The Davis Enterprise Wednesday, September 16, 2020

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Bluebirds thrive in Davis — Page A10

Ethnic studies can’t be just about grudges — Page A6

Get those picky eaters to swallow anything — Page A7

enterprise THE DAVIS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

Sex-assault trial begins for softball coach BY LAUREN KEENE Enterprise staff writer

US News ranked UC Davis No. 39 over all and No. 11 among public schools in its latest rankings. CALEB HAMPTON/ ENTERPRISE FILE PHOTO

UCD ranked among best BY CALEB HAMPTON

The ranking system took several criteria into account, including student debt, social mobility, graduation rates and retention rates. UC Davis was ranked the 15th best school specifically on social mobility criteria, which is determined by the outcomes of Pell Grant recipients as well as other data.

Enterprise staff writer UC Davis was once again rated among the top colleges in the country in the latest “Best Colleges” rankings by U.S. News & World Report, which were released Monday. U.S. News ranked UC Davis the 11th-best public school in the United States and the 39th-best school overall.

According to the publication, UC Davis students have a higher-than-expected gradua-

tion rate, with 87% of students graduating within six years. UC Davis was also ranked highly for its ethnic diversity and relatively low amount of federal student loan debt that students have at graduation. UC Davis’ undergraduate engineering program was ranked the 28th-best in the country and its computer science program was ranked 36th. UC Davis was also ranked

the 18th-best school for veterans, the 50th most innovative school and was the school with the No. 55 ranking for undergraduate teaching. “Our students make UC Davis a better place in many ways, and these accolades reinforce what we already know about their drive and intelligence,” UC Davis Chancellor

SEE RANKED, PAGE A3

WOODLAND — As his own lawyer put it, Jack “Buck” Thomas can be rough around the edges. A “renowned” hitting coach in the youth softball and baseball circuit, “he’s crass, he’s vulgar, he has no filter,” Yolo County Deputy Public Defender Emily Fisher told a jury Monday. But while “off-putting” in style, as Fisher also described him, did Thomas sexually assault two clients, ages 15 and 16, in the summer of 2018? Or did one girl’s father, dissatisfied with Thomas’ coaching regimen, create the allegations when Thomas refused to refund his money? Jurors heard both theories during opening statements Monday in Yolo Superior Court, where Thomas, 44, is standing trial on multiple felony sexual-assault charges. West Sacramento police brought the case in cooperation with the Sheriff ’s Office in Maricopa County, Ariz., where authorities arrested Thomas on Jan. 4, 2019, on suspicion

SEE TRIAL, PAGE A3

Chapman aims for District 5 City Council seat BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY

reimagining downtown Davis and crafting a plan for the future. Along with his background (and degree) in small business management, the father of two elementary school-age boys also has roots in another field: Prior to moving to Davis 11 years ago, he taught for many years, first for AmeriCorps in Washington, D.C., and later as a high school teacher in San Francisco working with youths in the juvenile delinquency system. More recently, he taught suicide prevention and mental health lessons in local junior high schools on behalf of Suicide Prevention of Yolo County. That combination of immersion in the local business and political scene as well as his

Enterprise staff writer For a decade now, Josh Chapman has been a key figure in the downtown Davis scene, both as a small business owner and as a civic leader. He and his wife, Athena, own and operate Armadillo Music — a business started by her parents in 1996 — and Chapman has spent years on the Davis Downtown Business Association board of directors, including as president. He was an original sponsor and organizer of the Davis Music Festival and more recently served as the DDBA’s representative on the Downtown Plan Advisory Committee, tasked by the City Council with

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INDEX

interest in community service had Chapman considering a run for City Council several years ago. CHAPMAN But he was still DDBA Ready to step up president at the time and his children were still young, so he decided against it, he said. Now with his work on the downtown plan wrapped up, his boys a little older and the switch to district elections, he’s decided to take the plunge, entering the race to represent the 5th District on the Davis City Council. “It was the next logical step

WEATHER

Business Focus A3 Forum . . . . . . . . A6 Obituaries . . . . A4 Classifieds . . . . A5 Green Page . .A10 The Wary I . . . . A2 Comics . . . . . . . A8 Living . . . . . . . . A7 Weather . . . . . . A9

HAZE

Thu Thursday: Ha Hazy and warm. High 85. Low 57. Hi

School board looks ahead to eventual return

for me in terms of wanting to give back and the civic duty I’ve worked to encompass in my life,” he said. Providing representation on the council for residents of South Davis is critical, Chapman said. “I can have this immediate direct impact on the community in which I live,” he said, a community that includes not only the children he coaches on youth sports teams and their families, but also the broader community surrounding Montgomery Elementary School, where he is a parent volunteer. “There has definitely been a sense that South Davis hasn’t been represented at the council

Davis school district staff will outline preliminary plans still under development for an eventual “phased return to campus” during Thursday’s meeting of the Davis school board. No target dates for a phased return to campus are being identified at this point. Before such a discussion can begin, Yolo County will need to have logged less than 200 new coronavirus cases over a period of 14 consecutive days.

SEE CHAPMAN, PAGE A4

SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A4

BY JEFF HUDSON Enterprise staff writer

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