City News

California Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, announced legislation on Feb. 23 that would make California the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

In late winter, when rain and finals are real sources of stress for students, a week in Mexico may seem like the perfect salve. But after increased drug and gang violence there led the State Department to issue a travel warning for Mexico, the idea may not seem so attractive.

The "Best Drink Special" feature in The Aggie's Best of Davis section included two errors due to incorrect information provided by a manager at Café Bernardo. The Wicky Wacky Woo drink is not a dollar off on Wednesdays and it is not free on birthdays. The Aggie regrets the errors.

Though CSI-based television shows often glorify forensic evidence as foolproof, experts say real crime labs may be more prone to errors than previously thought.

A recent U.S. National Research Council report called the forensic science system "badly fragmented," and claims forensic techniques are in dire need of improved reliability.

Sexual assaults reported downtown

Two separate sexual assaults were reported in Downtown Davis early Thursday morning.

The first victim was speaking with a friend in a parking lot on the 300 block of G Street when the suspect allegedly approached her from behind, reached under her skirt and sexually assaulted her, said Davis police Lieutenant Tom Waltz in a press release.

A two-month joint investigation into auto insurance fraud by the California Department of Insurance and several Sacramento area district attorneys offices led to 28 arrests, including one Davis man, and several warrants beginning in late January.

According to a press release from the Department of Insurance, the cases involved one of three different scenarios.

Davis police are seeking information on a suspect who robbed US Bank in Downtown Davis yesterday morning.

The male suspect entered the bank at 304 F St. and handed an employee a note requesting money at 11:24 a.m. Thursday, according to a Davis Police Department press release.

Though February brought more rain than January, Yolo County is facing yet another dry season, which may lead to a negative impact on water levels.

"The [drought is not only affecting Davis], but also the entire state," said Blaine Hanson, an irrigation and drain specialist with UC Davis Extension. "We periodically get dry years and we periodically get wet years."

"One less!" shouts the Gardasil advertising campaign slogan, and teen girls seem to be listening.

More than a quarter of all teenage California girls received at least one human papillomavirus vaccination shot in 2007, according to data from the California Health Interview Survey.

A wave of potential retirements among federal veterinarians could be a blessing for vet students.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office indicates that the number of federal veterinarians is quickly dwindling.

County officials and residents met to discuss planning for an Alternative Transportation Corridor connecting the cities of Woodland and Davis Monday night.

The corridor would allow bikes, low speed electric vehicles and pedestrians access between the cities, which could be a particularly important notion for people affiliated with UC Davis who commute to and from Woodland.

The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame could be moving to Davis. After the Amgen Bike Tour's kickoff in Davis on Feb. 15, and the bike exhibition featured downtown last fall, attracting the Hall of Fame would be a crowning achievement for Davis bike enthusiasts.

Reports of data breaches increased 47 percent in 2008, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The number of breaches reported jumped from 446 in 2007 to 656.

A group of scientists released a report last week claiming that climate change will have a dramatic effect on future bird populations. The authors of the study are calling on lawmakers to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and improve conservation efforts to protect the birds.

It's no secret that textbooks are expensive.

Financial help is on the way for middle to low-income students and families who have a harder time paying for the hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks needed for class each term.