Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS After almost disappearing, apple varieties that were popular 30 to 40 years ago have been making a comeback. Discerning farmers’ market customers have learned to discriminate between a delightfully sweet or tart heirloom and those that are available in the supermarkets. People have grown weary of …

Benicia Film Festival returns for its sixth year to celebrate independent filmmakers and support arts and culture in Benicia. The three-day festival will welcome audiences at Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall, 1150 First Street, kicking off with a gala event on the evening of Friday, September 6th. The festival will conclude …

BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The New York Yankees come to town to play a three game set with the A’s Tuesday night, bringing with them the best record in baseball and a stranglehold on the AL East division. The A’s continue to battle for a Wild Card berth, one game behind …

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Chris Bassitt and the A’s overcame a shaky start before settling down to pitch six strong innings Saturday afternoon and help Oakland to their third straight win over the Houston Astros by a score of 8-4 at the Coliseum. With the win, the A’s have now shaved …

BY J.A. SCHWARTZ With Houston enjoying a 9.5 game lead over the A’s and rolling to a third straight division title as they arrive in Oakland for a four game weekend series, the Astros pitching philosophy has become the cornerstone of their sustained success in the AL West. But what …

BY RICK PORCARO The Giants post season hopes were dealt another blow Wednesday afternoon as they fell 4-1 to Washington, completing a three-game series sweep for the Nationals. Washington didn’t waste any time jumping on Giants starter Shaun Anderson (3-4, 5.33), manufacturing a run in the first on a Juan …

BY J.A. SCHWARTZ Most of the attention around the trade deadline is rightfully focused on the teams that are in contention for a playoff berth, and whose roster machinations in search of the perfect combination of talent and opportunity drives the news cycles in late July. It was wonderful theatre …

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Mike Fiers pitched 5 2/3 solid innings to earn his 10th win of the season as the A’s scored a 8-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday night at Oakland Coliseum for their fifth win in six games. Oakland took advantage of the early wildness of Cardinals starter …

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER 42 years after debuting as a punk band in Wales named The Toilets, Mike Peters and The Alarm’s spiritual journey touched down at The Regency in San Francisco Friday night, returning to the city where they played their first US show as openers for U2 in 1983 …

BY MASON BISSADA Kim Petras Wednesday night concert at the Mezzanine in San Francisco, the fitting final U.S. stop on her Broken tour, was a euphoric, rave-like wonder. Petras, who first came onto the pop-scene with her hit “I Don’t Want It at All,” sold out the SoMa venue/night-club and …