Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: BART Fares, Parking Rates To Increase Soon

And on the Berkeley Patch calendar - (Dec 29 - Jan 2) Winter Math Camp for Kids ages 6-16

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Tuesday December 16th Patch AM
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Hi Berkeley! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Berkeley BART riders face higher fares and parking starting January.
  • Which Berkeley favorites just closed—and could one still return?
  • Which 2025 UC Berkeley breakthroughs mattered most for our community?

Also on today's calendar: (Dec 29 - Jan 2) Winter Math Camp for Kids ages 6-16 and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Berkeley? Post it to Berkeley photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 56 and low of 52 degrees.
  • Wednesday: A morning shower or two, temps: high: 54, low: 47.
  • Thursday: Fog in the a.m.; partly sunny, with a high of 56 and low of 49 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. BART Fares, Parking Rates To Increase Soon (patch.com) — BART riders in Berkeley will see fares and parking costs rise starting January 1, with short trips like Downtown Berkeley to Oakland increasing about 15 cents. Officials say the 6.2 percent fare hike and higher parking fees are needed to help close a major budget deficit as remote work continues to reduce ridership revenue.
   

2. Brown Cap no longer scooping, Roses' Taproom stops pouring, and more November East Bay closures (berkeleyside.org) — Several beloved East Bay spots have recently closed, including Brown Cap, the mobile ice cream vendor that served organic soft‑serve across Berkeley neighborhoods, and Westbrae pizzeria three.one four. The roundup also notes shutdowns of Flora & Ferment in Albany and two Oakland mainstays, Red Bay Coffee’s Fruitvale flagship and Roses’ Taproom, reshaping nearby dining and drinking options for Berkeley residents.
   

3. Nobel wins, psychedelic lilies and a mission to Mars: UC Berkeley's top stories of 2025 (berkeley.edu) — UC Berkeley is highlighting a big year of local milestones, from Nobel Prize wins and a Mars mission led by its Space Sciences Laboratory to new graduate housing, People’s Park construction progress, and top national rankings. Campus researchers also advanced CRISPR therapies, language revitalization, and even discovered a new color, while new leadership reshaped Cal football and student groups worked to broaden political dialogue.
   

4. East Bay's November openings include new options for breakfast, dumplings, dim sum and more (berkeleyside.org) — New food options are popping up across Berkeley, from Dough Zone’s dumplings on Shattuck to Kopi Bar’s avocado coffee inside the Berkeley Art Museum and Uqbar’s Mediterranean breakfasts in West Berkeley. The roundup also flags nearby East Bay debuts, including a massive dim sum hall in Castro Valley and several new Oakland eateries, for locals willing to travel a bit for their next meal.
   

5. Linguistics professor uncovers earliest documentation of Inuktun language (berkeley.edu) — A UC Berkeley linguistics professor has uncovered fifty long-overlooked notebooks in the campus archives that contain the earliest known documentation of the Inuktun language. His analysis is reshaping how scholars understand Inuktun’s history and evolution, while also returning valuable cultural records to Inuit communities whose ancestors were mistreated by early researchers.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Berkeley

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📣 Berkeley Shout Outs!

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Assistance League Thrift Shop’s Half-Off Women’s Holiday Attire and Home Decor Event Rules! —Betty Miller Read on Patch
  • Is this your cat?
    I am residential manager of a building on Francisco Street near MLK, and this little guy has been sleeping in our bushes and crying for food (at… (Nextdoor North Shattuck)
  • Hello neighbors.
    I’m new to the neighborhood and am excited to be here. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. (Nextdoor N.BerkHills/Tilden)
  • University of California Berkeley posted a job opening for Director, Ticket Operations (5174U) Intercollegiate Athletics #69995 - 69995 in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • IICRC posted a job opening for Janitorial Services OR Berkeley (WednesdaySunday, 6:00 PM to 2:30 AM) 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: I don't know, but April May!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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