Week in Review: Fremont Patch Launches; Minor Attacked With Baton in Newark; Facebook Founder Backs Union City Startup

Here’s a round up of the top three stories in Fremont, Newark and Union City.

FREMONT

Fremont Patch is here. We’re excited, and we hope you’re excited. Fremont Patch launched Thursday, and we’re already grateful about the support it’s expereicned. And while editors Nika Megino and Zoneil Maharaj will be providing you news all about Fremont, remember, . Find out how you can post your own events, announcements and even start your own blog on Fremont Patch

Three men were arrested in connection to a Fremont home burglary Thursday afternoon in which the trio pounded on a locked closet occupied by two minors who lived in the house, police said. Police were called around 2:20 p.m. after a 16-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother called 9-1-1 when they saw three men break into their home on Nuttman Lane near , according to the . Police arrived and after short pursuits, the three were detained and arrested.

It was announced Wednesday that popular tech company . But just how much is the building that was once home to the bankrupt solar plant going for? According to the San Jose Mercury News, Seagate, a company that manufactures hard drives, offered $90.3 million for the massive facility. The price is a steal compared to the $300 million spent to build the plant. .

NEWARK

A 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon Tuesday afternoon. Police said the man attacked a minor just after 2:05 p.m. with a baton in an attempt to steal the minor’s cell phone. The minor was treated at the scene as a precaution and the man was booked into Fremont Jail.  For more Newark crime briefs from last week, .

Newark native and Nipoma fire engineer John Byrne will be riding a bicycle from Golden Gate Bridge to Brooklyn Bridge to raise money to purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for his quadriplegic sister, Newark resident Lauren Byrne. The fundraiser has been named Lauren’s Ride and John Byrne embarks on his journey on Sept. 9.

A Newark man and a Union City man were arrested after they tried to abduct and rob a man in Fremont, police said. Authorities said officers were called just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday after a man said two armed men pushed him and tried to force him into their car near the Waterstone Apartments off of Fremont Boulevard between Walnut Avenue and Stevenson Boulevard. Police said a pellet gun and a cell phone from a robbery that occurred at the Heritage Apartments on the 38000 block of Fremont Boulevard earlier in the day were found inside of the suspects’ vehicle.

UNION CITY

Founders of Facebook, PayPal and Napster are betting big bucks on a Union City technology startup’s research of artificial intelligence. Vicarious, which creates “software that thinks and learns like a human,” announced Tuesday that the research team had received $15 million in financing from various investment groups. Among them are Good Ventures, a firm started by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, and Founders Fund, a group managed by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Sean Parker, a co-founder of Napster and Facebook’s first president. .

Bronco Billy’s Pizza Palace on Smith Street in Union City was burglarized Tuesday morning, police said. Officer said they found that a side entrance door was pried and the store’s cash register, which was found on Smith Street near Union City Boulevard, was emptied. Also, that day, the front glass doors of Smith Street Convenience store was destroyed and candy and cigarettes were taken from the business.

If you’re one of the 3 million and counting who’ve seen in a souped-up Fisher Price Power Wheels, then you’ve probably asked yourself: How can I get my hands on one of those? You might be in luck. The tricked-out toy-turned-electric bad boy based on Cars’ character Lightning McQueen is currently available for auction on eBay. Bidding starts at $2,000 and closes today. The

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