Sophia Brown-Heidenreich

UC Berkeley has decided to allow formal instruction during the Monday and Tuesday of Reading, Review and Recitation Week, or RRR week — commonly referred to as “dead week” — to make up for lost class time after the campus canceled instruction because of poor air quality.

Chancellor Carol Christ canceled classes for Thursday afternoon and all of Friday, after air quality worsened in Berkeley.

Berkeley Police Department notified the community of recent crimes, including a DUI case, an auto burglary and the arrest of a suspect in a residential burglary, in a Nixle alert sent out Thursday afternoon.

The UC Botanical Garden announced it will remain closed Thursday to protect the health of its workers amid the poor air quality in the Bay Area.

With a fire in Butte County reddening the Berkeley skies and a blaze in Oakland prompting full response from its fire department, Berkeley Fire Department is sending engines for support.

Rashi Kesarwani has won the race for Berkeley City Council District 1, defeating Igor Tregub, Margo Schueler and Mary Behm-Steinberg with 55.82 percent of the vote as of press time at 9 p.m.

Rashi Kesarwani and Igor Tregub will enter into an instant run-off for the District 1 seat, after no candidate received the absolute majority with 100 percent of precincts reporting as of press time.

Berkeley residents had a chance to vote on seven local measures — three Alameda County measures, four city of Berkeley measures — on their November ballots. All passed as of press time about 2 a.m.

Excitement and apprehension filled the air this morning as Berkeley voters began to trickle into polling locations scattered throughout the city to cast their ballots in the midterm elections.

Berkeley Police Department arrested a suspect in connection with a reported sexual assault, according to BPD spokesperson Officer Byron White.