Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Grok Apologizes For Creating Sexualized Images Of Children
Coming up on the Palo Alto Patch calendar: Inspirational Talk on Effective Prayer: Finding healing and wholeness in divine Love

Good morning to you Palo Alto! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- Palo Alto AI firm xAI faces global backlash over Grok images
- Which Palo Alto library is really best for your next study session?
- How will this new county psych center help Palo Alto families?
Also on today's calendar: Inspirational Talk on Effective Prayer: Finding healing and wholeness in divine Love and 9 more events.
Find out what's happening in Palo Altofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Palo Altofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Friday: Sunny to partly cloudy, with a high of 58 and low of 37 degrees.
- Saturday: Times of clouds and sun, temps: high: 58, low: 36.
- Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high of 60 and low of 36 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Grok Apologizes For Creating Sexualized Images Of Children (patch.com) — Palo Alto–based xAI, creator of the Grok chatbot on X, is under fire after the system generated sexualized AI images of minors and then issued an apology acknowledging failures in its safeguards. The controversy, tied to Grok’s image tool and “spicy mode,” has drawn scrutiny from international regulators and digital safety advocates, raising questions about how the local company will prevent future abuse.
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2. A student's guide to the Palo Alto libraries (thecampanile.org) — Palo Alto students and residents have a rich menu of library options, from the expansive Mitchell Park Library’s long hours and busy study spaces to Rinconada’s quieter, cozier vibe and community garden. This guide compares hours, collections, and atmospheres at all five city branches, including College Terrace, Downtown, and the nostalgic Children’s Library, to help you find the best spot to study, read, or unwind.
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3. Santa Clara County prepares to open first psychiatric facility for youth (paloaltoonline.com) — Palo Alto advocates helped spur Santa Clara County’s first youth psychiatric facility, now slated to open in spring 2026 at Valley Medical Center in San Jose. With Palo Alto experiencing multiple youth suicide clusters, the new center will finally provide local inpatient beds so families aren’t forced to seek care far from home.
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4. NASA Starts Up Gateway's Power System for First Time (nasa.gov) — A key component of NASA’s future lunar Gateway is being built in Palo Alto, where Lanteris Space Systems has just secured the spacecraft’s main electrical system inside protective panels. This Power and Propulsion Element will supply power, communications, and maneuvering for the lunar-orbiting outpost, with advanced thrusters and solar arrays now moving through installation and testing at facilities across California.
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5. Express: Judge dismisses lawsuit against city (mv-voice.com) — If you’ve got $1 million to spend in Palo Alto, current listings suggest you may only afford a small condo, a garage-sized space, or a fraction of a single-family home. This Mountain View-focused news digest also covers a dismissed lawsuit against the city, a house fire, and a debate over ranked choice voting, underscoring how tight and expensive Midpeninsula housing has become.
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📸 Around Palo Alto
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 Palo Alto
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Inspirational Talk on Effective Prayer: Finding healing and wholeness in divine Love
Christian Science Reading Room, 459 California Ave, Palo Alto
7:00 pm - Inspirational Talk on Effective Prayer: Finding healing and wholeness in divine Love
Christian Science Reading Room, 459 California Ave, Palo Alto
11:00 am
Friday January 9
Saturday January 10
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Volunteer Outdoors in Palo Alto at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve , 1530 Arastradero Rd , Palo Alto
9:00 am - External Event: FOPAL Book Sale
Palo Alto City Library 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
9:30 am - Secularization of Society
Los Altos Community Center , 97 Hillview Ave , Los Altos
11:00 am - Tour Bowman School, for 3 year olds - Grade 6, at Bowman East & West!
Bowman East, 4000 Terman Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306 - ends at Bowman West, 693 Arastradero
10:00 am - Tour Bowman School at Bayshore! For infants, toddlers, and ages 3-6 years
3801 E Bayshore Rd , Palo Alto
10:00 am - The Da Vinci Code, the play
Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94301
7:30 pm - "God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction" with Dan Barker
Main Library - San Francisco Public Library , 100 Larkin St , SF
2:30 pm - Meet Dan Barker: Music and Casual Conversation with FFRF's Co-President
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto , 505 E Charleston Rd , Palo Alto
12:30 pm - Tour Bowman School at Bayshore! For infants, toddlers, and ages 3-6 years
3801 E Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303
10:00 am - Tour Bowman School at Bayshore! For infants, toddlers, and ages 3-6 years
3801 W Bayshore Rd , Palo Alto
10:00 am
Saturday January 10
Sunday January 11
Monday January 12
Tuesday January 13
Friday January 16
Saturday January 17
Sunday January 18
Tuesday January 20
Wednesday January 21
📣 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto PatchAM possible:
- Amara — (650) 486-1703
A California cuisine restaurant with mediterranean leaning. - Cool Aid Air Conditioning and Refrigeration — (800) 266-5243
Voted Best HVAC & Refrigeration Company in the Bay Area - Flores Electric — (408) 899-8450
Electrical Safety & Savings for Silicon Valley Homeowners - Housekeeping With Maria — (650) 400-0715
Family Owned Cleaning Business - Super Brothers Plumbing, Heating and Air - San Jose — (408) 351-1994
Serving San Jose & Bay Area – HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical - The Harker School — (408) 345-9200
Magic Happens at Harker - Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- FOUND!
Thank you everyone who helped #Reunited Lost Dog Name: Ace Breed: Pitbull Frenchie but just looks like a big Frenchie Near Jackson park in Mountain… (Nextdoor Monroe Park) - URGENT - Lost Cat near Addison Elementary School
Our cat Ahghee went missing around the Addison Elementary School area in Palo Alto. She was not wearing a collar. Microchipped Has been missing for… (Nextdoor Community Center)
- LCS Senior Living posted a job opening for Activities Coordinator in Palo Alto. Apply here.
- Wing posted a job opening for Global Transportation Lead 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: I really dig you!
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