A new roof on Finnish Hall, owned by a defunct nonprofit and mired in property tax debt, should shore up the structure. But the future of the landmarked building, also the home for 30 years to a family of caretakers, is anything but certain.
Kate Darby Rauch
Freelancer Catherine "Kate" Rauch has been contributing to Berkeleyside for several years. Her work as a journalist has encompassed everything from 10 years as a daily news reporter for the East Bay Times, based in Richmond, to freelancing for a range of news sources including the Washington Post, Newsday, the Seattle Times, SF Chronicle and Oakland Magazine. Kate likes general assignment work and jumping into a variety of topics and stories, but has a background as a health writer, which includes writing for WebMD, Babycenter.com, Caring.com, UC San Francisco Medical Center, Kaiser and Sutter Health. Her awards include a first place in health and science writing from the Washington State Press Association, a first place in spot news from the Peninsula Press Club, and a second place in feature writing from the California Association of Newspaper Publishers. She's also worked as an anthropologist in rural Alaska. She has an MS degree from the Columbia School of Journalism and a BS from UC Berkeley in cultural geography.
Posted inCity
Temporary CVS closure gives Berkeley customers the jitters
The recent spate of closures and shrinking hours at lots of local pharmacies had some worried this week when the CVS in the University Avenue Target was suddenly shuttered.
Posted inCrime & Safety
How seniors and people with disabilities can prepare for wildfires
Issues with mobility, hearing, vision, frailty and intellectual or developmental disabilities make emergency preparedness more challenging. Preparation can help and may save lives.
Posted inCity
City settles for $95k with elderly Berkeley homeowner burdened by code repair debt
A hearing is set for October to determine whether Leonard Powell’s court-ordered receiver mismanaged his home code problems.
Posted inNature
3 big studies on East Bay’s creatures, plants and wildfire risk
A first-of-its-kind analysis looked at the health of East Bay wildlife, from bats to bobcats and salamanders to steelhead. Two major mapping projects will dive deep into vegetation and wildfire hazard.
Posted inCrime & Safety
How wildfires affect air quality in the Bay Area and what to do to protect yourself
How do wildfires affect air pollution? How bad is smoke for my health? How do I track air quality and protect myself from smoke?
Posted inCommunity
Cut, trim, pave! Crackdown on vegetation near homes in fire zones is coming
Berkeley Hills residents will soon be required to have a 5-foot ember-resistant zone around their homes. The state is getting more serious about its defensible space laws for fire prevention.
Posted inCommunity
Historic Cal buildings still shuttered months after fire
Investigators say no cause was determined for the May 2 fire at the former Anna Head School. UC Berkeley says no decision has been made on the buildings’ fate.
Posted inCity
Update: Case of elderly Berkeley homeowner burdened by major code repair debt will continue in the fall
Leonard Powell hopes the court will find that Berkeley and a receiver mismanaged his home code problems.
Posted inNature
Whale once moored near Berkeley causing a stink in Richmond
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt took matters into his own hands, and worked with a contractor to bury the creature Thursday.
Posted inCity
Berkeley’s tree removal aims to ‘set an example’ for wildfire management
The city has cut down nearly 300 trees, mostly eucalyptus and Monterey pine, since 2019 and is now ramping up defensible space inspections of private property in high-fire areas.
Posted inNature
Dead whale towed to waters northwest of Berkeley to decompose
A male gray whale found early last month has been anchored near Brooks Island and spotted by boaters coming into the Berkeley Marina.
