Downstroke

Elisa Bongiovanni, communication director for the group and a Chico State graduate, said the state’s public colleges and universities would turn away 1.8 million qualified students over the next decade. She added that the education system needs about $15 billion over that 10-year span to accommodate the influx of students, which the group calls Tidal Wave II.

Butte County Supervisor Mary Ann Houx said administrators in higher education shouldn’t expect more money when the K-12 systems, counties and other agencies have taken serious hits themselves. Addressing Chico State President Paul Zingg, Houx added that K-12 has always been considered a birthright, while higher education is a privilege.

Zingg said it should be a connected effort between the universities and the K-12 systems because education is essential for a knowledge-based society. “A quality state comes from investing in the public sector and sharing what we have for the common good,” Zingg said.

Drive-by flu shots: More flu vaccine is available in Butte County—but only for high-risk individuals.

The Butte County Public Health Department acquired 3,000 flu vaccine doses that were distributed to Enloe Medical Center and Oroville Hospital for clinics on Thursday, Dec. 9, and Friday, Dec. 10. You don’t even need to get out of your car for Enloe’s Thursday event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Calvary Chapel of Chico, and shots are free. Oroville Hospital is conducting the Friday, Dec. 10, clinic at the Oroville Sports Club from 8 a.m. to noon, and shots are $2. Both clinics will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.

High-risk adults are aged 65 or older, 18-64 with a chronic medical condition, women who will be pregnant between November and March, residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, health care workers taking care of patients and day care providers and people living with an infant younger than 6 months old.

Additional information is available on the flu hotline at (800) 641-0015 and the county Web site, www.buttecountypublichealth.org.

Culture call: Looking to represent the diverse human population in the state, the California Exposition & State Fair is seeking applicants for its Cultural Advisory Council. The existing council consists of 13 people who represent the state’s numerous cultures and ethnic communities, according to a press release from the California Exposition and State Fair.

Cal Expo is looking for “leaders from interested cultural communities that can serve as advisors to the Cal Expo board of directors on a range of cultural issues,” the press release says. The role of the council “would be to further advance the Cal Expo’s mission to accurately represent the cultural and ethnic diversity of the state.” Application forms can be found at www.calexpo.com and must be in by Jan. 31, 2005, at 5 p.m.