Good morning, San Luis Obispo.

On Saturday, firefighters battled a wildfire off Highway 58 near Boulder Creek Road in rural San Luis Obispo County, which scorched 200 acres and threatened the Gypsum Trail Substation (a key link for the California Flats Solar Project) as they requested extra engines and air support amid windy conditions.

Paso Robles' Ava Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, earned the Best New Build award at Hilton's 2025 Americas Development Awards for its innovative design and community focus; the hotel, managed by Azul Hospitality, opened in August 2025 near downtown and now boosts the area's hospitality scene.

Students and staff restored a faded mural at Virginia Peterson Elementary School last week by repainting it in red, white - and blue in preparation for America’s 250th in July.

The project helped renew school pride and provided teamwork experience on campus.

Cal Poly is hosting commencement ceremonies over the weekend, which has drawn visitors booking hotels and dining reservations months ahead, while local roads including California Boulevard are closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to ease traffic.

Paso Robles Joint Unified School District will launch an Early College program in fall through a partnership with Cuesta College that lets students at Paso Robles and Independence high schools earn transferable college credit.

A limited number of seats remain available for the 2026-27 school year.

Four Cal Fire employees in San Luis Obispo County received the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor for heroic rescues.

Battalion Chief Chad Fleming rescued a civilian at the Gifford Fire on Aug. 1 while Captains Marsalek, Pacheco, and Perez saved eight people during a swift-water rescue in Avila Beach on Jan. 9.