City News

Second Street in Downtown Davis is scheduled to get a facelift in the near future, in order to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. The project is likely to be funded by Federal Stimulus money, though official approval is still in the works.

Michael Mitchell, senior civil engineer for the city of Davis, said the redevelopment project will include several enhancements of the intersections between C Street and F Street. Ultimately, he said, Second Street will look "a lot like Third Street."

Few diabetic patients are aware of the difficulties that arise after the disposal of their home-generated sharps.

Yolo Country and the California Product Stewardship Council recently received a $197,680 grant from the California Integrated Waste Management Board to go toward the safe management of sharps.

The "best greens in the valley" are now within reach for local Yolo County golfers.

Wild Wings Golf Course in Woodland reopened for play on May 1 after being closed for four months.

The course, which used to be privately owned, is now owned by Yolo County. The county required a majority vote from homeowners in order to reopen and fund the course.

Of all six propositions on the May 19 special election ballot, Proposition 1A in particular has been the focus of much media attention due to a growing opposition.

Prop 1A would create a larger "rainy day" fund for the state budget that would be used in times of economic crisis and to help relieve the current budget crisis.

If enacted, Prop 1D would provide over $600 million to protect health and human services programs for children by temporarily redirecting existing tobacco tax money from First 5 California, a government-funded early childhood program created in 1998. Funding would go toward services for at-risk families, children with disabilities and foster children.

The proposition would also help balance the state budget, amounting to a projected state General Fund savings of up to $608 million in 2009-2010 and $268 million annually from 2010-2011 through 2013-2014.

Fears about swine flu in Davis were alleviated yesterday after laboratory testing confirmed that two suspected local cases of the disease were in fact regular human influenza. Holmes Junior High School was prepared to shut down for two weeks after school officials were told on Friday that a student there had a "probable" case of the H1N1 virus - more commonly known as swine flu.

Man sentenced 12 years for burglary

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office announced this week that Immanuel Showtell was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he pled guilty to first-degree burglary.

Drop off household hazardous waste

The Yolo County Central Landfill will hold two drop-off days for household hazardous waste items this week for Yolo County residents. The landfill will be open for drop-off on May 8 and 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Voters will decide on May 19 whether or not to pass Proposition 1B, which would pay back public schools and community colleges the approximately $9.3 billion they have lost in budget cuts over the last year and a half.

Prop 1B would amend the state constitution as it relates to Proposition 98, a budget initiative that has been in effect since 1988. If passed, Prop 1B would increase the amount of education spending that is already allotted under Prop 98.

Swine influenza has made it to Sacramento County, causing worry among many local residents.

Earlier this week, Sacramento health officials confirmed that of the 14 cases of swine flu in California, one is in Sacramento. The other cases include five in Imperial County, and seven in San Diego County and one in San Bernardino County. No cases have been reported in Yolo County.

The California economy may face even greater strife if the current trend of students graduating college continues.

A recent study conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) indicated that the number of students graduating college in the state of California is on the decline.

Davis and Woodland residents hoping for a means to bike or walk between the two cities may be in luck.

Planners from the cities of Davis and Woodland and Yolo County held a second public community meeting this week to discuss the possibility of an alternative transportation corridor between Davis and Woodland.

Solar energy could be coming from space satellites in the near future. The investor-owned utility company Pacific Gas & Electric is seeking approval from state regulators for a power purchase agreement with Southern California company Solaren.

This weekend, Winters, Calif. will join thousands of other cities already hosting farmers markets nationwide.

Set to open Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the farmers market in Winters will include various goods from participating farmers from Davis, Winters, Elk Grove, Rumsey, Esparto, Petaluma, Vacaville and Capay.

In what appears to be a silver lining to the economic troubles facing the city, Davis is set to receive a big chunk of change from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal stimulus bill passed earlier this year.