Come fall 2010, Davis students will have an even wider array of restaurant and clothing retail options to select from.

Forever 21 signed a 38,418-square-foot lease with Centro Properties Group, which manages the University Mall on Russell Boulevard. The clothing store will encompass the former Gottschalks space and the lobby outside Starbucks. Forever 21 will open in September or October.

Joy Cohan, Davis Downtown Business Association director, said despite the introduction of Forever 21 into the Davis retail market, Davis residents keep independent stores healthy by shopping there whenever possible.

“Whenever there is a newcomer on the scene, one of two things could happen: The pie slices could get smaller, or the pie could grow for everyone, because that entire retail sector grows due to the renewed focus on those goods in the local marketplace,” Cohan said.

Cohan hopes Forever 21 will enhance the market throughout Davis with added emphasis on retail, she said. Preeti Girl and Pinkadot are two notably successful retailers downtown, Cohan said.

Thai Canteen will replace the former Crepe House Uni restaurant at 117 E St. Davis Commercial Properties Real Estate Broker Michael Bisch told The Davis Enterprise Thai Canteen will be a self-serve restaurant similar to fast-food style, but with a made-to-order menu. The restaurant is set to open in September.

Thai Canteen will be Davis’ eighth Thai restaurant. Thai food is popular among students and permanent residents, Cohan said.

Sacramento-based Ethiopian eatery Queen of Sheba will move in to the former Pita Pit location at 213 E St. Queen of Sheba owner Zion Taddese said customers have been asking her to open a Davis restaurant for years. The restaurant is popular for its vegetarian and vegan lunch buffet. The full menu also includes several meat dishes, such as beef, lamb, fish and chicken.

Queen of Sheba will feature an all-you-can-eat Ethiopian style vegetarian and vegan lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Students can receive 10 percent off their total bill with a UC Davis ID card. Taddese said Queen of Sheba will open this weekend.

The wide assortment of restaurant options reflects the diversity of the population in Davis, a university town, Cohan said. The new restaurants are market driven, Cohan said.

Namaste Nepal Restaurant opened Friday, May 14, in University Mall. The Indian/Nepalese restaurant features a lunch buffet served daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Co-owner Prajwal Bajracharya alternates buffet items randomly, he said. The buffet features popular dishes including chicken tikka masala, chicken tandoori, butter chicken and several vegetarian options.

Opening specials include $2 off the lunch buffet, 20 percent off dinner checks over $15 and free delivery for orders over $20 in Davis.

Bajracharya said he strives to cater to students’ busy lives by offering a “quick combo” menu, with items served within five minutes.

Sushi Unlimited, located at 620 Covell Blvd. in Anderson Plaza, is expanding into the spot vacated by its former neighbor, Chamonix Coffee.

A new Burger King opened May 14 at 2026 Lyndell Terrace, near Sutter Davis Hospital in West Davis. The drive-thru will be open 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The Natural Day Spa, set to open this summer, will occupy Alphabet Moon’s former location on 235 F St.

THERESA MONGELLUZZO can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

There may be some links between migraines and other diseases, according to recent studies featured in USA Today.

Heart attacks were twice as common in people with migraines (4 percent), according to a study by Dr. Richard Lipton, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College in New York and a spokesman for the American Academy of Neurology. The risk was especially high in women who had migraines with aura – sensations that occur before the headache and can include seeing flashing or zigzagged lights.

Brain lesions become more common with age, but women who had migraines with aura in middle age were more likely than other women to have the lesions on the brain’s cerebellum when given a brain scan later in life. More examination is needed to learn whether migraines can cause such lesions and whether they are linked with cognitive or functional impairment, said Lenore Launer, Ph.D., a researcher at the National Institute on Aging.

Women with migraines were 47 percent more likely to develop Multiple Sclerosis (MS) than those without headaches, reported a study.

A study in its early stages on the link between MS and migraines reported 99 percent of women with migraines will not develop MS, said Ilya Kister, a researcher at New York University in USA Today.

Other research has linked migraine with stroke, depression and epilepsy.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association 25 percent of women have migraines, while 8 percent of men and 5-10 percent of children do as well. Many experts agree more women have migraines because of their menstrual cycle.

Caroline Smith, executive assistant of the National Headache Foundation (NHF), said the foundation mainly works on headache awareness.

“There has been more concern for headaches over the years,” Smith said. “What’s really important is getting people to realize they have migraines by noticing the symptoms and getting them to a professional.”

There are treatments available to ease the pain of those who suffer from migraines.

After 43 years of his wife suffering from migraines, Dr. Lyle Henry dedicated himself to researching the cause of migraines at Harvard University. Henry believes it is more effective to prevent migraines rather than stop them, and some people are more prone to migraines because of genetic predisposition. Henry helped develop the natural formula Tuliv Migraine Defense to prevent migraines.

“My wife used to have painful headaches everyday, and within two weeks of taking the herbs, her migraines went away,” Henry said. “Most of my clients were frustrated with expensive pharmaceuticals not working. I’m not anti-doctor, but I don’t think people’s options should be limited to what pharmaceutical companies market to doctors.”

Acupuncture is another source of alternative treatments for migraines.

Laurie Binder, a licensed acupuncturist and certified nurse practitioner, said Chinese medicine links an imbalance in the body with migraines. Acupuncture treats migraines as they occur and prevents them once the body is back in balance. Binder said migraines can be a sign of more severe health problems.

These health problems appear to share some underlying causes. But doctors also know changes in brain blood flow during a migraine with aura can, in rare cases, lead directly to a stroke, Lipton said. He said this is of particular concern for younger adults who otherwise are at very low stroke risk.

For now, there is no proof that treating migraines prevents heart attack, stroke or other conditions.

