Community Corner

Week in Review: Body Found During Le Search, Flight 93 Memorial Ceremony

Catch up on Union City Patch's top stories from the past week.

Here's a list of top stories from our coverage in the past week:

Sunday, Sept. 11

We dedicated the day primarily to the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Our first feature of the day featured who were related to events that took place that fateful day 10 years ago. We also highlighted the stories of victims such as , who was on the SFO-bound Flight 93 and was hoping to move to Danville to live with her daughter.

Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In what was one of the most popular stories this week, we told the story of Tom Ballard and his patriotic friends who constructed a giant vinyl flag that was placed on a hillside in Hayward for last weekend only. Ballard painted a giant flag on the same location 10 years ago. Read about his unbending will to complete the project in his son's honor .

Monday, Sept. 12

Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hundreds gathered at the Flight 93 Memorial in Union City for a special 10-year remembrance ceremony for the heroes aboard the San Francisco-bound plane. Patch contributor Bea Ahbeck was on the scene to take photos of the solemn ceremony and of visitors who paid respect to the victims at the memorial. See the photos .

Giselle Esteban, the Union City woman charged with murdering missing nursing student Michelle Le, was originally scheduled to enter a plea Monday. Instead, the plea hearing was postponed. She is scheduled to continue the proceeding on Sept. 19.

In his latest blog, local historian Timothy Swenson shares with readers the story of the bridges of Old Alvarado, which ran across the Alameda Creek. One of the bridges was even used to hang criminals.

Tuesday, Sept. 13

Salvador Valasco and Hector Garcia, the two suspected gang members charged with brutally murdering 21-year-old Union City resident Monica Rodas, pleaded not guilty. However, according to police documents, Velasco had previously stated their involvement in the murder while Garcia denied any allegations. Read the full story .

Patch contributor Ceri Hitchcock-Hodgson hit the Ardenwood Shakespeare Festival. If you missed it, catch the highlights .

Wednesday, Sept. 14

The City of Union City is looking to . The city plans to hold a series of study sessions to closely examine how it can utilize its underused and empty space to attract new businesses.

A congressional subcommittee grilled White House officials for rushing its decision to grant Fremont-based solar company Solyndra a $535 million federal loan. The company shut down Aug. 31 and laid off 1,100 employees. Read the full story .

Thursday, Sept. 15

City officials voted earlier in the week . Officials stated that it would be too costly and that the space, a former fire house, was not suited for a community center. However, the city will allow programs to continue until the building is sold, which they estimate will happen in one to three years.

Friday, Sept. 16

The week's police log included reports of a woman stabbing her husband after he hit her with a bottle and a man pointing a gun at his roommate for not returning his romantic advances, among other incidents. Read the full log .

After months of searching for missing nursing student Michelle Le, family members changed their recovery efforts of bringing her home safe to an effort to give her a "."

Saturday, Sept. 17

Crews searching for Michelle Le or evidence leading to her whereabouts in the Sunol and Pleasanton areas found a human body hidden in the shrubbery. The body was too decomposed to determine a gender and investigators say it may take weeks before they are able to determine whether or not the body is Le. Investigators continued to search the area into Sunday morning. Read the full story .

In his latest blog, local historian shares with us the history of . While the Guadalajara Super Mercado may seem like a regular Mexican market, the building it sits in has 100 years of history.


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