The Tri-City Beat

This blog is connected to The Argus newspaper, but it’s not just a bunch of posts that we can’t fit into the newspaper. The TCB is where we often break news during the day, which won’t be on our web site until later in the evening or in the paper until the following day. It also has tidbits, observations and opinions that are sometimes written in a more irreverent style than what is printed in the paper. In some ways, the blog is like a bonus edition of the paper with more up-to-the-minute news, background and community insight. It’s a place where folks can discuss their towns, and where Argus reporters can communicate with readers in their own voices.

Matt Artz
It’s hard for me to accept that I’ve been out of school for 11 years. After alternating between travel and office work, I got into newspapers in 2001. I started out as a volunteer calendar editor and climbed my way up to stringer before finally landing a full-time reporting gig. I worked for several rags before coming to this one in 2006 to cover Union City. I started covering Fremont in Sept. 2007. I never imagined a place could have so many beautiful backyards and such butt ugly shopping centers. I could also do without all the left-turn arrows and the second Applebees. I suppose I should mention I’m a native New Yorker, and I come from a family of kvetchers. At least on my father’s side. Sorry dad. If anyone ever wants to get my goat, just ridicule the Yankees or praise the Tri-City Voice. Otherwise, I have pretty thick skin.

Ben Aguirre

For the last four and a half years, Ben has covered crime, courts and fire issues for The Argus. But in August, he also was assigned to cover the City of Newark. Ben grew up in the South Bay but as a teenager spent some time in Newark. His father lived on Mahogany Place for about five years in the mid to late 1990s, and on the weekends, Ben and his friends spent much time fishing in the sloughs and pools along Thornton Avenue near Don Edwards Wildlife Reserve, as well as at the Dumbarton Pier. He is a graduate of San Jose State University, and a proud (but not obnoxious) Red Sox fan.