Hometown News Since 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXI, NO. XXXI
EDUCATION
PRJUSD Board Review of Grand Jury Report ‘Paso Robles School District: A Cautionary Tale’
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
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COMMUNITY
Richard ‘Dick’ Nock, a Legacy, Mentor and Friend to All
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) Board of Trustees met on Saturday, Jan. 9, to review, in detail, the entire Grand Jury Report titled “Paso Robles School District: A Cautionary Tale,” dated Nov. 17, 2020. The report reads like a fictional story; however, it explains the events in detail that led to the school districts’ financial crisis. Board members spent several hours reviewing, discussing, and giving insight into the findings of errors found by the Grand Jury. Board President Christopher Arend started the meeting by requesting a change to the order of the agenda. The Board voted 6-0 to move the discussion about retaining the council to the end of the agenda. Trustee Lance Gannon was not in attendance. The report starts by giving a brief overview of the school district’s financial problems between 2015 and 2018, which led them to become subject to a second Grand Jury investigation, with the first being in 2012. The report is broken down into three parts; School District Leadership, District Reserve Management, and The Aquatic Complex. According to the summary, the report was “self-generated, prompted by news reports in accordance with the guidelines for the Grand Jury.” Burkley Baker called in for public comment on item F1 prior to the board starting. “I hope that this will finally come to a conclusion. I also hope that the board takes this very seriously; the fact that this took two months for this meeting is a little concerning to me. The voters take it seriously; the voters rejected four incumbents that were involved in this Grand Jury, everyone that they possibly could they voted out of office.” Barker continued, “The grand jury did not really touch too much on what I would say the human factor in terms of the intimidation, retribution, harassment, bullying in general abuse of employees in this school district. I hope that the School Board looks at that because it was a big big part of what happened under the Williams administration, not him but also some of his staff, and the whole Board had an attitude lets move on, not look back rather a cavalier attitude, I thought so I hope it changes now, and again CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
Left: from left to right-Anthony Stornetta, Jessie Renteria, Jo Ann Switzer, Pete Clark and Claude Loftus gathered together to tell stories of Nock. Right: Nock with Claude Loftus. Contributed photo
Nock was named Cattlemen of the Year in 1979; the list of all his accomplishments is almost endless By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
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n a chilly morning in Cayucos, some long time friends sat around a fire on their friend’s ranch. With polenta being stirred and stew warming in a pot, they laughed and shared memories of a man who will never be forgotten. On paper, Richard “Dick” Leo Nock was a cattle rancher, a beef industry advocate, livestock entrepreneur, and Army Veteran. For those who knew him personally, Nock was a lover of splitting eggs, having a horn, handing out nicknames, and most of all, cattle.
There were also many things Nock wasn’t a fan of. For instance, half-empty soda cans or slamming the door on his Jeep Cherokee-because it wasn’t a ranch vehicle! But when it came down to it, Nock was a good-natured man. Jo-Ann Switzer said, “Since Dick passed, there’s been lots of phone calls from people all over saying how much he did for them, and they would not be where they are today if it wasn’t for him helping-he really had a heart of gold underneath.” Nock was born and raised on the Phelan Ranch in Cambria, California, where his great-grandfather, Jeffrey Phelan, settled in 1858 after immigrating from Ireland.
Growing up, Nock worked on the Fiscalini Ranch. And for a short time, when he was 14, Nock worked at Hearst Castle for the big man himself, William Randolph Hearst. However, his time at Hearst didn’t last, and long story short, it ended with a broken nose! After graduating with a B.S. in Economics from the University of Santa Clara in 1953, Nock served in the U.S. Army as an Army Aviator from 19531957. It was then that Nock served with the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea and next as a flight instructor in the U.S. Army Aviation School in Fort Rucker, Alabama. Nock then returned home and served as
a Logistics Officer for the United States Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO) at Camp San Luis from 1959 to 1966. Under his father-in-law Henry Gilardi’s guidance, Nock started his cow/calf operation in Cayucos in 1957 and created his T-Diamond Cattle brand. In 1966, Nock went headstrong into the livestock industry with the purchase of the Templeton Sales Yard, the epitome of livestock and everything he loved. “We’ve all had something to do with the sales yard at one time in the last 20 years-he’d find something for us to do,” said Nock’s long time ranch manager, Jessie Renteria. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WELLNESS
SCHOOL BOARD
From the Cattle Ranch to Life Coach, Twisselman is an Inspiration By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
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ne bit, don’t quit! Those are the words that have become Kiah Twisselman’s catchphrase after losing over 125 pounds and becoming a full-time life and weight loss coach. Born and raised on her family’s cattle ranch in Carrisa Plains, Twisselman has a deep love for the beef and agriculture industry. After graduating from UC Davis, Twisselman worked on the Kentucky Beef Council and in charge of their nutrition program. “I felt very conflicted in that role. Not because I didn’t believe in what we were sharing in terms of beef and protein’s role in a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle,” said Twisselman. She continued, “I grew up on a cattle ranch, I believe in the beef industry with all my heart and soul, but I felt like such a hypocrite standing up in front of the room telling-the general public ‘yeah beef is so great for your health’ without being a vision of health myself.” Before boarding a plane to a conference for the beef council, Twisselman picked up Rachel Hollis’s book ‘Girl, Wash Your Face.’ Then Twisselman had her ah-ha moment, if you will, after having to ask for a seatbelt extender on the plane for the first time. After that moment, Twisselman decided she needed to make some changes, but this time things were going to be different, “I
GOVERNMENT
Kiah Twisselman with her fiancé Brent. Twisselman lost over 125 pounds which started her on the path to becoming a full-time life and weight loss coach. Contributed photo
feel like I knew this time that something felt different, and I think that really started within me.” Twisselman began to follow Rachel Hollis’s ‘Five to Thrive’ in October 2018. Hollis’s ‘Five to Thrive’ is a list of five things she does every day that has drastically changed her life, energy levels, and how she shows up for her family. It wasn’t her first time trying to make a change in her health, but this time she knew it was different. “I think that I knew this time when I made the commitment it was a real commitment to myself. It wasn’t a commitment to a diet; it wasn’t a commitment to keto; it wasn’t a commitment to weight watchers. It was a commitment to myself, and that felt different,” says Twisselman.
COVID-19 UPDATE
PRJUSD Addresses Certified Translator, Georgia Brown and Updates to COVID-19
Early in her health journey, Twisselman began documenting her experience. For the first few months, she kept those videos and photos to herself. But after Kiah started to see changes happening and knew she would follow through, she began to share her story with the world. Twisselman shared, “The way I was approaching it felt different this time it was more from a place of ‘I’m going to learn to love myself and show up and care for myself the way I deserve instead of starting a diet from I hate myself, so I’m going to fix the problem.” Soon, women from all over the country began contacting Twisselman asking if she was coaching others on weight loss. In August 2019, Twisselman began coach-
PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) met for the scheduled Tuesday, Jan. 12 meeting. Before the first public caller, Chris Bausch stated that Monica Silva would translate Spanish to English for the caller. He was then informed the caller would instead be speaking English. The caller, Yessenia Echevarria, began speaking in Spanish and was asked to pause while Silva could catch up translating.
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FEATURE
By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
pasoroblespress.com
WEATHER
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