Cal Poly's soil judging team places 5th in U.S.

Author

Carly Heltzel
May 28, 2025

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m reading about In-N-Out’s plans to go all in for its largest location ever, right on the strip in Vegas. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Cal Poly’s soil judging team secured fifth place at the national championships this year, the team’s fourth top 10 finish in four years; two individuals placed sixth and 12th. Competitors are shown soil pits that they assess based on 10 qualities — such as color, form, structure, the amount of water it holds and where it would be found — hoping to get their score card the closest possible to the real thing. “People tend to think soil is soil,” one competitor said. “But in reality, it is very diverse.”

2.

The Drip Bros started a new fashion trend with their up-and-coming company that’s taking over… at Teach Elementary School in SLO. Two fourth graders, both named Jackson, were inspired by their favorite baseball athletes to create a necklace business after a class mini-mall project sold out in 15 minutes. The pair now run a website with pre-made designs manufactured overseas and customizable charms that represent a player’s number or favorite team. “We hope it goes big,” one of the Jacksons said.

3.

If you’re planning to head toward the Central Valley after finals, there might be some detours. A 20-mile section of Highway 41 will be closed from June 9-13 for crews to work on critical construction for the new interchange where Highway 41 and 46 meet: also known as “Blood Alley.” It got this gory name from the 54 deaths and 690 injuries that occurred at that spot, most notably the death of actor James Dean. 

4.

The State Department will not schedule any more visa appointments for foreign students while officials figure out how to incorporate social media screening into the application process. The suspension of scheduling is temporary and won’t affect any appointments already on the books. Social media is seen as an increasingly accessible method to vet people, especially students, as the department seeks to “use every tool we can.” There is no known end date to the scheduling hold.

5.

Most seltzers aren’t made with vodka, using malt to make alcohol that’s more similar to beer than anything. That’s why it was such a gamble when the winery that created High Noon created their recipe and subsequent tagline: “real vodka + real juice.” Vodka came with some limitations by being treated like hard liquor (unable to be sold at gas stations in Texas) and coming at a higher cost. But the creators wanted to jump on the seltzer trend in 2018 and thought they would give people what they thought they were drinking anyways.