Good morning, Central Coast. We have a bit of a cool down today and some winds, too! Here is a look at our top stories from Daybreak today:
- Highway 166 reopens amid Gifford Fire fight: Highway 166 is back open this morning, but drivers should expect delays of up to an hour. Thousands of firefighters are still battling the Gifford Fire east of Santa Maria, now 41% contained after burning more than 130,000 acres. Officials will host a virtual community meeting tonight with updates and a Q&A, streaming on Los Padres National Forest’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
- Millions invested to expand Central Coast healthcare: Struggling to find medical care? Help is on the way. CenCal Health is investing more than $5.5 million to expand access across the Central Coast. Sixteen providers in SLO and Santa Barbara counties will use the grants to hire doctors, pediatricians, behavioral health specialists, and more. The funding, part of a new grant program, will bring in 34 healthcare professionals, with a focus on underserved communities.
- U.S. National Debt Hits $37 Trillion: The U.S. national debt has reached a record $37 trillion, years ahead of projections. The jump is tied to the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout and President Donald Trump’s new tax cut and spending package, expected to add $4.1 trillion more over the next decade.
Paso Robles city officials unveiled the final design for the $17 million Niblick Road Corridor Improvement Project, aimed at easing congestion and improving safety along the busy stretch from Creston Road to Spring Street. Funded through the city’s largest-ever active transportation grant, the plan includes a protected multipurpose path for pedestrians and cyclists, enhanced bus shelters, upgraded landscaping and lighting, and repaved roads, particularly benefiting the area near the high school. After community feedback in December led to a redesign, the updated plan was met with more interest and will go before the city council for approval on Sept. 16.
The Morro Bay High School football team will kick off its 2025 season in Maui, facing King Kekaulike High School in what will be a homecoming for Head Coach Robert Dougherty and his quarterback son, Sands, who both previously lived on the island. Since December, the Pirates have raised $50,000 through fundraisers to make the trip possible, which Dougherty says will showcase the team’s family-like bond while introducing players to Hawaii’s strong “ohana” culture. Coming off a narrow CIF championship loss last year, the Pirates hope to start their season, and their Hawaiian adventure, with a win when high school football officially begins on August 22, alongside KSBY’s return of Friday Night Highlights.
As insurance companies continue scaling back coverage in California, securing homeowners’ insurance has become a growing obstacle for real estate transactions on the Central Coast. Longtime broker Dale Kaiser says buyers now need to line up insurance as soon as escrow opens, rather than days before closing, due to rising wildfire risks. Some residents, like Cambria’s Linda Logan, have been forced onto the costly California Fair Plan after losing long-held policies, with premiums in some cases more than doubling. Assemblymember Dawn Addis says the state’s new Sustainable Insurance Strategy aims to bring insurers back, though higher rates are likely. She’s hosting a virtual town hall on August 13 to address rising costs, policy cancellations, and underinsurance.
