City News

It turns out that in Davis, sustainability doesn't trump everything.

The Davis City Council voted last week not to overturn a Planning Commission decision that denied a small new housing development on B Street, just south of Third Street.

Sacramento State University and multiple other California State Universities have recently been involved in a project to implement solar panels on buildings in order to drive down energy costs and work toward using alternative sources of energy.

Sacramento State is working closely with SunEdison, a company that specializes in solar energy information and services throughout the state of California.

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors discussed plans for balancing this year's $3.5 million budget deficit and a projected $19 million deficit for 2009-2010 at a meeting last week.

Possible actions discussed at the meeting include voluntary salary savings measures, asking departments to make cuts and possibly layoffs.

Watch out UC - the budget cuts aren't over yet.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a plan last week to slash $132 million in funding for higher education in the current fiscal year.

The $132 million includes $65.5 million in cuts to the University of California system and $66.3 million to the California State University system.

The future is looking rather dry for California.

The state's Department of Water Resources announced last week that it was expecting 2009 to be an exceptionally dry year. DWR officials told customers that under current conditions, they would only be able to meet 15 percent of water needs.

SUNDAY

Who let the dogs out?

Two loose dogs were running down Anderson Road toward Russell Boulevard.

A family affair

A family was stealing "No on Prop 8" signs on East Covell Boulevard.

Hundreds of Barack Obama supporters packed a banquet room at the Sacramento Radisson Hotel Tuesday night in Sacramento for an election watch party.

Crowds gathered around three large projection screens surrounded by red, white and blue balloons showing MSNBC's election night coverage.

UC Davis Law School graduate Sarah Asplin opened a mixed bag of emotions on Election Night.

Asplin watched the election results on television with a group of No on Proposition 8 volunteers and some law students at a friend's house, where they went from exhilarated one minute to depressed the next.

As the weather turns cold, you may want to think twice about throwing another log on the fire.

Due to health and environmental concerns, the city of Davis is in the process of developing an ordinance to restrict wood burning, but the process has not been without complications.

The Davis City Council will meet tonight at 6:30 in the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Blvd. The following are descriptions of selected agenda items the council will discuss at the meeting.

Public comment on these items will be accepted when the items are addressed by the council. Previous to the scheduled items, public comment on other issues will be accepted starting as early as 6:30 p.m.

Winters, Calif. is usually described as one of Yolo County's sleepy farm towns, but last week it was the epicenter of a massive drug bust.

Officers with the Yolo Narcotic Enforcement Team made a series of arrests on Oct. 27 and 28 in connection with an extensive drug trafficking operation based out of Winters.

One of Yolo County's regional parks just doubled in size, thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Air Force.

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved the transfer of the Davis Global Communications Site (DGCS) from the military to the county on Oct. 28. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger initially approved the plan on Oct. 15.

The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony at Freeborn Hall on Sunday. The ceremony marked the first time the event had been held west of the Mississippi River.

The keynote speaker for the event was Levi Leipheimer. Leipheimer won the bronze medal in the road time trial for cycling at the Beijing Olympics. A world-renowned cyclist and native of Santa Rosa, he also placed first overall in both the 2007 and 2008 Amgen Tour of California.

THURSDAY

The joy of music

An individual with a golden retriever threw a guitar at a train on Second Street.

Since John McCain made Joe the Plumber famous in the third presidential debate, Joe Wurzelbacher (his real name) has been enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.

Many local plumbers disagree with his stance, however.

"I think the guy's a clown," said Jeff Wolfe, owner of Jeff's Plumbing Inc. in Sacramento. "They need to get him off the TV."