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Yes On 8 Lawyers Will Ask CA Supreme Court To Invalidate Same Sex Marriages That Have Already Taken Place

On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court agreed to hear three lawsuits filed on behalf of same sex marriage supporters who want Proposition 8 overturned.  One big question mark is what happens to the thousands of gay couples who had marriages performed from mid-June through November 3rd.  Lawyers from Yes on 8 campaign are petitioning the court to invalidate those marriages but so far those marriages have been honored.  The courts have also said no more weddings can be performed until they issue a decision.

Golden Gate Bridge District Secondhand Ferry Deal

Like Sarah Palin, the Washington State Ferry district had trouble selling its wares on eBay.  In the Washington State case, two ferries were up for sale.  But there were no takers, so they mothballed the boats. 

Along comes the GGB District who desperately need to expand their fleet and bingo, for $19 million ($4 million for the boats and $15 for the remodeling) you've got yourself a deal!  The ferries which were built in the late 1990s, will be refurbished and updated with work planned on the engines, snackbar, restrooms and seating.  The ferries were used in Washington state up until 2003, but a lack of funding resulted in the state not being able to afford operating the boats.

The GGB district was pretty excited to make the deal; originally they were only planning on buying one new ferry but it was too expensive.  Ridership on the ferries is way up, and in some cases passengers are being turned away from boats that are too full.  The district is targeting 2010 to have both ferries fully remodeled, but they will put one into service right away.

Spare The Air Violators Escape Being Caught

There is someone from Mill Valley, Woodacre and possibly Novato, San Rafael and Kentfield who ignored the ban on fireplace smoke yesterday.  Those were the cities that air quality officials received complaints about wood being burned.  There were about 70 inspectors out and about Wednesday in the Bay Area to try and track down the violators, including Marin.  But no one in Marin was actually cited.

It was the first day that Bay Area Air Quality Management District enacted the Winter Smoke Ban. 

There were some complaints though, from people who worried that residents who didn't watch TV or go on computers would not be aware of the ban.   Officials responded by providing a phone number that anyone can call before they decide to burn that nice log in the fireplace. 

Spare The Air info at 1-800-430-1515.

Marin News Roundup

Find out where you can press your own olive oil and read the story about the car thief who forgot to take off the emergency brake as he drove from the scene of the crime:

	Prop. 2 adversaries react to passage: Not all farmers are upset, however. Liz Cunningham of Clark Summit Farms in Tomales, who supports Prop. 2, said her small-scale operation wouldn’t be affected. (Read more)
	Cops to boost fleet with alternative-fuel vehicle: The Ross Police Department is researching the purchase of a hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicle for its fleet. (Read more)

Marin Home Prices Continue To Plummet

The median home price dropped from $857,000 a year ago to $599,750 last month- a plunge of 30%  but those figures include condominium sales with an average sale price of $315,000.  If the figures took only single family homes into account, the median price would be $850,000, down 13% from a year ago when the median price for a single family dwelling stood at $978,000.

The numbers of home sales jumped in the condo department as investors and bargain hunters snapped up 74 properties.  Sales of condos spiked 72% from the previous year.

Get Set For Congestion Pricing On...Parking Meters???

First we saw congestion pricing proposed for traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, but San Francisco city officials have just come up with a new twist; congestion parking meter pricing.  The idea is to charge according to demand, the higher the demand for parking, the higher the cost to park.  In the event of concerts or special events, parking meters could charge up to $18 per hour!  But don't worry about having to fish around in your purse or pocket for all that change, parking officials are planning to retrofit the meters to accept credit cards.

California Fish Swimming To Extinction

KGO's Wayne Freedman filed this report on the serious situation with California's native salmon and trout, and the efforts of environmental officials to try and stem what they say is a path to extinction.  According to one expert, ninety-five of California streams that once had the Coho salmon, don't have it anymore.  Global warming and man's impact have combined to decimate fish populations and a U.C. Davis study predicts extinction by the end of the century, if not sooner.  Marin has a success story with Lagunitas Creek according to this internet video report filed by Freedman.

