Temperatures are rising, the Lowell Fire is putting up smoke and the region’s air quality is declining — prompting a Spare the Air declaration for Wednesday (July 29). With such an official declaration, rides will be free on Unitrans and Yolobus as an incentive for people to park their cars. Here are other “things to do” to help Spare the Air.

Head start on Mondavi single-event tickets

UC Davis faculty and staff have first crack at single-event tickets for the 2015-16 season at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. The head start sales period starts Monday (Aug. 3), four days before the tickets become available to the general public.

And don’t forget: Faculty and staff receive a 10 percent discount on tickets. Purchases must be made by phone, (530) 754-2787, or in person; the ticket office is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and one hour before all ticketed events.

Check out the season catalog here.

Unitrans announces new schedule

Unitrans’ 2015-16 schedule kicks in Monday (Aug. 3) with a number of changes, including:

• Expanded service on all weekend lines — The P and Q lines will start at half-hour earlier, at 8:30 a.m.; and the D, J, O, P, Q, V and W lines will run an hour later.

• Z-line extension and route adjustment — Providing weekday service to the Target store, and new stops on Second Street at Cousteau Place, and Pena Drive north of Second Street, serving the UC Davis offices in those areas. 

• Night service — It will be on the J and W lines in summer, instead of the G and M lines.

• H line — This campus perimeter shuttle is eliminated, after failing to attract significant ridership. Unitrans advises that service to the Health Sciences District will continue to be available on the D and V lines, with stops on Hutchison Drive at Health Sciences Drive. Another option: The intercampus shuttle, which you can ride for free as long as you’re riding only from stop to stop on the Davis campus. The hourly shuttle stops at the Mondavi Center, Lot 56 (Health Sciences District) and Silo Terminal before heading to the Sacramento campus.

Palmere said the new schedule also reflects minor changes in the timing of several lines. There will be no changes to the S and T lines, which will begin running on Aug. 26 with the start of the Davis school calendar.

Read the full story.

Medical center tops U.S. News and ‘Most Wired’ lists

• “Best Hospitals” — In this annual report from U.S. News & World Report, the UC Davis Medical Center is among the top 50 hospitals in the nation in 10 adult specialties, excelling in treating patients with the most serious and challenging injuries and illnesses. U.S. News declared the medical center No. 1 in the Sacramento metropolitan area and sixth in California, among hospitals that are nationally ranked in one or more specialties, and hospitals that excel in multiple common procedures and conditions.

• “Most Wired” — Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, a publication of the American Hospital Association, recognizes the medical center as a leader in information technology for the fifth year in a row. The magazine’s assessment looks at how hospitals use information technology to complement their patient safety and quality-of-care priorities as well as their public health, administrative processes and work force decisions.

Learning from the cyberattack on UCLA Health

The recent cyberattack on UCLA Health has UC Davis officials once again urging the campus community to practice the basic good habits of information security

There is no evidence that the breach affected the UC Davis Health System, Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi wrote in a July 17 email to faculty and staff. She included a list of steps “we should all take to protect the continued security of our systems and networks.”

Cheryl Washington, the Davis campus’s chief information security officer, said: “The campus security team is currently conducting its own investigation based on information we were provided about the UCLA incident. If we identify any confirmed or suspicious threats, we will reach out to the technical community and others for assistance in our investigation.”

Only $1,000 left to go for new raptor cages

UC Davis’ California Raptor Center is less than $1,000 away from the fundraising finish line for a “long overdue” cage replacement project. The goal is $35,000 by Aug. 1.

The project involves two cages, both nearly 25 years old: an eagle display (for nonreleasable golden eagles) and a mid-flight enclosure (used as both a flight training space and as an exhibit space for nonreleasable and education birds).

The center, a sanctuary for rescued and rehabilitated raptors since 1972, receives administrative support from the School of Veterinary Medicine but relies on donations to help fund rehabilitation and facilities maintenance.

The fundraising drive started the week of July 20 with $26,535 in the bank. Four days later, the organizers reported: “We had a great week of donations and are now less than $1,000 away from our goal with six days to go.”

On a Web page devoted to the project, the organizers gave the new total as $34,117. “We thank you so much for your generosity. Now let's cross the finish line!”

Donations may be made here. Among your options: $150 to adopt Fuzzy, the golden eagle that has lived in the eagle cage since 1995, having been brought to the shelter that year after she flew into a wind turbine and suffered a broken wing.

IN MEMORIAM: John Pappa, longtime coach

Longtime Aggie coach John Pappa, who had been one of “Pappy’s Boys” at Cal, has died at the age of 85 at his home in McCloud (Shasta County).

Pappa coached football, track and field and cross country in various stretches from 1965 to 1992. He was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.  

Read more.

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