Hello Berkeley! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: AAPI Fest - San Leandro Second Fridays and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: Why wouldn't the little shrimp share his fries with his friends ? 🤔 (Answer below!)
Weather forecast:
1. Berkeley Police Schedules DUI Checkpoint For Thursday (patch.com) — Berkeley police plan a DUI checkpoint Thursday night at Shattuck Avenue and Parker Street, targeting drivers impaired by alcohol, marijuana, or medications. Residents are warned that convictions can bring steep fines, license suspension, and other penalties, with the operation funded by state traffic safety grants.
2. Berkeley preschools are closing or shedding staff as transitional kindergarten grows (berkeleyside.org) — Berkeley families with young children are seeing private preschools shrink or close as Berkeley Unified’s free transitional kindergarten rapidly expands and fills nearly all available 4‑year‑old spots. Local centers like the Berkeley School’s early childhood campus and Berkeley Hills Nursery are cutting programs, staff, and class options, raising concerns about losing small, full‑day, mixed‑age care that many working parents rely on.
3. Berkeley, Albany split $500,000 in federal funding for fire training (berkeleyside.org) — Berkeley is getting a share of $500,000 in new federal funding to improve joint fire training with Albany and other East Bay departments, potentially including a modern simulation facility. The money arrives as Berkeley Fire Department overhauls its aging stations and expands its new Ninth and Gilman complex, which now houses the Emergency Operations Center, training spaces, and a wellness center for firefighters and paramedics.
4. A research university emphasizes entrepreneurial science—and spawns start-ups in fields as varied as genetic medicine, humanoid robotics and carbon-catching materials (berkeley.edu) — UC Berkeley researchers and entrepreneurs are turning campus discoveries into startups in gene editing, robotics, and climate-focused materials, with local labs spawning companies like Ambi Robotics and Aurora Therapeutics. At a recent New York event, Berkeley scientists described how CRISPR therapies, humanoid robots, and AI-designed materials are rapidly moving from Berkeley research benches toward real-world medical, industrial, and environmental applications.
5. Composer Gabriela Lena Frank Wins 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Music (theviolinchannel.com) — A Pulitzer Prize for Music has just gone to composer Gabriela Lena Frank, who was born in Berkeley for her climate-themed orchestral work “Picaflor: A future myth.” The piece draws on her experiences with California wildfires and Andean legends, and caps a major residency with the Philadelphia Orchestra while she prepares high-profile opera and chamber premieres nationwide.
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Ok Berkeley! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Because he was shellfish ! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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