SWOT

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on December 16, causing a sonic boom heard across the Central Coast. The mission will help scientists improve flood forecasts, predictions for sea level rise, and the models used to monitor droughts.

$1.1 billion

The amount of funding PG&E expects to receive from the U.S. Department of Energy to keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant in operation. The plant produces about fifteen percent of the state’s carbon-free energy each year, and the award comes from the $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit Program funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

51.4%

Wise words from California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Brandon Swanson if you see a mountain lion, which is becoming more likely in areas around SLO County. Since 2018 there have been more than 350 reports of the big cats to law enforcement agencies, and the number of encounters is on the rise. “Get as big and scary as you can,” Swanson says.

4,263

The number of calls received by 2-1-1 of San Luis Obispo County in one year. The service is available 24/7 to answer the question “I need help. What should I do?” By directing callers to the appropriate service provider, the hotline reduces the number of inappropriate calls to 9-1-1 and other emergency providers.

The final score of the Atascadero Greyhounds’ football match-up in December against the San Gabriel Matadors, winning the high school team its first-ever CIF Division 6-A state championship. Playing in mud and rain, the Central Section and Ocean League champs dominated the game, which was Atascadero’s third shutout of the postseason.

1.25 miles

The last segment of the California Coastal Trail that will complete a more than ten-mile pedestrian and bicycle route connecting Morro Bay and Cayucos, thanks to a $7.4 million grant from the California Transportation Commission in December. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.

The percentage of women in the most recent incoming class of Cal Poly students. That’s a record for the highest-ever percentage of women, but that’s not the only record. The current class also includes the highest-ever percentages of firstgeneration students (16.6 percent), Asian students (14.3 percent), and Hispanic/ Latino students (24.5 percent).

The opinion of Cal Poly director of athletics Don Oberhelman on Wulff’s appointment as head football coach in December. A former Eastern Washington and Washington State head football coach, Wulff served the last three years as offensive line coach and running game coordinator for the Mustangs. He succeeds Beau Baldwin, who resigned at the end of November.