GOOD NEWS. REAL NEWS. HOMETOWN NEWS.
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. XXXIV
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
PREP ATHLETICS
EDUCATION
North County Kicks Off Fall Sports Season Big wins at home for Greyhounds and Bearcats
TUSD Approves Letter To California Department of Public Health
By HAYLEY MATTSON hayley@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNTY — The 2021-22 school year is three weeks in, and fall sports are officially underway. Last week the North County celebrated two big wins with the season’s first Friday night football games for both Atascadero and Paso Robles High School. The Greyhounds won their home game on Friday, Aug. 27, against Torres High School with a victorious shutout 35-0. Atascadero will be on the road this week to play at Newbury Park on Friday at 7 p.m. Paso Robles came away from Friday night’s home game at War Memorial Stadium with a 14-6 final scoring win over Independence High. The Bearcats will host Buchanan High School on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 6:30 p.m. Templeton High School traveled to Coalinga and lost with a final score of 27 to 6. The Eagles play their first home game this
EVENT
Atascadero High School Varsity Football team won their home opening non-conference game with a score of 35-0 against Torres High. Photos by Sam McMillan
Friday, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. against Liberty High School from Madera. The Atascadero Greyhounds versus Paso Robles Bearcat rivalry game is scheduled on Friday, Sept. 17, at War Memorial Stadium in Paso Robles. This game ends out pre-season as the teams will head into league.
The High School football season also in strong after an unprecedented season last includes the return of Cheerleading, March- year due to the pandemic. ing Band performances, and the roar and The season started on Aug. 28 with the excitement from the cheering crowds Arroyo Grande Invitational. dressed in their school’s colors. On Saturday, Sept. 11, North County
The idea for The Time Trials was something that the couple had talked about and slowly developed over the years. “The spark that started it was the idea of competitive teams that travel back in time and accomplish certain tasks,” said Jon. Jon described writing until he came to a point where he felt stuck, at which point Dayna sat down and decided to give it a shot. “It happened kind of naturally,” said Jon. “The experience of having a co-author was really valuable for me,” said Dayna. “Yeah, it could have been a disaster,” said Jon, “but it worked out really well.” Jon explained that there were some really great benefits to writing with your partner, including how fun it is to bounce ideas off of someone else who knows the story. For most writers, crafting a novel is a notoriously solitary and isolating process. “You also have someone to write for,” said Jon. “Instead of trying to write for an audience, I found myself thinking, ‘oh, Dayna’s CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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North County runners are already coming
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Local Authors Release YA Sci-Fi Novel
JP Saxe played piano to accompany his vocals at intimate winery concert. Photo by Melissa Guerra
New Intimate Covid-Era Concert Reaches Paso Intimate elevated concert experiences begin appearing in lieu of large concert gatherings Husband and wife authors Jon and Dayna McConnell release their debut novel, The Time Trials on Sept. 21. Contributed photos
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n the heart of wine country, at a winery ranked number two most beautifully designed in the world by Architectural Digest, with wine from SLO County’s Winemaker Of The Year, Jordan Fiorentini, a small group gathered to enjoy the sounds of GRAMMY®Award-nominated JP Saxe at an intimate, outdoor concert. The perfect weather, combined with the intimate experience, including a meet and greet with the artist, created an atmosphere of comfort and familiarity. Guests were able to request songs and share stories of how Saxe’s music had impacted their lives, including me, as I walked CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
ENVIRONMENT
The Time Trials by Jon and Dayna McConnell launches Sep. 21 By PATRICK PATTON patrick@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — Jon McConnell graduated from Atascadero High School in 2000, and Dayna McConnell graduated from Morro Bay High School in 2005. Each ended up working at Mervyn’s Department Store, Dayna in the shoe department, and John in the men’s department. Little did they know that they would be married with two kids less than a decade later, and both published authors of a YA sci-fi novel. “We were just friends at first,” said Dayna, “truly just really good friends,” Dayna said that their friendship lasted for about 2-3 years before it became something more special. They are now in their sixth year of marriage with two young children and both teachers living in Orcutt. Dayna teaches 3rd grade, and Jon teaches high school.
KRISTIN SMART CASE
COVID-19 UPDATE
By MELISSA GUERRA melissa@atascaderonews.com
TEMPLETON — The Templeton Unified School District had a regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Aug. 26, at 6:15 p.m. Trustee Nelson Yamagata ran the meeting as Trustee Vierra was out on the current fires in California. Yamagata spoke a few words in honor of his service and wishes for his safe return before moving to approve the order of business. There were no reports on closed session, so the Board moved to item 6.0, acceptance of two donations for the Templeton High School football program, the Central Coast Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Friedle family, parents of former Templeton students. Item 7.1 was a presentation from the Templeton Heritage Tree Foundation. The organization is a 501c that exists to preserve Templeton’s history and hopes to bring in new trees where heritage trees have been lost throughout the years. They have selected sites based on the need for aesthetics, shade and also mentioned that Oaks draw moisture to them and allow more rain to fall. The presentation ended with the Board deciding to bring back the item for a vote on a future meeting with an open session. The public comment period opened and heard from parents who were looking for better systems for students required to quarantine due to exposure, as well as the request of teachers to receive a 2.2 percent raise, in comparison to the 5 percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) decided by the state. The Student Board Member
Cross Country
LITERATURE
By MELISSA GUERRA melissa@atascaderonews.com
The Templeton Heritage Tree Foundation is looking to preserve Templeton history
WE REMEMBER
WEATHER
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ANNUAL ATASCADERO CREEK and Salinas River Cleanup Day needs volunteers on Sept. 18 | A3
JUDGE DENIES DEFENSE motion to disqualify District Attorney in Flores hearing | A4
MASK MANDATES IN PLACE DOD IDENTIFIES again when indoors for SLO County as Marine Corps, Navy, of Sept. 1 | A5 and Army Casualties | A13
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