GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XIV
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
MISSING PERSON
Justice Begins for Kristin Smart After Almost 25 Years SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson holds a press conference after the arrest of Paul and Ruben Flores
A press conference was held on Tuesday, Apr. 13 where SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest of Paul Flores for the murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart who went missing in May of 1996 and his father Ruben Flores for accessory to murder. Photos by Camille DeVaul
By HAYLEY MATTSON & CAMILLE DeVAUL SAN LUIS OBISPO — On Apr. 13, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson held a press conference on O’Neill Green in front of the Orfalea College of Business on the campus of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The press conference came just before the 25th Anniversary of Cal
Poly student Kristin Smart who went missing on May 25, 1996. Before Sheriff Parkinson began, large photos of Kristin Smart, Paul, and Ruben Flores’s arrest, a chronological timeline of the case was unveiled. As Sheriff Parkinson and officials walked to the podium, the clock tower echoed deep chimes, and the crowd fell silent. Tony Cipolla, the Health Infor-
mation Officer for the SLO County Sheriff, started the conference stating, “Today is a day that many have hoped for, wished for, and prayed for. We have major developments in the Kristin Smart investigation.” Before turning the conference over to Sheriff Parkinson, Cipolla acknowledged the President of Cal Poly, Jeff Armstrong, sign-language interpreter Robin Babb, Cal Poly Police Chief George Hughes, and
GOVERNMENT
Undersheriff Jim Vogue. Parkinson started by recognizing that Unsolved Cold-Case Detective Clint Cole was not introduced by Cipolla so that he could make a special introduction along with acknowledging several members of his team in the audience. “We are beginning here today because this is where it all began, on the campus of Cal Poly University. On May 25, 1996, this is the last
place that Kristin Smart was seen alive. It has been 24, almost 25 years since Kristin went missing. 24 years without a resolution, until today. I am here this afternoon to announce the arrest of Paul Flores for the murder of Kristin Smart. The Arrest of Ruben Flores as an accessory to the murder,” Sheriff Parkinson said as he started the press conference. Paul Flores, now 44-years-old was the last person seen with Smart.
Kristin Smart was a 19-year-old Cal Poly freshman who was in the last few months of her freshman year at Cal Poly. Smart was last seen on May 25, 1996, at approximately 2 a.m. near Perimeter and Grand Avenue’s intersection on the Cal Poly campus as she walked home to her dorm from an off-campus party. Smart was last CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
Boys and Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast Celebrates Ground-Breaking Construction of new club facility expected to be completed in early 2022
City to Begin Finance Committee Meetings City Manager is hopeful to keep COVID numbers low and move to the Orange Tier By MELISSA MATTSON melissa@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — Atascadero City Council met for a regular meeting on Apr. 13 at 6 p.m. The meeting opened with an acknowledgment of April as sexual assault awareness month, which was received by Christina Kaviani, the education and communications director of RISE. Kaviani spoke about RISE’s accomplishments this past year in the face of the pandemic, including expanding Telehealth services as well as taking the offered financial
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
PASO ROBLES — On Apr. 12, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast (BGCMCC) broke ground for the new Tom Maas Clubhouse at 3301 Oak St in Paso Robles. From the organization’s press release, “The Clubhouse is a 3.5-million-dollar project named in honor of Tom Maas, a local philanthropist, business owner, and winemaker who passed in 2019. Tom and his wife Kathleen donated the property to BGCMCC in 2019.” The current Paso Robles BGCMCC is located at the Flamson Middle School on Spring Street. In 2016, it became evident to board
members that they needed a larger facility due to a growing waiting list for children to get into the club. The new boys and girls club will be located on Oak Street, closely situated to Flamson Middle School and Georgia
Brown Middle School. The half-acre lot, formerly home to the North County Racquet Association, was donated by a long-time friend of the boys and girls club, Tom Maas. In 2019 Maas passed away unexpect-
edly. However, just before his passing, Maas and his wife Kathleen made a donation that allowed the club to purchase the new property. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SPORTS
Bearcats and Eagles Set For Mountain League Matchup The two teams have not played one another in 97 years
in for a huge Mountain League matchup this Friday night, and when the two teams finally hit the field together, it will be the first time the two By CONNOR ALLEN schools have played each other in 97 years. The connor@atascaderonews.com Bearcats and Eagles have played each other in football only twice, with both games coming in NORTH COUNTY — The Templeton the same season in 1924. Eagles and Paso Robles Bearcats are locked The Paso Robles Press went back through
CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SPORTS
Board of Directors along with members of the community celebrate groundbreaking of the new site for the Boys and Girls Club of Mid Central Coast. Photos by Camille DeVaul
EVENT
COVID-19 UPDATE
SOCIETY
the archives to find the old box scores, and it turns out that the Bearcats lead the series 2-0. Coached by G.A. Gates, the Bearcats finished the 1924 season with a 3-3 record, two of those wins coming over the Eagles. The two teams played in week two of the season (the Bearcats CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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WEATHER
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GREYHOUNDS FOOTBALL falters in Home-Turf opener with loss to Morro Bay, 20-19 | A3
CHAMBER SPEAKEASY GALA opens up silent auction for bidding on exciting packages | A4
STATE UPDATES BLUEPRINT framework to help counties maintain current tier | A5
LABOR TRAFFICKING is often hidden and is very difficult to detect due to its covert nature | A13
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