Week in Review: Whole Foods Coming Summer 2013; Man Arrested After Pawnshop Robbery

FREMONT

The neon sign is lit, and Joe's Corner is jumpin' again. After nearly 80 years of saloon history, with some openings and closings tossed in, the legendary corner "dive" on Niles Boulevard in Fremont has re-opened as a family-friendly neighborhood coffee shop, deli and bar. With new operators at the helm, locals Bob and Melissa DiMatteo, Joe's Corner is serving a delicatessen-style menu that New Yorkers will envy — in a setting that will make history buffs swoon.

Fremont Whole Foods Construction to be Completed Next Summer

After years of seeking approval from the city, Whole Foods will be entering a Fremont neighborhood near you soon. A 52,000-square-foot Whole Foods and retail development at the northwest corner of Mowry Avenue and Paseo Padre Parkway was approved by City Council in July, and construction should be complete by Summer 2013.

BART Celebrates Completion of Underground Tunnel for Warm Springs Extension

On Friday morning, BART celebrated the completion of an underground tunnel for BART’s Warm Springs Extension at a ceremony at Central Park. Those in attendance got to explore a small portion of the 1.25-mile subway, which has been under construction for three years. The tunnel is part of the 5.4-mile extension from the current Fremont BART station to the new Warm Springs station expected to open in 2015. The new station is vital for Fremont’s future, officials said. “This is probably our most important project in our city as it relates to our economic future,” said Kelly Kline, Fremont’s economic development manager.

UNION CITY

Michelle Le Murder Trial: Justice Delayed

Marc Klaas shares his latest blog on the Michelle Le murder trial. Union City woman Giselle Esteban is charged with the murder of Le, a former friend of Le's who was missing for nearly four months before her body was found. Jury deliberations began Monday but a decision has yet to be made. The jury must prove that Esteban is guilty of first degree murder or the lesser crime of manslaughter. After watching the trial closely, Klaas asks: "Were they attending the same trial?" Read his blog on Union City Patch here.

Newark Man Arrested in Union City Taco Bell Shooting

Union City police arrested a Newark man in connection to a critical shooting at a local Taco Bell earlier this month. Huu Hoang, 23, of Newark, was arrested on Oct. 12. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail on multiple charges, including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon stemming from the Oct. 6 critical shooting of a man inside the parking lot of the Taco Bell located at 32002 Alvarado Blvd. in Union City. He also faces a felony marijuana sales charge.

Generous donors have again written large checks to help restore library service in the New Haven Unified School District. Last week, it was announced that the district received two checks totaling $30,000 from former Alvarado Middle School staff members to bring the AMS library back to full service. Former counselor Don Del Pilar and former teacher Barbara Scheifler each cut $15,000 checks for the school. The money will allow media specialist Cindy Woll to return to the school's media center full-time.

NEWARK

Local Woman Finds Outlet Through MMA

Charlene Gellner's pro career could be back to square one. The 27-year-old MMA fighter from Newark suffered a first-round TKO on Saturday night in Redding at the hands of an 18-year-old opponent who was making her professional debut. But Gellner says she’s always been a fighter, and she’s “got a fighter’s heart.” “I’ve been a fighter my whole life. Not just physical fights, but adversity,” she said in an interview last week. “I’ve lost my dad. I definitely got a fighter’s heart.” Read the full profile on Newark Patch.

Three Arrested for Catalytic Converter Thefts

Three Stockton men were arrested in Newark early last Sunday morning after attempting to steal catalytic converters. A resident reported someone trying to steal a catalytic converter from under his neighbor’s car at about 5:30 a.m., not knowing that his had just been stolen from his vehicle as well. The suspects left the area in a minivan but were located by an officer nearby. Inside the minivan were 24 freshly cut catalytic converters, various pipe-cutting tools and meth pipes, police said.

Man Arrested After Pawnshop Armed Robbery Leads to Manhunt

A man was arrested Friday in connection to an armed robbery of a Newark pawnshop after he bolted from a moving vehicle and ran into a Fremont neighborhood, prompting a manhunt. Authorities were called to Greenback Pawnbrokers on the 7100 block of Thornton Avenue in Newark after an armed robbery was reported around 3:40 p.m. Police said a vehicle believed to be involved in the armed robbery was spotted traveling northbound on Interstate 880. Instead of yielding for officers, the man slowed down and ran out of the moving vehicle. Police set up a perimeter and eventually arrested a 26-year-old suspect.

-----

Like Fremont Patch  | Follow Fremont Patch | Like Newark Patch  | Follow Newark Patch  | Like Union City Patch  | Follow Union City Patch