Criminals in Court, BART Chaplains and Rain

Here’s a look at some of the highlights from this past week:

Sunday, Feb. 13

In her latest Patch column, local foodie Shavon Walker hipped readers to the various food traditions observed during the Lunar New Year (noodles represent long life, so don't cut them while eating!). She even shared a recipe for a Vietnamese dessert. Read the column .

We reported on how elementary students at New Haven schools would be participating in the for Valentine's Day. The event promotes safe and healthy alternatives to driving and busing to school.

More than 150 people showed up to celebrate at the Mayflower Restaurant. After the event, the club donated a portion of the night's proceeds to two non-profit organizations, Centro de Servicios and Magnolia Women's Recovery Program.

Monday, Feb. 14

If you missed the Muralizmo project's opening celebration, we got you covered. We put together a of photos and videos from the first day of the mural project at the 10th Street Community Center, which featured performances from the Ollin Anahuac Aztec Dance Group and oldies band Country Fever.

Being Valentine's Day and all, our man-on-the-street reporter hit Union Landing over the weekend to see what people were buying their significant other for the "holiday" in our latest .  

Tuesday, Feb. 15

, the man charged with sexually assaulting a 2-year-old inside of a Dollar Tree in December, broke down in court and was ordered to receive a mental evaluation. Ramos' attorney entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Immediately after, Ramos put his head down and would not respond to the judge nor his interpreter.

Family columnist Neena Barreto confessed that she, gasp!, let's her kids watch more TV than researchers say parents should allow. Find out why she thinks it's okay .

Patch contributor Shavon Walker gave us a recap of Niles Canyon Railway's sipped local wines and nibbled on appetizers.

Alameda County supervisors got some bad news during a budget forum. The county's budget could get , administrators said.

BART swore in to their newly established chaplaincy program. The chaplains will offer support and guidance only to those who request such help and their services will be open to everyone, regardless of religious beliefs. 

Wednesday, Feb. 16

, a 21-year-old Union City gang member, was sentenced to 29 years in state prison for multiple crimes, including manslaughter and assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Moreno, who was also 17 at the time, shot and killed 17-year-old Biniam Yifru after a fight broke out at a graduation party in 2007.

In our latest Moms Talk discussion, our Moms Council gave us their take on .

Is it your birthday coming up? If so, you might want to check out our latest Frugal Family deals. This week's deals: .

Patch contributor Scott Ma took us inside the . The event featured former Olympians as special guests and learn-by-doing training sessions with professional athletes.

Thursday, Feb. 17

As a precautionary measure, New Haven school district officials looked at various of the upcoming special elections. District officials are hoping both a local parcel tax and statewide tax extensions pass in the coming months in order to help offset the budget cuts.

Looking for something fun to do over the weekend? Each Thursday we provide you with a list of five hot events in or near Union City. See this week's Get Out .

In our latest Viewfinder photo gallery, Paciano Triunfo took us on a photo tour of the .

For this week's Patch Picks, we highlighted in and around Union City that are doing some great work locally.

Friday, Feb. 18

Patch contributor Ryan Baladad hung out with the , the local special needs basketball team, as they geared up for their upcoming tournament this weekend.

This week's included reports of a purse snatching, domestic abuse and burglary.

In this week's Great Escape, a feature that highlights places to go without the kids, we suggested a weekend getaway to .

Saturday, Feb. 19

The UCPD participated in the program by helping serve customers at Chili's. Customers were given the opportunity to donate money for the Special Olympics of Northern California.

We gave you an update on the winter weather as began to hit the Bay Area's highest peaks on Saturday morning.

In our latest Bites Nearby, we recommended , a Castro Valley Chinese restaurant that has everything you need for the Lunar New Year.