NEWS
Local taxes win in initial primary tally
An environmental attorney and rancher from Bolinas is trailing the field of contenders in the first primary election for California’s newly redrawn Second Congressional District. Democratic incumbent Jared Huffman meanwhile cruised to a commanding lead in the race for a sprawling district that links his deep blue base with some of the most conservative counties…
Judge defends poetic remark in Hearsay
A defamation lawsuit filed against the Bolinas Hearsay News and several of its contributors was dismissed this week by a Marin County Superior Court judge, who ruled that a poem published in the paper amounted to protected speech. Last Friday, Judge Stephen Freccero granted the defendants’ motion to strike Cheryl Ruggiero’s claims under California’s anti-SLAPP…
Historic house for sale in Bolinas
What is likely the oldest house in coastal Marin is for sale, and with it comes nearly two centuries’ worth of stories. The property, which sits at the entrance to Bolinas, has lived many lives, from an Indigenous Coast Miwok village to a Gold Rush sawmill and the home of the late Judith “Hawk” Weston. …
Oral history projects keep lineage alive
There’s a certain symmetry in the fact that the grand marshal of this year’s Western Weekend is a historian. After nearly eight decades, the event itself has become a living piece of West Marin history. Who better than Dewey Livingston to take a leading role in the festivities? Mr. Livingston has written several books about…
TNC partners with RCD
The Nature Conservancy will draw on the local expertise of the Marin Resource Conservation District as it begins stewarding nearly 17,000 acres of former ranchland at the Point Reyes National Seashore. A cooperative agreement that runs through 2030 establishes a framework for the conservation behemoth and the special district to collaborate on targeted grazing, invasive…
Dreaded pest discovered on Costco grapevines
Two glassy-winged sharpshooter nymphs were found last week on grapevines for sale at Costco’s Novato location, putting Marin County on high alert about a threat to the wine and agriculture industries. The sharpshooter is a vector for Pierce’s disease, a bacterial infection that blocks water movement within the plant, steadily killing it. The disease is…
Eva Taylor, the weekend’s junior grand marshal
For Eva Taylor, small-town community has meant everything. It’s built on people willing to carry out often-laborious acts of love and the same sense of responsibility that keeps her family’s multi-generational ranch running. At 17, Ms. Taylor has already held a multitude of roles in West Marin, from president of the Tomales chapter of Future…
International regatta returns to Inverness
The International 110 is a sporty sailboat favored by a particular sort of idiosyncratic racing purist, folks who love camaraderie and a good time. At the 2022 International 110 National Regatta—the last one to be held at the Inverness Yacht Club—bar revenue hit a record. That’s a significant accomplishment, given that the club has been…
FEATURES & OPINIONS
Strengthening economic vitality in West Marin
West Marin has long been defined by a strong sense of community—neighbors showing up for one another, organizations working side by side, and a shared commitment to preserving what makes this region such a special place. That spirit was put to the test last year, when the closure of several ranching and dairy operations threatened…
Memories from wartime
With wars raging in Iran, Israel, Ukraine, and Lebanon, and the proposed reinstatement of automatic registration into the Selective Service System, memories of my Vietnam experience have been coming back. In 1966, I dropped out of UConn, 18 years old and with no direction, and I moved back in with my parents. My father suggested…
In the Fields, June 4, 2026
Production is peaking at Tomales Bay Pastures, where owner Morgan Giammona wakes at 5 a.m. to collect fresh eggs. With 16 hours of daylight and many tasty bugs in the grass, the productivity of the farm’s egg-laying hens has jumped to 90 percent from 75 percent in the winter. To protect his hens from coyotes…
