GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXIII, NO. XXXVI
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Community Members Honored at Annual Chamber Gala
Bryan Carroll and his wife, Sophia Stephens, owners of A-1 Glass, accept the award for 2022 Beautification of the Year. Photos by Heather Swanson
2022 Roblan of the Year Brett Butterfield (center) is joined on stage by friend Mark Perry and Paso Robles and Templeton Chambers President/CEO Gina Fitzpatrick at the Chambers Annual Gala and Awards Ceremony.
Members of the North County Restaurant Group (From left, Regional Manager Brandi Bryant, Corporate Manager Michael David Romero, Owner Eric Peterson, and Executive Chef Jose Estrada) accept the award for 2022 Business of the Year.
2023 Board of Directors was welcomed and goodbyes were said to the 2022 outgoing board members By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce held the Annual Gala and Awards
Ceremony at Rava Wines. At the gala, the 2023 Board of Directors was welcomed and goodbyes and thank yous were said to the 2022 outgoing board members. Brett Butterfield was honored Saturday night as the
2022 Roblan of the Year, and A-1 Glass was honored with the 2022 Beautification of the Year. The Chamber’s merge with Templeton has brought in some new traditions — Courtney Morrow was honored with the 2022 Citizen of the Year
and the North County Restaurant Group (NCRG) was given the 2022 Business of the Year award. “Paint the Night” was the theme of this year’s gala. This year is the second gala with the Paso Robles and
SMART CASE
Templeton chambers as one. The two chambers announced their merger on New Year’s Day in 2022, uniting more than 1,000 businesses. Chambers President and CEO Gina Fitzpatrick welcomed guests to the gala and
was followed by Paso Robles Jointed Unified School District Trustee and Executive Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Joel Peterson, who acted as the master of ceremonies for the night. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SPORTS
CCAA and Los Padres Baseball Kristin Smart Case Lead Detective Announces Retirement Umpire Association Cut Ties
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — After a 32-year career with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff ’s Office, Detective Clint Cole has announced his retirement. The S heriff ’s Office announced on Tuesday, Feb. 7, that Cole’s last day with the department will be March 10 — the same day Paul Flores is scheduled to be sentenced for the murder of Kristin Smart. Cole became the lead investigator in the Smart case in 2019 and is credited with leading that investigation to a successful conclusion with the arrest of Flores on April 13, 2021, and his conviction on Oct. 18, 2022.
Paul F lores had been charged with the 1996 murder and disappearance of 19-yearold Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. His father Ruben Flores was found not guilty — by a seperate jury — of accessory after the fact. Ruben was accused of helping his son hide Kristin’s remains. Smart was a Cal Poly freshman when she was reported missing in May 1996. A 25-year investigation ensued, resulting in the 2021 arrest and prosecution of Paul and Ruben. At trial the jury heard testimony that Kristin was last seen walking towards her dormitory with Paul after leaving an off-campus party. “I am extremely proud of the work Clint has done for this agency, especially with regard to the Kristin Smart investigation,” said SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson. “He has accomplished much in his 32-year career, and his retirement is well-deserved.”
CITY
COMMUNITY
Clint Cole’s official retirement date is March 10 — the same date as Paul Flores’ sentencing By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
Local schools to play baseball games on Saturdays By CONNOR ALLEN Special to Paso Robles Press
CLINT COLE Cole was hired at the Sheriff ’s Office as a correctional officer in 1990. He started as a patrol deputy in 1996. From 2002 to 2014, Cole worked in the Sheriff ’s Special Operations Unit, as a school resource deputy and as a sexual assault investigator. In 2014, he was promoted to senior deputy. In 2017, he was selected to be the first investigator assigned to the newly created position of cold case/unsolved homicide CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
NEWS
C EN T RA L COA S T — The Central Coast Athletics Association and the Los Padres Baseball Umpire Associate have cut communication with each other after finding
no resolution in talks regarding the amount of pay per game for the upcoming 2023 season. The two organizations began their disagreement when entering talks for a new contract in the fall of 2022. When the CCAA schools agreed to move to the Central Section in 2017, departing the Southern Section, many things changed, like who teams play in the postseason, but also includ-
ing the rates paid per game to officials. Each section within the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sets its own rates for each of the units, or sports, offered in a given sporting year. Every few years, each CIF section gets together and sets new rates and adopts new rules that the schools, in turn, follow and offer to their local officiating organizations. 2023 CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
EDUCATION
Trustees Approve Twig Science Curriculum for TK-Fifth Grade was presented at the Tuesday, Feb. 14, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board meeting. Construction of the longBy CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com awaited Aquatic Center is now expected to begin this PASO ROBLES — An fall. Blueprint plans show the update on the Aquatic Center center will have a bathhouse/
Aquatic Center expected to begin construction this fall
SPORTS
locker room, outdoor concrete deck, and 12-lane pool that will accommodate water polo with diving boards and spectator seating. The next step in moving forward with the center is registering the project with CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SECTION
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DOWNTOWN PARKING ZIN CITY Program Up for Debate for Social Scheduled for Community | A2 March 11 | A3
ATASCADERO TEEN GARY KUHN Found and Returned Safe Former Greyhound Crossto Family | A5 Country Coach | A13
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