Community Corner

Week in Review: Olympic Wrestler Takes on MMA, Woman Found Burning, 'Stuff the Bus'

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, Aug. 7

An estimated 350,000 people attended last weekend's Fremont Festival of the Arts. The festival featured more than 600 artist vendors, 18 live music acts and dozens of food booths. Patch videographer Ken Guanga was on scene to give us a tour of the festival. Watch the video .

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

A new addition to Union City Patch that's quickly becoming a hit with readers is Tim Swenson's history blog. His post last Sunday told us the backstory of the building where Bronco Billy's is currently housed, and dispels some of the rumors that it was once a brothel or saloon. Read his blog .

Monday, Aug. 8

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

With summer vacation winding down, columnist Neena Barreto shared with readers some fun .

Also on Monday, a Fremont teen who went missing Sunday night was and reunited with her family.

Tuesday, Aug. 9

We profiled . Abas, who won a silver medal wrestling in the 2004 Summer Olympics, is now establishing himself in the world of MMA, with the help of old friends in Union City. His third professional fight was held Saturday, Aug. 13 which Jeff Macalolooy, founder of Dragons Den in Union City and Abas' trainer, reports Abas won. 

The price of gold jumped to an all-time high last week. On Monday, gold was trading at $1,727 a troy ounce. We checked in with local jewelers from nearby towns with tips on buying and selling gold. What may have cost you thousands, may only be worth $50. Read the full story .

Wednesday, Aug. 10

We picked up a story from our neighbors at Newark Patch about after being shut down and raided by police in June. The owners argue they have done nothing illegal while the city maintains that it does not have the proper licenses to operate. The cannabis club, which is frequented by residents throughout the Tri-City area, was scheduled to reopen on Wednesday.  

With back-to-school shopping in full swing, we rounded up some .  

Thursday, Aug. 11

Union City Leisure Services held their annual Summer Park and Playground Carnival on Wednesday. The event was themed "The Final Fun-Tier" and featured UCLS employees dressed as sci-fi characters while treating children to 25-cent games, cotton candy, bounce houses and more. Learn more about the event and check out photos .

According to statistics, at least half of the students in school next year will experience or witness an act of bullying. The National School Board Association released .

Friday, Aug. 12

The California Supreme Court allowed redevelopment agencies to continue to operate until it decides if the state's legislation to shut down the agencies and divert funds is unconstitutional. Union City is among those leading the charge in a lawsuit. We checked in with Redevelopment Manager Mark Evanoff, who updated us on the the agency's local efforts, including updates on the new Station District and the agency agreeing to "opt-in" if the legislation is not overturned. Read the full story . 

The Smith Convenience Market, located across from the Smith Street post office, was by a man wearing a red bandanna. It was the second time since May that the store was robbed.

Attention home buyers! On Friday, we introduced a new weekly feature called . Each week, we'll be posting a weekly overview of new listings, price reductions and sales for single-family homes.

Saturday, Aug. 13

A on the 31000 block of Industrial Parkway Southwest. Emergency crew were sent to the area on a report of a structure fire but instead found a woman engulfed in flames. Though they responded within minutes, the weren't able to save her. Hayward police were still investigating the cause of death on Saturday.

We unveiled another new feature on Union City Patch: Pet of the Week. Each week, we'll be checking in with the Tri-City Animal Shelter and profiling a pet available for adoption. For our first feature, .

There's still time to help out student in need by donating school supplies for "." During the second annual donation drive, Walmart shoppers can select items off a shopping list and purchase items for New Haven and Hayward school district children. Donation bins will be available 24-hours through Sunday.

In his latest blog, historian Tim Swenson shares letters from the Dyer brothers. In letters sent to relatives in Maine between 1858 and 1860, the brothers describe the "smart village" of Alvarado and its shops, landscape and people. Read excerpts from the letters .

To stay up to date with news, follow Union City Patch on twitter.com/unioncitypatch and facebook.com/unioncitypatch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here