Week in Review: Local School to be Nation's First Named After Filipino-Americans; Local Connections to Boston Tragedy

FREMONT

Fremont-Branded Battery Found in Boston Marathon Explosive

On Wednesday, photographs were released of the explosive device that killed three and left 176 people injured at Monday's Boston Marathon. The photographs show that a suspected bomb part contained a battery made by Fremont-based Tenergy. The company expressed shock and sympathy following news of the connection. "We were appalled to discover that one of our off-the-shelf products was used in such a horrific and senseless act of hate," a company spokesman told CBS San Francisco. "We have contacted both the FBI and the Boston Police and will assist in any way possible to help identify the responsible parties."

Four Arrested in Brutal Attack to “Deface” Bollywood Promoter’s Ex-Wife

Four men have been charged with brutally attacking a Fremont woman with a mallet in February in an alleged hit to “deface” her. Fremont police say Rakesh Paul Singh, 54, of Milpitas, ordered a "hit" on his ex-wife, who was attacked by two men and beaten in the face with a mallet in the driveway of her Greenhills Way home on Feb. 11. She suffered permanent facial injuries. Singh and three others — Donald Harbaugh, 54, of San Jose; Morris Kurtz, 52, of San Jose; and Ricardo Rivera, 27, of Sunnyvale — were arrested April 3 and charged with aggravated mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy, according to Fremont police.

Garbage Service Delayed Due to Labor Dispute

Garbage service was delayed in Fremont Thursday for the second time this month due to an ongoing labor dispute between Teamsers and Allied Waste. Service was eventually restored the next day, with all pickups scheduled to be collected by end of day Saturday, but residents were already upset. "This will be the second time for no pickup of my trash getting a little tried of this," one resident commented on Patch.

UNION CITY

Family of Man Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting Want Answers

Friends and relatives gathered at the corner of Dyer Street and Meteor Drive last Saturday in memory of a Union City man killed in an officer-involved shooting last month. Amos G. Smith, 26, was fatally wounded around 10 p.m. on March 2. Police say Smith ran away from officers after a traffic stop and pointed a handgun at them, causing them to fire in self-defense. But Smith’s loved ones are demanding answers. “He was a good young man,” Smith’s mother, Yolanda, told KTVU. Family members told KTVU that Smith worked at a Ford plant and had recently received a truck driving license. The family has since hired a civil rights attorney. Adante Pointer, an attorney from the office of John Burris, who represented Oscar Grant’s family, said that he will help “the family as well as the community get to the bottom of this.”

Alvarado Middle School to be Renamed After Filipino American Leaders in 2015

After months of heated discussions and rallies, the New Haven Board of Education approved a motion Tuesday night to rename Alvarado Middle School after Filipino-American leaders. Board members voted 3-2 in favor of changing the school’s name to Iltliong-Veracruz Middle School after Filipino American labor leaders Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, making it the first school in the country to name a school after Filipino Americans. However, the approved motion, made by board member Michelle Matthews, calls for the name to take effect no sooner than the fall of 2015 and only after an implementation plan is created and funds are entirely secured.

The decision didn't come easy. Board members clashed, with many blaming themselves for not following their own policy.

Read the full story here.

Police Log: Armed Robbery at Domino’s Pizza; Woman Bites Man’s Hand at Gas Station Bathroom

This week's crime log from UCPD also includes reports of a man being arrested with a loaded gun during a traffic stop and a man ramming someone with his car, among other incidents.

NEWARK

School Board Votes Down LOV Newark's Proposed Lease

League of Volunteers Newark's proposed draft agreement with Newark Unified School District was shot down at the Newark Unified Board of Education's Tuesday night meeting. The nonprofit organization's money woes surfaced in late March after it was announced that LOV Newark owed the school district approximately $67,000 in unpaid rent. A proposed repayment plan and draft lease agreement was presented to the five-member school board Tuesday. That draft agreement would have permitted LOV Newark to pay $10,000 toward past due payments and pay $1,800 per month from Bingo revnues it would generate by continuing to rent space at MacGregor.

However, the lease agreement was rejected after trustees Charlie Mensinger, Nancy Thomas and Gary Stadler voted against the item. "This is nothing personal. This is strictly a contract. This is strictly money off of our kids' backs and it's got to stop," Stadler said.

Newark's New Signs: Love Them or Hate Them?

Drive by Newark and it's hard to miss two new signs. An electronic sign and a new automall sign have been constructed in Newark along Insterate 880 between Mowry Avenue and Stevenson Boulevard. What do you think of them?

Newark Man Helps Victims of Boston Marathon Attacks

A Newark man was among the brave Boston Marathon runners to help others following Monday’s horrific bombings. According to the Fremont Argus, 18-year-old Noah Falck, completed the marathon 90 minutes before the explosions and was a few blocks away when he heard them go off. Instead of running away, Falck raced to the nightmarish scene, where three people were killed and 176 injured. “I was OK, but I knew that there were people out there who needed help,” Falck told the Argus. "I was just one of hundreds willing to do the same thing," he added.

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