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Parents Guide
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CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025
YEAR 37 INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
An Honor Nancy Mosbaugh honored by County Education Department
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New Chairman Ed Hernandez named Eden Health District Chairman of Board
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Speaker Series Tom Lorentzen to speak at CV Center for the Arts next Wednesday
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INDEX Classified Ads ........ 8 Events .................. 4 Homes .................... 6 Merchants ............ 10 Obituaries ........... 11 Opinions .............. 11 Our Town ................ 3 Parents Guide ....... 5 Sports ................... 12 Weather ................ 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
NO. 15 MAJOR MAIL MILESTONE
FROM BATTLEBOTS TO THE CLASSROOM
Gary Gin Inspiring Next Generation of Innovators By Michael Singer
Eden Area Recognized By Address
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
In the world of robotic combat, few names are as enduring as Gary Gin. Best known for piloting the flame-throwing robot Free Shipping on the hit television series BattleBots, Gin has spent more than two decades building and battling machines. But while sparks fly in the arena, Gin’s most impactful work might be what happens outside of it — in classrooms, workshops, and makerspaces, where he’s shaping the next generation of innovators. A lifelong tinkerer who lives in unincorporated Alameda County, Gin’s love for electronics began early, encouraged by a father who worked as an electronics technician. From radio-controlled (RC) car racing in the 1980s to building his first combat robot for BattleBots in 2001, Gin’s hands-on experience with mechanics and fabrication gave him a unique edge. His debut robot reached the finals in its weight class, and he’s been a fixture in the combat robotics scene ever since. “I do most of the work, but the team is mainly based in the East Bay,” Gin told the Forum. “I have a teammate, Jim Yeh, and his son Forrest, who ran a robot called the Ragin Scotsman. Their big claim to fame was this ginormous flame thrower, and so that’s why Free Shipping has a big flame thrower on it.”
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By Mike McGuire CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, and Hayward Acres residents have been telling people where they live for years. Now, the United States Postal Service and two county supervisors have announced that they can also get their mail addressed there. “This is a major milestone for our unincorporated communities,” said Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, who represents Castro Valley and several other unincorporated areas in District 4. District 3 Supervisor Lena Tam joined him in pushing for the change. Most residents of Castro Valley and San Lorenzo are unaffected. Although they may not be their own city, they do have their own post office, so they get their mail as if, well, they lived there. However, some 29,000 residents of the Eden Area didn’t, and so mail had to be addressed to the larger communities of Hayward or San Leandro. People living in some ZIP codes in the communities of Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, and Fairview, along with smaller numbers of San Lorenzo and Castro Valley residents, were affected. It all goes back to when we first got ZIP codes in 1960. see EDEN on page 10
Crush Comics Staff Crack Burglary Case made off with valuable comic comics posted on eBay. The team began connecting the books, including a rare, oneunique nature of the item—a dots. They reached out to of-a-kind sketch cover. Josh personalized sketch cover from other shops that had also been A burglary that hit a beloved Hunter, owner of the Castro a local artist—left no doubt it burglarized, including a comic local comic bookstore has Valley shop, and his manager, was theirs. Hunter bought the store in San Leandro and a toy led to an unexpected tale of Cole Sanders, quickly turned comic back, retrieved the sell- shop in San Ramon, discovsleuthing success. Staff from to surveillance footage for er’s information, and handed it ering that many stolen items Crush Comics helped police answers. over to the authorities. were listed on the same eBay track down the culprit behind a “It felt like a plot straight out From there, the investigation account. string of Bay Area thefts. of a comic book,” Hunter said. gained momentum. With some “We saw other shops’ goods The story began in the “Two guys in hoodies, in and additional online digging, online. I messaged them and, early hours of March 22, when out fast, and our most prized including a revealing Instasure enough, they recognized burglars smashed through the comics were gone.” gram post featuring LEGO their stuff too,” said Hunter. “It front window of the store on A few hours later, the team figurines and references to East was like our own little detecCastro Valley Boulevard and spotted one of the stolen Bay trades, the Crush Comics tive network.” By Michael Singer
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
The amateur investigation proved spot-on. On Thursday, March 27, Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at the Livermore home of 29-year-old Noorullah Amiri. Inside, officers recovered tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen goods, including rare comic books, action figures, and nearly 200 boxes of LEGO sets. Many items have since been returned to their rightful see BURGLARY on page 3