🌱 Patch AM: How two Palo Alto women reshaped local philanthropy and youth mental health

Good morning Palo Alto! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How two Palo Alto women reshaped local philanthropy and youth mental health
• Family ends high-profile AI cheating lawsuit against Palo Alto schools
• Why a Gunn High grad's lawsuit could reshape college admissions debates

Also on today's calendar: Garden Fresh Luncheon and 8 more events.

Today's riddle: Why are elevator jokes so good ? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high of 78 and low of 54 degrees.
• Monday: Mostly sunny and warmer, temps: high: 88, low: 56. 🌶 Hot!
• Tuesday: Rather cloudy and very warm, with a high of 90 and low of 63 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Philanthropy leader, mental health advocate to receive Athena Awards (paloaltoonline.com) — Palo Alto's own Irene Wong and Peying Lee are being honored with this year's Athena Awards for their leadership in local philanthropy and youth mental health. Their work with the Palo Alto Community Fund, Project Safety Net, and allcove Palo Alto has helped sustain critical services during suicide clusters and budget crises, and residents can celebrate them at an October 15 ceremony.
   

• Family drops lawsuit that disputed PAUSD's claims their son cheated by using AI (padailypost.com) — A family has dropped its lawsuit against Palo Alto Unified School District over claims their high-achieving student was wrongly accused of using AI to cheat, and the student has since transferred schools. Their attorney says the case was about due process and fairness in how PAUSD handles AI-related accusations, an issue he believes has affected many students, while the father now runs an AI company based in Palo Alto.
   

• Asian student rejected by 16 colleges wins ruling in UW admissions suit (campusreform.org) — A Gunn High School graduate from Palo Alto has won a key early ruling in his lawsuit alleging anti-Asian discrimination in University of Washington admissions, allowing his main federal claim to move forward. The judge dismissed several other claims but left open the possibility of holding university officials personally liable, keeping the high-profile case—and its implications for selective admissions—in the spotlight.
   

📸 Around Palo Alto

Subscribe

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 Palo Alto

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Wednesday September 9
• Garden Fresh Luncheon →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  12:00 pm
• LEAD Alumni & Future Leaders Reception
  Los Altos Chamber of Commerce Redwood Grill Rancho Shopping Center 680 Fremont Ave. Los Altos, CA 94024
  5:30 pm
Thursday September 10
• Downtown Los Altos Farmers' Market →
  Los Altos Chamber of Commerce Downtown Los Altos along State Street.
  4:00 pm
Friday September 11
• Walk or Wheel
  Gardner Bullis Elementary Los Altos, CA 94022
  8:00 am
• Gamble Garden Plant Sale (Friday) →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  10:00 am
Saturday September 12
• Gamble Garden Plant Sale (Saturday) →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  10:00 am
• Second Saturday (September) →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  10:00 am
• Biodiversity in Urban Gardens (BUG) Initiative Workshop →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  10:00 am
Monday September 14
• Gardener's Hour (September) →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  5:30 pm
Tuesday September 15
• September Tour of Elizabeth Gamble House and Garden →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  1:30 pm
Thursday September 17
• Japanese Bookbinding Workshop →
  Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto
  10:30 am

📣 Palo Alto 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

Sunday September 6
• Santa Clara University Women's Soccer vs Stanford - Bronco Bold:
  Santa Clara University Santa Clara, Calif., Stevens Stadium - Buck Shaw Field
  1:00 pm
Monday September 7
• Labor Day (No School)
  Corte Madera Portola Valley, CA 94028
• Woodland Branch Library Closed for Labor Day →
  Woodland Library 1975 Grant Road, Los Altos, CA 94024
• Labor Day Holiday
  Santa Clara University 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Palo Alto PatchAM possible:

• Illusive Comics & Games, LLC — (408) 985-7655
• Motherhealth LLC — (408) 854-1883
• VoicED Academy — 4083738953
• Housekeeping With Maria — (650) 400-0715
• Super Brothers Plumbing, Heating and Air - San Jose — (408) 351-1994

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Is this anyone's cat?
  He hangs around Wildwood Lane in Palo Alto a lot. He's very friendly and scarfs down food. He also seems to want to go inside my house a lot. I say … (Nextdoor Duveneck - St. Francis)

• Epacenter posted a job opening for Receptionist/Visitor Experience Associate in Palo Alto. Apply here.
• Stanford Federal Credit Union posted a job opening for Retail Support Manager in Palo Alto. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Palo Alto here.

🗞 Nearby News

Los Altos Hills

• The impact of the AI wealth wave on Los Altos and Los Altos Hills real estate (losaltosonline.com)
• Women's Squash Welcomes Two in 2026-27 Recruiting Class (pennathletics.com)
• Death announcements for the week of Sept. 4, 2026 (jweekly.com)

Stanford

• Mensah throws 5 TD passes, Toney sets record in No. 7 Miami's 45-6 win over Stanford (texarkanagazette.com)
• AI Solves a Millennium Prize Problem in 2026? Manifold Traders Say 38% (tech-insider.org)
• Federal judge slaps down Marco Rubio over deportations (knewz.com)

Ok Palo Alto! 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 they work on so many levels ! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook