SLO spent over $100K on St. Fratty's containment alone

Author

Carly Heltzel
April 18, 2025

Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m reading about why your allergies might be worse than usual this year. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

The St. Fratty’s number are (partially) in: the city spent over $100,000 on block party containment alone during that weekend — $86,000 on overtime pay and $29,000 in other expenses. All Fratty’s hours logged counted as overtime for officers. SLO County sheriff’s office sent 16 officers and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state sent an additional 108 personnel. Also, this year’s Halloweekend citations surpassed St. Fratty’s citations once again after towering over them the past two years. Officials haven’t released numbers for the music festival yet.

2.

It’s ASI election week. That means voting for ASI President and ASI’s Board of Directors, a separate body where representatives from each college influence and introduce policy. Mustang News recorded the yesterday's presidential debate and interviewed the 23 board of directors candidates at Media Day; 40 people are running for 24 spots total, or four per college. You’ll have from 8 a.m. on Tuesday next week until 8 a.m. on Thursday to vote for both elections before the winners are announced in the UU plaza at noon on Thursday.

3.

Nuclear energy looks to be the future of powering AI. Several companies have purchased or reopened segments of nuclear power plants to fuel the billions of energy-sucking queries every day. Companies have to close the energy gap, preferring sustainable and non-fossil-fuel-reliant options. Which poses the question: Will Diablo Canyon, the largest nuclear facility in California, become an AI powerhouse? The short answer is no. Under current state regulations, it’s needed too badly for powering homes. That could change, though.

4.

Some immigrants are choosing to self-deport rather than risk being shackled and carted away by immigration enforcement without a chance to grab any belongings. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown will never have enough resources to deport 11 million immigrants, so one strategy has been to create shockwaves of fear that fuel decisions to leave voluntarily as well. A legal center director in the Inland Empire said that the most common response was “I’d rather leave with something than leave with nothing.”

5.

As the economy tanks, there’s at least one winner: gold. A spike in its value has led to a so-called “gold rush” where people looking for cash sell their old jewelry and family heirlooms to be melted down. Independent jewelers could see major benefits from the trend since the price of precious metals remains uncertain with tariffs. The price of gold is typically seen as stable, but in 2025 alone its risen 27%, reaching $3,357 per ounce yesterday. “If you’ve got a lot of old gold jewelry, it’s basically free money,” one gold advisor said.