Our Town

Tobie Gene Levingston, who founded the East Bay Dragons, one of the nation’s first all-Black motorcycle clubs, died Tuesday morning of natural causes at the age of 86. Levingston was born in Louisiana in 1934 to a sharecropper father who made the migration West, along with thousands of other black …

Martinez Police Chief Manjit Sappal has released the following statement in regards to the protest march scheduled this Sunday: Many of you may be aware that we are planning for a large scale protest on July 12th. We have received numerous emails and messages from concerned business owners and residents …

New information has been released by Martinez Police Chief Manjit Sappal confirming that a peaceful protest is planned on Sunday, July 12 at 4 pm beginning at 725 Court Street and continuing to Waterfront Park. Several groups are in planning to help organize the protest. Police Chief Sappal’s statement is …

Contra Costa County has updated its health order about when and where members of the public should wear face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic to align it with current state guidance. Local data indicate that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Contra Costa County. The county is currently on the California …

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office today charged 53 year old David Nelson and Nichole Anderson (42) with three misdemeanor counts, including a hate crime, for their alleged actions on Saturday, July 4, when defendant Anderson covered up a Black Lives Matter mural with black paint while Nelson directly …

The Trump supporters who painted over a ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural in downtown Martinez have been located by the police, and now their fate is in the hands of the District Attorney. Martinez PD tracked down the MAGA morons and had a conversation. They were not arrested, as the alleged …

On July 4th, community members obtained a permit from the City to paint Black Lives Matter on Court Street in downtown Martinez. Once the mural was completed, an unidentified white male and white female arrived. While the male made comments to a group of onlookers his companion began painting over …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Summer is here, the corn and tomatoes are being harvested, the planting of fall crops has begun, and your local farmers’ markets continue to supply good wholesome fruits and vegetables, even in the midst of a pandemic. We are looking for the light at the end …

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Lawmakers across the state continue to weigh the pros and cons of reopening farmers markets, even though they have been declared essential businesses. It is still up to individual cities and counties to make the final decision on whether to reopen, leaving us with a patchwork …

The American Red Cross is reporting a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Healthy individuals willing to donate are needed now to help patients counting on lifesaving blood. “I used to donate every 8 weeks. 9/11 was the …