Sports
Movies
Did male chauvinism impede a serial-killer investigation? — Page B2
Blue Devil lacrosse stops St. Francis’ rally
Merlin has his eye on a new home — Page A6
— Page B6
Pets
enterprise THE DAVIS
FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2023
Colleges rush to get students on food assistance By Jeanne Kuang and Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters
Students, add this to the to-do list between now and finals week: Apply for federal food assistance before the fast-approaching end of a rule that allows more folks to qualify. Starting June 10, students whose families could not contribute a dollar to their education or who are approved for federal or state workstudy programs will no longer be automatically eligible for CalFresh, the program formerly known as food stamps. Instead, students will have to seek those benefits through a stricter set of eligibility rules that limit how many low-income people enrolled in college can receive food aid. The imminent deadline — the result of a federal health order sunsetting — is putting pressure on California campus officials, both public and private, and state agencies to inform students these benefits are ending soon. Everyone — advocates, researchers, college social service coordinators and county officials — says the time is now for students to apply. Seeking the aid before the rules
The rare auld stuff
Pennywhistle virtuoso lights up St. Paddy’s Day By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer Pennywhistle (aka “tin whistle) player Casey Davis plans on bringing a bit of an Irish influence to Friday’s weekly folk jam at the Arboretum for St. Paddy’s Day. Having taught math and physics support workshops at the
explains that the pennywhistle has the same fingering as an Irish flute but is an octave higher and blown into instead of across. He’s even sung mostly sea shanties and old English ballads and carols — but hardly in the last few years. Difficult to put into words, Davis said his love for playing music is multifaceted: “the concordance of making a melody outside my head that matches the melody inside my head; the thrill of being able to fill a whole room or park with pleasant sounds; the challenge of learning a new tune or improving his skills; the joy of hearing passersby thanking him for brightening up their day.” “Slowly” learning the mandolin now, Davis said he has also played piano and hammer dulcimer in the past, though he is “way out of practice on those.” Davis first started learning pennywhistle in early high school after seeing the movie, The Secret of Roan Inish about 28 years ago. Since kindergarten, he played piano (mostly classical, ragtime, and jazz), plus a few years of trumpet and baritone in the school band. Though he has no Irish ancestry he is aware of, his parents have been playing Irish folk music (and a variety of other
Academic Assitance and Tutoring Center for the past 11 years, Davis stashes his pennywhistle in his backpack so he can play it anywhere. “I can enjoy being part of a big band providing the music for two dozen dancers with enough enthusiasm to rock the house with rhythm or anywhere in between,” he said. If Davis has time on Friday, he’ll hit the Quad and play more tunes alone if he has time between physics workshops. Davis loves the structure of Irish tunes, both in the big picture of how all the parts fit together and in the little details of personalized ornamentations. Also, he says, “the whole genre has so much history and community to it.” Davis
See RARE, Page A3
Casey Davis plans on bringing a bit of an Irish influence to Friday’s weekly folk jam at the Arboretum for St. Paddy’s Day with his pennywhistle. But then, he does take it everywhere …
See FOOD, Page A3
Courtesy photo
Wright brings activism to City Council race By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer Francesca Wright believes the city of Davis is at a crossroads, with a need for “bold leadership that will name the difficult issues and catalyze the teams that can help us address them.” Whether it is a housing crisis, deteriorating roads, public safety or any other issue facing Davis, Wright's background in education, program and policy evaluation, data analysis and more, make her the right person for the District 3 seat on the City Council and why she is seeking the job, she said. “I come to this as an activist. Activists are innately optimistic. We believe that we can always do better and we find ways that we can do better.” Wright’s activism in Davis was
VOL. 125 NO. 33
INDEX
Arts ���������������������B1 Explorit ���������������A5 Obituary �������������A3 Classifieds ���������A4 Forum �����������������B3 Pets ��������������������A6 Comics ���������������B4 Movies ���������������B2 Sports ���������������B6
perhaps most evident in her work on public safety. As a cofounder of Yolo People Power, which advocates for community safety models that ensure human dignity, access to fundamental services and harm reduction, Wright Courtesy photo was a key figure in the public Francesca Wright, center, is bidding for the Davis City safety reforms Council District 3 seat. With her are husband Lee adopted by the Bartholomew and daughter Ayala Kalisher. city in recent years. Department of Social Services Those reforms included the and Housing, and a number of hiring of an independent police auditor, creation of the See WRIGHT, Page A4
WEATHER Saturday: Partly sunny, pleasant. High 66. Low 50.
HOW TO REACH US
www.davisenterprise.com Main line: 530-756-0800 Circulation: 530-756-0826
May 2 special election
A special election will be held in May to elect a representative from District 3 to the Davis City Council. That seat was vacated in January when former mayor Lucas Frerichs took his seat on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. The remaining council members subsequently voted to fill the seat via election. The May 2 election will be by mail only, with residents of District 3 receiving their ballots in early April. The ballot features two candidates — Francesca Wright and Donna Neville. Only voters in District 3 will be able to cast ballots. To see the boundaries for that district and learn more about the election, visit https:// www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/cityclerk/elections/may-2023-all-mailballot-special-municipal-election.
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