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Spare the Air: Free rides on Unitrans, Yolo Bus

Unitrans suspended its fare collections today (July 5) after regional air quality officials declared the first Spare the Air Day of the year, in an attempt to alleviate poor air quality. The problem pollutant is ground-level ozone associated with the continuing holiday heat wave.

Under a Spare the Air declaration, officials ask people to reduce their driving or take public transit, with the incentive of free rides on Unitrans, Yolo Bus and the North Natomas Transportation Management Agency Shuttle, as well as Auburn Transit, Lincoln Transit, Placer County Transit and Roseville Transit.

People who run errands in their cars are asked to postpone such errands until the morning hours when pollution levels are low. Similarly, if you are biking or walking, you should do so in the morning hours.

Unitrans apologized for the late notice of today’s free rides, attributing the delay to the holiday weekend.

Air quality officials are forecasting an “unhealthy” reading of 161 today on the Air Quality Index, after the Fourth of July’s 109, which is “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

The forecast for July 6 calls for an AQI reading of 137, “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

An AQI reading of 151 or above, “unhealthy,” triggers a Spare the Air declaration.

On the Web

Roundabout work starts July 5

When you head back to campus on July 5, be aware: That is the starting date for the roundabout construction project on Old Davis Road at California Avenue.

During the first phase, July 5 to Aug. 14, California Avenue will be closed between Old Davis Road and Arboretum Drive (on the south side of the arboretum waterway), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Therefore, drivers will be prohibited from turning from Old Davis Road onto California Avenue, leading to the core campus.

A detour will be in place, going around the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts via Arboretum Drive (the “Old” Old Davis Road) and looping back to California Avenue where it crosses the waterway. You can avoid the detour by taking Highway 113 to Hutchison Drive.

Project managers said Old Davis Road will be open at all times during construction, through Sept. 13, but drivers should expect delays, including one-way traffic control at off-peak travel times.

The campus is building the roundabout to ease traffic congestion and improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

Officials said the roadwork should be completed and the roundabout fully operation by the start of the fall quarter, while the landscaping and electrical work may take a bit longer.

Career Management Academy

Staff Development and Professional Services is taking sign-ups for another session of the Career Management Academy, described as an opportunity to explore the career assessment process.

The one-day program is scheduled for Friday, July 22. The instructors, Constance Stevens and Andrea Weiss, are nationally certified career counselors.

“It’s natural to want a career that brings a high level of satisfaction, enrichment and opportunity for professional development,” the organizers said. “The Career Management Academy offers comprehensive career assessment that facilitates self-knowledge, job satisfaction and the development of professional goals.”

The organizers said participants will inventory their work values, personality, interests and skills — all of which are integral steps in developing career goals.

“Participants will emerge with a renewed sense of direction, more confident and prepared to make informed work-life choices.”

The organizers said the course will use these assessment tools: Career Values Card Sort, SkillScan, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory.

The academy runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Hamilton Room at the Heitman Staff Learning Center (between Bainer Hall and South Silo).

Online registration: (click on "Career Management" in the catalog). If you have questions or need enrollment assistance, contact Staff Development and Professional Services, (530) 752-1766 or sdps@ucdavis.edu.

Jail time, probation in weapons case

A Yolo County Superior Court judge this week sentenced a former �ٺ���Ƶ student to 120 days in jail and three years’ felony probation in a weapons case. It dates back to Jan. 21, when city police caught Nicholas Benson with an assault rifle and a shotgun, both loaded, across the street from the central campus.

At the time of his arrest, the 25-year-old Benson was a senior communication major. Privacy rules prohibit the university from commenting on disciplinary action.

Benson pleaded no contest in late April to a felony charge of possession of an assault weapon and misdemeanor counts of carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, and resisting arrest. With his no-contest pleas, Benson did not admit guilt but said he would offer no defense; for sentencing purposes, a defendant who pleads no contest is treated the same as if he had pleaded guilty or been convicted.

He faced a prison term of 16 months to three years on the felony conviction. But, after reviewing a psychiatric evaluation, Judge Timothy Fall had the option of ordering probation — if he deemed it an acceptable alternative.

In sentencing Benson to probation, the judge also had the option of imposing a jail sentence of up to one year. He ordered Benson to report to the county jail for a three-month term. The judge also ordered mental health and drug treatment.

Riverside med school delayed

State funding issues have delayed the opening of the UC Riverside School of Medicine for a year, according to a June 29 news release from the UC Office of the President.

"Despite the enormous support of our community on and off campus, as well as friends around the state, I regret to inform you that state funding has not been provided for the UCR School of Medicine in the state's FY (fiscal year) 11-12 budget," Chancellor Timothy P. White said in a message to the campus.

UC Riverside had been planning to open the school in the fall of 2012, to help meet what White described as "the pressing need of inland southern California for this School of Medicine."