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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXII, NO. III
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026
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Consultant urges early intervention in special education during AUSD meeting Assistant superintendent announces establishment of a Budget Advisory Task Force By MIKE CHALDU michael@atascaderonews.com
(From left) Detective Jeff Robasciotti, Head Geanologist at Parabon Nanolabs CeCe Moore, Toby’s sister Priscilla Tate, and Detective Clint Cole pose with a photo of Dorothy “Toby” Tate after the killers had been identified in the 1983 shooting death of Toby Tate. Photo courtesy of the SLO County Sheriff’s Department
After four decades, Dorothy ‘Toby’ Tate murder solved San Luis Obispo County detectives, working with renowned genetic genealogist CeCe Moore, identified two suspects in the 1983 Highway 1 killing By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — A family received some resolution in a question they have had for over four decades — who murdered Dorothy “Toby” Tate? The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff ’s Office announced on Tuesday, Jan. 20, that they have finally solved the Nov. 15, 1983, murder of Toby. Back in 1983, deputies responded to a report of a suspicious van parked at a turn-
out along Highway 1, approximately 3 miles north of Hearst Castle. Inside the van, detectives discovered the body of Toby, who had been fatally shot. The case initially yielded no known suspects and quickly became an unsolved, cold, “whodunit” case. The Detectives The detectives assigned to work on the case included San Luis Obispo County Sheriff ’s Detectives Clint Cole and Jeff Robasciotti. About two years following Cole’s retire-
ment in 2023, he returned to the department to help with some of the county’s still unsolved and cold cases. One of which included Toby’s murder, a case he and Robasciotti decided to work on in 2018. Cole is known for his work on solving the Nancy Woodrum and Kristin Smart cases. Robasciotti has been with the department for nearly 40 years. After retiring in 2018, he shortly returned to work as a reserve detective, assigned to the county’s sexual assault felony enforce-
ment unit, where he supervises the 290 registered sex offenders within the county. Basically, you can’t keep these two from working to solve crime mysteries. They have a long history of working together in the department. While Cole was pulled into working on the Smart case, Rabosciotti had his nose to the ground searching for who killed Toby. “It’s nice to have somebody to bounce things off of each other,” Cole told Atascadero News.
Back in 1983, detectives leaned into theft as the motive for Toby’s murder. Toby, who was travelling through the Central Coast with her two dogs, was shot while seated in the driver’s seat through the window. The suspects then pulled her into the back of the van. An autopsy showed no signs of sexual assault, so with some items missing, robbery was left as the motive. Toby’s brand new Nikon camera was missing, along with her purse and other belongings. CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
ATASCADERO — After hearing concerns about the Atascadero Unified School District’s special education programs over the first few months of his tenure, Superintendent Dr. Tom Bennett brought in a colleague to assess the programs. At the district’s Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the first after AUSD’s winter break, the trustees received the first feedback from that assessment. Student Intervention Services (SIS) Consultant Mary Ellen Nest, with whom Bennett worked during his time in San Diego County, gave her report during the Study Session segment of the meeting. “The intent of this item is to help us improve,” Bennett said in introducing Nest. “We should not be afraid of the things that CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Paso Robles Press Content Editor Camille DeVaul is shown commenting on the 2018 murder of Paso Robles hairdresser Nancy Woodrum on the CBS true crime series “Harlan Coben’s Final Twist.” The episode on Woodrum’s murder, which aired on CBS on Wednesday night, Jan. 21, is available on the Paramount+ streaming platform. Photo courtesy of CBS
Paso Robles Press editor interviewed for CBS true crime series on local murder case Camille DeVaul reflects on the 2018 killing of Nancy Woodrum in ‘Harlan Coben’s Final Twist,’ bringing a Paso Robles story to a national audience By HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher, Editor in Chief
PASO ROBLES — When a national television producer called last summer, Camille DeVaul did not immediately think of spotlights or studio lights. She thought of Nancy Woodrum. Last July, DeVaul, content editor for the Paso Robles Press, was interviewed by CBS Documentaries for a new true crime series created by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben. The
Atascadero City Councilmembers (from left) Susan Funk, Mayor Charles Bourbeau, Heather Newsom, Seth Peek, and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Dariz conduct the ribbon-cutting at A-town Park, while owner Kevin Campion (far right) looks on. Photo courseries, “Harlan Coben’s Final revisited the case years later, to a tesy of the City of Atascadero
Twist,” premiered Jan. 7 on the CBS Television Network and is streaming on Paramount+. The third episode, “No Sign of Nancy,” which aired Wednesday, Jan. 21, centers on the 2018 murder of Woodrum, a Paso Robles hairdresser, mother, grandmother and friend who was killed in her home on Cinco de Mayo (May 5). For DeVaul, the opportunity marked a full-circle moment — from community member who followed the crime in local headlines, to journalist who
NEWS
contributor helping tell Woodrum’s story on a national stage. “I was first introduced to Nancy’s case just as a resident in the community,” DeVaul said. “I remember seeing it on the news and online, but it didn’t really grab my attention until I started working in local journalism.” That changed in 2023, when the fifth anniversary of Woodrum’s murder approached. Around the same time, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff ’s CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
CRIME
Atascadero unveils upgraded outdoor skate area at A-town Park
City celebrates new surface, reconfigured layout, and refreshed exterior designed to better serve skateboarders, scooter riders, and families By HAYLEY MATTSON and CAMILLE DEVAUL
ATASCADERO — The City of Atascadero and A-town Park celebrated recent improvements to the park’s outdoor skate area with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew a large crowd of community members, city leaders, and riders of all ages. Traditionally known as an indoor skate park, A-town Park has long partnered with the city to
SPORTS
enhance its outdoor facilities. The latest upgrades focus on improving safety, accessibility, and versatility for both skateboarders and scooter riders, reflecting the park’s growing and diverse user base. Terrie Banish, director of community services and promotions for the City of Atascadero, said the project was the result of ongoing collaboration between the city and the park’s operators. “For some time, both the City of Atascadero CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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