City News

Yolo County may soon become a model for a new means of voting. Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada is sponsoring AB1228,a bill that would establish a pilot project of all-mail ballot voting in Yolo County,with the hopes of spreading it throughout California.

Research that found users of Facebook tend to have lower grades got a lot of attention last month,but a new study from a different research team is calling that conclusion into question. The initial study,in the form of a draft manuscript from researchers at Ohio State University,found that Facebook users‘ grade point averages were in the3.0to3.5range,compared to3.5to4.0for non-users.Aryn Karpinski,education researcher,told the Chronicle of Higher Education that this suggested a relationship but did not prove causation.

Davis was ranked as one of America’s “Top 25 towns to live well,” according to Forbes Magazine. Davis was ranked 19 out of 25 towns. Forbes defines a town as any area with a population less than 100,000. Towns considered for ranking had to have the power to attract business through their environments and resources. Characteristics such as the number of museums, parks, bars, restaurantsand cultural institutions per capita were considered. Forbes states that these factors indicate a favorable business environment. California towns dominated the list, receiving eight of the 25 spots. Boulder, Colo. received the top ranking. Davis met all of Forbes’ standards.

Tears,laughterand applause united a crowd of casually and formally dressed Davis residents on Saturday who came to celebrate the life of the late former Davis mayor Julie Partansky.The ceremony,held at the Davis Unitarian Universalist Church,combined music,dance,slide shows and personal remembrance speeches from friends.

Bat education series begins soon The Yolo Basin Foundation will host a series of events featuring bats this summer,with the first offering on May28. Each program begins with a presentation on the natural history of the bat as well as an opportunity to view live bats.Participants then carpool to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area to watch one of the largest colonies in California of Mexican free-tailed bats as it emerges to hunt for insects at sunset.

The California State Senate unanimously approved legislation that would protect integrity of ballots by addressing the use of fraudulent non-English names during elections on May6. Senate Bill288,sponsored by Senator Leland Yee,D-San Francisco/San Mateo,would require candidates who would like an alternative language name on the ballot to be provided a phonetic translation of their name by the county elections office or by the Secretary of State‘s office.

As the number of highway fatalities overall decline,a trend has emerged in the data:Motorcycles are becoming increasingly dangerous. The California Highway Patrol last month released preliminary data suggesting that the number of fatal motorcycle accidents has sharply increased over the past few years,roughly124percent since2003. So far numbers for2008show that over500riders were killed last year in motorcycle collisions.

After helping kids safely cross Davis streets for six years, crossing guard Heather Weinberg was shocked when she got a phone call telling her not to show up for work.

Davis Farmers Market visitors can most likely recall walking by a kennel where big dogs and small puppies alike are frolicking around,oftentimes clad in sweaters and accompanied by ecstatic children whose hopeful,pleading faces beg their parents to adopt. As ofApr.20,this idyllic scene of child meeting man’s best friend will no longer continue to be a highlight of the market.

Proposition1E would allow the state to redistribute money in order to balance the state budget,but some organizations remain skeptical about its repercussions. Prop1E would amend the Mental Health Services Act,also known as Prop63of2004.

OnThursday,it’s time to shop,play,work,live– and celebrate. The Davis Chamber of Commercewill celebrate local businesses at the sixth annual Celebrate Davis! festival starting at4:30p.m.at Community Park,located at14thand F Streets. A fireworks show starts at9p.m.,sponsored by the Sutter Health Group and will end the festival.

For those who braved the forbidding Davis rain in February to watch the start of the Amgen Tour of California, the future may be looking a lot brighter. Rumors are circulating that in 2010, America’s biggest cycling stage race will be held May 16 to 23, following four straight years of February races. The news was first reported in Cyclingnews, which quoted AEG president Andrew Messick as confirming the change. However, Michael Roth, Vice President of Communications, said yesterday what he can confirm is that the race date will not be in February.