Good morning! Check out our top stories of the day:
- Nipomo spot fires along Highway 101: Fire crews responded to seven small brush fires along Highway 101 in Nipomo yesterday afternoon. The fires burned about two acres before crews stopped forward progress and remained on scene to mop up along the highway.
- Prescribed burn planned in Los Osos: CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo plans to conduct a prescribed burn today at the Morro Dunes Ecological Reserve, weather permitting. The burn will help reduce wildfire risk while supporting endangered fire-dependent plant species, and smoke may be visible in the area.
- Mega Millions jackpot climbs: No one matched all six numbers in Friday's Mega Millions drawing, pushing today's jackpot to an estimated $637 million. The cash option is about $278 million before taxes, making it the largest jackpot since last November.
Two Atascadero business owners are celebrating after graduating from the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, joining just 152 entrepreneurs selected nationwide. The women say the business training gave them valuable tools to grow their companies, but they also gained an unexpected friendship despite working just blocks apart. Goldman Sachs says the program has now helped nearly 20,000 small businesses across the country.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District has approved its 2026-27 budget after cutting its structural budget deficit from $20.6 million to $9.7 million. District leaders say they achieved the savings by reducing administrative costs, reviewing contracts and increasing local revenue, while protecting student programs and employee compensation. Officials say the goal was to improve the district's long-term financial stability without impacting classroom services.
A major sewer infrastructure project in Grover Beach is now complete after crews upgraded or replaced aging sewer lines on several city streets. The city is now shifting its focus to repaving roads impacted by construction as part of its long-planned Measure K-14 street improvement program. Residents can expect road work to continue on several streets while the pavement restoration is finished.
