Category Archives: Community News

Latch On Breast Feeding Event in SLO

Best 2Story and Photos By Camas Frank

Mothers, and a few fathers, from al over SLO County took part Aug. 1 in the region’s third attempt to help set a world record.
Billed, “The Big Latch On,” the global is part of event World Breastfeeding Week and efforts by “lactivists” to raise the profile of breastfeeding as a community issue.
At 10:30 a.m. local time, about 100 women and babies were counted with the tally of “latched on” babies added to the thousands of others around Mother Earth doing the same, in the effort to break last year’s numbers. Continue reading Latch On Breast Feeding Event in SLO

Living Treasure Botso Korisheli Dies

BN Botso KorisheliBy Neil Farrell

Another of Morro Bay’s Living Treasures has died, leaving behind a musical and artistic legacy to the town he called home for some 58 years.
Wachtang “Botso” Korisheli died Monday, July 27 at his home of an apparent heart attack. He was 93.
A locally celebrated music teacher, classical pianist, sculptor, and friend to several generations of students, Botso was a beloved member of the community and was named a Chamber of Commerce Living Treasure in 2005.
He was also honored in 2014, as grand marshal of the town’s 50th Anniversary Founder’s Parade. Among his many accomplishments was the founding of the SLO County Youth Symphony, which was the starting place for numerous young people who went on to great careers with orchestras and symphonies around the world. Continue reading Living Treasure Botso Korisheli Dies

Samantha Susan Rocci

BN OBIT Sam RocciSamantha (Sam) Susan Rocci, born Nov. 29, 1968 in Fullerton, California to Garry William Erik Johnson and former Morro Bay City Councilwoman, Nancy Elizabeth (Pool) Johnson, passed away on July 18, 2015, after an almost year-long fight with leukemia.
Sam grew up in Diamond Bar, Calif., as a young child and then Campbell, and did a lot of traveling with her parents and twin brother and sister. In college, she spent time abroad as an exchange student in England.
She interned for Norman Minetta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, while he was a Congressman in the House of Representatives representing the Silicon Valley area. Continue reading Samantha Susan Rocci

Bill Would Help Veterans

Harvest-of-Tempe-Medical-Marijuana-Dispensary2Twenty-fourth District Congresswoman, Lois Capps, has sponsored legislation to help military veterans get the benefits and decorations owed to them, in a bipartisan effort to correct a problem that dates back more than 40 years.
Joined by California First District Republican Rep., Doug LaMalfa, Capps introduced the “Veterans’ Record Reconstruction Act,” a bill that would make it easier for veterans to prove their eligibility for certain benefits and decorations. Continue reading Bill Would Help Veterans

Agriculture Awards Named

Photos by Tom Meinhold

San Luis Obispo County’s farmers and cattle ranchers selected three farming and ranching leaders to honor for “a lifelong dedication to their heritage, livelihood, community and colleagues,” according to a news release. The honorees were recognized July 23 at the 29th Annual Cattlemen and Farmers’ Day Dinner ceremonies at the California Mid-State Fair.
The recipients for the 2015 Awards were Jim Brabeck, 2015 Agriculturalist of the Year; Lorraine Cagliero, 2015 Cattle Woman of the Year; and Chuck Pritchard, 2015 Cattleman of the Year.
Brabeck was recognized as a “community leader, exceptional business person, and friend to generations of farmers, ranchers and agriculturalists.” The award is given to “a person who has worked for the betterment of agriculture as a whole; dedicated themselves to outstanding service and devotion to the fields of agriculture; is highly regarded by their peers, and exemplifies the qualities held in high esteem by fellow members of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau.” Continue reading Agriculture Awards Named

Community Foundation Awards $200K in Scholarships

Mila Dorji
Mila Dorji of San Luis Obispo High School, recipient of the Kelly A. McAdams Scholarship, will attend Yale this fall. Submitted photo.

