Week in Review: Relay for Life, Decoto Neighborhood Watch, Solyndra Shuts Down

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

Sunday, Aug. 28

About 350 people participated in Relay for Life, a 24-hour walk/run to raise cancer awareness. The event raised more than $60,000 for the American Cancer Society through a variety of on-site fundraisers and participating teams' fundraising efforts leading to the event. What's more, several participants uploaded their own photos to our gallery, with one reader, Rebecca Jackson, sharing a truly touching story of what the event meant to her in our comments section. See the photos, learn about he event and hear Rebecca's story .  

After photographing Relay for Life, Union City Patch contributor AJ Flores made his way to Kennedy Park, where a different kind of fundraising event was being held: the . The event featured live music, food and dozens of old-school rides, along with some newer ones, sitting pretty in the sunshine. Take a look into AJ's viewfinder .

Monday, Aug. 29

Ten years after 9/11, members of the Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian communities say they still face discrimination. Patch reported on a legislative hearing in Mountain View where dozens gathered to discuss possible legislative solutions to racially-motivated attacks and hate crimes, with some sharing their experiences as victims. Read the full report .

Also with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 approaching, a number of memorial events are taking place. On Monday, to Somerset, PA, where they'll attend the dedication of a memorial for the 40 passengers who died on Flight 93.

Tuesday, Aug. 30

Union City Leisure Services has a host of new classes coming this fall, ranging from from photography and cooking to more unique hobbies “extreme couponing” and nail art. See a breakdown of some of the new classes .

With school starting last week, columnist and local teacher Neena Barreto shared her tips for how parents can . 

In their latest budget report, city staff reported that the city's revenues came in slightly higher than expected, thanks in part to unexpected .  

About 3,000 members of the Muslim community gathered at the Alameda County Fairground to celebrate Eid, which marks the the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The holiday is "a time to be thankful and grateful for what we have," one attendee said. See photos and learn more about Eid .

Wednesday, Aug. 31

More than 1,100 employees of Solyndra's Fremont facility were told that they no longer had jobs Wednesday when they showed up for work. The company abruptly shut down and filed for bankruptcy, with officials sayng the company was not able to survive financially, despite large government subsidies and high praise from President Obama. Read the full report .

Decoto residents convened at Our Lady of the Rosary to discuss being launched by church leaders. The program will be the first such widespread push in the community. During the meeting, Union City police officers gave a presentation on the benefits of Neighborhood Watch and heard residents voice their needs and concerns. The primary reason such a program has never existed in the crime-ridden neighborhood? Fear, residents said.  

Thursday, Sept. 1

On their first day of school, about 1,500 school children at Emanuele and Searles elementary schools received gifts: , which has a factory in Union City, and national non-profit organization Kids in Need Foundation. Both schools have a high number of students who receive free or reduced lunch.

Police Thursday released the names of five suspects arrested over the past week in connection with a series of 15 armed robberies in our region, including five in Fremont, four in Newark, three in Hayward and one in Union City. Andrew Heilman, 18; Omare Murphy, 18; Roger Perez, 18; and Orlando Zendejas, 20, were arrested on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy during an Aug. 25 SWAT raid in Newark. A fifth suspect, Walter Simmons, 19, was arrested Aug. 31 in Hayward. Read the full report .

New Haven schools showed mixed results in the latest API scores, which gauge how districts and individual schools are performing in English-language arts and mathematics. Several schools showed significant growth in test scores, but many still failed to hit their targets, with the district's overall score at 775, down three points from last year. The statewide target is 800. Read the report .

Friday, Sept. 2

The week's police log, provided by the Union City Police Department, included reports of a man flashing a girl near Union City and Regents boulevards, a man having his necklace snatched at Union Landing and multiple armed robberies. See the full log .

A new on the corner of Alvarado-Niles and Decoto roads. The bank is scheduled to open in December.

After laying off more than 1,000 employees, on Sept. 9 in Newark.

Commuters making their way back home on BART may have experienced delays after in San Leandro, disrupting service along the Fremont line in all directions. The woman was taken to a local hospital but her condition is not known.

Saturday, Sept. 3

Singer-songwriter Maryam Qudus, aka Doe Eye, is buzzing in the Bay Area music scene after dropping her debut EP, Run Run Run, last month. Her new single, "I Hate You," is receiving air time on Live105, and the striking video is generating exposure on indie music blogs. Get to know more about Qudus, her music and the next path of her musical journey .

This week's Pet of the Week from the Tri-City Animal Shelter is a yet-unnamed long-haired Chihuahua who sports a nice red coat and white paws. (Newark Patch editor Nika Megino suggests he be named "Socks.") Get up close and personal with him in our video .

In local historian Timothy Swenson's latest blog, he digs up an old news article from 1926 that pleads for Decoto to be put on maps of the area. Apparently, map makers were including Niles and Alvarado, but not the community of Decoto. Read the brief article and see a photo of an old map .