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DEEP DIVE: On Nov. 15, 1990, Maria Weidhofer was raped and killed by a stranger in a Berkeley park. Police say genetic genealogy helped them solve the case. Don't miss the latest Scanner deep dive, with extensive exclusive reporting.

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During her first day on the job, Alameda County's new district attorney, Ursula Jones Dickson, wasted no time in getting "back to business" — having Price's chief inspector walked out of the building and rescinding the biggest Price reforms. Don't miss the latest Scanner deep dive.

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A Berkeley High student was robbed at gunpoint last week during a dice game with other high school students, authorities report. Three unidentified males took the student's backpack, which contained a laptop and $5,000 in cash, police said.

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Authorities plan to share a break this week in a 34-year-old cold case involving Maria Jane Weidhofer, a Berkeley woman whose body was found in Tilden park in 1990. Weidhofer was raped and strangled while jogging on the Nimitz trail. She was just 32.

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Burglars used a vehicle to ram their way into Looking Glass Photo in Berkeley early Sunday morning, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Fans immediately rallied in support: "Even in this dark moment, we have felt the light of our community," the shop wrote.

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GUEST ESSAY: "Unhoused people deserve to be treated with dignity and care, and children deserve to be safe when they go to school." Today's authors ask officials to take fast action: "We cannot tolerate encampments next to public schools."

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DNA helped Berkeley police catch a woman who forced her way into North Face via a skylight then "rappelled down a nylon strap onto the floor" to commit burglary last year, according to court papers.

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A man police say attacked a woman riding her bike on UC Berkeley property in January has been charged with a felony sex crime and attempted kidnapping, court papers show.

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Berkeley native Elise Lusk was a vivacious and caring woman who brought others together. She was also a cancer survivor and a lifelong swimmer. She died after a driver struck her Jan. 26.

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Eighty-four-year-old Lovie McNeal woke up Monday in the early morning hours to find her bedroom on fire. She pushed through burning flames to rouse her daughter and son-in-law. BFD rescued another daughter, who was bedridden, but she later died.

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Eighty-four-year-old Lovie McNeal woke up Monday in the early morning hours to find her bedroom on fire. She pushed through burning flames to rouse her daughter and son-in-law. BFD rescued another daughter, who was bedridden, but she later died.

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A man who was charged with sexual battery on a Berkeley High student was released on his own recognizance this week and is being considered for a diversion program, court papers show.

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A man with a history of skipping court has been charged with pistol-whipping a Berkeley Hills resident during a recent carjacking attempt, court papers show.

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A bold plan to tighten Berkeley's approach to wildfire prevention is headed to City Council next week — to include a new buffer zone east of Grizzly Peak with stringent ”ember-free" requirements and home hardening goals (perhaps backed by incentives).

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TBS learned after publication that the woman two young men tried to rob Saturday in broad daylight in a busy Berkeley neighborhood was a mother who was holding her baby. (This story was updated to include those details.)

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Mayor Adena Ishii spoke candidly to community members Monday night about her first months on the job and what Berkeley can expect from her.

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Berkeley police are investigating a robbery attempt over the weekend at a North Berkeley ATM in the bustling Shattuck Avenue business corridor.

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A proposal from Berkeley's new mayor went down in defeat in recent weeks, revealing a fractured City Council getting off to a rocky start. One official criticized council colleagues for using the "Trumpist tactic of silencing dissent."

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UPDATE: One person has died after a Berkeley house fire Monday, authorities have confirmed. One person remains in critical condition and two others sustained minor to moderate injuries, authorities said after publication. BFD also saved a small dog.

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Four adults were taken to the hospital, two of them in critical condition, due to a house fire in northwest Berkeley early Monday morning.

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Police at UC Berkeley are investigating a sexual battery that occurred adjacent to campus in the Southside neighborhood Sunday night.

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Berkeley's new Flock cameras helped BPD arrest two teens in a stolen car who fled from officers Saturday afternoon, authorities report. Passers-by who saw the pair running through the neighborhood helped alert police about where they were heading.

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Berkeley police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that sent a 77-year-old woman to the hospital Saturday night, authorities report.

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UPDATE: A woman who was found dead after a tent fire in northwest Berkeley in early January has been identified as 30-year-old Trinity Anais Brooks of Oakland. At this point, authorities do not believe her death was suspicious.

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A man with a gun struck a Berkeley Hills resident in the head during a robbery Friday morning on Shasta Road, authorities report.

