enterprise THE DAVIS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2023
D.A. seeks murder charge in deadly 2022 crash By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer
donations and volunteers. With the retirement of Bowen from the city in 2020, and the concurrent uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the active management of the lights was postponed. Previously, the program was sustained by volunteers. As the city works to develop a permanent process and procedure for
WOODLAND — A Yolo Superior Court judge upheld murder and vehicular manslaughter charges against a rural Woodland man last week in connection with a fatal collision on Highway 16. Yolo County prosecutors filed the charges against Trevor William Cook, 27, nearly a year after the April 14, 2022, collision west of Woodland that claimed the life of Sacramento resident Prajal Bista, 33. Bista was driving to work shortly after 11 p.m. that night when Cook, traveling a reported 103 mph on County Road 97, ran a stop sign at Highway 16 and struck Bista’s vehicle, according to testimony given during Cook’s preliminary hearing last week. Prosecuting attorney Frits van der Hoek said “the sheer level of force applied here” dislodged Bista’s seatbelt, causing him to be ejected “a massive distance from his vehicle.” He died at the scene. Cook, also headed to work as a security guard, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers did report finding heroin and a loaded firearm
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Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise file photo
Downtown Davis shimmers to life under the twinkle lights in 2015.
Downtown trees will get new lights By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer The lights strung around downtown Davis trees have graced sidewalks for a decade, but time has taken its toll. As city staff works on relighting the trees, arborists will be pruning and assessing their health. There are about 100 trees downtown that have lights on them, but only about 50 trees
have working lights. City staff will take this opportunity to assess the health of trees downtown, prune them as needed and replace the decorative lights with temporary lights until a more thorough and long-term plan for tree health and permanent decorative lighting in downtown Davis can be available. Outside of the city’s annual tree-lighting each December,
year-round tree lights were first strung in the downtown around 2010 as a festive way to provide ambient lighting at night, explained Jenny Tan, city of Davis Public Information Officer. In 2014, a group of people, including former city publicrelations manager Bob Bowen and business owner Steve Wilkinson, continued to maintain the lights with the help of
More money for WCC health center By Jim Smith Special to The Enterprise Greater efforts are being made across California to provide mental health services, and the same holds true for students in community colleges. California made it easier to call for help a year ago when it launched a simplified mental health crisis hotline: 988. And since then, as CalMatters, a nonprofit media group in California, has reported, more than 280,000 calls have been received at crisis centers statewide. In Woodland, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on July 11, approved an amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding
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Business �����������A4 Forum �����������������B4 Op-Ed �����������������B5 Classifieds ���������A5 Living �����������������B3 Sports ���������������B1 Comics ���������������B5 Obituaries ���������B2 The Wary I ���������A2
with Yuba Community College District and CommuniCare Health Centers to extend a contribution of $225,000 with a maximum of $945,000 through June 30, 2024, for schoolbased healthcare and behavioral health services for students. CommuniCare, with offices located West Sacramento, Woodland and Davis, offers a range of health services and has been affiliated with the Yuba College District and Woodland Community College for more than 10 years. The funds authorized by Yolo County will directly affect Woodland College, which is seeing slow, but
WEATHER Today: Sunny and hot again. High 105. Low 68.
steady increase in physical and behavioral health needs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with a slowly growing student population. Speaking recently at the College Health Center, located in Room 770 of Building 700 at the 2300 E. Gibson Road school, Allison Rodriguez, a licensed clinical social worker and associate director of Youth and Family Services for CommuniCare, said the center provides both physical and mental health services but has been seeing more mental health assistance of late.
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School Board trustees ease back into normal business By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer After an all-too-short summer break, the DJUSD board of trustees reconvened for another meeting on Thursday, Aug 3. After a brief summary of summer actions from around the district including camps, construction and campus maintenance projects, the meeting dove headfirst into the business side of things. First up, Superintendent Matt Best had kudos for one of Davis’ teachers. “Congratulations to Cathryn Huser, the North
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Davis Elementary School first-grade teacher extraordinaire for being named the July teacher of the month by the Schools First Credit Union, ABC10 and Sacramento State’s College of Education,” Best said in his announcements. “We’re so proud of Cathryn and rooting for her to win the big prize.
“As you know, we’ve had several enrichment programs for students over the summer including band camp, basketball camp, ethnic studies academy, mariachi camp
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