For the second time in recent months, I’ve been tripped up by police scanner traffic that led me to believe there was an active SWAT incident going on in the Tri-City area.
In May I heard SWAT action on the Fremont police radio channels, and it turned out to be nothing more than a training exercise at a defunct car dealership. And today I heard similar static on the Union City radio channels. One big difference though: I didn’t race out there today with my notebook and press pass in hand. Instead I was able to confirm by telephone that stuff I was hearing was indeed a training exercise.
I suppose it’s a dead give away when you hear an officer calmly say “shots fired,” instead of screaming it as would be the case if the incident were real.
For you scanner junkies, be aware that this training will also be taking place tomorrow.
Story should be online momentarily, but a 25-year-old mom was shot and wounded this morning in a Union City apartment during an argument with her husband. Cops say two children were home at the time (and the mother of the suspect), but none of them were hurt. Woman is expected to live, although she is undergoing surgery as I write this.
Got some breaking news to report. It appears that the newborn girl found in a Union City trash can in May was dead before it was birthed, and likely died from a rare bacteria that entered the mother’s uterus during a prolonged labor. I’ll have more detail — I hope — later today. But the working story is posted here. It will be updated later.
It turns out that Union City’s Alvarado-Niles Road rehab project may not pose as much of an inconvenience to commuters as originally thought — or rather, not as long of an inconvenience.
Thjs is the first time in 20 years that the major thoroughfare (from Western Ave. to the I-880 onramp) will be paved with a fresh layer of asphalt. I’m sure motorists will appreciate the smoother driving experience once the project is complete, but until then, they’ve been warned to expect traffic delays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays because one lane in each direction will be shut down at a time.
The entire project, which includes repaving and restriping the lanes, is scheduled to last until mid-August. But Mintze Cheng, director of the public works department, clarified at this week’s City Council meeting that the majority of the lane closures will end by mid-June, not August. The last half of the project mainly will consist of putting new reflectors on the ground.
I’m still curious to know just how badly traffic has been affected by the lane closures. If you’ve been down Alvarado-Niles the last couple of days, feel free to leave a comment. Should drivers avoid the road? What alternate routes would you suggest?
This one goes out to the folks who malign The Arugs for supposedly being chummy with the cities it covers. It’s the TCV’s coverage of the second coming … oops I mean Union City’s 50th birthday parade.
God Bless America, God Bless Union City
By Simon Wong
Photos By Mike Heightchew
Union City displayed all that is good about America on May 16. The City’s 50th Anniversary Parade, the Classic Car Show at Charles F. Kennedy Park and the 16th Annual Asian-American Heritage Festival, an affiliated event sponsored by the Asian American Federation of California, were celebrations of civic pride, diversity and unity.
UC50 Chair Helen Kennedy and her team of volunteers have donated countless hours to plan the year’s calendar of 50th Anniversary events, backed by sponsors and donors who pledged their support more two years ago and honored them despite the subsequent economic downturn. They brought the City’s community, neighbors and friends together.
The Parade, which seemed to be over so quickly, lasted for 90 minutes. The Island Thunder Motorcycle Club opened proceedings as they roared past the review stand occupied by City Manager Larry Cheeves and Deputy City Manager and Leisure Services Director Tony Acosta, the event’s announcers.
UNION CITY — The body of an newborn was found inside a dumpster at an apartment complex late Monday by a person who was digging through the trash for recyclables, Lt. Ben Horner said.
The body was discovered about 8:40 p.m. at the Parkside Apartments on Decoto Road, and a citizen immediaterly called police. When officers arrived, they could see that there was a dead baby in the trash, but they were not immediately able to tell if it was a boy or a girl, Horner said.
“It was not in a position where we could tell its gender,” the lieutenant said.
By 12:40 a.m. Tuesday, authorities were still at the complex waiting for the coroner to arrive and remove the body.
The deceased newborn is the second dead baby found in a trash can in the Tri-City Area in the last three years.
In January 2006, a boy less than five days old was discovered dead inside a trash can outside a Jack In The Box restaurant in Newark.
Horner said he cannot recall another case in Union City where a dead baby was found in the garbage.
“I’ve worked here for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, speaking about the type of case. He aknowledged that he personally did not see the baby.
Union International Food Co., the spice manufacturing and packaging plant whose black and white pepper products have been linked to 60 salmonella cases in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, is being sued by a So Cal man.
David Navarrette, of San Pedro, is suing the Union City plant for negligence and claims in the lawsuit that the company did not fulfill its “duty to take reasonable measures” to protect consumers. Specifically, the company failed to monitor adequately the safety and sanitary conditions of its premises and to follow federal guidelines, among other allegations cited in the suit.
Here’s an update on the voluntary recall of white and black peppers and other spices packaged by Union International Food Co. in Union City. The first blog entry was posted Monday.
In addition to the “Lian How” brand, health officials are warning consumers not to eat spices packaged under the “Uncle Chen” label, which were sold to retail stores. Four supermarkets in the Tri-City area have been identified as receiving the spices. For the full list, click here.
For a list of restaurants that purchased spices from the Union City plant, click here. Twenty-seven Tri-City restaurants made the list.
For updates, visit the California Department of Public Health’s Web site.
Health officials are warning people people not to eat spices manufactured by Union International Food Company, a plant based in Union City.
White and black pepper products made by the company have been linked to Salmonella poisoning, affecting 42 people in four states, including 33 in California. Many who became ill had eaten at Asian resataurants that used the peppers, according to various media reports. No deaths have been reported.
For more details from the California Department of Public Health and a list of the voluntarily recalled products, click here.
I’m working on a follow-up article, hopefully for tomorrow’s paper.
According to the USGS, there was a 4.3 magnitude earthquake centered in San Jose about 10:40 a.m. Monday. A few of us felt it here at The Argus, so I’m sure there were other Tri-City area folks who felt it. No immediate report of injuries or damage; unsure about San Jose.
