Good morning, San Luis Obispo.

A fundraiser is underway to support Chef Charlie of Cass Winery after an electrical fire destroyed his home in Paso Robles.

He escaped safely with his two dogs—donations reached $8,525 out of a $12,000 goal as of Wednesday morning while he seeks a permanent residence.

A small fire in an upstairs unit at 781 Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo was extinguished with no injuries—Marsh Street remains closed from Broad to Churro as fire crews help first-story businesses.

California Fish and Wildlife officers arrested a 26-year-old driver for unlawful hunting and felony animal cruelty in rural Paso Robles when a Chevy Malibu was stopped with a hen, a tom turkey, and a .22 caliber rifle in the trunk + animal blood found in an earlier Honda Civic stop linked to his prior actions, and his bail is set at $20,000.

The County of San Luis Obispo Airports Department and Lucia Mar School District have partnered to launch an Aviation Career and Technical Education Pathway at Arroyo Grande High School starting in the 2025 to 2026 school year using the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation’s You Can Fly curriculum to teach aviation basics + prepare students for future careers. The program will offer hands-on lessons and access to industry mentors for local students.

Cal Poly’s Ethnic Studies Department now offers ES 470 Star Wars, Race & Rebellion where professor Jenell Navarro guides twelve students in exploring power, colonialism and representation through films like Andor and a key textbook.

The course requires a creative final project and will not be available in fall quarter.

San Luis Obispo County Fire Service Training Officers Association and local partners will hold a full-scale Wildland Urban Interface drill at Camp Roberts on May 27 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Smoke from the live-fire exercise will be seen near Highway 101—drivers are urged to use caution on the road.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed pausing new Medi-Cal enrollment for low-income adult immigrants without legal status starting in 2026 while letting current enrollees stay and exempting children, and from 2027 he will require a $100 monthly premium from those with unsatisfactory immigration status. The plan is expected to save $5.4 billion by 2028—lawmakers will review it as the state faces a strained budget.