Inmates Take On The Ivies In Chess

Can you imagine this taking place at San Quentin with students from UC Berkeley???     

Light That Log And Risk A Fine

The first ever Winter Spare The Air day popped up yesterday around the Bay Area; it's still in effect until Noon today.  The new law which was enacted over the summer, makes it illegal to light the fireplace when a Spare The Air day is announced.  And enforcers from the the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAQMD) are out making sure residents obey, or risk fines that can be as costly as $2,000.  The wood-burn ban was enacted in order to alleviate air pollution on certain bad air quality days.  The fireplace industry isn't too happy about the bans, which air quality officials predict are likely to be put in place approximately 20 times this winter season. 

The BAQMD will determine today if the Spare The Air ban will be lifted or extended another day.

Marin News Roundup

Find out why one Marin school is refusing $100K in grant funds despite a budget crunch and what one Larkspur apartment manager is doing to clamp down on negative apartment reviews on the internet here in local news:

	SUPES APPROVE FORMATION OF AUTHORITY TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS: The vote means Marin County is the first government entity in the county to join the Marin Energy Authority which will launch a clean energy program next year. (Read more)
	Spelling bee champs named: Elijah Armstrong, a fifth-grader from Manor Elementary School, took first place. (Read more)

Flying Objects Over Novato

Several residents in Novato called 911 on Tuesday evening to report seeing "flying space debris" streaking across the night sky.  Firefighters who responded couldn't find a thing, but MoreMarin thinks they probably spotted the Leonids Meteor shower which occurs annually this time of year.

CA Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Legal Challenges To Prop 8

The CA Supreme Court agreed to consider three lawsuits that ask for Proposition 8 to be nullified. Oral arguments could begin as early as March.  The court said that same sex marriages could not resume until it makes a ruling either way. 

Feature!- Giving In Marin with Meals Of Marin

Rita is lying in bed, and laughing.  The 88 year-old is recounting a few funny stories of an earlier, good time.  Except for the fact that you can clearly see she is bedridden, it would be hard to tell that times are not so good these days for the longtime Marin resident. 

Welcome to the second installment in our series, Giving in Marin.

Remembering Jonestown 30 Years Later

Even though it was 30 years ago, a lot of us can recall the vivid details that emerged after the mass suicide of over 900 members of the People's Temple Agricultural Project in Guyana.  Tuesday, people who survived the cult gathered at Oakland's Evergreen Cemetery to commemorate.  The remains of unidentified Temple members, including many children, are buried there.

    

Never Mind Health Insurance, You Might Even Have Trouble Finding A Doctor

Think you're frustrated with health care paperwork, HMO red tape and escalating insurance premiums?  Well, the doctors share your pain. 

Woolsey Pitches New Deal To Put America Back On Track

Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey has called for the creation of a New Deal-like proposal that would spend billions of dollars and hire millions of workers to fix America's decaying infrastructure.  Woolsey, speaking Tuesday at a forum hosted by the Institute for America's Future, said-

"What America needs, and needs as quickly as we can deliver it, is a commitment to funding our domestic priorities with a bold infusion of resources.  The most obvious domestic need is our crumbling infrastructure."

She also noted that investments could also be used to further develop the eco/green industry movement, which would also produce jobs.

According to the Institute for America's Future, spending on infrastructure has been halved in recent years and the resultant massive problems will require the staggering sum of $1.6 trillion over the next several years to fix.

Marin News Roundup

Marin bus routes may change in several towns; is yours one of them?  Also, turning puppies poo into power- Click to read these local stories:

	Marin joins Proposition 8 lawsuit:  The Marin Board of Supervisors is joining join San Francisco and other plaintiffs suing to bring Proposition 8 to the state Supreme Court for review.  (Read more)
	The promise of poo power?:  Straus Family Creamery in Marin County installed a methane digester in 2000 and uses the gas to power its plant, saving Straus thousands of dollars a month in energy bills.  (Read more)

Don't Be A Turkey- Donate Some Food This Holiday Season

We know times may be a little bit lean this Holiday season, even here in swanky Marin.   But for some people it only means things are much worse than usual.

