GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CX, NO. IV
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025
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Del Rio Ranch project moves forward City Council approves the proposal unanimously By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. Councilmember Heather Newsom was absent. The main topic of the evening was the Del Rio Road Commercial Area Specific Plan, also known as the Del Rio Ranch Project. “This is not the first time we’ve looked at this property. We’ve looked at this property a few times for different proposals, but now we’ve got one that fits,” said Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore to the council. Planning Manager Kelly Gleason then addressed the council with the details of the project, which is aimed towards tourism in the city, including lodging units and an RV park in the southeast project site of the Del Rio Road Commercial Area Specific Plan. The area currently covers 11 separate parcels and is about 26 acres in size. “The Del Rio Road Specific Plan has been around for quite some time. It was originally adopted in 2012 with the Walmart project on this particular site. We came back for some amendments in 2020 when CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Members of the North County CERT team came out Jan. 25 for the Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club’s Winter Field Day at the Estrella Warbirds Museum. The PRARC works closely with the local CERT team, as CERT teams all require a licensed “ham.” Photo by Camille DeVaul/ATN
Local radio operators and CERT team highlight emergency preparedness Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club and North County CERT join forces at Winter Field Day By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNTY — The Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club (PRARC) demonstrated emergency communications for the public during the Winter Field Day communications exercise on Saturday, Jan. 25, next to the Estrella Warbirds Museum. Joined by the North County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), members gathered to brush up on skills and teach others about emergency prepardness.
Winter Field Day is an annual event to develop skills and test communications equipment that may be needed in case of disasters. During Field Days, held several times throughout the year, Amateur Radio operators practice using their own equipment in situations that simulate emergency conditions. During the nationwide operation, the same rapid message handling was used in real emergencies. Participants also joined the contest to see who can contact the most other stations across North America. With the recent wildfires in Los Ange-
les County, being prepared for a natural disaster is on top of everyone’s mind. Events like Winter Field Day help the community and emergency personnel coordinate and prepare for such emergencies. Cellphones and the internet are often unavailable when large-scale disasters occur. Amateur radio is crucial to provide communications support under these conditions. Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club (PRARC) Vice President Scott Currie told Atascadero News, “For example, let’s say we have the big earthquake here in
Paso Robles, and our cellphones and regular communication stuff ’s all down, and we need to get messages to Sacramento where the state emergency operation center is; we would set up our antennas and operate a frequency that we know pretty well. We would probably have a good connection to the Sacramento area.” Amateur radio, or “ham radio,” is a non-commercial service focused on public service, technical training, experimentation, and private communication. Operators, known as “hams,” support public CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Atascadero welcomes its very own Silent Book Club with a taste of wine The book club takes place the second Thursday of the month By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — On the evening of Thursday, Jan. 16, Marin’s Vineyard’s tasting room on Entrada was packed full of enthusiastic readers, their current books, and camaraderie. The night kicked off at 4:30 p.m. for Atascadero’s very own Silent Book Club. “I’ve never been part of a book club. I’ve always been intrigued, and whenever I see people post photos with, ‘Oh yeah, it’s book club,’ with a bunch of friends, I was like, ‘Oh, I want that,’” said Marin’s Vineyard owner Marin Wolgamott, who co-started the book club.
Silent Book Club is a global organization that brings together readers of all types in one spot to silently, or not so silently, dive into their current reads while making new friends. With no assigned reading, it’s more of a quiet social time, and Wolgamott (after some research) and her tasting room attendant, Natasha Garcia, decided that the tasting room would be a great place to start a new chapter in the North County. “I started to look on the website for Silent Book Club, see what it’s about, how to get your club recognized. It was pretty easy, and so we just decided to do it,” Wolgamott added. Wolgamott and Garcia originally bonded over their love of books when Garcia came into the new tasting room on Entrada looking for a second Marin’s Vineyard owner Marin Wolgamott poses in front of the crowd that filled her tasting room for the first Atascadero CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Silent Book Club. Contributed Photo
Rescuing Hope: Central Coast Herding Dog Rescue saving lives How a local rescue is giving forgotten dogs a second chance By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
Wendy Hoffman, founder of Central Coast Herding Dog Rescue, is shown with her two volunteers, Danielle (left) and Cindy, and some of their four-legged friends. The three, through CCHDR, have helped thousands of dogs find their forever homes. Photo by Camille DeVaul/ATN
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NORTH COUNTY — In 2007, what started as a single dog adoption turned into a life-changing mission for Wendy Hoffman, the founder of Central Coast Herding Dog Rescue (CCHDR). Since its inception, CCHDR has helped thousands of dogs find their forever homes. Based in
NORTH COUNTY NEWS
Paso Robles, the volunteer-run nonprofit rescues herding dogs from overcrowded shelters across California, giving them a second chance at life. With an epidemic of dogs being abandoned on the streets and surrendered to animal shelters, CCHDR is working fiercely to give a last chance to those who were forgotten. Each year, CCHDR finds homes for approximately 300 dogs, specializing in breeds such as border collies, Australian shepherds, and Australian cattle dogs. Many of these dogs come from
shelters that struggle with overpopulation, ensuring that Hoffman’s work is not just about rescuing but also about educating the public on responsible pet ownership and the unique needs of herding breeds. “I get these dogs that are so damaged and they become well adjusted. They become balanced because of my other dogs,” Hoffman said. “And that’s a good feeling to see a dog play with another dog for the first time or be a little balanced and play appropriately or be CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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