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🌱 Patch AM: What the arson verdict means for Berkeley’s animal shelter operations now

You won't want to miss Oddball 2026 - Zydeco Dance Party and Costume Ball on the Berkeley Patch calendar

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Good morning to you Berkeley! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • What the arson verdict means for Berkeley's animal shelter operations now
  • Where Eggy's is headed next and what it means for brunch
  • How Berkeley scientists and artists are reshaping space, safety, and campus life

Also on today's calendar: Oddball 2026 - Zydeco Dance Party and Costume Ball and 10 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the tractor say to the plow? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Saturday: Brisk and cool, with a high of 72 and low of 56 degrees.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 75, low: 56.
  • Monday: Beautiful with plenty of sun, with a high of 75 and low of 58 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Update: Berkeley animal shelter arsonist found guilty (berkeleyside.org) — Berkeley's city-run Animal Care Services shelter, damaged in a June 6 arson fire, is back to normal operating hours but still has limited dog space and ongoing repairs. A jury has now found 48-year-old Peter Taraba guilty of felony arson, while the city works on sheetrock replacement, deep cleaning, and restoring damaged areas as it continues to accept monetary donations and carefully triage surrenders.
   

2. Eggy's on the move, Sweet Potatoes Up Beet Cafe shuts down and more restaurant closures (berkeleyside.org) — Eggy's, the popular breakfast spot in North Berkeley's Epicurious Garden, has temporarily closed as it prepares to reopen at 2451 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. The roundup also notes temporary plumbing-related closures at Alameda's Harbor Bay Landing, the upcoming closure of longtime Pinole favorite Ristorante Due Rose, and the permanent shutdown of Sweet Potatoes Up Beet Cafe in El Cerrito.
   

3. The Wire: Berkeley Lab scientists find strong sign of dark matter; art for fire-safe yards (berkeleyside.org) — Several Berkeley-focused stories stand out today, from Lawrence Berkeley Lab scientists reporting the strongest sign yet of dark matter to a new ACCI Gallery exhibit featuring noncombustible art for fire-safe yards. Local readers will also see updates on fires at the Harrison Street encampment, a student backlash at UC Berkeley, a major portrait exhibit downtown, college rankings, and an upcoming sex education convention in town.
   

4. Welcome to the new Neuroscience PhD students! (berkeley.edu) — UC Berkeley's neuroscience community is welcoming 16 new Neuroscience PhD students in the class of 2026, plus transfer student Zachery Fogg, who joins from Sergey Stavisky's lab. Stavisky himself will arrive from UC Davis in January 2027 as an associate professor and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute member, bringing cutting-edge brain–computer interface research that helps people with paralysis communicate more fluently.
   

5. NSF invests $37.5 million in Challenge Institute for Quantum Computation (berkeley.edu) — UC Berkeley has secured a renewed $37.5 million NSF grant to lead the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Computation, strengthening a statewide quantum research network. The funding will support cutting-edge quantum science, new degree programs, and documentation of quantum computing history, keeping Berkeley at the center of California's growing quantum ecosystem and workforce development.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Berkeley

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • I just realized the Nextdoor app has these privacy settings ON by default:
    -Selling or sharing of personal information -Use of sensitive personal information To turn these OFF: 1. Tap your profile pic 2. Select Settings (at… (Nextdoor McGee Spaulding)
  • UPDATE: REUNITED on 9/11
    original post: our tuxedo cat, Ziggy, didn't come home last night. he's an adventurous guy & a bit of a daredevil but typically always makes it home… (Nextdoor South Berkeley)
  • Advantage Solutions posted a job opening for Retail Sales Merchandiser in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • YMCA of the East Bay posted a job opening for Residence Custodial & Desk Representative - Part Time- UNION in Berkeley. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Berkeley here.

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: Hold me close John Deere. (Thank you Jenny H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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