The giant turkey shown here in the Corte Madera Town Center, is a collection point for canned food and toiletries for the neediest of families here in the County.  The food will be collected by the Marin Community Food Bank and then distributed in holiday baskets.  This is the Town Center Turkey's 15th annual year gathering the goodies and it'll be there till the New Year. 

Massage for Mares

Rebecca Thomas describes her occupation as "Equine Body Work," but that's just a fancy name for horse massage.   She's a horse body worker who uses massage as a way to relieve the stress of horses who are kept in captivity, and she's got clients from Oakland to Glen Ellen.  Doesn't Thomas sound like she belongs in Marin?  Here's the internet video-

    

Getting Too Few Zzzzzzzzzzzzs Increases Cancer Risk

A new study from the National Cancer Institute involving nearly 6,000 women found that even if females reduced their cancer risk by regular exercise, those benefits were likely to be canceled if she got too little sleep.  Among physically active women, those who slept less than seven hours nightly had a 47% higher risk of cancer than those who slept longer.   Health officials who led the study, weren't sure how the sleep loss contributed to the higher risk of cancer, but chronic sleep loss has been associated with a myriad of other health problems including heart disease and diabetes.  Turns out Mom was right...turn out the light!

Marin News Roundup

Marin foreclosures plummet, a wider road through Samuel P.Taylor Park may mean cutting down trees and tasers in Ross?  Read these and other cool local stories by clicking below:

	Ross police to purchase 10 Tasers:  One of Marin's quietest and low-crime towns will soon have a police force equipped with Tasers.  (Read more)
	Driver missing after flipping SUV on Hwy 101 in Marin:   Authorities searched for several hours this morning for the driver of a sport utility vehicle that was found on its roof just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.  (Read more)

SoCal Wildfires Reminiscent Of Oakland-Berkeley Fire

Nine hundred and eighty of them, everything from mobile homes to mansions, went up in flames this past weekend, in the raging wildfires in Southern California.  We had our own terrible wildfires at the beginning of the 'fire season', but we seem to have escaped the usual autumn scorchers. We put the 'fire season' in quotes because the season in California seems to be year round these days. 

The speed and spread of the fires of this past weekend, is eerily reminiscent of the horrible 1991 Oakland Hills conflagration that consumed nearly 3,000 homes and apartments and remains one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history.   Aside from numbers of structures lost, the main difference is in human life.  25 people died in the 1991 fire, but so far, no fatalities have been reported in the Tea, the Sayre and the Freeway Complex fires in Southern California.  (Photo courtesy of HuffPost)

Funny, It Doesn't Look Yellow

This story is not for the squeamish. 

When the Shuttle Endeavor blasted off for the International Space Station on Friday, it carried a lot of stuff in addition to seven new astronauts; a new fridge, some exercise equipment and a second toilet.  But the most expensive and interesting piece in the payload is the $250 million dollar wastewater recycler that will purify the astronauts urine into drinking water.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The recycler will come in handy as the number of crew members doubles aboard the Space Station and you have the dual problem of no place to store fresh water and what to do with the waste. The recycler will process urine through a series of purification techniques; filtration, oxidation and ionization.  Then a small amount of iodine will be added to prevent microbial growth.

Bottoms up!

Feature!- Anger And Hope At Anti Prop 8 Rally In San Rafael

"We will win!"

That was the rallying cry, and overall theme by Marin residents today at a gay marriage rights rally, on San Rafael City Hall steps.  It was part of a nationwide effort, Join The Impact, which called on gay rights advocates and supporters to rally against the passage of Proposition 8 in last week's election.

Click here to see the photo album and click below to see the rest of the story.

Marin News Roundup

Organic wineries, the anti-Prop 8 rally and a Jim Jones People's Temple defector who hid out in Marin County- all those stories below:

	San Rafael Stands Up:  Colleen sends us some pictures of the rally against Prop. 8 in San Rafael  (Read more)
	Commercial crab season opens:  Commercial fishermen warn the season might be short and lean.  (Read more)