The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County recently handed out 54 scholarships totaling more than $200,000 to students from across San Luis Obispo County.
Recipients included Francis Molina from Morro Bay High School, who received the “Yeager Science Scholarship” (for $23,000) and plans to attend Cal Poly and study electrical engineering. San Luis Obispo High graduate, Holly Mac Farlane, was awarded the “Sera Day Coryell Nursing Education Scholarship” ($8,000) and will attend Seattle Pacific University. And Carly Cargill of Paso Robles High received the “Kiwanis SLO de Tolosa Scholarship” ($2,500) and plans to attend UCLA. Continue reading Community Foundation Awards $200K in Scholarships

Special Olympic World Game Athletes are Coming

230x300SOI_Color_Centered-2Cities throughout San Luis Obispo County will participating the Special Olympics World Games Host Town program from July 21 – 24. Before the Special Olympics World Games begin on July 25, 2015, more than 7,000 athletes from 177 countries will be welcomed to Southern California through the Host Town program. One hundred communities from San Luis Obispo County to San Diego will have the honor of being selected as an official Host Town.
Area cities participating in the event include Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Pismo Beach. Continue reading Special Olympic World Game Athletes are Coming

Wolff Award Winners

COMM Wolf Awrds WnnrsThe San Luis Obispo Community Foundation recently hosted a benefit dinner and awards ceremony honoring 14th Annual “Paul Wolff Accessibility Advocacy Award” recipients. The awards honor an individual, an organization, and a business throughout SLO County that is making a “significant contribution toward breaking down physical, attitudinal, and informational barriers for those with disabilities. These awards honor their exemplary contributions of time, energy, and talent.” Continue reading Wolff Award Winners

CPA Firm Gives Scholarships

COMM CPA SchlrshpWnnrCertified public accounting firm, Glenn Burdette, recently awarded $15,000 in scholarships to four high school grads who plan to study business and accounting in college, and to celebrate the firm’s 50th Anniversary.
Applicants were asked to identify “50 Reasons Why Accountants Are Awesome,” have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and submit a cover letter and two letters of recommendation.
As for the winners, Alexander Saad of Templeton High was awarded $5,000 toward his tuition at Santa Clara University. He plans to major in business administration and accounting.
Jack Krull of Morro Bay High (shown here) got $5,000 towards tuition at U.C. Santa Barbara. He will major in economics and accounting.
Samantha Senet, also of Morro Bay High was awarded $2,500 towards her tuition at Cal Poly, where she will major in agricultural business.
Deep Mistry of San Luis Obispo High got $2,500 towards tuition at U.C. Berkeley, where he will study business.
“We chose to mark our anniversary by investing in local youth,” said Dan O’Hare (also pictured), who is Glenn Burdette’s president and managing director. “We liked the idea of celebrating our past with an eye to the future.”
Formed in 1965, Glenn Burdette has offices in Santa Maria, SLO and Paso Robles. The firm has 34 CPAs and 61 total employees.

Lions to Host UAE Special Olympians

230x300SOI_Color_Centered-2Morro Bay Lions Club will host nearly 100 Special Olympics participants and coaches from the United Arab Emirates destined for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles from July 25Aug. 2. The Special Olympians will be at Del Mar Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 23 playing various games, like pickleball, disc golf, volleyball, basketball, soccer, horseshoes, bocce ball and tennis. Lunch is at noon, with ice cream sundaes (courtesy of the MB Seniors, Inc.). There’s a meet-and-greet at 12:30 and school kids from Del Mar Elementary along with the community are invited to attend (lots of selfies will no doubt be taken). Bring your autograph books.

The agenda includes a bay cruise aboard the Chablis, trolley rides and more, as the city puts out the welcome mat for the UAE Special Olympians. There are four other host cities in SLO County — Atascadero, SLO, Pismo, and Arroyo Grande.

With 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches, from 177 countries, 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 spectators, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games will be the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015, and the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

The World Games feature 25 Olympic-style sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region. The Opening Ceremony on July 25 is in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. It is expected to attract 80,000 spectators. ESPN plans to cover the games and broadcast them to the world.

Honorary Chairs of the Games are President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Gov. Jerry Brown serving as Honorary Hosts.