$128K in owed firework fines, Cal Poly’s antisemitism grade: Today’s top stories

The Tribune covered a wide range of news across San Luis Obispo County on Wednesday, from a contested antisemitism grade at Cal Poly to a long-delayed Shell Beach housing project breaking ground. Here’s a quick digest of the top stories from the day.

Here are key takeaways:

• Cal Poly antisemitism grade: The Anti-Defamation League raised Cal Poly’s antisemitism report card grade from an F to a C over the past year, but several Jewish students and campus community members say the assessment doesn’t fairly reflect their experiences. Student leaders like Benjamin Broudy and Avi Shapiro point to thriving Jewish life on campus and worry the low grades discourage prospective Jewish students from enrolling.
• Shell Beach development breaks ground: After 46 years of waiting, Tom McNeal and his late brother Fred’s dream of building homes on their Shell Beach property officially broke ground Tuesday. The Solemar project will feature 20 homes — eight custom homesites and 12 townhomes — along Beachcomber Drive, with two homes reserved for the McNeal family.
• Tracking Paul Flores: See maps tracking Kristin Smart’s killer Paul Flores from his 2021 arrest to his current prison location. As of May 12, Flores was incarcerated at California State Prison, Corcoran, after being transferred from Pleasant Valley Prison where he was stabbed twice by other inmates while serving a 25-years-to-life sentence.
• Grover Beach fireworks fines: Grover Beach City Council unanimously voted Monday to amend its social hosts ordinance after unpaid fireworks fines ballooned to $128,000. Only three of 12 residents cited fully paid their fines on time, prompting the city to adopt a tiered fine structure and eliminate daily accumulating penalties.
• Paso Robles groundwater fees: The Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority released a draft rate study proposing $22.90 per acre-foot of groundwater for farmers, wineries and commercial water users. The fee, created through Proposition 26, cannot be struck down by a property owner protest and would fund the agency’s $1.09 million operating budget.
• Search near Pirate’s Cove: The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 72-year-old Arroyo Grande resident Gary Kiehl, who was reported missing near Pirate’s Cove beach. Kiehl’s vehicle was found unoccupied at the Cave Landing parking lot in Avila Beach on Wednesday, prompting a joint search involving the Coast Guard, Harbor Patrol and Cal Fire.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM with the headline "$128K in owed firework fines, Cal Poly’s antisemitism grade: Today’s top stories."