Morning Palo Alto! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☕️️
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In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Ragnarocktoberfest 2026 3-Day Nerf Event and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What do you call a one-legged Big Foot? 🤔 (Answer below!)
• Too Much Tech? (thecampanile.org) — Palo Alto parents are pressing PAUSD to sharply scale back classroom technology, arguing heavy screen use harms learning and child development, while district leaders seek a more moderate, age‑based approach. A new technology committee of parents, students, educators and staff is now weighing stricter limits, alternatives like paper-based work, and ways to teach responsible tech use without eliminating devices entirely.
• Palo Alto advances plans to redesign three rail crossings (paloaltoonline.com) — Palo Alto is moving ahead with detailed designs to separate Caltrain tracks from the busy Churchill, Meadow and Charleston crossings, a costly project that could dramatically change traffic and safety for local drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. City leaders advanced all three concepts to a 35% design phase to keep grant funding options open, while debating construction timelines, potential road closures and how to pay for work that could top $1 billion.
• Meet the landscape artist blurring the line between indoor rooms and outdoor spaces (paloaltoonline.com) — A Peninsula-raised landscape designer who grew up in Palo Alto and Menlo Park is reimagining Bay Area gardens as seamless extensions of the home, tailored to each client's lifestyle. He draws on local horticulture training and extensive world travel to blend architectural elements, Asian influences, and drought-tolerant plantings into highly personalized outdoor "rooms" that work year-round in our climate.
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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: Hop Squatch! (Thank you Terri R. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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