Ron Dunin, former SLO mayor, dies
at 86
Funeral services are Friday, April 30, for Ron Dunin, former mayor and longtime city council member in San Luis Obispo, who died April 21 at his Atascadero home. He was 86.
Dunin was born in Prussia on March 12, 1918, and was decorated by the Polish, British, and French governments for his actions during World War II.
He moved with his wife Helen to the United States in 1963, relocating to San Luis Obispo two years later. The couple purchased the Los Padres Motel, and Dunin became chairman of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and organized the group now known as the Downtown Association. He became a U.S. citizen in 1970.
Dunin served 15 years on the San Luis Obispo City Council, seven of those as mayor. He was a longtime member of King David's Lodge No. 209, Free and Accepted Masons of SLO.
A rosary will be
recited at 9 a.m. April 30 at Old Mission Church of San Luis Obispo. A
Mass will be said at 10 a.m., followed by a burial procession to Los Osos
Valley Memorial Park.
Libraries seeking money and patrons
County residents will vote on a new library tax in November even as the doors swing open to a unique, volunteer-staffed Grover Beach library operated without a penny of tax money.
County supervisors agreed without dissent Tuesday to place a quarter-cent sales tax authorization on the ballot to create an additional $8 million annually for county library services. If given the nod by voters, the new revenue would more than double the system's current $6.5 million budget. The new revenue source would require a two-thirds voter approval and would expire after five years.
Plans for the added revenues, if county voters agree, include newer and more books, upgraded facilities, and longer hours.
A more modest approach has been adopted by a group
of Grover Beach residents who will showcase the community's new public
library
in an open house May 1 in the Exploration Center building, 867 Ramona,
from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
The Grover Beach library operates without any government funding and outside the county library system. It will focus on providing services and programs for children and senior citizens.
The library's goal is to provide "a rich mix of educational and cultural services not yet found anywhere else in the area," said founding volunteers Mary-Lee Clark and Nan Fowler.
New web site seeks Brian Gillis information
A new web site seeks to provide and develop information on the April 3, 2002 GHB death of Cal Poly fraternity member Brian Gillis.
Posted by Gillis' mother, Patricia, the web
site (www.briangillis.net) offered a way for visitors to give confidential
information she hopes will be helpful in the ongoing investigation into
her son's death.
Brian Gillis died after somehow ingesting a massive amount of the drug GHB during a Sigma Chi fraternity party at the group's residence at 1310 Foothill Blvd. He was found in his own bed in an apartment at Stenner Glen the morning after the party.
Patricia Gillis has expressed dissatisfaction with investigations by both the Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo police departments. She promises the web site "will name names" and "tell the whole story of Brian's death." She has publicly identified the person said by fellow fraternity members to be the person who supplied her son with the GHB.
She has appealed to the San Luis Obispo County Grand
Jury to look into the case of
her son's death, contending that detectives "completely dropped the ball"
while investigating the incident.
The web site was prepared by Dennis Mahon, who also created a web site dedicated to the mysterious disappearance of Kristin Smart, another Cal Poly student who attended a frat party on the night she was last seen.
Liberal talk radio hits local airwaves
The much-ballyhooed Air America Radio network - with its star lineup of liberal commentators - is now available in San Luis Obispo County and Santa Maria on KYNS 1340-AM.
Officials at Mapleton Communications, which owns a number of AM and FM stations in San Luis and Santa Barbara counties, including the conservative-leaning KUHL/KTME (1440/1410), said that conservative talk shows have enjoyed a near-monopoly locally and Air America Radio will provide a definite alternative.
Air America hosts include Saturday Night Live alum Al Franken, actress/comedian Janeane Garofalo, hip-hop icon Chuck D, and "The Daily Show" co-creator Lizz Winstead. Guests have included John Kerry, Howard Dean, G. Gordon Liddy, and Hillary Clinton.
Sullivan launches new Five Cities paper
Starting April 29, southern San Luis Obispo County will have a new community weekly newspaper, The Coast News.
Publisher Dean Sullivan said the new paper's format, layout, and conception will be almost identical to the paper he owns and runs with his wife, Shari - Morro Bay and Los Osos' The Bay News.
"The Bay News just has a real strong hold as far as community involvement and being the true little community paper," he said, "I saw [The Coast News] as an opportunity to be able to do a good job with a nice home-based paper."
The Coast News will have a circulation of 25,000. Its coverage area ranges from Avila to Arroyo Grande and its offices are in Pismo Beach.
"I've been up against the [Morro Bay] Sun-Bulletin and the Tribune for 16 years and [my readers are] drawn to me. They really like a locally owned, community-based paper," he said.
Considering his expansion, it's not hard to wonder if Sullivan is building a little media empire.
"Yeah, they call me the little Randolph of Los Osos," he laughed, referring to the Central Coast's other media baron, Randolph Hearst. "I started out in the little gas station down on 2nd Street in Baywood almost 16 years ago with just a thought."
Peace officers to be honored
This year's National Police Week stretches from May 9-15. Some of the following events are scheduled:
On May 10, local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies will recognize Peace Officers' Memorial Day with a 9 a.m., full-dress memorial service on the steps of the San Luis Obispo Mission.
Law Enforcement Night at the San Luis Farmers Market is set for May 13.
Additionally, Deb Linden, San Luis' chief of police, has reminded local offices, businesses, and residences who display the American flag to fly it at half-staff on May 15, the national Peace Officer's Memorial Day.
Lopez ankles Paso chamber job
Matt Lopez, president and chief executive officer of the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce, resigned suddenly April 23.
Lopez was the second top chamber officer to depart the Paso Robles office in the last year. Board members expressed surprise at the move, which Lopez said was for personal reasons.
Lopez was head of the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce prior to his brief tenure in Paso Robles. ³
This week's News briefs were compiled by News Editor Daniel Blackburn and Staff Writer Abraham Hyatt from local and other sources.
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