GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXIV, NO. XLII
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2024
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
Chamber and Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance announce they are moving in together
Roblan of the Year and other chamber award winners honored at annual Chamber Gala
School district pilots artificial intelligence app for classroom use
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PA S O ROBLES — Dressed in their best, community members, business owners, and family gathered at Rava Wines to celebrate the 2023 Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce awardees. The event that happened on Saturday, March 23, honored Dick Woodland as the 2023 Roblan of the Year alongside Jason and Rebekah Carvalho as Citizens of the Year, Paso Robles Golf Club and Deeds Bar & Grill with the Beautification Award, and Paso Robles Waste and Recycle as the Business of the Year. Before commencing to honoring awardees, Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Gina Fitzpatrick announced that the Chamber has gone into an agreement with the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA) and the two organizations will be relocating into one space.
Trustees approve transportation plan and further express need for more bus drivers By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
Roblan of the Year Dick Woodland and Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Gina Fitzpatrick are shown stage at the Chamber Gala on Saturday, March 23. Photo by Camille DeVaul
Paso Robles Jointed Unified School District Trustee and PRWCA Executive Director Joel Peterson, who acted as the master of ceremonies for the night, helped Fitzpatrick introduce the news. “ We’re very excited to announce tonight that the
Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is going to be moving into a new building with the Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce,” said Peterson. “It’s in the heart of downtown Paso Robles on the corner of 13th and Spring Street, formerly known as
Kelly Williams Realty.” With the Chamber over 100 years old and the PRWCA around for over 30 years, the two decided to join forces joined by a new visitors center where both tourists and locals can come together to celebrate Paso Robles.
With renderings of the space on display, Peterson explained, “We’ll have our offices for the Wine Alliance on the western side of the building. The Chamber of Commerce will be on the east side of the building, and right CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Atascadero Cyclists beat the rain for 16th annual Tour of Paso Mayor Heather rally to raise Moreno secures Riders over $52,000 for Cancer District 5 Support Community Supervisor seat California Central Coast Moreno defeated Atascadero City Councilmember Susan Funk, will replace current Supervisor Debbie Arnold By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The final results are in for the March 5 Presidential Primary Election and we now know who will be taking the San Luis Obispo County District 5 Supervisor seat now held by Debbie Arnold. With 56.38 percent of the vote, current Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno will serve as your next District 5 Supervisor. Regarding her election win, Moreno told Paso Robles Press, “I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
AGRICULTURE
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES—Cyclists raced in the rain on Sunday, March 24, all in the name of supporting the 16th Annual Tour of Paso Bike Ride, which supports the Cancer Support Community — California Central Coast (CSC-CCC) in Templeton. Following a holiday season that did not raise as much funds as previous years, CSC-CCC Executive Director Candice Sanders told Paso Robles Press that this year’s Tour of Paso fundraiser brought in more than their goal of $52,000 and she estimates they will raise close to the $60,000 mark. Despite rain, thunder, and lighting in the forecast, riders made it back to home base at Niner Wine Estates before any downpour. “I was panicking all week considering we’ve had the
most beautiful weather like last weekend coming up to the past couple days,” said Sanders. “And then when I saw a chance of thunderstorms ... I was like, oh no ... We did last through the ride.” The ride had both a 50-mile and a 26-mile option for participants, with a gourmet luncheon and award ceremony at Niner Wine Estates once the ride concluded at
noon. This is the event’s 16th year and one of the nonprofit’s biggest fundraisers of the year. The money will stay in San Luis Obispo County and support families touched by a cancer diagnosis. The mission of CSC-CCC is to help those affected by cancer and their loved ones. They offer support through numerous programs “so that no one faces cancer alone.”
Despite the chances of rain, over 100 riders came out to support the nonprofit, and over 450 individual donations were made by ride day. “One of the things I think that’s most important for people to know that our services are open to anyone impacted by cancer,” adds Sanders. “Not just for the patient but also their whole
LOCAL NEWS
NORTH COUNTY NEWS
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Top individual fundaisers for this year’s Tour of Paso are (from left) Joy and Paul Rosenbaum, Nick Giancola, and Gloria Martin. Photo by Camille DeVaul
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PASO ROBLES — Some Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) teachers are piloting a new artificial intelligence (AI) app for potential use throughout the district. During the board meeting on Tuesday night, March 26, trustees were presented with information on the MagicSchool.ai program. With the increase of AI technologies seeping into education, teachers in the district are already having to navigate student use, thus requiring the district to implement plans for training, education, and monitoring of the tools for both teachers and students. Staff have come across MagicSchool.ai, an AI platform that has customized AI for educational purposes. Per the staff ’s presentation, they said, “During the pilot program, we will provide education and training regarding the responsible use of AI in education. In addition, we will evaluate the use of AI by both staff and students and make plans for the next school year.” By July 1, the district will make a decision on whether or not they will use the program for the 2024-25 school year. With MagicSchool, teachers have the ability to admit students into the MagicSchool classroom that also gives students limited time to access the tools and complete the task. Teachers will be able to see the list of students using the MagicSchool classroom, see each student’s status, see the history of the student’s interaction with the tools assigned, and pause or lock either individuals or the entire classroom out of the classroom at any time. According to staff, the following are the teacher’s responsibilities when working CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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WATER CONTROL Decade of SGMA Regulations | A3
CMSF PAGEANT Prize Money Increased | A4
ESSAY WINNERS Paso Chapter NSDAR | B1
SPORTS Beach Volleyball | B6
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