Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: How accurate is Menlo Park’s new 24/7 AI city helper?
And on the Menlo Park Patch calendar - In Conversation with Andrew Sean Greer
Good day Menlo Park! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️
Before we get to what's happening, a big thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Menlo Park PatchAM possible. Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
- RowCal - San Jose — (408) 620-5366
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In today's newsletter:
- How accurate is Menlo Park's new 24/7 AI city helper?
- Could your Menlo Park mailbox be tied to this 80-pound mail haul?
- What really happened to El Palo Alto's long-lost twin redwood?
Also on today's calendar: Dementia After Dark: Why Sleep Falls Apart and Strategies to Restore Rest and 7 more events.
Today's riddle: Why did the man leave his watch in the bank? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Tuesday: Partly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 79 and low of 57 degrees.
- Wednesday: Partly sunny, temps: high: 80, low: 59.
- Thursday: Partly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 79 and low of 59 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Menlo Park launches 'Laurel,' an AI chatbot to help navigate city services (almanacnews.com) — Menlo Park has rolled out "Laurel," a multilingual AI chatbot on the city website to answer questions about services, events, and resources 24/7. Early tests show it's generally helpful but sometimes gives wrong details on office hours, elections, and councilmembers, so residents should double-check key information through official city pages. 
2. 2 arrested with 80 pounds of mail stolen from Menlo Park, Mountain View (almanacnews.com) — Menlo Park residents are among victims in a large regional mail-theft case where Sunnyvale police recovered over 80 pounds of suspected stolen mail from multiple Bay Area cities. Investigators say thieves targeted centralized mailboxes at apartments and condos, using tools to open them without visible damage, and are still working to identify additional victims and related crimes.
3. The Other Side of the Creek: Before El Palo Alto Stood Alone (inmenlo.com) — Standing on the Menlo Park side of San Francisquito Creek, you're looking at El Palo Alto, a redwood whose twin once shaped local history and identity. This deep dive traces how storms, railroads, and decades of care left today's lone tree, and explains how to visit the tiny creekside park that connects Menlo Park and Palo Alto.
4. Invasive shothole borers are here: What Peninsula homeowners need to know (almanacnews.com subscription) — Menlo Park homeowners are being warned about invasive shothole borers now established in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, threatening many common yard trees. The article explains how to spot signs of infestation, why early detection matters, and when to call county agriculture officials or a Menlo Park-based arborist for assessment and management options.
5. A look at major lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies over harms to kids (sfchronicle.com) — With Meta's headquarters in Menlo Park, local residents may want to follow a series of major lawsuits accusing the company and other platforms of harming kids' mental health. States, school districts, and individual families nationwide are pressing claims that design choices made Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube addictive for young users, leading to big verdicts, settlements, and potential safety changes.
📸 Around Menlo Park
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Menlo Park
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- In Conversation with Andrew Sean Greer →
Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real #100, Menlo Park
7:00 pm
Wednesday August 19
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Dementia After Dark: Why Sleep Falls Apart and Strategies to Restore Rest →
500 Arbor Rd, Menlo Park
4:00 pm - Adv. Vocals Auditions (Returning Students)
Palo Alto High Palo Alto, CA 94301
4:10 pm - Paly Choirs Adv. Vocals Auditions (Returning Students)
Palo Alto High Palo Alto, CA 94301
4:10 pm - Theatre Auditions
Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center, 50 Embarcadero Rd
4:30 pm - Back to School Night - TK and Kinder
Walter Hays Elementary MP Room
5:15 pm - LEGO Tuesdays!
Downtown Branch Library 270 Forest Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
4:00 pm - Paly Choirs Adv. Vocals Auditions (New & Callbacks)
Palo Alto High Palo Alto, CA 94301
4:10 pm - Back to School Night
Addison Elementary School, 650 Addison Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301
5:15 pm - PVI Luau →
800 Middle Ave, Menlo Park
4:00 pm
Wednesday August 19
Thursday August 20
Monday August 24
Tuesday August 25
Wednesday September 2
📣 Menlo Park Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- Cultivating AI Literacy in the Classroom
Santa Clara University Learning Commons 203
9:00 am - Drop in Tech Help
Palo Alto City Library 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
10:00 am - Vintage Media Lab
Palo Alto City Library 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
10:00 am - Family Storytime
Woodside Library 3140 Woodside Road, Woodside, CA 94062
10:30 am
Tuesday August 18
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- What is the right thing to do when your neighbor's tree is hanging over your property?
Who would be responsible for the overflow? Can I ask them to cut it down? (Nextdoor North Fair Oaks-Menlo) - Anybody who sees this and has circles in Hayward and the east bay please repost.
Not my bird but boosting. https://www.pawboost.com/landing/pet/RCg5XQUtAjZs9FVNRIrKrBQG6_7R-T5w/lost-juno-hayward-ca-94541?utm_source=facebook&utm… (Nextdoor North Fair Oaks-Menlo)
- i9 Sports Corporation posted a job opening for Senior Sport Coordinator Flag Football in Menlo Park. Apply here.
- Essex Property Trust REIT posted a job opening for Porter in Menlo Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Menlo Park here.
Ok Menlo Park! 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: So he could save time! (Thank you Lorraine S. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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