City News

A shortage of medical isotopes has doctors across the U.S. postponing important tests, or switching to costlier, time consuming alternatives.

Harper Junior High School’s gymwill betransforming into a consignment shop from Aug.13to16. Worth Repeating,a new Davis company,and the Davis Schools Foundation are partnering to transform the gym into ashop. Worth Repeating organizes children,teen and maternity consignment sales events in the Yolo area.Products sold at Harper’s event will include children’s clothes,toys,baby furniture,bicycles and DVDs.

Davis bats test positive for rabies County health officials are advising caution among local residents after two dead bats found in Davis last week tested positive for the rabies virus. A local resident walking her dog came across seven dead bats near the West Covell Boulevard bicycle overcrossing,where a local bat colony is known to roost.The Yolo County Health Department tested four of the bats and found three were positive for rabies.The other three could not be tested.

What does Miss California 2009 runner-up and UC Davis student Jenna Harvey hope for other than world peace? “That was going to be my answer!” Harvey said. “Other than world peace, I’d say people need to have realistic expectations, get up and do something.” The Miss California contest took place in Fresno on June 27. Kristen Cavender of Orange won the Miss California title. Over 50 counties were represented in the contest.

On Monday, the Davis City Council collaborated with the Davis Downtown Business Association to work out details of a multi-media marketing campaign that would focus on downtown spending. Target contributed $100,000 to the city for public safety, parking and streetscape enhancements as well as other community enhancement projects. Free from restrictions, the city can choose to spend the funds whichever way it sees fit.

A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that both female and male college students are equally likely to be victims of physical or emotional violence. The study surveyed students who sought treatment at health clinics in 2006-2007 at five universities in Wisconsin, Seattle and Vancouver. The results indicated that 17 percent of men and 16 percent of women reported experiencing violence within the past six months.

It only took about an hour and a half to change the Davis City Council’s opinion of the fate of two 6,000 square foot lots in East Davis. The city had planned to give the land to Habitat for Humanity, but the council decided with a 4 to 1 vote to give the Solar Community Housing Association to build cooperative housing.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently proposed a new way to remedy California’s budget crisis – cutting the Cal Grant program, which provides financial aid to college students. Under this proposal, no new Cal Grants would be awarded beginning fall 2009, but students already receiving Cal Grants would continue to receive them. Schwarzenegger has said the cuts are necessary to help close California’s $24.3 billion budget deficit.

The city of Davis is looking to cut corners to balance its budget for the coming year. Some city facilities could be cleaned less often due to a reduction in custodial services.Funding for the city attorney will probably be slashed,reducing time for legal analysis.And it may be easier to get away with parking violations as the city discusses eliminating one of its four parking enforcement officers.

California bans text messaging while driving Sept.30,2008 California became the seventh state to ban texting while driving whenGovernorArnold Schwarzenegger signed SB28in September.The law,which took effect Jan.1,created a$20fine for the first offense and a$50fine for each subsequent offense.

For many Davis bicyclists,yard waste on the side of the road can be a potential safety hazard and a troublesome obstacle.Yet,following a meeting at the Davis Bicycle Advisory Commission,there is little reason to believe the obstacles will be cleared away any time soon.The City of Davis Public Works department presented to the BAC the results of a Yard Waste and Bike Lanes Survey Project,a yearlong study of yard waste “pile placement” on a dozen Davis streets,to establish the degree to which they obstruct the path of cyclists.

The key word Monday night was trust,and many Davis citizens were still apprehensive,including El Macero Homeowners Association President Stephen Cole. “You’ve asked me to go out on a date,” Cole told Transmission Agency of Northern California,or TANC,officials at the Davis Veterans Memorial Hospital. “You haven’t treated me very well,you didn’t call me back and now you want to go on another date.I don’t trust you.“