family. And with a family like hers, it would be impossible to ever forget them or where she came from. Not that I think she would ever want to. Twisselman’s music video was filmed at her family’s ranch and the Jack Ranch Cafe on Highway 46 East. “I had all my family in it [music video] as the cast members, which made it even more fun,” said Twisselman. One of Twisselman’s biggest inspirations in
MID-STATE FAIR
CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU! 75th Annual Re-Do Scheduled for July 21 thru August 1 | A4
Greyhounds Finish Season as Undefeated League Champions
Atascadero Boys Soccer Goes 10-0-2 in Ocean League
league championship just outside their grasp, this season, the Greyhounds left no doubt. “It means a lot because it is really about them,” Setting said on the field following the game Tuesday. “These boys have worked so hard to get to this point. Every year we set out as League Champs as the goal, and we’ve come up a game short a couple years in a row, and then this year, they came out and finished it.” The Greyhounds are currently the no. 12 ranked team in the entire Central Section and fourth in Division 2, according to MaxPreps.com. After a rocky start, which should be expected in this particular season, especially for sports where extreme fitness is needed,
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com Cholame native Callie Twisselman debuts first music video in Nashville. Contributed photo
life was her mother, Junis Twisselman. “She had a beautiful voice like Patsy Cline, and I always would practice outside with my fake microphone, pretending I was performing like she was. She inspired me to have the same career,” said Twisselman of her mother. She continued, “My mom shined on-stage. It was a happy escape for her. She always told me that if this is what I wanted to do, that I had to enjoy myself and not try to be something I’m not.” CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COVID-19 UPDATE
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GOVERNOR NEWSOM introduces ‘California’s Comeback Plan’ as the State re-opens | A5
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Boys Soccer team is the 2021 undefeated Ocean League Champions after defeating Mission Prep at home last night 2-0 to finish the year 10-0-2. Not only did the Hounds finish the season without a single loss, but they tied the first two games of the season and finished out their schedule with ten straight wins and will roll into the CIF Central Section playoffs as hot as any team in the State. This is Atascadero’s third season under head coach Gary Setting, and after finishing consecutive seasons with the
SMART CASE
CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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48 HOURS EPISODE AIRED ‘The Disappearance of Kristin Smart’ on CBS with new information | A5
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