While an estimated 800 wildfires blaze throughout California, Davis is seeing the effects in the thick layer of smoke that has descended on the town and campus this week. A fire burning on the border of Napa and Solano counties in particular is contributing the majority of the smoke that has settled in and around Davis.

At the University of California’s Board of Regents July 16 to 17 meeting, UC Santa Barbara graduate student Jesse M. Bernal will be selected as the 35th UC student regent since the position was inaugurated in 1975. The student regent is a voting member of the UC Board of Regents who attends all board and committee meetings.

Laura Dickson, a UC Davis 2008 alumnaand a Fulbright Grant recipient, is going to Kenya in August to study the possible correlation of infection of the AIDS virus with the spread of malaria. Dickson, who graduated this month from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and a minor in global and international studies, will spend 10 months in the town of Kisimu in Western Kenya, located near Lake Victoria.

Anyone with an interest in music can probably pull out a few vinyls from their parents’ collection. For others, vinyl records epitomize their passion for music in general. The KDVS record swap will satiate the collections of all record enthusiasts, young and old.

Whether it’s 60 degrees outside or 100, staying healthy and fit is both important and a challenge. For those rising up to it as the mercury does the same in Davis this summer, a wide range of opportunities await.

The Universityof California Boardof Regents approvedHeather Young asassociatevicechancellor for the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing earlier this month. Young currently is the Grace Phelps Distinguished Professor,director of Rural Health Research Development anddirectorof the John A.Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing.She is also a fellow in theAmericanAcademy of Nursing.

Supporters of choice voting in city elections will have to continue to wait before they seeany progress toward their goal. Members of the Davis City Council decided Tuesday that it would be best to put off a decision on a city charter and choice voting.

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors votedon June17toapprove a budget for2008-2009thatis widely considered to be the most difficult in over a decade. All county departmentswill have to tighten their belts,but the most significant cut is the$4.1million being taken out of the Alcohol,Drug and Mental Health department’s long unbalanced budget.

In the June23issue of The California Aggie,the article “Legally saying ‘I do‘” had a misspelling of Sharon Hale’s last name.The Aggie regrets the error.

Public hearing on photovoltaic cells at wastewater treatment site The agreement under consideration would authorize the installation and operation of solar cells on a portion of the city’s wastewater treatment site to provide power for that facility.The agreement also stipulated that the city would purchase all power generated at the site for at least25years.The council closed the public hearing and decided not to pursue the agreement at this time.

MUSIC Joey Casio, Chief Briggum, Sewn Leather, Fancie Today, 8 p.m. Witchdome at S and 22ndstreets in Sacramento House music is in store from Olympia-based Joey Casio. I don’t doubt that it should be a night of high energy beats. (And while we’re going for the obvious here – yes, the man does use a Casio keyboard.)

Editor’s note: This week’s “Five Questions” is with vocalist and guitarist Galen Disston of Pickwick, a folk-inspired indie rock band from Ballard, Wash. Pickwick will perform with Davis’ Buildings Breeding onSaturday at 10 p.m. at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, which is located in downtown Davis. For more information on the band, go to myspace.com/pickwickmusic.