GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XLVIII
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
EVENT
Atascadero’s Light Up Downtown Fills Community with Cheer Close to 300 feet of Christmas lights used to decorate City Hall, and the two 20 foot Monarch Frame trees By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — A large crowd full of holiday cheer gathered in the Sunken Gardens in Atascadero on the evening of Friday, Dec. 3rd, to see the downtown area light up! It’s an Atascadero tradition that’s been happening since the 1940s. “In total, approximately 2,000 people turned out for the evening. Similar numbers to what we had in 2019, since 2020 was a “Drive-in” Light Up the Downtown, we only had enough room for those who came and could park [last year],” said Deputy City Manager, Terrie Banish. Close to 300 feet of Christmas lights were used to decorate City Hall and the two 20 foot Monarch Frame trees in the Sunken Gardens. That count does not include the lights on Centen-
By MELISSA GUERRA melissa@atascaderonews.com
Around 2,000 people came to the Sunken Gardens to enjoy hayrides, Model A firetrucks, and visits with Santa. Photo by Hayley Mattson
nial Plaza or the light poles around Gardens, followed by the arrival of Model A fire truck rides were also Band had the audience caroling the downtown square. Santa,” continued Banish. part of the festivities for anyone in along with them, and the Fine “Folks enjoyed the countdown Not only could you visit with attendance. to light up City Hall and Sunken Santa at the event, hayrides, and The Atascadero Community CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
Templeton High School Celebrates the Holidays By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
TEMPLETON — Students at Templeton High School (THS) have been busy celebrating the holidays with wreaths, reindeer races, window paintings, and more. The floral design students
Supervisors Introduce Ordinance for New Districting Map Motion to do a partisan study on the map fails to pass vote
HOLIDAY CHEER
Students competed in reindeer races, made wreaths, and decorated Main Street windows and campus
GOVERNMENT
have been hard at work creating and delivering wreaths throughout the community to those who purchased one. As the seasons change throughout the year students, create different arrangements that make their way to Templeton homes, businesses, and community buildings. Students learn business skills and design as they work on these projects. The Floral Design class is taught by Brandi Bognuda and is part of FFA and the Career Technical Education (CTE) program at THS. Last week, members of the
National Art Honor Society (NAHS) took the time to share their skills with local businesses by painting holiday designs on business windows. Their work can be seen down Main Street in Templeton. The NAHS is led by THS Fine Arts teacher Amber Wislersham. Additionally, the NAHS made holiday cards. Students can order them this week and have them delivered to a student on campus during finals week. Each month the ASB students bring students together by creat- Students competed in the reindeer races at lunch. Each month ASB produces ing some friendly competitions. friendly competitions for classmates to compete in. Contributed photo
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 9 a.m. Supervisor Bruce Gibson moved to approve consent agenda, and Supervisor Debbie Arnold requested to pull for discussion 4 and 24. Item 4 was the state legislative agenda which comes before the Board every year, but this year seemed to have considerable changes, which Arnold hoped could be put on the agenda to discuss the changes. The more specific this could be made, the easier it would be for lobbyists to make changes that the county actually wants. Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg highlighted the budget item in the consent agenda and pointed out the $4m deficit in the sheriff ’s department, and reminded the Board that the last three cannabis projects that were within their legal parameters and came before the Board and were denied would have likely been more than enough to make up that deficit. After hearing discussion, Supervisor Bruce again made a motion to approve the consent agenda minus 4, 24, 39, as amended, which was seconded by Supervisor John Peschong. The agenda was CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
ANNIVERSARY
WWII Veteran Harold Lowe Remembering Pearl Harbor This year marks the 80th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
Lowe was 22 and stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington when he learned of the Pearl Harbor attacks. Photo by Camille DeVaul
SPORTS
EVENTS
SANTA MARGARITA — On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, at 8:00 a.m., hundreds of Japanese fighter planes dropped bombs over the Pearl Harbor United States Naval Base just outside of Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack killed more than 2,400 Americans and wounded 1,000 people. Eight battleships and over 300 airplanes were destroyed. More than that, the attacks on Pearl Harbor
COMMUNITY
ignited a new phase of the war in Europe. It brought the United States into war with Japan and Germany, creating World War II (WWII). This year marks the 80th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Santa Margarita native and resident Harold Lowe’s memories of Pearl Harbor are crystal clear--even at his age of 102. When I came to Lowe’s home in Santa Margarita, I asked if he would like to talk old war stories with me--his face simply lit up with glee. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, around 9:00 a.m. Lowe was sitting in his barracks and reading the paper while at basic training in Fort Lews, Washington. Lowe recounted the exact moment he learned Pearl Harbor was attacked, “All of a sudden here
SOCIETY
comes Corporal down the stairs yelling, ‘Get your clothes on and out of bed, we’re at war! Japan has swarmed Pearl Harbor!’” He was just 22 years old at the time and in the reserves. War was in full bloom in Europe, and the ideas of the U.S. joining were consistently looming--until now. As far as Lowe and his commanding officers knew, their fort could be next for the Japanese to attack. That evening, Lowe and his comrades were ordered to gather their belongings and get their rations of food and ammunition. That night, they were then instructed to head out into the forest and pitch a tent. He recalls having to use their lighters as a light to read their cans of food CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
atascaderonews.com twitter.com/ @AtascaderoNews
NORTH COUNTY
Holiday Events NORTH COUNTY SPORTS Eagles, Greyhounds and Bearcats make strong showings | A3
HOLIDAY EVENT CALENDAR Plenty of fun in the coming weeks to get you in the holiday spirit | A4
facebook.com/ @AtascaderoNews
TEMPLETON COMMUNITY Services approves wage increase for select county positions | A5
2021
CONTINUING MISSION: DeliverFund’s “Operation Soccer Balls” | A13
DEC. 10th 5-9 PM FREE TO THE PUBLIC!
Sunken Gardens, Downtown Atascadero
75 TONS OF SNOW!
Presenting Sponsors:
K iwanis Club atasCadero
of
High 56° | Low 33°
5
67808 24135
7