enterprise THE DAVIS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Turning Point’s Kirk heads to UCD By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer As part of a spring campus tour, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, a controversial conservative activist and radio talk show host, is scheduled to come to UC Davis on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. Not shying away from political discourse, the tour advertises that “students who disagree will be brought to the front of the line.” His first stop: UC Santa Barbara, Wednesday, March 1. Kirk’s book, The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth,” asks parents why they send their kids to college, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on “a useless degree?” He argues that colleges are filled with far-left professors and that progressives repress speech. Turning Point USA tweeted on Monday, Feb. 20, that after the student government at Michigan Technological University refused to fund their event, they fought back, and the administration allocated the money. A week before Kirk’s scheduled UCD arrival, a campuswide town hall on “Free Speech at Public Universities” will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, in the multipurpose room of the Student Community Center. Moderated by Kevin
See KIRK, Page A5
Courtesy photos
Cedric Wentworth’s “Balance Beam,” above, will head to the Veteran’s Memorial Center’s north lawn. The beam was previously at the corner of Fifth Street and Pole Line Road. Mary Fuller McChesney’s “Frog Totem” sculpture, left, will be installed at San Marino Park, the city announced.
Art moving in and around By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer Public art will be coming to two new locations in Davis. The city announced Thursday that the “Balance Beam” — a steel-and-bronze piece that spent 20 years at the corner of Fifth Street and Pole Line Road — will be installed at the Veterans Memorial Theater’s north
lawn. Meanwhile, a “Frog Totem” purchased with city municipal arts funds in 2021, will be installed at San Marino Park. The “Frog Totem,” created by the late artist Mary Fuller McChesney, is an 8-foot tall concrete composite piece. McChesney made the piece to promote wildlife conservation in her hometown of Petaluma.
The city’s Civic Arts Commission selected the work “because of its universal appeal to all ages, especially children, and its playful nod to the renowned Davis legacy of celebrating and protecting our frogs and other wildlife,” the city noted in a press release. The sculpture says, “Save the Frogs” in English and “Salva las Ranas” in Spanish.
The piece will be installed behind the San Marino Park patio on the edge of the open space trail area. Surrounding areas will be closed off during the installation process, the city said.
Meanwhile, the “Balance Beam,” created by artist Cedric Wentworth, will be installed at
See ART, Back page
DHS Club host All Abilities Crafts Fair Davis City Council officially By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer The Davis High School Community Club is a nonprofit powerhouse on a mission to bolster communal bonds through community service — and having fun together while doing so. With a number of successful events already under its belt, the organization of selflessness is gearing up to host an All Abilities Crafts Fair. Almost two years ago, DHS junior — and DHSCC president — Bailey Paquette started the club with her friends and fellow board members, Grace Hadani, Monica Garibay and Cody Leveau. By collaborating with the Alli-
VOL. 125 NO. 24
INDEX
Arts ���������������������B1 Dial-a-Pro ���������B6 Obituary �������������A3 Classifieds ���������B4 Forum �����������������A4 Pets ��������������������A6 Comics ���������������B3 Movies ���������������B1 Sports ���������������B6
ance For Education Solutions and the Chang Foundation, the DHSCC was able to obtain its nonprofit status and host their first annual Special Needs Crafts Fair. After a smashing success, the DHSCC is ready for round two of this event they’re now calling the “All Abilities Crafts Fair.”
relations to a neurodivergent individual, and find this cause close to our heart. Our goal in hosting this crafts fair is to give neurodivergent individuals an opportunity to connect with their peers in an environment inclusive to everyone, while participating in fun and engaging activities and crafts.”
“The DHSCC recognizes that in many circumstances, neurodivergent (also referred to as special needs) individuals are left out based on factors they cannot control. We see it in sports, at school, almost everywhere we go,” explained Paquette.
Last year’s event was attended by nearly 150 families, and had studentrun crafts booths along with a number of neurodivergent business owners running their own booths as well. The DHSCC is hoping to repeat the success of that fun-filled day that
“Many DHSCC members have close family/friend
WEATHER Saturday: Frost, then partly sunny. High 51. Low 38.
See FAIR, Page A5
ends COVID emergency By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer
The city of Davis will terminate its local COVID-19 emergency effective Feb. 28, the same day the county and state emergency declarations will end. The Davis City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to end the local emergency, but also directed city staff to look into ways to maintain the increased community participation that was made possible the last three years thanks to remote public meetings. Through the pandemic, commission meetings
HOW TO REACH US
www.davisenterprise.com Main line: 530-756-0800 Circulation: 530-756-0826
have been conducted over Zoom, allowing live participation, and recordings of the meetings uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel for later viewing. That was made possible in March 2020 when Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented several exceptions to the Brown Act’s teleconferencing rules to allow local agencies to continue to function during the stay-at-home orders. That, in turn, marked a significant change from pre-pandemic days in Davis when only City Council and Planning
http://facebook.com/ TheDavisEnterpriseNewspaper http://twitter.com/D_Enterprise
See COVID, Back page
WED • FRI • $1