Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: DUI Checkpoint Scheduled For Thursday In Berkeley

Also, don't miss (Dec 29 - Jan 2) Winter Math Camp for Kids ages 6-16 on the Berkeley Patch calendar

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Coffee in hand, Berkeley? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Berkeley DUI checkpoint set for Thursday at Shattuck and Parker
  • How a nighttime Segway crash on California Street turned fatal
  • Could Berkeley see faster, cheaper infill housing under this new county pilot?

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: The doctor told me to drink carrot juice after a hot bath. - Did it help? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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

Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: A morning shower or two, with a high of 60 and low of 48 degrees.
  • Thursday: Fog in the a.m.; partly sunny, temps: high: 64, low: 52.
  • Friday: Cloudy, a shower in the p.m., with a high of 64 and low of 55 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. DUI Checkpoint Scheduled For Thursday In Berkeley (patch.com) — Berkeley police will run a DUI checkpoint Thursday night at Shattuck Avenue and Parker Street, targeting drivers impaired by alcohol, marijuana, or medications. Funded by a state traffic safety grant, the operation supports a broader holiday “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign running through New Year’s Day to keep local roads safer.
   

2. Updated: Segway rider dies after crashing into parked car in Berkeley (berkeleyside.org) — A 34-year-old Oakland man died after crashing a Segway-style electric scooter into a parked car on California Street in central Berkeley on Saturday night, according to police. Officers and Berkeley firefighters tried life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, and the department’s Fatal Accident Investigation Team is now examining what happened.
   

3. Project to cut red tape from housing production moves forward with Oakland-based architectural firm (pleasantonweekly.com) — Alameda County is launching a pilot to speed up affordable housing using pre‑permitted designs, and the chosen firm has already built projects in Berkeley and nearby cities. Oakland-based Inspired ADUs will help create scalable four‑to‑16‑unit templates aimed at moderate‑income families. The program could make it easier and cheaper to add small infill housing on tricky parcels across the county.
   

4. Zhengya Zhang named IEEE Fellow for Contributions to Digital Signal Processor design (umich.edu) — A leading electrical engineering professor who earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley has been named an IEEE Fellow for groundbreaking work on ultra-efficient digital signal processors. His research has advanced high-speed communications and machine learning hardware, including tiny MIMO wireless chips and neural network accelerators. The honor underscores Berkeley’s role in training innovators shaping next‑generation computing.
   

5. Not everyone reads the room the same. A new UC Berkeley study examines why. (berkeley.edu) — UC Berkeley researchers are digging into why some people effortlessly “read the room” while others struggle, focusing on how our brains juggle facial expressions and background context. By testing nearly a thousand participants with altered video scenes, they found most people weigh clearer cues more heavily, while about 30% just average everything, a difference that could inform future work on conditions like autism.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • UPDATE: Kitty has been reunited with owner!!
    Recognize this cat? This kitty was on my street (Francisco). I stopped to give it a few pets, and when I opened my door, it ran inside. It’s not… (Nextdoor North Berkeley)
  • Clipper;
    it's changing. December 10th, 2025 was the beginning of a 12 week conversion. - Bay Area transit agencies that accept Clipper for payment will… (Nextdoor Le Conte)
  • University of California Berkeley posted a job opening for Associate Director of Academic Affairs (4545U), Haas School of Business - #70485 - 70485 in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • TradeJobsWorkforce posted a job opening for Housekeeper - Earn Up to $37/hr in Albany. 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. I can never finish drinking the hot bath!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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