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🌱 Patch AM: Which Berkeley author talks should you lock into your January calendar?

Be sure to catch 2025 Grand Finale 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:

  • Which Berkeley author talks should you lock into your January calendar?
  • Which new Berkeley-rooted albums should be on your playlist now?
  • How a Berkeley lab disaster reshaped America’s vaccine rules for decades

Also on today's calendar: 2025 Grand Finale and 9 more events.

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

Today's riddle: I think I’ll wear only one boot today. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

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

  • Wednesday: Rather cloudy, showers around, with a high of 54 and low of 47 degrees.
  • Thursday: Periods of rain, temps: high: 57, low: 54.
  • Friday: Windy with rain and drizzle, with a high of 60 and low of 52 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. January 2026 author events: Richard Beal, Brian Brady, Gail Butinsky, Alix Christie, Dick Evans, Grant Faulkner, Hannah Hindley, Natan Last, John Sayles, Stuart Schuffman (localnewsmatters.org) — Berkeley readers can look forward to a packed January of author events at Mrs. Dalloway’s and the North Branch Library, featuring storyteller Corey Rosen, UC Berkeley scholar Claire Kahane, filmmaker-novelist John Sayles, and bird photographers Dick Evans and Hannah Hindley. The broader calendar also highlights dozens of Bay Area talks, from crime fiction to climate-focused short stories, giving you plenty of nearby literary outings to plan now.
   

2. East Bay sounds showcase eclectic artistry (eastbayexpress.com) — Berkeley musicians are at the heart of this roundup of standout East Bay albums, from Actual Trio’s North Oakland-forged jazz to Myra Melford’s adventurous new trio and Ben Davis’s improvising duo. You’ll also find a live Hillside Club recording and projects featuring Berkeley rhythm partners Lisa Mezzacappa and Jason Levis, offering plenty of local sounds to explore and support.
   

3. RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long (progressive-charlestown.com) — A historic vaccine manufacturing failure at Cutter Laboratories in Berkeley is highlighted as a turning point that pushed the federal government to tighten oversight of vaccines nationwide. The piece explains how the U.S. childhood immunization schedule was built over decades, and why many medical groups and states, including California, are resisting recent federal moves to roll back long-standing hepatitis B shots for newborns.
   

4. ‘60 Minutes' segment featuring UC Berkeley research into CECOT abruptly pulled from air (dailycal.org) — UC Berkeley Human Rights Center students say they were blindsided when CBS pulled a completed 60 Minutes segment on their investigation into conditions at El Salvador’s massive CECOT prison just hours before air. They argue their open-source research strongly supports Human Rights Watch findings and worry the delay reflects political pressure and shrinking press freedom, even as the unaired piece circulates online.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • I realize this is a long shot, but we need help finding a dog owner.
    My son was running at Bonita and Rose at approximately 2:50pm today (Dec 29) and was bit by a medium-sized, beige/very light brown dog with very… (Nextdoor North Berkeley BART East)
  • Looking for gardner who is reasonable price and reliable.
    My gardner charges $80 per month, comes once a month, was doing reasonable maintenance (basic weed removal and clean-up), but he disappeared from a… (Nextdoor Rose District)
  • University of California Berkeley posted a job opening for Lecturer Pool – Cognitive Science – ISSP– College of Letters & S in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • Pyramid Global Hospitality posted a job opening for Houseperson 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 heard there’s only a 50 percent chance of snow.
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