Berkeley Wire: U.S. House members tour Cal to see impact of NIH funding; Civic Center Park public safety meeting

A magnolia tree in bloom on Grant Street between Cedar and Rose. Credit: Toni Casal

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Cal student Lucas Benitez sustained a traumatic brain injury after falling off an electric skateboard on Ellsworth Street and is in critical condition, with a GoFundMe campaign raising money to support Benitez and his family. (Berkeley Scanner) Berkeley’s two famous peregrine falcons aren’t the only ones disappearing from Northern California. (Mercury News) At UC Berkeley, Democratic House members gathered evidence to fight cuts to world-leading research. (SF Chronicle) The city said that Civic Center Park has its attention during a public safety meeting organized by Mayor Adena Ishii and Councilmember Igor Tregub. (Berkeley Scanner) Listen to a podcast episode about the life of cinema titan Tom Luddy, former director of the Pacific Film Archive. (Kitchen Sisters) Pro-Palestinian protesters picketed performances of a partially state-funded Israeli dance troupe on the Cal campus last weekend, with some protesters aggressively taunting attendees. (J. The Jewish News of California) Berkeley filmmaker Denise Zmekhol’s documentary “Skin of Glass” is about a building designed by her father in Brazil that is considered a classic work of art and that is eventually occupied by previously unhoused families. (SF Chronicle) Berkeley children’s book publisher Creston Books, led by author and illustrator Marissa Moss, continues surviving in a tough market. (East Bay Times) Amy Davidson, the former deputy director of Berkeley’s Department of Health, Housing & Community Services, has been appointed head of San Mateo County’s Center on Homelessness. (The Almanac) Since leaving its home in Berkeley, Habitot Children’s Museum has been leading a life of wandering. (East Bay Times) Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was granted access to UC student data after a federal court ruling, ending a hold placed after the University of California Student Association sued the Education Department in early February. (Daily Cal) After life as refugees, these UC Berkeley students strive to tackle global problems. (Berkeley News) Ahead of his appearance at BAMPFA, director Todd Haynes said that President Donald Trump is in the heads of American filmmakers, who fear that the future under the new administration will be fraught with obstacles and tough decisions. (SF Chronicle)