Hometown News Since 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CIV, NO. XXIX
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
SOCIAL DISTANCE SPORT
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MEMORIAL
North County Golf Courses Open For Business
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com NORTH COUNTY — While many businesses around the Central Coast were forced to close their doors again as the state takes on a second wave of COVID-19 cases due to the pandemic, there is one type of business that has kept its doors open, golf courses. The outdoor nature of golf already requires a fair amount of social distancing, especially for those out there hacking away, sending balls shooting across greens and fairways. Local courses have also gone the extra yard in setting COVID-19 precautions to ensure the safety of both their customers and their workers. North County contains four golf courses. Three of those courses, Hunter Ranch Golf Course, River Oaks, and Paso Robles Golf Club, are in Paso Robles with Chalk Mountain Golf Course in Atascadero. They are all open for business, with some even experiencing an uptick during the pandemic. Some of the measures being taken include
The Central Coast Leatherneck Color Guard conducted the rendering of the military honors at the service for WWII veteran LeRoy Dodge in Atascadero. The American flag was presented to his wife of 73 years, Peggy. His son, Fred Dodge was the emcee of the celebration of life. Photos by Brian Williams
Celebrating the Life of LeRoy S. Dodge Friends and family gather in front of the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial By BRIAN WILLIAMS brian@atascaderonews.com ATASCADERO — It was fitting that friends and family gathered in front of the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial on Friday to celebrate the life U.S. Navy World War II veteran LeRoy S. (Ted) Dodge. Dodge was remembered as a patriotic, hard-working and loving husband,
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father, and grandfather. Dodge, a 1945 Atascadero High School graduate, was instrumental in the founding of the Atascadero Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial foundation and the construction of the monument itself. Son David Dodge fought back tears as he spoke of experiencing his first Father’s Day without “Dad.” “There were so many things I wished
I would have told him,” David Dodge said. “I wished I would have told him what a great father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend he was to everybody. And thank him for all of the lessons he taught me, some the hard way, but they were all lessons. And all the words of wisdom. “I wished I had told him how proud I was to be his son. And how proud I am of his memorial, because in my
EDUCATION
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
COMMUNITY
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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
A Community School: Principal Dan Andrus Ready For Atascadero ATASCADERO — Atascadero Unified School District announced the hiring of new Atascadero High School Principal Dan Andrus in late February, following the news that former Principal Bill Neeley was retiring after the 2019-2020 school year. With the Aug. 12 start date for the 202021 school year creeping ever closer, Andrus is fully underway in his first year and excited to return to the county that raised him. Atascadero’s new principal is no stranger to the area. Growing up and graduating from San Luis Obispo High School, he is through and through a Central Coast kid at heart. “I grew up in San Luis County, and here you really grow up in the whole county,” Andrus told The Atascadero News. “You go to the fair in Paso; you learn to water ski at Nacimiento, you learn to surf out in Morro Bay. So, the whole county feels like home to me.” As an educator of more than 20 years, he follows the family business, and the path laid before him by his father, who taught at San Luis Obispo High before finishing his career with 21 years as San Luis Obispo Junior High School principal. While Andrus is coming from a high school in Southern California, Vasquez High School in Acton, he is no stranger to
mind this is his memorial and being here to see him honored was a great thing,” David Dodge said. Dodge was 93 when he passed away March 30 after suffering a stroke and heart attack in early March. Dodge was buried at Pine Mountain Cemetery in Atascadero. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, a public memorial was
Board: Templeton Chamber is ‘On Solid Footing’ Moving Forward By BRIAN WILLIAMS brian@atascaderonews.com
Dan Andrus, a SLO County native, transitioned from Morro Bay High to Atascadero High. Contributed photo
the educational climate in SLO County. He started his teaching career in the mid-1990s in Paso Robles before eventually serving as Morro Bay High’s principal for more than five years from 2009 to 2014. After five years of a faster-paced life, Andrus was ready to return home. “I had been looking for a couple of years for an opportunity to come back to this area,” Andrus said. “I applied down in Santa Maria, and when this opportunity opened up, it was awesome; it was an opportunity to come back and get back into the county.”
LOCAL NEWS
Entering his first year as AHS principal, Andrus is invested in becoming part of the local community he will now serve, which is what made the job so alluring in the first place. “I know that Atascadero is a community school, and there is something unique about a school that really is a central part of the community,” he said. “I am coming into a school that is turning 100 this year, where you have four and five generations that have
COVID UPDATE
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SPORTS
TEMPLETON — The Templeton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors realizes moving forward without a CEO is not ideal, but they believe it is best for everyone they serve — local businesses and community. In late June, in a letter to members, the chamber board announced its decision to let CEO Jessica Main go. Back in April, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Templeton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors furloughed Main with the hope of bringing her back to move forward on summer events. Summer came on the calendar, but not much was happening due to COVID-19. “Like other communities and businesses within Temple-
ton, the Templeton Chamber was also forced to make some hard decisions in response to the economic uncertainty brought about by COVID-19,” said Greg Modica, Chamber Board president, speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors. “The board worked diligently and thoughtfully to assess all options and made a decision that allowed the organization to continue to be a viable and productive Chamber for the community.” San Luis Obispo has slowly reopened, but large events with gatherings of more than 25 people are still not permitted. The Templeton Chamber of Commerce canceled its popular annual 4th of July celebration and Summer Music in the Park events. Modica said the board would CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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WEATHER
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COPING WITH COVID-19 JUNIOR LIVESTOCK challenges us to stay mentally, Auction hits the $1M mark emotionally strong | A3 despite fewer animals | A4
ELEMENTARY WAIVER
would allow in-person learning for students | A5
CENTRAL COAST CUP Safe solution to fulfill those sporty needs? | A13
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