Still, migraine patients can discuss other health concerns with their doctors and should try to exercise, eat well and control blood pressure, cholesterol and weight.

“Good health care requires recognizing not only the migraine but the whole party that may be traveling together,” Lipton said.

National Headache Awareness Week is the first full week of June.

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Mention the name Mr. Bigglesworth to UC Davis alum Hilary Hand-Howitt, and she will think of a different cat besides that of Dr. Evil’s in the film Austin Powers.

The name was given to the solid black kitten she adopted from the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter.

“He was the runt and quite sick at the time,” Howitt said. “And I’m always rooting for the underdog.”

To further initiate more rescues such as Mr. Bigglesworth, the Yolo County Animal Shelter recently lowered both cat and dog adoption prices.

Yolo County residents will now pay $78 for dog adoptions from the shelter. In addition to the dog of choice, the fee includes spaying or neutering, shots, a microchip, heartworm testing and a license. Cat adoptions, which entail spaying or neutering, shots, lab tests and a microchip, are $28.

Previously, a separate $90 charge for spaying and neutering was an added cost in the adoption of an animal from the shelter. The fee was dropped to increase adoptions in an effort to find homes for the multitude of pets within the Yolo County shelter.

Over 174 veterinary students, staff members and volunteers from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, another advocate of spaying and neutering pets, assisted in the school’s Spay Day 2010. Held Feb. 27 and 28, the event provided 77 spay and neuter procedures at minimal costs to low-income pet owners.

The Sacramento Area Animal Coalition – an organization focused on the elimination of companion animal overpopulation growth – is a proponent of spay and neuter efforts. Two cats and its offspring, which are not spayed or neutered, can produce 370,000 kittens within seven years, according its website.

In addition to spaying and neutering pets, the shelter’s adoption fees also include vaccines, which Lynn Narlesky, media contact for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said is of extreme consequence.

“Just one word: rabies,” Narlesky said.

Currently, owned dogs or cats that are not up to date on vaccines can be brought in to the Yolo County Animal Shelter’s Saturday clinic to receive current rabies vaccines for $8.

The paperwork and procedure for adoption at the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter is not as stringent as some, said Hand-Howitt. Identification and proof of one’s current address fulfill the list of credentials future pet adopters must bring with them to the shelter.

“At the Yolo shelter you can take your pet home that day,” Hand-Howitt said. “Whereas, if you go to the SPCA or Humane Society, sometimes they have [practices] such as coming to your place and checking to see if you have enough room for the pet.”

If a potential pet adopter visits the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter and does not discover an animal that suits them they can search on Petfinder. The online database houses a directory of pets from more than 13,000 organizations and shelters across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Yolo SPCA, also partnering with Petfinder, can be found most Saturdays at the Petco in The Marketplace Shopping Center on West Covell from 1-3 p.m., holding dog and cat adoption drives.

SPCA volunteer Amy Fabritius said the organization differs from the Yolo shelter in a few ways. First, as the SPCA is not a shelter, the animals are kept in foster homes and are never euthanized. Second, the adoption process for the SPCA is longer, Fabritius said.

“It can take up to a couple weeks,” she said. “The key is to match the right person with the right animal.”

Anamarie Urrutin, SPCA volunteer coordinator, said due to the luxury of being particularly choosy in placing animals with owners the organization is always on the lookout for volunteers.

“A lot of college students volunteer with the SPCA,” she said. “It’s great if [students] don’t know what they’re doing after graduation to have some experience working with animals.”

KELLEY REES can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

For all those who might have missed Earth Day this year, there is a chance to make up for it.

This Saturday the Campus Center for the Environment (CCE) and the External Affairs Commission (EAC) will be kicking off their fourth annual Music on the Green event at Central Park from 5 to 8 p.m.

Several campus organizations including ASUCD and the CCE are working in partnership to put on the event, which is meant to promote environmental awareness among both the students and the community.

Sophomore political science major Brendan Repicky serves on the EAC of ASUCD and helped plan Music on the Green.

“We’re hoping for an event that will give students and members of the community a chance to relax and enjoy both local music and the beautiful spring weather of Davis,” Repicky said.

Music on the Green is a free event that will feature performances by Thao Nqyen, The Lounge Lizards, and Seamoose among others. There will also be several booths set up to educate people about green living and to provide entertainment like a sustainable children’s craft table. Food booths will also be set up to provide refreshments.

Environmental Policy and Planning Commission chair Darwin Moosavi said he hopes the event will bring unity to our community.

“Environmental issues are important to promote because they are often overlooked,” said Moosavi, sophomore environmental policy analysis and planning major. “The vital connection between our surroundings and our daily lives and ways of living is often lost or overlooked.”

The event encourages people to do tasks in a sustainable manner, such as by recycling and composting. To that end, the performing artists will speak about their own efforts in sustainability and encourage environmental advocacy in others.

EAC chair and junior political science and communication double major Dana Percoco said she enjoyed the diversity of the people working on this project.

“This was always going to be a project for EAC, but it has turned out even better now that all these different groups are working together,” Percoco said. “We want to bring environmental awareness to our community, and make the event bigger than it has been in years before.

First-year international agriculture major and CCE member, Andrew Carstens, said he was inspired to help out with the event in order to gain practical experience planning a student event and also out of appreciation for the environment.

“We hope to promote city and campus relations and environmental advocacy by having environmentally conscious entertainers, booths for city and campus advocacy groups, and zero waste efforts,” Carstens said. “I hope people will walk away motivated to compost.”

Sophomore political science major and EAC member Bihter Ozerdirne helped organize food vendors and worked with the city and county to get permits.

“Seeing everything come together has been really great,” Ozerdirne said. “So many people have been working on this event and it’s really exciting that it’s almost here.”

JANE TEIXEIRA can be reached city@theaggie.org.