Week in Review: Gap Closes NewPark Mall Location; Union City Teacher May Stand Trial on Charges of Sex With Student

FREMONT

Auto Thefts Up 27 Percent in Fremont in 2012

The number of auto thefts in Fremont was up in 2012, according to the California Highway Patrol-led task force that tracks and combats auto theft. There was a total of 575 car thefts in 2012 in Fremont, up from 453 in 2011. Throughout Alameda County, there were 12,622 auto thefts recorded by law enforcement agencies — a 17 percent jump from the previous year. Click here to see a breakdown of the entire county.

Fremont Student Among 40 U.S. Intel Science Talent Search Finalists

Fremont teen Kevin Chen, a student at Mission San Jose High School, is among 40 young innovators named a finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2013 competition. The contest is a program of Society for Science & the Public and the nation's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. The Intel Science Talent Search finalists represent the nation's most promising high school seniors,  Finalists will gather in Washington, D.C. in March to compete for $630,000 in awards with the top winner receiving $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.

Are Apple Computers Being Built in Fremont Again?

It’s no secret that Apple once called Fremont its home, manufacturing the original Macintosh computers and other Apple products at a local facility in the 80s and early 90s. But the tech giant may have returned to its Tri-City roots. Apple news website 9to5Mac.com reports that the company recently named Quanta Computer USA as a final assembler of Macs, where the computers are put together and packaged for distribution. One of Quanta’s two U.S. locations is 44350 Nobel Dr. in Fremont; the other is in Tennessee. 9to5Mac.com, however, has images of packaging labels originating in Fremont, indicating that Apple computers are indeed assembled here.

UNION CITY

Logan Teacher May Stand Trial for Sex With Student Allegations

A James Logan High School teacher charged with having sex with a 16-year-old student last year may stand trial for the allegations. Preliminary hearings were held Tuesday and Wednesday in which 39-year-old Peter Kolesnikov was held to answer to a multitude of sexual assault charges. Kolesnikov faces 20 felony charges including nine charges of statutory rape, eight counts of oral copulation, one count of penetration with a foreign object, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of possessing marijuana for sales. He is scheduled to be re-arraigned on Feb. 14. He will have to enter a new plea for the charges before the court can proceed with scheduling a trial date. 

Alvarado-Niles Taco Bell Construction To Be Completed By April

The Taco Bell on Alvarado-Niles Road will soon be reopened, according to city staff. The restaurant has been closed since sustaining significant damage in a fire last February. The building is currently undergoing renovations and is slated to open in six to eight weeks, city staff told Patch on Tuesday. Building improvements include new paint, new signs, handicap parking access, bike parking along the front of the building and upgraded lighting. Sadly, we can’t have our chalupas and eat them too — there will be no drive-thru, city staff said.

Union City Sues State Again Over Redevelopment Funds

The City of Union City is suing the state due to the Department of Finance prohibiting the city from using leftover redevelopment agency dollars to fund programs and existing obligations. Last February, the redevelopment agency began issuing bonds and transferred redevelopment assets over to the city in order to continue redevelopment projects, which includes the ongoing work in the transit-oriented Station District. Redevelopment dollars also fund low-income housing, rental assistance for low-income seniors at the Tropics Mobile Home Park, employment services for disabled persons and social services for local nonprofit Centro de Servicios.

The Department of Finance, however, rejected the use of those bond and agency dollars for those services and programs, placing the financial burden on the city. The city doesn’t have the financial means to support all of the redevelopment obligations, leaving those programs at risk, city staff said. Read the full story by clicking the link above.

NEWARK

Gap Closes NewPark Mall Location

Need some Gap apparel? If so, you won't be able to find any in the Tri-Cities anymore. Gap has closed its location inside of Newark's NewPark Mall, leaving behind an empty shop without a sign. A small sign outside of the clothing store indicates that fixtures where clothes once were displayed are now on sale. Will you miss the store? What should replace it? Join the discussion here.

What Are Condos And Townhomes Selling For In Newark?

Real estate continues to be a big draw for Newark residents and those eyeing a spot in our city. For those looking for condos or townhomes, expect to spend about $280,000. That's the average price right now of the two units in that category listed for sale in Newark on the Multiple Listing Service for East Bay Realtors. Click here to see what a condo in that price range looks like.

Our Paper Place To Close Newark Shop

After a little more than two years of operation, Newark’s go-to shop for scrapbookers is closing its doors, according to the shop’s Facebook page and co-founder Gloria Kee. It’s final date of operation is unknown. Numerous items are on sale, with sales ranging from 40 percent to 60 percent off.

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