Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How Palo Alto’s new ‘living levee’ could reshape Bay flood protection

Coming up: 54th Annual Mountain View Art & Wine Festival "A Festival Like No Other" on the Palo Alto Patch calendar

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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 Palo Alto's new 'living levee' could reshape Bay flood protection
  • What Palo Alto homeowners must change under new fire-smart yard rules
  • How Palo Alto will mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Also on today's calendar: 54th Annual Mountain View Art & Wine Festival "A Festival Like No Other" and 9 more events.

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

Weather forecast:

  • Saturday: Breezy in the afternoon, with a high of 77 and low of 58 degrees.
  • Sunday: Partly sunny, temps: high: 77, low: 55.
  • Monday: Plenty of sunshine, with a high of 81 and low of 55 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Bay Area's first 'living levee' opens at Palo Alto Baylands (paloaltoonline.com) — Palo Alto's new "living levee" at the Baylands is now open, adding flood protection, wastewater filtration, and restored marsh habitat right along the city's shoreline. The $4.6 million project, tied to a larger wastewater plant overhaul, will be closely studied as a model for other Bay communities facing sea level rise and climate impacts.
   

2. How to prepare for California's new fire-smart landscaping guidelines (paloaltoonline.com) — If you live in Palo Alto's foothills or near Foothills Nature Preserve, new state "Zone 0" rules will soon require fire‑smart landscaping within five feet of your home. Local fire officials and designers explain which plants and materials to change, how city inspections already work along Page Mill and Arastradero, and ways to improve safety without sacrificing privacy.
   

3. 'Never forget, be ready': Remembering 9/11, 25 years later (mv-voice.com) — Palo Alto residents are invited to a multifaith peace picnic and prayer service at King Plaza on Sept. 10 to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, alongside other Peninsula remembrance events. Local firefighters and community members reflect on the attacks' lasting impact, the work of Menlo Park–based California Task Force 3 at Ground Zero, and new efforts to improve regional disaster preparedness and training.
   

4. Palo Alto council members reflect on 9/11 (padailypost.com) — Palo Alto City Council members share where they were on 9/11 and how they processed the attacks while living, working, and parenting in Palo Alto. Their personal stories, from classrooms to law offices and homes across town, highlight how the tragedy shaped their sense of community, public service, and what matters most today.
   

5. Silicon Valley parents think NYC is crazy to ban AI in schools: 'Can't make children live in the past' (nypost.com) — In Palo Alto, a $75,000-a-year Alpha School campus and the public Palo Alto Unified School District are taking very different approaches to AI in the classroom, even as New York City bans the tech for most grades. Local parents and educators debate how much AI students should use, how to keep learning meaningful, and whether public-school kids risk falling behind wealthier peers in AI fluency.
   

📸 Around Palo Alto

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Owner found via microchip and dog reunited!
    Thank you! Found a dog in Menlo Park on Ashton Ave wandering around. No tag but with a collar. Currently in our gated yard. Please message if yours… (Nextdoor Downtown North)
  • PG&E Induction Cooktop Loaner Program: Residential and Business Customers
    Experience induction. Faster, safer, more control. The future of cooking. Borrow an induction cooktop for your home or business at no cost… (Nextdoor )
  • Coury Hospitality posted a job opening for Front Desk Experience Curator in Palo Alto. Apply here.
  • Steve & Kate's Camp posted a job opening for October Field Trip Camp Counselor - Palo Alto in Palo Alto. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Palo Alto here.

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: 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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