City News

A lot can change in a few months, and this is definitely the case for the June 8 Davis City Council election.

While students’ worlds currently revolve around finals and term papers, the city of Davis welcomed two new interim fire chiefs last week to the UCD and city of Davis Fire Departments.

Elementary and high school students from the Davis area will be questioning candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction at a public forum today at UC Davis.

While students were busy protesting fee hikes, the California Postsecondary Education Commission was busy conferring about another area of discussion – demands of public colleges’ future enrollment.

Man stabbed in Davis; Three godless billboards vandalized; Yamada presents on danger of scams, fraud; Wolk criticizes Delta management approach; Tutors needed at local libraries; and more

Colorful almond blossoms have been in bloom for the past two weeks, which means it’s time for the 95th Capay Valley Almond Festival. On Sunday, Esparto, Capay, Brooks, Guinda, Madison and Rumsey will all collaborate for a celebration spanning 22 miles throughout the region. \

Following months of negotiations, the American Federation of Teachers union, representing University of California librarians, and the University of California system agreed to extend the labor contract currently in place. The union represents approximately 400 librarians from all of the UC campuses, including 50 librarians from UC Davis. Department heads fall outside of the union, but the librarians – not to be confused with library staff – associated with the American Federation of Teachers include those at reference desks or giving demonstrations to classes. The ratifications seen in the extended contract exclude most economic variables. The ratified contract, very similar to its prior self, includes changes such as a 1 percent increase in professional development money for librarians to use to further their education.

Many characterize Davis as the ideal college town, part of which includes students’ satisfaction with apartment renting. ApartmentRatings.com ranked Davis as 2009’s best college town in the country for renters in a list that showcases the popularity of various college towns around the nation. Davis came out on top of 85 other towns in the running, far outranking Harvard University’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, which finished last. In 2009, the US News & World Report college charts listed Harvard University as the best college in the world.

Following a meeting for the annual UC lobby day on Mar. 1, five students staged a sit-in in Rep. Jim Nielsen’s (R-Gerber) office. The students presented Nielsen with a document supporting increased funding for higher education and recruiting and retaining low-income students. The students refused to leave until he agreed to sign it, but Nielsen refused and the California Highway Patrol was called. UC director of gGovernment aAffairs Steve Juarez was present at the meeting that took place right before the sit-in.

Davis’s Varsity Theater is holding an open house today to showcase the technological improvements and additions that make the movie experience all the more thrilling. The theater is celebrating a second screen and further renovations on Thursday, Mar. 11 at noon at the theater on 616 2nd St. The Varsity was originally a single-screen theater in 1950 and became two screens in 1976. In 1992 it was reopened as a center for performing arts. It reverted to a single screen in 2006 when it began showing mainly independent and art house films.

Explorit Science Center on 2nd Street is making some scheduling changes.

Most teenagers anxiously await the day they turn 18, but not every young adult shares this same excitement. For foster youth, becoming a legal adult carries new responsibilities to lead an independent life.