NEWS
Hoffman kicked off Last Resort
In the end, after five sheriff’s deputies arrived, David Lee Hoffman agreed to leave the Lagunitas property into which he has poured his unbridled creativity for over 50 years. After he drove his boxy Honda S.U.V. down the long, winding driveway on Tuesday morning, they locked the iron gate behind him. “Insanity!” he said upon…
Squid boat dismantled at North Beach
Almost four weeks after a 58-foot fishing boat ran aground at North Beach, salvage crews have dismantled the ship, leaving fishermen to ask why it wasn’t saved. The Lake Bay was carrying roughly 40 tons of squid when it washed ashore in the early hours of Aug. 21 in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The…
Days numbered for the Tomales Braves
Twenty-five years ago, West Marin engaged in an impassioned debate about whether to change the name of Tomales High School’s sports teams—the Braves—and abandon its mascot, a Native American in a feathered headband. After 18 months of debate and discussion, the Shoreline Unified School District board settled on a compromise: The name would stay, but…
Displaced ranch residents raise homeless count
The latest official count of West Marin’s homeless population surged for the second time in a row, largely driven by the closure of 12 ranches and dairies in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The count shot up from 120 people to 251, between 2024 and 2026. Known as a point-in-time count, the federally mandated tally…
Defendants enter pleas after Lagunitas drug bust
Five defendants, including three siblings, have pled not guilty to charges connected to a drug bust in Lagunitas last month. The suspects—Mark Woodard, 58; Isaiah Makonen, 28; Forever Makonen, 25; Starlight Makonen, 23; and Sarah Gilmore, 22—face several counts, including for manufacturing illegal drugs, conspiring to commit a crime, obstructing arrest, destroying evidence, and possessing…
Sheriff investigates sheep found dead in Nicasio
Fifteen sheep from a flock of around 70 were found dead last week at a private ranch in Nicasio, prompting an investigation by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. A sheepherder and the owner, whose property borders Skywalker Ranch, initially reported that the animals appeared to have gunshot wounds, but they may have fallen prey to…
FEATURES & OPINIONS
Nature Notebook, September 17, 2026
The astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere begins on Sept. 22 with the autumnal equinox. With the sun directly over the equator, we will have equal hours of night and day. A full harvest moon follows on Sept. 26. The full moon closest to the equinox is always called the harvest moon, as…
Art in the Lobby, September 17, 2026
In the quiet of his Inverness Ridge home, sunlight shines through Gary Smith’s studio window onto a blank piece of watercolor paper. He dips a squirrel-hair mop brush into water, then pulls together red-brown and blue paints made from ground piemontite and blue apatite minerals to make a beautiful gray. He carefully works his way…
