General News
Economic Development Action Plan (EDAP) work session tonight
A City Council Special Meeting will be held Wednesday, February 13, 2019 6 p.m. in Council Chambers. At the Work Session on February 13, 2019, staff will ask Council for input on which Core Services and which Economic Centers to prioritize during the next two-year budget cycle. With clear direction from the Work Session, staff […]
U.S. Representatives address gun violence in town hall at AHS
MARTINEZ, Calif. – The U.S. House of Representatives likely would approve House Bill 8, which would strengthen background checks for gun sales, said its sponsor, Mike Thompson, who represents part of Martinez in the House. It has more cosigners than the minimum number of votes to pass, he said. Thompson (D-Napa) and U.S. Rep. Mark […]
Martinez Police make two gun-related arrests
On Monday around 8:13 p.m. hours, Martinez Police Department officers was dispatched to the 400 block of Gilger Avenue for a welfare check. A neighbor in the area heard a gunshot come from a residence earlier in the day, and no activity had been noticed in the house since hearing the gunshot. Officers arrived and […]
Mt. Diablo School District slates facility town halls
MARTINEZ, Calif. – A series of town halls will let families, residents and business leaders weigh in on Mount Diablo Unified School District’s proposed Family Master Plan for all its schools and charter campuses. Those attending will be able to view the Draft Master Plan proposals, provide written comments and feedback, and ask questions of […]
MUSD students trained in Sandy Hook Promise reporting system
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Martinez Unified School District’s students in sixth through 12th grades have received training this week in how to use the Sandy Hook Promise’s anonymous reporting system, District Superintendent C.J. Cammack said. The reporting system, which required concurrence with area law enforcement agencies, is one part of the Sandy Hook Promise program adopted […]
Community Focus
Health Fair at Senior Center
Emma Noble, CVS Pharmacy Hearing Specialist (left), visits with representatives of Senior Care Plus, Veronica Cruz, Nicolette Cruz and Arnold Apolinar. Emma Noble consults with June Vega of Martinez. (photos by Robert Perry/Martinez News-Gazette)
At Home With Vivian: Lots of love
Happy Valentine’s Day! “I love you a bushel and a peck, a kiss on the cheek and a hug around the neck” was written by Frank Loesser and sung by Doris Day. That song was sung loudly and off key by my mother to wake my kid sister and I up in the mornings. She […]
Park It: Great backyard bird count
Birding enthusiasts worldwide will join in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, scheduled for Friday through Monday, Feb. 15 through 18. It’s an annual project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society in partnership with Bird Studies Canada. The idea is to count the birds you see for 15 minutes on one […]
Martinez Business Beat, Feb. 13, 2019
Cars, Kids & Coffee’ Sunday At The Cobra Experience The monthly “Cars, Kids and Coffee” at the Cobra Experience, 777 Arnold Drive, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Cars of any type are welcome at this get-together. The event takes place every third Sunday of the month. Those interested may call […]
Martinez Kiwanis luncheon speakers
By JOHN STEVENS Martinez News-Gazette Contributor The Martinez Kiwanis Club, as a service club, features various speakers at its weekly lunches. These bring knowledge out of diverse fields, from professional to historical to personal. In January, Don Ulrich presented an expansive history of the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States. As Don explained, the […]
History
New Year traditions vary around the world
The start of a new year, whether it’s celebrated Jan. 1 or on some other date, often is accompanied by some form of ceremony or tradition, no matter where in the world a person happens to be, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a publication that dates to 1792. Many of these traditions resemble each […]
Christmas, holiday imagery and customs from many sources
The annual festival called Christmas has grown to be one of the world’s largest celebration. It’s observed by billions of people, not only by Christians who use it to remember the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, but by those who observe it on a secular, rather than religious, level. The name “Christmas” comes from the […]
Accident starts era of Santa-tracking
A mistaken printing of a telephone number in a department store’s advertisement could have been a calamity. Instead, it launched an annual event through which children can track Santa Claus as he makes his worldwide Christmas Eve journey to deliver presents. In addition to watching the global excursion of a jolly elf and his team […]
Our Town: A city without a city hall
By CHARLENE PERRY Reprinted from January 1985 Editor’s Note: Due to the pressures of time, energy and upcoming knee surgery, this writer will return from time to time to reaching into the treasure chest of Charlene Perry’s well-researched columns from the 1980s and 90s. This piece, from 1985, will be the introduction to a forthcoming […]
Our Town: Celebrating Martinez’s movie fame
By HARRIETT BURT Martinez News-Gazette Contributor CARTER WILSON Martinez Historical Society Photographer Last week this writer thought she’d written the last story about Tucker: The Man and His Dream but then Carter Wilson, photographer of homes on the annual Martinez Historical Society Home Tour, brought over a handful of images of the Saturday’s film party […]
Sports
Sam Bass, 57, dies Saturday, NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist
After a long battle with kidney disease, motorsport artist Sam Bass died Saturday at 57. His wife, Denise, made the announcement on his social media account. Bass was NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist who was asked to design a program cover for the 1985 Coca-Cola 600 in 1985, a year after he moved to Charlotte, […]
Daytona 500 Drivers: ‘We’re ready to race!’
