The latest stories from UC Davis's student newspaper, The California Aggie, available online at www.theaggie.orgen-us(C) 2007-2008 The California Aggiehttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/39 This Thursday, Davis local businesses will be heading out to Community Park. The Davis Chamber of Commerce's Fifth Annual Celebrate Davis! festival will be held Wednesday at Community Park, located at 14th and F streets. Festivities start at 4:30 p.m. and conclude with a fireworks show at 9 p.m.Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/39Neighborhood park users interested in sharing their input for the future of parks and recreation in Davis are encouraged to attend a 7 p.m. meeting today at the Veterans Memorial Center on 203 E. 14th St.Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/39FRIDAY Gold mine? Individuals were seen stealing recyclables from bins.Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/39 The San Francisco Bay-Delta longfin smelt is being reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for possible endangered species status. Three organizations, The Bay Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council teamed up and wrote a petition, which was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Aug. 8, 2007 requesting the service consider the species of fish for threatened or endangered status.Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/38It may sound too strange to be true, but engineers are about to begin work on a project that would keep carbon dioxide out of the air by injecting it into the ground. A pilot project will equip a Kern County power plant with the ability to capture 1 million tons of carbon dioxide byproduct and inject it into geologic formations 7,000 feet below the Earth's surface.Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/38Esparto, Yolo County's largest rural unincorporated community, recently received two EPA Brownfields Assessment grants to help with its downtown revitalization project. The two grants are for $200,000 each and will evaluate the presence of hazardous substances and petroleum, respectively, at certain locations within the community.Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/38Rising food prices around the world are forcing people to think twice about what they buy at the grocery store. Among the factors are high oil prices, which have in turn increased production costs on the farm, marketing and processing aspects.Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/38ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the reporter's watch during the May 8 public meeting location, the Memorial Union's Coffee House.Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/37May is bike month in California, and Davis, the oft-called bicycle capital of the world, is holding true to its title. The city of Davis started the month with the dedication of the new Covell Boulevard bicycle under-crossing at Mace Ranch District Park, the first of an assortment of bicycle-themed events in May.Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/37A bill scheduled to be heard in the assembly appropriations committee on May 14 aims to give farmers more flexibility in what they can sell at roadside stands.Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/37MONDAY Purple people eater Purple ink stencil was seen on Shasta Drive and on a bike underpass.Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/36Davis City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday night indicating its opposition to Proposition 98,a measure on the June 3 ballot that would constrain state and local government's eminent domain powers. The controversial proposition aimsto prohibit government agenciesfromforcingthe sale of private propertyandthen subsequentlytransferring ownership to another private party.Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/36Approved the purchase of two para-transit buses from Federal Transportation Administration funds at the total cost of $120,000 Passed a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a memorandum of understanding for collaboration with the U.S.Bicycle Hall of Fame to plan the induction dinner and ceremonial event.Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/36Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/36The Yolo County Housing Authority joined other local organizations in the Yolo County Climate Change Compact last week.The compact is part of a group of county jurisdictions that have agreed to implement programs to reduce the impact of global warming and climate change.Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/35According to social etiquette, asking someone how much money he or she makes is a daring move. But when you are paying the person's salary with your tax dollars, is the question more permissible? Thanks to a database on The Sacramento Bee's website, users can request the base salary of any worker for the state of California and have an answer within seconds.Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/35Yolo County Animal Services Shelter had an important message for the public.The Yolo County Animal Services Shelterlocated at 2640 East Gibson Road in Woodland had its first definite case of canine distemper, as reported in the press release. The diseased dog was from the YoloWed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/35Where you live may have a serious impact on your weight and health, according to a statewide study released last week. Using data on the locations of retail food outlets and the health statistics of 40,000 Californians, researchers found that people who have easier access to fast-food and convenience stores than grocery and produce outlets are more likely to suffer from obesity and diabetes.Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/34 In an effort to improve the state's response and treatment of oil spills, State Representative Lois Wolk proposed Assembly Bill 2911, a bill that will require better advance recruitment, training and coordination of wildlife specialists and volunteers. The bill, however, is under suspense file, a process to determine the cost implications of a piece of legislation.Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDThttp://www.theaggie.org/articles/34In an effort to mitigate the $4 million deficit, Davis Joint Unified School District will instate over 100 teacher and personnel layoffs. On May 2, 5 and 6, the district held strictly evidentiary hearings mediated by administrative law judge, Jonathan Lew, regarding the process and facts of the implementation of teacher layoffs. The hearing dates were divided based on services with elementary, secondary and other services, respectively.Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 PthPDT