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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024
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Atascadero Chamber of Commerce holds State of the City at Colony Cinemas Local leaders address the community
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — On Friday, State of Feb. 2, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., the newspapers Atascadero Chamber of Commerce presented the community with the undergoing State of the City. The sold-out event took place at Colony Cinemas and significant featured many of Atascadero’s leaders, transformation giving updates to all 110 participants. By HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher
“Were it left to me to decide if we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” - Thomas Jefferson
T
he landscape of newspapers is in flux, as highlighted by a recent announcement from the editor of the San Luis Obispo Tribune regarding cutbacks on printed editions starting April 15. This decision mirrors a larger trend within the industry as newspapers confront the challenges posed by the digital age while striving for sustainability. In his statement, editor Joe Tarica underscored the newspa-
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“The State of the City is an event that used to be called State of the North County. We used to partner with the Paso Chamber, and we used to talk about issues that would face all of North County. Workforce or tourism and things like that,” stated Atascadero Chamber President and CEO Josh Cross. “In speaking with the city manager this year, we felt that it was the right time to just focus on Atascadero and have Atascadero leaders present on what’s going on in our own community because there’s been so much excitement and opportunity that’s happened recently that we just wanted to get the word out.” City Manager Jim Lewis gave updates on the city’s Vision and Placemaking, recent Safety and Infrastructure Improvements, and Staff Culture and Retention. Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore and Deputy Director of Community and Economic Development Loreli Cappel gave updates on Community Develop-
Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno addresses the crowd on her vision for Atascadero during the State of the City Feb. 2.Photo provided by Atascadero Chamber of Commerce
ment Projects, including a General Plan Update and Business and Economic Development. Director of Community Services and Promotions Terrie Banish gave a presentation on Tourism Goals, Marketing Goals, and Recreation updates. Mayor Heather Moreno gave an update including the city’s Strategic
Goals and Priorities, Positive Trends, Working with all levels of Government, F-14 and D-20, and her vision for the Future of Atascadero. Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) Superintendant Tom Butler was also there to give the community an update on the AUSD, including
the district’s goals of Student Success, Staff Collaboration, and Family and Community Partnerships. He also stated that the district currently has 4,345 students enrolled. The Chamber also gave a resentation and had the audience participate in an interactive exercise by using their cellphones. “What we did, is we used software called Poll Everywhere,” Cross said. “So we had a series of questions, and people were able to vote or type a word using their cellphones. It was really fun to see; for example, we asked why they love living or working in Atascadero, and people wrote in words, and as you’ll see in the results, over and over, people wrote in the word community.” The polls also told the city that its community would love to see a bowling alley come back into the area and that everyone seems to be a big fan of live music. But the feedback didn’t stop with the event. “The feedback we’ve received from just about everyone, the texts and the emails I got afterward tells me that people are hungry for this kind of information and in this kind of format, and it tells me that this is something that we need to definitely bring back,” Cross said. “We are working with the City leadership to bring a series called Talk on the Block, and this will be something that happens four times a year and will basically take this sort of State of the City presentation around CONTINUED ON PAGE A11
Local business owner fights acute liver failure
Alyssa Reid owns Bee’s Blossoms in Atascadero
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNTY — Alyssa Reid, owner of Bee’s Blossoms in Atascadero, is currently fighting for her life as her body battles acute liver failure. The liver failure started around Thanksgiving of 2023 due to underlying health issues and has progressed quickly since. Reid, who grew up locally and now lives in Paso Robles with her family, has been placed on a liver transplant list that is the only way to save her life. “Thankfully, she [Reid] was placed on the transplant list, which not everyone is, but because of her circumstances ... Plus, the rest of her body is actually functioning okay as far as kidneys and other things, which you have to be somewhat ready to have a transplant. All these things fell into place,” said Reid’s mother, Stasi Seay. Thirty-five-year-old Reid is currently being treated at
NEWS
Erik and Alyssa Reid (third and fourth from left) are shown with their three children. Photo provided by Stasi Seay
Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla (San Diego). However, she started her journey at French Hospital in San Luis Obispo on Dec. 26, 2023. She was there about two weeks before she was transferred to Scripps and went through two weeks of evaluation before she was officially put on the hold
list. As of today, she’s been on a transplant list for a little over three weeks. Seay added that her daughter’s body is undergoing many negative changes due to the toxins running through her body since Reid’s liver is not working properly. But she also stated that even though Reid
CRIME
NORTH COUNTY LIFE
is very sick, she’s still in very good spirits and has nothing but wonderful things to say about Scripps Hospital and the care that Reid is receiving there. “It’s been super hard; that said, she’s got a great attitude. She’s determined. She’s been trying to help where she can,” continued Seay. “Her spirits are good, and she’s got a lot of resolve as far as soon as she’s better; she’s taking life by the horns.” While Reid is in the hospital, the family has been able to keep Bee’s Blossoms open and keeps on providing gorgeous floral arrangements to the North County and beyond with the help of the shop’s assistant manager, Janet Jesme. Ordering flowers from Bee’s Blossoms is just one of the ways that the community can help support Reid and her family, which includes her husband Erik, son Owen, and stepchildren Audra and Dane. A GoFundMe has also been created to help with Reid’s medical expenses. “The big thing is the medical CONTINUED ON PAGE A11
SPORTS
City Council approves color band on new ARCO gas station
City Manager Jim Lewis gives a storm update after last week’s wind and rain
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. The hybrid meeting was held in the City Council Chambers. The evening’s Agenda passed unanimously. The Consent Calendar also passed unanimously after Mayor Heather Moreno asked for an update on item two, Proclamation of Existence of a Local Emergency Related to the Early February 2024 Storms.
“The community faired very well in the last storm as far as our areas of flooding that we were aware of. Traffic control right away. We didn’t have any major tree limbs drop in the right of way or powerlines block right of way,” said City Manager Jim Lewis. “We did staff up, so I want to give credit to the police and fire department for staffing up and preplanning so we could run the calls. Our public works team had a crew running, keeping culverts flowing, being right on top of things. The work that that team had done to preplan helped. So we faired really well.” He added that late last week, the city did have a failure on San Marcos Road, close to where the road needed to be repaired after the 2023 storms. The night’s only Public Hearing was the Appeal of the ARCO Canopy Signage Use Permit at 9590 El Camino Real. Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore gave the presentation on the item. “This is regarding the new fuel station that just opened CONTINUED ON PAGE A11
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