A Cal Poly alum is going to the moon

Author

Carly Heltzel
October 30, 2025

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m reading about why dictionary.com made “67” the word of the year. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A Cal Poly alum is going to the moon. Victor Glover will pilot Artemis II’s 10-day trip around the moon in April 2026, the first mission to the moon since 1972 and a precursor to Artemis III, a mission to land on the moon. He graduated with a degree in general engineering in 1999 and became an astronaut who spent time on the International Space Station.

2.

Cal Poly wants to enroll 25,000 students enrolled within the next five years. The 2,000-student increase will largely be supported by the modular residence halls currently under construction behind the red brick dorms that will add at least 3,500 beds. The university has also converted enough doubles to triples to add 1,000 beds in the past few years. City council is excited about relieving the housing market but skeptical the changes will last.

3.

The Louvre Museum in Paris has something in common with Santa Barbara’s Baroness Jewelers. Both were recently subject to multimillion dollar jewelry heists. But the Santa Barbara heist took place in the early hours of an August morning unlike the mid-day smash-and-grab at the Louvre, and the local incident appears to be connected to a string of jewelry heists across the state. 

4.

UC Davis researchers discovered a new eight-legged species that lives in coastal sand dunes from Monterey to Baja California. Scientists thought the brown, quarter-sized spider were the same as an identical looking arachnid, but after genetic testing they saw that the “cryptic” species was distinct from the previously known trapdoor spider. Researchers say this gives insight into differentiating other similar-looking species. 

5.

Don’t know what to do with that rotting pumpkin you carved? SLO will host a Pumpkin Smash event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Friday to encourage people to get their anger out in a sustainable way. The unpainted pumpkins’ remnants will then be transported to an anaerobic digester that will turn the squashes into compost while releasing energy that powers homes in the city. Last year, the event garnered 1.7 tons of pumpkin waste, and officials are hoping to double it this year.