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Authorities are investigating a report Wednesday that an adult at a park across from Berkeley High had "inappropriately touched" a student on her way to school. BPD is actively working on the case.

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A 19-year-old UC Berkeley student who crashed Tuesday night while riding an electric skateboard near Cal was left in critical condition, authorities report.

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A deliveryman was charged with murder and attempted murder Tuesday after stabbing an alleged van thief and his accomplice, court papers show. The alleged thief survived but a woman who helped him steal packages did not, according to court papers.

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A man who crashed Tuesday night while riding an electric skateboard near UC Berkeley was left in critical condition, police say. BPD described the rider as college-aged and said he had no helmet. We're working to learn more.

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Ursula Jones Dickson said she'll take a close look at staffing and timely charging as Alameda County's next district attorney, while ensuring collaborative courts remain an option. Her executive team is "ready to go," she said.

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Judge Ursula Jones Dickson will be Alameda County's next district attorney following a long-anticipated vote by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening.

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Police are investigating an apparent organized retail theft at the Berkeley North Face Outlet on Monday afternoon. Six or more people reportedly pulled up in two cars and then ran out with $25,000 in stolen merchandise around 3:15 p.m.

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As wildfires continue to rage in LA, many Bay Area residents are asking if a similar disaster could happen here — and if vulnerable communities are prepared for a rapid evacuation and firefight.

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UPDATE: The coroner's office has identified the pedestrian who was killed in Sunday's crash near Monterey Market as Elise Lusk, 66, of Berkeley.

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UPDATE: A 66-year-old woman is dead after being struck by a driver in North Berkeley on Sunday afternoon near Monterey Market, authorities have confirmed.

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First responders rushed a pedestrian to the hospital Sunday after a serious car crash in North Berkeley, according to authorities and community reports. The pedestrian was trapped under the car during the crash, which left groceries scattered in the street.

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Police in Berkeley are investigating two seemingly unrelated shootings Friday night: one, gunfire on the freeway, the other, the case of a man who showed up wounded at a local hospital. Here's what we know.

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Police have arrested the suspect in a UC Berkeley sex crime case that made headlines this week. BPD spotted Andrew McNear early Friday morning. He'd been wanted by UCPD on suspicion of kidnapping and assault to commit rape or some other sex crime.

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To some, he was Robert. To others, he was Jamal. He often slept outside the Cheeseboard and could also be found on Euclid Avenue. Earlier this month, he was found deceased on the UC Berkeley campus.

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Berkeley police are investigating a fake 911 call this week that briefly caused concern at a local elementary school. The Citizen app sent an alert to the school reporting a nearby shooting — which actually had not happened.

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The recent three-day weekend saw two gunfire investigations by Berkeley police. They were the first shootings of the year. No one was hurt, no arrests have been made and the investigations are ongoing, BPD said this week.

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A woman pepper-sprayed a man Tuesday night on the Berkeley-Albany border after he said he wanted to sexually assault her and pulled her off her bike, police report.

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A driver who fell asleep at the wheel in Berkeley late Tuesday night crashed into a utility pole, knocking out power to thousands of residents, according to preliminary reports.

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SCOOP: A woman is dead and two men were wounded in a triple stabbing in West Berkeley on Saturday.

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BREAKING: Six past or present Alameda County prosecutors and Alameda's city attorney have been selected as finalists for the vacant Alameda County district attorney role following the recall of Pamela Price. Here's what happens next.

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A local activist took responsibility for retaliating against the government by setting fires last year at UC Berkeley and the Oakland federal building, authorities say. Casey Goonan could receive 5-20 years for what was described as terrorism. MORE: www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/16/u...

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A group of people using several vehicles broke into a Berkeley gas station over the weekend, making off with the cash register and "a quantity" of cigarettes, authorities said.

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A former UC Berkeley student who police say photographed a young woman in her dorm shower is set to appear in court next week on multiple charges. Police say the woman and her roommate helped catch the culprit. MORE: www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/14/u...

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A Scanner reader shared this photo of a massive geyser in downtown Berkeley on Monday morning. According to preliminary reports, an AC Transit bus struck a hydrant outside 2168 Shattuck Ave. (at Center Street) around 10:40 a.m. ICYMI: We love your tips! berkeleyscanner.com/tips/

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Nine people were displaced due to a fire at a Berkeley apartment building in the Elmwood neighborhood over the weekend, authorities report. The fire broke out shortly before 2:40 a.m. Sunday.

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