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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CVIII, NO. I
CITY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
WEATHER UPDATE
Storm Surge Tears Through Atascadero
City Council Passes Motion to Ratify City Manager’s Emergency Declaration Given on Jan. 9 City passes Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Road Report By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATA S CA D ERO —T h e Atascadero City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m. The meeting was held virtually due to road conditions created by the Jan. 9 and 10 storm. At the beginning of the meeting, City Clerk Lara Christensen requested to add an item to the evening’s agenda. “I did consult with our city attorney in the addition of an item, and government code does allow the City Council to take action on items that are not posted on the agenda,” Christensen said. “But in order CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
Rainstorms rush through the North County on Monday and Tuesday leaving high waters and flooded road ways (left and top right). San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies continue the search for missing 5-yearold boy Kyle Doan (bottom right) who was swept away by raging floodwaters near San Miguel on Monday, Jan. 9. Photos by Atascadero News and contributed.
Atascadero received over 5 inches of rain within a 48-hour period By CHRISTIANNA MARKS and CAMILLE DEVAUL
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — An atmospheric river was promised for California, and it delivered plenty of
rain and destruction throughout San Luis Obispo County on Monday, Jan. 9. Due to the rainstorm, Atascadero was also put under a Severe Weather Shelter-inPlace Advisory on Monday, Jan. 9, that was then lifted to a Weather Advisory on Tuesday, Jan. 10. While many of the road closures were opened back up on
COMMUNITY
the 10th, a handful of those roads were still deemed unsafe to drive on due to flooding, mudslides, and erosion, with the city stating that some of those roads will not be fixed for weeks at the Jan. 10 City Council Meeting. As of Tuesday, Jan. 10, Halcon River Crossing was closed, Santa Ana was closed to through traffic just east of Garcero Road, Los
Altos was closed to through traffic midway between Hwy. 41 & San Marcos Road, and Hwy. 41 was closed between San Gabriel & Los Altos. Over a 24-hour period, Atascadero received 5.24 inches of rain, creating fast-rising creeks and rivers and flooding areas and roads throughout town. Mexican restaurant El Taconazo on
Morro Road was flooded with approximately two to three feet of water but reopened on Wednesday, Jan. 11, for normal hours. The Atascadero Lake and Sunken Gardens also sustained amble flooding, as well as many other spots throughout the city. Design de Cuisine 805, Traffic Records, Raconteur Room, CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
CIVIL SUIT
Judge Dismisses Jodry Civil Death Suit Thomas Jodry died after falling from the Marsh Street parking structure in September 2019 By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
Warren (left) and Sharilynn (right) Frace pose under the race arch featuring their daughters Brittni and Brynn at the 5th annual Running Chicken. Photo by Rick Evans
Run 4 Bitti and Brynn Foundation Hosts 5th Annual Running Chicken Fun Run This year’s theme was The much-loved fun run started been doing this, but the event Be Nice-Say HiYa at 9 a.m. at Lake Santa Margar- has continued to grow, it’s got By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The Running Chicken 10k and 5k Fun Run was back for its 5th annual year on Sunday, Jan 8.
EVENT
ita. Four hundred thirty walkers and runners registered for the race that celebrates the lives of sisters and runners Brynn and Brittni Frace. “We’re excited. Can’t believe it’s been five years that we’ve
COMMUNITY
a lot of community support, and it’s really allowed us to further the mission of Brynn and Brittni’s foundation,” said their father, Warren Frace. Like last year, this year’s CONTINUED ON PAGE A13
NEWS
NORTH COUNTY — The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Thomas Jodry’s parents was dismissed by a San Luis Obispo County judge on Thursday, Jan. 5. Mary Jane and Bill Jodry’s son, Thomas, 21, fatally fell from the Marsh Street parking structure in San Luis Obispo on Sept. 14, 2019. The night of Thomas’s death, he had been drinking with David Knight of Atascadero at the Frog & Peach Pub on Higuera Street. In 2020, the Jodrys filed a wrongful death lawsuit against
SPORTS
Mary Jane (left) and Bill Jodry are shown outside the San Luis Obispo County courthouse in Paso Robles, where a judge ruled against them in a civil suit over the 2019 death of the Jodrys’ son, Thomas. Photo by Camille DeVaul/ATN
Knight, stating they felt he was responsible for their son’s death. Knight responded by filing a motion to a summary judgment in August, citing the Californian Good Samaritan Law — no duty to rescue or assist another person who is in danger or in an emergency situation. At the Paso Robles branch of the San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Judge William Palmer
ruled in Knight’s favor to dismiss the lawsuit. Mary Jane and Bill Jodry appeared at the courthouse in Paso Robles that day ready to present their case. However, 30 minutes prior to the hearing, they were informed by their lawyer, Eric Parkinson, that the judge had already made his ruling. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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FIRST FRIDAYS Pub Crawl Takes Over Downtown | A3
SPECS BY KYLA Raises Funds for Foster Agencies | A4
STATE EMERGENCY Declared for Winter Storms in California | A5
RUNNING CHICKEN Fun Run Photo Gallery Continued | A13
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