GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXIII, NO. V
EDUCATION
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
Get to Know the Miss California Mid-State Fair Pageant Contestants
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Discusses Paso Basin
PRJUSD Approves Operational Funds for Aquatics Center District submits declaration stating need for qualified educators
Supervisors approved amendments to agricultural offset requirements for the basin
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — The long-awaited Aquatics Center was once again discussed at the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District meeting on July 12. PRJUSD staff requested trustees to authorize Superintendent Curt Dubost to transfer an annual amount equal to $300,000 for operating expenses of the aquatics center. Trustee Chris Bausch requested to table discussion on the aquatics center, feeling it may be premature until they know they will have the funds. He explained, “With inflation this morning now at 8.6 percent, recession looming ... We might need that money to keep our schools operational at some point.” Bausch’s motion to table the discussion died without a second. PRJUSD has already entered an agreement with an architect to design the center. They reviewed concepts and estimated budgets on four separate occasions since October 2021. The motion to appropriate funds was approved with a 6-1 vote, Bausch voting no. Earlier in the meeting, the district declared a need for fully qualified educators. According to staff ’s agenda, “the Declaration of Need for Fully Qualified Educators (DON) is an annual form submitted to the Commission by California employing agencies as required by statute. The DON form contains the estimated number of emergency and limited assignment teaching permits that will be requested during the school year.” In the document, the district shares its need for 10 educators (two multiple subject, two single CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
AGRICULTURE
CONTEST
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com Miss California Mid-State Fair Contestants (from left) Vanessa Espinoza, Sarah Barr, Jenna Shapero, Jenna Tatman, and Brooke Smith. Photo by Kellee Jean Photography
The Miss CMSF Pageant is July 20 on the Frontier Stage By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — The Miss California Mid-State Fair Pageant is back for its
52nd year. This year, the pageant will be held on July 20 at 7 p.m. on the Frontier Stage. The pageant will feature five girls from the North County this year, and Miss California Mid-State Fair and her court will be crowned at the end of the evening.
Morbid piece of James Dean memorabilia on sale has Paso Robles ties Antique dealer lists embalming table supposedly used at local funeral home after actor’s fatal car crash By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — A listing on an antique’s social media page caught some attention from Paso Roblans — the listing in question was for an embalming table used in a local funeral home and likely held the remains of actor James Dean. On Sep. 30, 1955, the sleepy town of Cholame on Highway 41 and 46 East, just outside of Paso Robles, made national headlines when Dean’s Porsche collided with a Ford pickup, resulting in his untimely death. The “Rebel Without a Cause” star was said to have been traveling down the high-
EDUCATION
way at speeds up to 90 mph when 23-year-old Cal Poly student Donal Turnupseed made a left turn onto Highway 41 in front of Dean. Unable to stop in time, Dean slammed into Turnupseed’s pickup. The crash left Turnupseed with minor injuries, but Dean was not so lucky. According to Dean’s death certificate, which is easily accessible online, he suffered a broken neck, multiple upper and lower jaw fractures, multiple fractures of the right and left arm, and internal injuries. Also listed on the death certificate is the name of the funeral director — Kuehl Funeral Home of Paso Robles. According to the antique dealer’s Facebook listing of the embalming table, “The table pictured is a 1928 champion embalming table made in Springfield, Ohio. This embalming table was purchased in 1928 by Kuehl’s Funeral home in Paso Robles, estab-
NEWS
Each contestant will compete in the following four categories: Interview, Talent, Final Question, and Evening Wear. If selected as Queen or Princess, their responsibilities will include participating in numerous public events such as introducing performers, taking pictures, and meeting
with various dignitaries. Contestants will receive swag, with the Queen receiving a $1,000 cash prize, the first Princess $500, and the second Princess $250. All will also receive various prizes from local businesses. Paso Robles Press asked this CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 12, where they discussed and made decisions regarding the Paso Basin. During public comment, residents made several comments CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
HISTORY
The death of James Dean is reported on the front page of the Paso Robles Press issue of Oct. 3, 1955. Photo courtesy of the Paso Robles Area Historical Society and Museum
lished in 1927. James Dean was brought to this funeral home in Sep. of 1955 after his car crash at Hwy 41 and 46 East.” While the antique dealer posted the table on the Vineyard Antique Mall’s social media page, the dealer is separate from the antique store, located on Ramada Drive, and they wished to remain unnamed. They added, “There were only two embalming tables there at that time. This was one
EVENTS
of the embalming tables that was used there at that time.” The antique dealer in possession of the table previously worked for the funeral home, now known as Kuehl-Nicolay Funeral Home. They told Paso Robles Press that it is incredibly likely Dean was either embalmed or prepped on the table. According to some reports, Dean died at the collision scene. Still, others will say Dean was pronounced dead
on arrival, shortly after arriving by ambulance to the Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital at 6:20 p.m. The hospital, located on 15th Street, has since closed its doors. News of Dean’s death reached the world through television and radio. The death even made the front page of Paso Robles Press’s Oct. 3, 1955, issue. Three days after the fatal crash, an inquest into Dean’s CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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