New Census Data, Fun Run and Tsunami

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

Sunday, March 6

More than 100 people (and one dog) participated in the Union City Sports Center's fourth annual 5K/10K Anniversary Family Fun Run & Walk. A celebration of heath and fitness, the course circled from City hall, down the Alameda Creek Trail and back. Learn more about the event and its winners . See more photos from the event .

Looking for a great place to take your dogs? We hit and saw why so many people love it. Stocked with an agility course, watering stations and more, the park makes for a great playground for your four-legged friends.

Monday, March 7

In honor of Arts Education Month, the Union City Library held Creating Community through Art, a daylong celebration of arts. We chatted with children and parents during the day's "altered books," learned about a new mural and captured a performance by the Ollin Anahuac Aztec Dance Group. See/read all about it .

numbers have increased slightly in Union City and throughout Alameda County. According to the latest available figures, Union City had a 10.3 percent unemployment rate in January, up a tenth of a percent from December.

Tuesday, March 8

Union City saw its slowest growth this last decade, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data. The data, released Tuesday, showed that the population increased by only four percent, or 2,647 residents, between 2000 and 2010. Union City is also now 50 percent Asian. See more about Union City's changing demographics .

In an ongoing series on teen pregnancy, San Lorenzo Patch editor gave us an in-depth look at the Burke Academy in Hayward that complete their high school education.

Family columnist Neena Barreto shared with use keep the balance in the household.

The State Controller’s office released a review of 18 redevelopment. The agencies, which represent 16 percent of redevelopment dollars for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, raised "," according to the report.

Wednesday, March 9

In , community leaders from Congregations Organizing for Renewal urged residents to push for state tax extensions in order to stop more cuts to education and health and human services. Feel free to send letters to the editor to zoneil.maharaj@patch.com.

In this week's , we rounded up five kid-friendly deals, from indoor skydiving to a trip to the Ardenwood Farm.

There are a lot of fun events that you can attend with your children. See what's going down on this week's .

In this week's Mom Talk, our council of mothers weighed in on the topic of . You can still weigh in and share your thoughts with other readers.

Thursday, March 10

The in a unanimous vote by elected county officials. The nonprofit, which  provided essential services to poor residents, has 90 days to disband. Officials agreed to shut down the 30-year-old organization after it was discovered that the organization had hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills and was unable to make its payroll.

BART announced its new 11-member . The new committee will advise BART officials and investigate citizen complaints of police misconduct.

Friday, March 11

A made its way to California shores after caution spread following an 8.9 earthquake the previous day in Japan. While minor damage occurred in Santa Cruz and around the bay, the waves turned deadly near the Oregon border in Crescent City where a man was swept by the waves. Read the full story .

U.S. Geological Survey scientists explained in a video to Patch and how to prepare for a similar disaster.

Following up on the newly-released Census data, we reported on t in Union City and throughout the East Bay.

Gas prices continue to rise. In Union City, the average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $3,96 on March 10. The number has since increased. Learn more about the rising prices in our .

With summer coming up soon, we compiled a list of five cool summer day camps for kids in this week's .

In honor of Mardi Gras, food columnist Shavon Walker shared with us .

Saturday, March 12

With many local Japanese-Americans struggling to contact their relatives overseas and so many concerned for the victims, the Red Cross shares

The California Public Utilities Commission issued an order to PG&E to allow residents the ability to opt-out of using the controversial . Residents have raised concerns about health related to electro-magnetic and radio frequencies from the devices.

With gas prices slowly inching up, Patch provided a list of .