“I want to race NOW!” past Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Champion Kyle Busch summed the activities leading up to Sunday’s race. The 40 competitors in the season-opening Daytona 500 today at Daytona International Raceway, Daytona Beach have been making sponsor appearances, participating in an all-day series of interviews with news reporters and taking side trips with their […]
Racers gearing for new NASCAR season, new car package at Daytona 500
NASCAR’s top drivers are in Daytona Beach, Fla., taking in sights and making public appearances in advance of Sunday’s season opening Daytona 500. Playtime will be over as the racers get to work, experiencing new car packages in one of the prime races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Getting an early win is important, said […]
Oregon beats Cal Bears 105-85
Senior Kristine Anigwe, right, poses with Colleen Galloway after breaking her career scoring record at Cal. Kristine Anigwe becomes the leading scorer for both men’s and women’s program in the school history, Anigwe is now in position to make more history Sunday against No. 7 Oregon State as she needs just three more rebounds to […]
Hot shooting Gaels beat Pacific Tigers 78-66
Photos by Tod Fierner (Martinez News-Gazette) Saint Mary’s College Photographer. A strong defensive second half helped the Gaels get past a pesky Pacific team Thursday night as Saint Mary’s moved in sole possession of third place in the West Coast Conference. Jordan Ford, the WCC’s leading scorer, had another dazzling game as he went off […]
Opinion
Column 1: Awesome
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist AWESOME is one term to express the efforts of the Martinez Education Foundation for the past three decades, since 1985, when it provided $1,000 for computer software/printer, the first grant by the MEF. This year’s grant program of $165,193 brings the total of aid to teachers and classrooms […]
Coffee Talk: No replay in life
By JOHN FULLER News-Gazette Columnist Every now and then while I drink my coffee, I think what could have been. During my lifetime there has been several events that have directed my life one direction or another and I really had no choice in the matter. Life just happens. It happens to all of us. […]
Column 1: Had a pay check??
HAD A PAY CHECK?? If, no, you may be one of the 800,000 federal employees or contractors who are right now missing their second check!! It has been all over the news big time in the past two weeks. But, are you one who is missing a second check? Are you digging into any savings […]
Column 1: So it’s 2019!
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist SO, IT’S 2019! Yippeeee! Now, what’s going to happen next? We’ve hooted and hollered, blown horns, fired off some fireworks, tilted the champagne glasses, toasted each other, grabbed someone nearby for a kiss, and sang the song associated with New Year’s Eve. Auld Lang Syne, I think, although […]
Column 1: Today is it!!!
By BILL SHARKEY III Martinez News-Gazette Columnist TODAY IS IT!!! If the shopping is not done for all those family, relatives or friends, and Fido, the crunch is really on. Tomorrow, the 24th, will be available for those ‘last minute items’ (which people really don’t need, but we must get them SOMETHING!). But the pick’ins […]
Arts & Entertainment
Thought-provoking production at Campbell Theater
By CHARLIE JARRETT Martinez Gazette Contributor MARTINEZ, Calif. – Over this past year I’ve deliberately been spending more time at the Campbell theater in Martinez for a very good reason; the quality of theatrical productions and the stories that are told there are valuable stories of humanity that resonate with me, bringing me enjoyment and […]
‘White Guy On the Bus’ an often uncomfortable take on race
By SCOTT BABA Art and Entertainment Editor “White Guy On the Bus,” the new play being produced by Women of Words Productions at the Campbell Theater, is probably best described as “complex.” Unabashedly racially and politically charged, the play is in turns thought-provoking, insightful, and infuriating, depending on your point of view and political leaning. […]
‘Images In Black’ exhibit opens Sunday at Historical Museum
MARTINEZ, Calif. – A new exhibit opens Sunday at the Martinez Historical Museum, ethnic dolls and other memorabilia from the collection of Martinez resident Rosalyne Miller-Boyd. It will be displayed alongside another exhibit, “Amen!” that illustrates the stories of seven of this city’s churches, and both will remain at the museum until the end of […]
New Main Street Arts show illustrates ‘Heroes Around Me’
MARTINEZ, Calif. – A new art exhibit opening this month at Main Street Arts lets students illustrate “Heroes Around me.” The show is a partnership with the Martinez Council of PTAs, whose PTA Reflections chairperson is Colleen Gianatiempo. She is organizing the show’s Jan. 12 opening reception. Gianatiempo is a Martinez fine artists, graphic and […]
Martinez artist creating since childhood
Maggie Servantes knew her son, Richie, had talent when, at 4, he used a pad of paper to create scene-by-scene animation in a flip book. That’s how the classic animators who worked at Walt Disney, Warner Brothers and other studios painstakingly created cartoons before the days of computer-generated cartoons: One sketch at a time, with […]
