Inside
Promoting individuals Student club promotes research and academic development.
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TRICITYVOICE.COM
VOL 24 NO 37
Not everyone knows about autism and what autism looks like. Some people may not know how to approach an autistic person. That was the gist of the “Community Discussion on Autism” event held at the Fremont Downtown Event Center on Friday evening, Aug. 29. It was hosted by Fremont nonprofit Joshua’s Gift and the Fremont Police Department (FPD). More than 4 0 people attended the community town hall. Representatives from the Newark and Milpitas Police Departments also attended to learn more about CODE JOSHUA, an emergency alert and registry system launched in April of this year by nonprofit Joshua’s Gift and the FPD. The purpose of the database is for police to respond to 911 calls regarding autistic individuals with compassion and understanding. The FPD said about 200 people with IDDs, or Intellectual Development Dis— More on page 8
OBITUARIES
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LEGAL LISTINGS
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CLASSIFIED ADS
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Marketing the markets Bay Area farmers’ markets have unique must-tries. 6
Kindness kits Scout packs care kits for cancer patients. 15 Pumpkins carved by Ruth Tyson will be on display at the Haunted Train ride for both weekends.
Courtesy of Jacque Burgess
By Roelle Balan
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SEPTEMBER 9-15, 2025
Joshua’s Gift opens up autism discussion ● Fremont Police Department alert system helps deescalate encounters
OPINION
Friendly Ghost Fall flash fiction takes spooky theme. 18
CURIOUS CHARACTERS The haunted train will ride through the eucalyptus forest at Ardenwood, encountering actors in costume such as the Ghost Bride.
Spooky season arrives ● Haunted train tickets kick off fall season of haunted houses, Dia de los Muertos, Diwali and harvest festivals By staff
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all and Halloween paraphernalia crept into big box stores in July, and Spirit Halloweens started haunting empty stores in August; the beginning of September gives permission to officially celebrate the start of fall. Through the next two months, cities, parks and community organizations around the Tri-City Area will hold events for upcoming holidays and the season.
Tickets for the Haunted Train at Ardenwood go on sale early, starting Sept. 15, and usually sell out quickly. This train ride through carved pumpkins and Halloween displays with actors in costume takes place after nightfall but offers a playfully spooky approach appropriate for young children. The train has been chugging for 30 years, and this year rides take place on Oct. 17–19 and 24–26. Jacque Burgess, a volunteer at the Railroad Museum at Arden-
wood, recalls how the event got started when she complained to a friend about having nowhere to take her four-year-old granddaughter for Halloween. The friend suggested creating an event that would also be a fundraiser for the railroad museum. “The first year we took plastic shopping bags, stuffed [them] with paper, drew eyes on them, and hung them in the grove of Eucalyptus trees,” says Burgess. “This friend also had some inflatable Halloween ghosts, pumpkins, and a silly Frankenstein which we placed in between the trees. It got more elaborate as the years went by. — More on page 10
New year, new field Newark high school celebrates new sports facility. 23
Mexico v. Japan National teams bring out Bay Area fandom. 24