Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How a new antisemitism law could change teaching in Berkeley schools

Also check out Flipper Upper Properties Tour: Real Estate on the Berkeley Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Wednesday January 7th Patch AM
Wednesday January 7th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hi there, Berkeley! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a new antisemitism law could change teaching in Berkeley schools
  • How a UC Berkeley-led lifestyle trial may reshape Alzheimer’s prevention
  • Why a Davis playground fight matters for future Berkeley CEQA battles

Also on today's calendar: Flipper Upper Properties Tour: Real Estate and 9 more events.

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

Today's riddle: What did the hammer say after getting an A on a test? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

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

  • Wednesday: Fog in the morning, with a high of 61 and low of 46 degrees.
  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 58, low: 43.
  • Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 57 and low of 36 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Federal judge rules new law on antisemitism in California can go forward ahead of trial (berkeleyside.org) — Berkeley teachers, including a history teacher at Willard Middle School, are among plaintiffs challenging California’s new antisemitism-in-schools law, but a federal judge has allowed the law to take effect while the case proceeds. The ruling says teachers lack First Amendment rights while teaching under state curriculum rules, setting up an appeal and future trial that could shape how Gaza and Israel are discussed in local classrooms.
   

2. Structured intervention nonsuperior to self-guided in effect on Alzheimer's biomarkers (healio.com) — A UC Berkeley neuroscientist is leading a major national study testing whether intensive, structured lifestyle changes can alter Alzheimer’s-related brain biomarkers, and early imaging results show no clear advantage over self-guided changes after two years. Still, Berkeley-based researchers found structured programs may help people with smaller hippocampi or more tau maintain better thinking, and they’ll keep following participants for four more years.
   

3. Third District Affirms Judgment Finding City of Davis's Playground Equipment Relocation Project Categorically Exempt, Rejects Appellants' Claim of Unusual Circumstances Exception as Unsupported By… (jdsupra.com) — Berkeley residents who follow land-use and CEQA fights will recognize the Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. City of Berkeley precedent, which this new Davis playground-noise ruling leans on. The court upheld Davis’s CEQA exemption, emphasizing that challengers must show an actual adverse environmental change, not just a technical noise-ordinance violation, to defeat a categorical exemption.
   

4. A culinary year in review, part deux (eastbayexpress.com) — One of the year’s standout restaurants is Donato & Co. on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, which the writer now sees as a worthy successor to beloved Rick & Ann’s. The broader roundup tours notable new spots in Oakland, San Leandro and beyond, spotlighting inventive pastries, noodles and tasting-menu dishes across the East Bay.
   

5. Family of man killed in homeless shelter sues Berkeley, BOSS for failing to protect him (thestreetspirit.org) — The family of Marcel Dupree Jones is suing the City of Berkeley, shelter operator BOSS, and Jones’ former roommate after his 2024 killing at a Northwest Berkeley homeless shelter. The lawsuit alleges negligence and civil rights violations at Ursula Sherman Village, a long-running Berkeley facility that also recently expanded supportive housing in Central Berkeley.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

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 Berkeley

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Berkeley Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

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

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Berkeley PatchAM possible:

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

  • FOUND DOG 8:30 PM 1/5/26 -- NEAR RUSSELL AND THE CLAREMONT HOTEL.
    Pls text me at 510-543-7334 if you lost your dog. Small, cute dark brown/black dog, injured but ok. Cold and wet. We have him wrapped in a blanket… (Nextdoor Elmwood)
  • This past month, I had the opportunity to photograph the endangered Peninsular Desert Bighorn Sheep population in the hills above Palm Springs, California.
    This amazing sub-species has evolved to survive the desert habitat of southern California and Mexico, including getting water from cacti. Recent… (Nextdoor Rose District)
  • GPAC posted a job opening for Accounting Manager, Transportation in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • McDonald's Restaurants posted a job opening for Crew Team Member 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 nailed it!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

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

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Berkeley